Captain Matt Moylan, Peta Hiku and Waqa Blake have been dropped to reserve grade after a drinking bender in Melbourne following their 28-6 loss to the Storm.

The team face the Rabbitohs on Friday night and are desperate for a win after a sluggish start to the season.

Griffin drew a huge line in the sand in dropping the players which Gould supports “100 per cent”.   

"It's a big decision by the coach to drop three players who broke the rules on Saturday night but the coach is adamant that they're his standards and that's what he wants to keep," Gould said on his Six Tackles with Gus podcast. 

"The club supports him 100 per cent in that and the players have paid the penalty.

"People will see this as a penalty on everyone else in the team and the club and the chances of winning on Friday night but we'll trust those players that did the right thing and we'll trust the players that are coming through the system to step up to the mark.

"It was a rehab session planned for the morning at a facility and then breakfast together, they travel home at lunchtime, and they want to begin the preparations because we've got a short turn around Friday night playing against the Rabbitohs.

"They don't sleep the night after a game, it's very difficult for them so I just imagine the boys got a bit bored and thought they'd go down the road and have a few beers. Bottom line is they could have stayed in the hotel and done that and they didn't and that was a breach of protocol.

"It's not just breaching what the coach had said, but the other players who did the right thing now look at the coach and say what are you going to do?

"I think that's the standards our club has set all along and the players understand the rules and that's the penalty that has been deemed appropriate."