it's tough to aim high with Gen Y Garth Wood taps away at the well-worn pads of legendary trainer Johnny Lewis before his middleweight world title fight against Englishman Martin Murray. Your humble correspondent bumped into former ARU boss John O'Neill during the week, and he opened up for the first time about the apparent scourge of Generation Y on the Wallabies team. It was interesting to listen to what he had to say. O'Neill was front and centre of a piece in Fairfax Media two months ago about the poisonous influence of The Three Amigos - James O'Connor, Quade Cooper and Kurtley Beale - on the national side. Specifically, the story revealed several telling anecdotes, including one in which O'Neill ripped into some players following the loss to the All Blacks in August last year. "Twenty per cent of you are letting down the other 80 per cent," O'Neill told the dressing-room. That 20 per cent are the same 20 per cent who have their mobile phones in their hands right now. O'Neill was also left stunned when Beale told him to remove himself from a seat on the team bus after another match because "that's Quade's seat." Said O'Neill when approached this week: "Yes, the versions you were given were accurate. Whoever your sources were had a good recollection. Gen Y is a problem for all sports. There's no magic solution. You have to impose discipline and then punish them accordingly. On that score, O'Neill has been accused by his replacement at the ARU, chief executive Bill Pulver, of failing to come down hard enough on O'Connor. Others have claimed that he and former coach Robbie Deans never came down hard enough on The Three Amigos, allowing the situation to fester. "The accusation that the previous administration was soft on James O'Connor, Kurtley Beale and Quade Cooper is wrong," O'Neill said. The record doesn't support that. If you asked [integrity unit head] Phil Thomson and [team manager] Bob Egerton for their opinion of the way we handled disciplinary matters, they would say we were as fair and tough as we could be. I've been out of the ARU for about 12 months. Robbie Deans has been gone since June. The collective corporate memory is a bit light on the ground. I'm not there, Robbie's not there. Our media guy, Peter Jenkins, isn't there. Matt Carroll, the deputy CEO, isn't there. Nick Weeks is now at the NRL heading up their integrity unit. So a lot of the people who would know how James O'Connor was dealt with are no longer there. It is a bit amusing that one of James' first offences was a food fight, for which he and other participants were put in front of a disciplinary tribunal and fined. Ironically, we were accused by commentators and the media at the time for overreacting. I don't think there was any absence of intent to discipline James and others where the offence was proven. The key difference between James' situation and Quade Cooper's situation was that Quade had already been signed up by the Reds. James doesn't have a Super Rugby team. The Queensland Reds were saying a year ago that we must re-sign Quade. There was a lot of pressure from the QRU for the ARU to stump up. After I left, the ARU did stump up and provide Quade with an ARU top-up. The politics around James O'Connor and Quade Cooper are distinctly different. Wife saw boot coming Sacked Socceroos coach Holger Osieck had to apologise earlier this year after making a sexist remark that women should "shut up in public" because "I say it to my wife at home." It was Osieck's wife, Elisabeth, who cottoned on before anyone else that her husband was about to receive the bullet. She noticed FFA boss David Gallop walking out to the back of the grandstand at Parc des Princes with 20 minutes remaining in the friendly against France on Saturday. When she realised Gallop wasn't coming back in a hurry, she knew the verdict that was about to come down. Osieck was punted 90 minutes after full-time, but we're informed he was at least given the chance to have dinner at the team hotel before being told. Coach's labour of love Will you still coach me, dad? That was one of the first questions Brad Arthur's 11-year old son Jake asked on hearing the news that his dad will lead Parramatta for the next three years, while the family holidayed in Bali. Arthur led the Rouse Hills Rhinos side to the finals this year as they celebrated promotion to the first division in the Parramatta District Junior Rugby League competition. "He asked me but he knew I would; he knows I get as much enjoyment out of coaching them as I do for what I get paid to do," Arthur said. They are a good bunch of young boys. It's something I am going to continue to do. I will find the time. I have a real good bunch of dads that help me. They keep you sane and grounded. Tales from the streets: Wood won't break under pressure Nothing soft comes out of the Bronx? Try Erskineville Oval. That's where you will find Garth Wood tapping away at the well-worn pads of legendary trainer Johnny Lewis before his middleweight world title fight against Englishman Martin Murray. In 1968, his father Barry came to the same place, to tap away at the same pads belonging to the same trainer, in preparation to play rugby league for Newtown. "This was my backyard as a kid," reflects Wood jnr. This is where I learnt to play footy, where I learnt to fight. When I step into the ring, I am always representing the 'hood. But for this fight I will also be representing my country. It's an important point to note. The Barmy Army will be in Australia for the Ashes series, and they are expected to annoyingly buoy Murray when he meets Wood at the Sydney Entertainment Centre on December 11. "I want a Garthy Army," Wood laughed. Both Lewis and fellow Sydney trainer Lincoln Hudson are preparing Wood before the bout - the former winner of The Contender, who went on to knock out Anthony Mundine, describes as "the biggest fight of my life." As a kid, Wood would sit on the side of the ring at the Newtown Police Boys and watch Lewis prepare the likes of Fenech, Harding and Tszyu. Question & Answer: Nick Carle We speak to the much travelled Sydney FC midfielder before Saturday's A-League clash with Brisbane Roar. You can watch it live on Fox Sports. Can you explain what the biggest cultural difference, or biggest spin-out, was while playing on loan in the Middle East last year? Bit of everything. The heat was tough, training at night was hard to adapt to and obviously interesting to see another culture. It wasn't too much of a culture shock as I've already played in Turkey. Your move effectively opened the door for Alessandro Del Piero to join the club last season. Is he falling at your feet in thanks now that you're back at Sydney FC? I've joked a few times that I did the best thing for Australian football leaving and freeing a spot to sign him. I'm glad he stuck around another season and I get to play alongside a world-class player like him. Serious one: what's he like as a captain and teammate? He's an absolute superstar but comes across as a genuinely humble bloke. Spot on. For someone who has achieved so much in his career, he's so down to earth. As a captain, what better role model is there? He has a winning mentality that we hope will rub off on the team. How many goals will you be happy with this season? Give us an exact number and we'll see how close you are at the end of the season. Or have an investment. Considering I will be in a more defensive role this year, I'm hoping to still help the team in attack with a few goals, hopefully reach five. We'll see how you go. Please don't be offended by this: someone told me your nickname was "Dora." As in "Dora the Explorer." Discuss. You have obviously spoken to Liam Reddy. He put a pic of Dora up on my locker one year. I did find it very funny but I like to see myself a bit more like Diego than Dora. Diego, thanks for your time.