David Warner's wife has refuted claims of a feud with Australia captain Michael Clarke's other half and defended the presence of WAGS in England during the Ashes series. Candice Falzon was responding to claims first made by Australia's former Test wicketkeeper Ian Healy that the players' wives and girlfriends were a contributing factor for their dismal performance this summer.
While Healy believes having the WAGS join the players was "distracting", Warner's wife Falzon says they were a help rather than a hindrance.
“The most important thing is the boys. It’s about getting them ready, getting them on the field and making sure they’re 100 per cent ready to go,” Falzon said.
“I think a lot of them would be very unhappy if their kids and their partners weren’t here. There’s a lot of things we do behind the scenes that people don’t know to help get the boys on the field.”
Australia's tour has been dogged by rumours of bust-ups between players' partners with News Corp reporting that Falzon had a run-in with Clarke's wife Kyly.
“This story that we may not get along is total rubbish,” Falzon told Australian radio station Triple M Grill Team.
But she did go on to admit that in those type of environments, conflict can arise.
“In any group there’s going to be people who ... it doesn’t matter if it’s a work environment or sporting environment, who aren’t going to get along,” she said.
“I get along with everyone. I’m here to support David.”
Warner and his wife have been active on Instagram throughout the series posting pictures of themselves with daughter Ivy Mae.
After Australia squared the series at Lord's, Warner posted an image of the three of them on the pitch and commented how he cherishes time on tour with his family.
He also posted another picture which showed his daughter on the team coach.
Healy, however, feels that players' wives and partners should not be allowed to join up until the series has been won. He said last week: “All their partners are here and some of the most respected cricketers I played with hated that distraction."
Clarke's wife Kyly is said to have had a run-in with Warner's partner
“They weren’t allowed on tour until the series had been won. Your mind needs to be completely focused on it. You need everything going for you and I’m not sure they’re pushing for that hard enough.”
Australia's outgoing captain Clarke also felt the need to deny reports of a rift in the camp after it was also claimed Clarke would travel to matches in a car rather than join the rest of the squad on the team coach.
"There is no disharmony is this group whatsoever. The players are as tight as any team I've been a part of," Clarke told Triple M in an expletive-laden interview.
“
Travelling in different cars. What a load of ****. I can guarantee you, the feeling in this group is exceptional. Wives and girlfriends being on tour is a distraction? What a load of ****. That's absolute garbage. I'll give back 10 of my Test 100s if it wasn't for my beautiful wife. At the end of the day the players are the ones who walk onto the field, we have to perform and we haven't performed well enough.
”
The Australian Cricketers' Association also weighed into the debate, insisting players benefit from the presence of families and partners on long overseas tours.
ACA chief executive Alistair Nicholson said: "Having families on tour is an important part of the support network for players, particularly with three forms of the game and year-round travel. Overseas campaigns can be brutal and while players understand that it is part and parcel of what they do, the relatively short periods they spend with their families and partners (on tour) has a positive impact on their well-being. The overseas period is designated months in advance and entitles players to have immediate family members or partners on tour for a two-week period. The costs associated with this are paid for by the players via the Player Payment Pool. This benefit becomes available to a player when he has spent more than 50 days abroad in a contract year."
Source : Telegraph Sport