https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nr...t/news-story/2b4c1465dc773aef1eb7627caa8f5353
NRL CEO Todd Greenberg admits Matt Lodge should have spoken earlier ahead of Broncos debut
NRL CEO Todd Greenberg has admitted that the NRL made one critical mistake in allowing Matt Lodge to return to the top level of Australian rugby league but denies registering his contract was one of them.
The most controversial figure of the pre-season makes his first NRL appearance in close to 1,000 days when he lines up for the Broncos against St George Illawarra in the season opener on Thursday night, Lodge’s off-field atrocities briefly making way for game one in his possible rugby league redemption.
The release of CCTV footage showing in shocking detail the extent of Lodge’s New York rampage in October 2015 last weekend has focused all attention on the 22-year-old’s right to play NRL again and overshadowed almost all other storylines waiting to play out in round one.
Speaking on
League Life on Wednesday night just moments after Yvonne Sampson’s exclusive interview with Lodge went to air, Greenberg defended the NRL’s decision in accommodating Lodge’s return but conceded they did make one crucial error in the process.
“The main error in this whole process has been the lack of insight that we’ve seen tonight,” Greenberg admitted.
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“That should have been seen and that should have been spoken about significantly earlier than what it has been.
“One of the lessons that we’re learning is about how transparent we can be and there’s no doubt, had I had my time over again about the transparency in bringing him back into the game, you would have heard him speak much earlier than what he has.”
On the same day that Broncos coach Wayne Bennett criticised the media heavily for their coverage of Lodge and questioning whether he was worthy of a place in the NRL, the 22-year-old was seen for the first time speaking openly and honestly about the events of that night and how they have since affected his life.
Rejected twice by the NRL in the past 18 months, Lodge finally displayed publicly the type of remorse those in charge of green-lighting his return have witnessed behind closed doors and is a critical first step in any hope of winning back public support.
Lodge and Greenberg both know that support from the broader rugby league community may never come but the NRL’s most senior figure doesn’t believe that is grounds to banish him from the sport forever.
“Sometimes I don’t think there is a right answer,” Greenberg said.
“Sometimes the easy answer is to actually not let people come back in the game but I’m not so sure if that’s the right thing for the sport.
“The easy decision is to say that anybody that does it, they don’t play, but I don’t necessarily think that’s the right decision.
“I remember sitting with Russell Packer who spent a year inside jail and I remember talking to him about what program he would commit to.
“He’s been an incredible success story for us and it’s taken him years to develop that.
“Matt Lodge is 22 years of age, he made some horrible errors. The easy thing to do is to shut the door and walk away; I don’t think that’s what rugby league stands for.
“I don’t think rugby league walks away from challenges and I don’t think rugby league is a sport that will shut the door on people who make an error.
“That doesn’t for one minute excuse everything that we’ve just seen.
“He made some really grave errors but he gets an opportunity to rebuild his life and what I saw is that he is desperately trying to do that and I think rugby league has a part to play in that.”
Finally Greenberg is taking some responsibility for the clusterf*ck. Minimum credits though, who couldn't see this shitstorm coming when they made the decision?
