DROPPED Queensland Reds duo Nick Frisby and Andrew Ready went drinking and missed a recovery session following their defeat to the Hurricanes.

But Queensland is saying the decision to cut them for this weekend’s match against the Brumbies had been made before that occurred and is related only to the rugby issues.

Coach Nick Stiles publicly shamed Frisby and Ready for their performance at Suncorp Stadium after the bumbling Reds lost their fifth successive game.

The Daily Telegraph can reveal Frisby and Ready went out in Brisbane city after Stiles’ rebuke, and were absent the next morning at a session that was not mandatory, though most senior players attended.

Reds player Nick Frisby copped a serve for his poor performance against the Hurricanes. Picture: Peter Wallis Source: News Corp Australia

The Reds said Stiles had already made the decision to drop the duo to club rugby after the Hurricanes game, before they went out.

However, it’s understood the coach has made clear to Frisby and Ready that they’ve fallen well short of cultural expectations after discovering they were out.

Frisby and Ready have not trained with the Reds squad this week after it emerged they organised a night out following Stiles’ stunning comments in the press conference at Suncorp Stadium and then were no-shows for Sunday morning’s recovery session.

The Reds have lost five games in a row and sit third on the Australian conference and 13th overall, despite a host of big-name signings in the off-season that were supposed to have made them finals contenders.

After being blown away by the Hurricanes in the second half, Stiles was left seething.

Not happy ... Reds coach Nick Stiles apparently dumped both Frisby and Ready before their drinking came to light. Source: AAP

“I couldn’t be more disappointed with the performance of the bench,” Stiles said.

“It takes 23 guys in modern day rugby to win football games, it’s not just about your starting XV, it’s about 23.

“Going into this game with a couple of the minor changes that we made, I thought our bench would be a really good contributor for us.

“But I was just really disappointed with their performance when they came on — and I told them that in the changing rooms.

“Andrew Ready knocked on, Nick Frisby played poorly.

“Those guys come on fresh, they’ve got to come on and contribute and it wasn’t good enough.”

It’s understood that despite the stinging criticism, Frisby and Ready organised a drinking session that night through a WhatsApp text message group, which did not go down well with some teammates.

Reds player Andrew Ready was also dumped. Picture: Jono Searle Source: News Corp Australia

Today, Stiles addressed the dropping of both players.

“I flagged straight after the game at the weekend that I was disappointed with the bench’s performance and it wasn’t just that game,” Stiles said.

“Over the last couple of weeks in particular Andrew Ready and Nick Frisby’s preparation hadn’t been spot on. It takes so much to prepare well. It’s tough to win Super Rugby and you can’t just rock up on a Saturday and expect to win.

“It’s the preparation you’ve got to put in Monday to Friday that sets you up to perform well and unfortunately for those two it hasn’t been up to scratch. It’s been something I’ve been speaking to them both along the way and what I’m hoping now is that they’ll go back to cub rugby and play at their club and I’m wanting to see a response from them.

“You look at them last year — both were starters — but there was no pressure on them to hold their starting position and they played well. This year with the added depth in the squad both of them were challenged for their starting positions and this year you’ve seen Stephen play and James Tuttle work exceptionally hard to come in and start. So it’s a bit of a setback for them but hopefully, long-term this will be a blessing in disguise for them.

“I’ve been in Nick’s shoes — I know what it’s like to start your first year. Last year was really his first year as a starting at nine for us.

“Then to go away on a Wallabies spring tour. It’s a big year physically and mentally challenging and Nick has probably come back from that tour a little drained and that transferred into his preparation and how he’s been performing.

“This is an opportunity for him to go back reassess and play some good football at club and gain some confidence again and then come back and contribute here with the Reds.”