People's views are no better or worse that mine, but I think the decline of the season can be intricately linked to the penalties metered out for BBQ. The table doesn't lie.
I think they were silly, but the punishment was disproportionate.
A massive $305K in fines for 13 players, 20 games worth of suspensions, the summary execution of Vaughn and other players given the cold shoulder all combined to have the expected outcome. Vaughn said he was sorry, they shot him anyway. Every other club licked out lips with glee we would get a stout campaigner for cheap.
Not only that, Webb, was not ruling out further penalties on top of that. Merkin.
The whole show was one of the most heavy handed and debilitating consequences Ive seen when not a single player had any co-vid and the risk was miniscule and in fact, no harm was done. But they were smashed anyway.
The media had a field day. Sold a lot of click bait.
Instead of standing up for the oppressed fans who had suffered for so long under Mary, the club and the nrl took the easy option of crucifixion and grabbed pearls like I've never seen. Made examples of players, made them ring fans. It was gross, humiliatingly disrespectful. Most players aspire to be better. They were treated like criminals. Worse in many cases.
There was snowflakes any of the wronged players where going to somehow get aroused for the club after that treatment. 20 games worth of penalty in a close competition. That's a bridge too far, even for Hook who is making significant inroads in the post Mary era.
These guys didn't hurt anyone, for the most part were obeying all the tough rules, week in and week out but for a single cheeky mishap with no harm done.
They didn't abduct Mother Teresa, they had a silly get together.
Look back at the time, the recovery was on, the new variant wasn't about. The chances of getting co vid where marginal.
Even less so for the group who had been taking all precautions, twenty or thirty times what the population was doing.
That's my view anyway.
Players are going to perform better when they are respected and feel appreciated. Otherwise, they lose their anchor. Its a tough game, tougher on your own.
A lot of officials and former stars all got drunk on power and the prestige of being so right. It was sickening.
