Robert Lui has to go

 
John Davidson Roar Guru

By , 22 Mar 2012 John Davidson is a Roar Guru

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    With Robert Lui admitting guilt in the assault of his pregnant partner last year, his promising NRL career should be over.

    No third chance, no rehab and no counseling. This was the second time Lui had been charged with assaulting his girlfriend Taleah Rae Backo after an incident back in 2010 when the Wests Tigers were knocked out of the semis.

    In that case he was charged with nine offences in relation to an alleged assault, with those charges eventually dismissed in April 2011.

    This time, Lui was not so ‘lucky’. With his second attack coming eerily almost a year later after the Tigers were dumped from the finals, this time by the Warriors, he couldn’t escape them. And so he shouldn’t.

    The Tigers rightly dropped him after the second incident emerged, and his hometown club the Cowboys picked him up.

    Now, Lui has had his day in court, been convicted and admitted guilt. It’s time for the Cowboys to drop him also and for the NRL to de-register him.

    You consider the example the NRL set for someone like Todd Carney, and then you look at Lui. Carney was de-registered for a year. Lui should face a much, much bigger penalty. Headbutting and kicking a pregnant women while she is on the ground is not on. Doing it twice, should see you ostracised from the sport for good.

    I’ve often watched Mark Geyer on Channel Nine’s Sunday Roast and enjoyed his light-hearted, often farcical rambles. He seems as someone who doesn’t take himself too seriously, who comes up with some off-the-wall comments and predictions at times, and who has some strange beliefs. Perhaps too many hits to the head over his ferocious career.

    But speaking yesterday on Fox Sports News on the Lui case, Geyer hit the nail on the head. He said that now rugby league as a code has the chance to stamp out violence against women.

    Some of Geyer’s comments: “This is the second time he’s done it, there’s no way in the world Robert Lui should be allowed back in rugby league. I can’t fathom hitting a woman at the best of times, let alone a pregnant woman. It beggars belief.

    “We as a code have to be strong on this. We promote women in league to the nth degree, we have to be strong on this. If we don’t do something drastic on the Robert Lui situation, the women in league round we might as well not have. We’re just being hypocritical.

    “Now is the time to stand up and say no more. Enough is enough. He should be stood down and de-registered.”

    Stand up and take a bow Mark, you’re right on the money. See you later Robert Lui.

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