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PRICHARD: Wolfman's suspension a shot across the bow

10th July, 2014
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Things are going from bad to worse for Manly. (AAP Image/Dean Lewins)
Expert
10th July, 2014
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For those who thought the suspensions handed down by the NRL to players caught betting on rugby league were a bit harsh, how about this for a theory?

Could it be a shot across the bow at any players who might be betting on league, but are smarter than to leave a trail that guarantees they are going to be netted in any swoop?

After all, what the league found in an audit covering 1500 players, officials and staff members was pretty slim pickings.

It would be a great result for the game if the information revealed yesterday was the full extent of betting on league by players, officials and staff. But do you honestly reckon it was?

League is just one more section of society. Like with the fans following the game and the media covering it, there would be plenty of players, officials and staff who like a bet. And it’s not hard to have a bet and not leave a record.

You don’t need your own account to get on. These days, you can place a bet at a TAB agency without even having to talk to anyone behind a counter, on one of those machines that look a bit like pokies. Or you can get a friend to put a bet on for you. It’s easy to have an anonymous bet.

The NRL’s integrity unit aren’t mucking around. You could sense them standing over Cronulla with a big stick, ready to use it if they weren’t happy with the punishment dished out to Todd Carney following his latest off-field indiscretion.

They have brought the big stick out again, and used it this time, since the audit was the league’s baby. And they didn’t miss David Williams.

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The evidence the league found did not suggest there had been any attempted match-fixing, or spot-fixing within a match, by any of the players punished, but the league still came down hard.

Williams was suspended for the rest of the season, for “placing multiple bets on games – including several in which he was involved”. It was established that in none of the wagers did he bet against the team he plays for, Manly.

Of the four players suspended for two games each – Ethan Lowe, Cody Nelson, Hymel Hunt and Slade Griffin – none bet against their own team either.

The league has done the right thing. The players are educated on these issues. They know the rules and the potential penalties if they break them. And now they know the league will hand down such penalties.

Three other league employees, described as “casual game day officials”, were sacked, and nine from that same category were suspended for the rest of the season. Plus warnings, described as “first and final”, were issued to 12 people, comprising players, staff and officials, who placed “small, isolated bets” on league games.

The league wasn’t well equipped to handle the investigation into the first scoring play betting scandal that resulted in then Canterbury player Ryan Tandy, who recently passed away, being found guilty in court of spot-fixing. The league is much better equipped to handle investigations of this nature now.

If there are players betting on league games who weren’t caught in the sweep, they would be wise to stop. They are gambling with their careers.

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It’s not hard to come undone in a situation like that. People can get into disagreements over money very easily. If someone knows a bit of information about you, they may decide to release that information to teach you a lesson.

The league has issued the warning. Any minority who may want to ignore it should think again.

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