RL administrators main error has been pandering to the PC crowd. No punches, no shoulder charge etc etc altering the game to such an extent it barely resembles the game I fell in love with as a kid. The trajectory in all this ? Touch footy in 50 years. ( but dont touch too hard )
The rusted on fans of the game love its conflict, aggression, tribalism. Veering to the centre to appease little Johny's soccer Mum has destroyed the great game. If they don't like the game because a human being who once made a mistake is playing it then so be it. Take Johnny to the soccer instead. That's where little Johnny belongs.
Would I want Lodge or Packer to represent my club? - No, but I would never begrudge a person who is given a second chance to become a better person. These guys are a cross section of society, a reflection of society and apparently society doesnt like what it sees in the mirror.
I agree with you to an extent about the game becoming too PC which can be a negative but I don’t think it relates to my point about guys committing serious assaults and being allowed to play in the NRL.
Second chances exist in our society and I have no problem with these guys rehabilitating their lives and becoming better people which by all accounts they have both done... However being a professional athlete does come with it’s responsibilities whether you agree or not and not assaulting people is one of those responsibilities and is a non-negotiable in my book.
Also out of interest I would like to know where you draw the line? Russell Packer almost killed someone, I remember reading about it after it happened and it was brutal. Surely by now in Australia we all know how badly even a single punch can go. He’s probably lucky that he didn’t give someone brain damage or a permanent disability. If he had done that would you be ok with him being back in the game? What if he actually did kill the guy and had then done some time for it as manslaughter and was then allowed back into the game at a later stage? Would you be ok with it because he regrets it and has turned his life around?
If you or one of your friends or family were the victim of an assault like that by a player would you be ok with them getting a second crack at being an NRL player because they’ve come back and said a bunch of stuff about how sorry they are? Would you still watch the NRL and be invested as a fan after letting that person back in again?
While I agree that taking some of the on field physicality out of the game is probably going a bit too far I think that violence is a genuine problem in our society and I don’t think you’d have to look too far to find someone that you know who’s been on the receiving end of it in their life. Putting professional sports on a pedestal and saying that it’s fine having all these guys with assault charges in our game does nothing to address that problem because kids grow up watching that stuff and think it’s ok.
Sorry for the long post, you may not initially agree with any of the above but it may be food for thought.
