So.. just to be clear you are stating that 1 domestic violence conviction is better than multiple missing training or drinking sessions? Yes?
For Dane Nielsen, let me spell it out for you - he was also a dragons player (so one of ours) who was charged with assaulting a woman..
He suffered the same fate as AFB (and it was around the same time)..
Pretty sure it was his first charge too..
Why aren’t you advocating that we should have stood by him too?
Muzby
Nobody is stating that one charge is greater or less than another charge people are simply talking about rehabilitation within the NRL system. You keep trying to make that link without looking at the significant fact that regardless of the actions the players remain within the NRL system.
So let's go through a few points
Nielsen came to the club after we through him a lifeline. He had already been at the centre of issues at Souths turning up to training drunk etc so he had form of bad behaviour and it was clearly stated that his behaviour at Cronulla breached his contract. So Nielsen had form of poor / bad behaviour prior to coming to our club. His contract was written is such a way as to not condone any further breaches so not surprising that he was sacked as you have to ask how many chances can he be afforded and he ignored the warning in his contract.
It should be noted that Nielsen, AFB, Garvey, Jorge Tafua (Manly) all had incidents around the same time and the NRL were trying to hang tough due to bad publicity. Not sure when the Packer assault happened?
Garvey was stood down and reinstated to the club after receiving 300 hours of community service for his assault charge. If you know anything about the law, 300 hours of community work is about the absolute limit before custodial sentences. So the club afforded him the opportunity to rehabilitate.
Packer again had form of bad behaviour let alone his custodial sentence before coming to the club. The club fought a long and costly battle in an effort to get his contract registered and in the meanwhile he played ISP. To his great credit CP's behaviour was exemplary in his time at the club.
Dugan had several issues prior coming to the club and of course had some other minor issues during his time and was allowed to leave of his own volition.
AFB to the best of my knowledge had no priors and after pleading guilty was given a suspended sentence and a $1,000 fine and dismissed from the club. Not afforded any opportunity to remain within the clubs system.
It would appear to some that AFB was not given the same opportunity as others and it beggars the question why are some players supported by our club but not so in his case.
You offered previously that at 19 he knows right from wrong well does that not apply to all the others we have helped?
What AFB did was clearly wrong but we could have stood him down awaiting the outcome of his trial and then looked at implementing a plan to rehabilitate a young man (somebody else clearly did so) but we didn't do that instead we immediately tore up his contract. i
In old articles about most of the above it talks about behaviour that is in breach of contracts, well JDB is facing the most serious of charges of anyone and such behaviour would clearly constitute a breach of contract, yet JDB remains in the system, remains at training and the only thing that the club has to hang its hat on is JDB's word re his innocence whilst the DPP has a case strong enough to go to court.
Why is the club not standing JDB down or ripping up his contract?
A good question and IMO the club shows its true colours in that it was easy to dispense with the contracts of a 19 year old kid and a 30 year old clunker and cast them out in an effort to support the NRL during troubled times but argue against the NRL and stand steadfastly behind marquis players such as Packer, Dugan & JDB as they were more worthwhile assets.
You continue to falsely accuse me of saying that my support of Dennis's argument re AFB is based on AFB's ability to play (not realised at the time of the incident) but I suggest that there is clear evidence that the club did support rep players in a manner they could have afforded AFB but clearly they chose not to do so.
