Why NRL players must want to play union

 
Steve Kaless Roar Guru

By , 6 Apr 2009 Steve Kaless is a Roar Guru

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Waratah's Wycliff Palu faces a challenge by South Africa's Stormers Sireli Naqelevuki - AP Photo/Mouton van Zyl

Waratah's Wycliff Palu faces a challenge by South Africa's Stormers Sireli Naqelevuki - AP Photo/Mouton van Zyl

Quick question, which professional footballer faced court last week with the threat of a custodial sentence? An NRL player? BZZZT! Wycliff Palu of the Waratahs.

The player escaped a jail sentence for being caught driving without licence for the second time but will pay a $1000 fine.

What struck me was the media’s treatment of the affair.

There was no talk of him being suspended from matches (even when he was facing court), no handing out of fines, no call for rehab, no one even called him a boofhead.

Even though you must wonder how smart someone is who decides they should still drive even though they are on suspended licence.

He can’t even use the old “I was drunk” excuse.

Instead it was just squeezed into the pages as though it was good news the matter has been dealt with so that the player can get back to playing rugby.

The was even the old line of “he has really learnt from his mistake”. I thought that only worked on first offences?

Can you imagine if this was a rugby league player?

Jake Friend, a player with a handful of first grade appearances as compared to an international representative, has already been hit with a $10,000 fine even before he heads to court.

He also had calls of him handing that cheque out publicly to a charity and had his trip to the wheelchair rugby team played out in public.

But for “Cliffy” everyone was just glad he could again concentrate on his footy.

Isn’t it great to play a game from the right side of the tracks.

None of rugby’s high priests in the media who have been so adept at articulating the moral responsibility of players in the public eye to be cleaner than clean and attacking anyone who goes near defending a league player could even bring themselves to question this player’s stupidity or the fact that his manager clearly wanted to issue forgotten.

The Bulldogs Daniel Holdsworth got himself a full page spread for breaking up a fight on the way home from a night out and the Roosters have had to stand down players who have had a few beers at home.

Rugby players obviously aren’t news worthy.

Clearly the Waratahs have no problem with players facing charges so long as they can perform on the field.

God help an NRL coach who would attempt to argue the same.

Perhaps what was most amazing was that in the few paragraphs on the issue no one mentioned that Palu had a short but unsuccessful stint with the St George Dragons.

Surely it was rugby league’s “culture” that led the Wallaby to become a repeat offender in the eyes of the law.

Rugby so often bemoans the fact that it flies under the radar of mainstream public attention, but here they must be counting their blessings.

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