Last week it was announced that Jack de Belin would be withdrawing his appeal against the NRL challenging the no-fault stand down policy introduced earlier this year after the off-season from hell.
According to the policy, if a player is charged with a criminal offence that carries a maximum jail sentence of 11 years or more, the player will be stood down until the matter is heard and a determination is made by the court.
Given that De Belin’s trial – where he stands accused of sexually assaulting a 19-year-old woman in Wollongong last December – will not take place until next March, his lawyers argued that there was little utility in pursuing the case given the proximity of his other hearing to the start of the NRL season.
The Rugby League Players’ Association continued to challenge this policy, but De Belin withdrawing his appeal is a major win for the NRL.
It was also recently announced that Peter Beattie will not seek a second term as commissioner of the Australian Rugby League Commission, so this policy will be one of his lasting legacies to the game.
But the work isn’t done yet.
On the weekend, the Daily Telegraph shared a draft version of the NRL’s punishment matrix, which they are looking to enact before the start of next season.
This matrix presents a roadmap of offences where the punishment for various acts is set out, giving the players transparency.
I have been firmly in support of the NRL’s no-stand down policy and I am in favour of the transparency that this punishment matrix gives players.
In the past, when it comes to player misbehaviour, NRL fans, commentators and the media have had a case of whataboutism whereby player indiscretions are compared against each other and questions are asked about why certain players have received certain punishments and other players have not.
A good example is Todd Carney. Given some of the offences that players currently in the game have been charged with, many question whether Carney should have been deregistered all those years ago, given his greatest crime was making a fool of himself in public.
(Photo by Stefan Postles/Getty Images)
This matrix will hopefully put an end to that, draw a line in the sand and give some much needed consistency in this space.
Clubs have an inherent interest in their best players being able to take the field and spending as little time on the sidelines as possible, and this matrix will take the power away from the clubs and see that indiscretions are all dealt with by the NRL integrity unit.
However, given that the matrix that was published in the media was still in draft form, some changes can still be made.
Under the draft, if a player is found guilty of sexual assault, armed robbery or large commercial drug supply, these players will automatically have their registration cancelled. This will mean that player will not be able to play rugby league again.
But then a series of offences are grouped together and are considered either low or high scale and they carry various fines and match bans.
For a high scale sanction, the maximum penalty can be a player being deregistered or a 12-match ban and an accompanying fine of 25 per cent of their salary.
The stand out for me, though, was that domestic violence or common assault charges will see a player automatically banned for at least five games and a minimum fine of three per cent of their salary. If the offence is deemed high scale, then it is a minimum ban of seven games and a fine of ten per cent of the player’s salary.
That minimum ban punishes a player charged with domestic violence in exactly the same way as a player who has shared lewd content.
That is not proportionate and players charged with domestic violence should spend far more time on the sideline, particularly given the work that the NRL does with players in this space, including training from organisations such as the Full Stop Foundation and through NRL partnerships with organisations like OurWatch.
There is a big difference between domestic violence and a player making a stupid and inappropriate decision to share inappropriate or lewd content.
It’s also important to note that players can still be punished even if charges aren’t laid.
I expect we will hear more about this in coming weeks, given that it is out for consultation amongst the clubs, but I continue to support the NRL as it strives to encourage positive behaviour by its players.
I hope other codes follow suit as well.
Forty Twenty
Roar Rookie
None of what you are saying is worthy of a reply , it's an embarrassment. Enjoy your evening with your mate Johnny Walker.
The Barry
Roar Guru
We all know you have a relaxed and carefree attitude to violence against women but surely even you realise that being found not guilty isn’t the same as it never happened. There were independent witnesses who saw Walker grab his partner by the hair and pull her to the ground. I’ve heard her 000 call where she literally says Walker pulled her to the ground by her hair while she was holding her baby. But not guilty means he automatically passes your “good bloke” test
The Barry
Roar Guru
I’m not saying my opinion is anything more than a waste of time. You suggested I was stating it as fact...I’m telling you it’s my opinion. How dare you bag me for having an opinion and respond with “She invited herself in , is her story , I believe” You are a drop kick.
Forty Twenty
Roar Rookie
Here you go again. I don't need to defend Walker. The case is over and he is with his partner and playing good footy for Manly. Surely you're not attacking Walker are you? I accept the findings of the court , it's no more complicated than that. The great mob who were telling me that he would get banned for life from the NRL can keep thinking what they like.
Forty Twenty
Roar Rookie
Your opinion on why JDB went in to the unit is a waste of time. You still don't get it. As far as I know he says they went in to the unit to charge his phone and the female was waiting in the car. She invited herself in , is her story , I believe. If you want to translate that into something else and imply that you are aware of his intentions at least be honest for a change. You are doing your best to spin your preconceptions into the case and have learnt nothing from previous cases.
Womblat
Guest
Don't tuck tail and run too fast Brendon. Despite what Peter suggests, false accusations are way more prevalent than guilty people being found not guilty. There's no burden of proof on an accusation so to infer that false accusations are the exception is flawed, especially in "he said she said" cases like this. Second, false does imply deliberate lies and yes, it's not just the law breakers who lie. Accusers regularly embellish their story in the knowledge they have an inherent right as a victim to be believed and if it is embellished, then it's a lie as well, right? But it isn't an accident. To suggest a person lies, in court, under oath, not deliberately, is pure myth, and the polar opposite of victim blaming. Peter's view will have the opposite destructive effect of what he says yours will. Everyone with any grudge, even fans disappointed with an outcome or a neighbour with a barking dog, will have open season on players, coaches, whomever, to abuse the jumped up NRL legal system to their own end. In that case, I hope the judge has a "sensayuma" because there isn't anything funny about that future.
Gray-Hand
Roar Rookie
The punishment matrix/automatic stand down policy isn’t meant to curb player behaviour or achieve any kind of just outcome. Anyone thinking that has to get such silly thoughts out of their head. It specifically ignores guilt or innocence as a factor in its implementation. It is purely designed to protect the image of the game by putting a player accused of a relevant offence out of sight of the public. Whether it can be considered a success will be determined by the media attention given to criminal acts by NRL players in the future. It will be abandoned within 5 years, or sooner if there is another Brett Stewart scenario.
The Barry
Roar Guru
...and you’re not seriously defending Dylan Walker are you?
The Barry
Roar Guru
I never said it was a fact. I clearly just wrote the opposite. There you go again, inventing someone else’s opinion then arguing against it. I’m not prejudging that de Belin is guilty of rape. I absolutely support his right to the presumption of innocence. I just don’t think he went into an empty unit with his mate and a teenager he’d just met at 1am after a 12 hour drinking session to play scrabble. It’s not a fact. It’s my opinion. The fact you can’t process these simple differences means there’s no question at all about your intelligence.
Forty Twenty
Roar Rookie
I corrected what I said , if you want to keep banging on about nothing feel free.
Succhi
Roar Rookie
I have no problem with a matrix and players knowing what to expect if they are either accused or guilty. It comes back to personal responsibility. The concerns I have are (a) the length of time it takes to get an accusation through the legal system, (b) clubs and player managers not being held liable and trying to cover up player misbehaviour, and (c) the ability of the NRL/ARL to be independent and transparent.
Forty Twenty
Roar Rookie
By broadcasting the ''fact'' that JDB wasn't going in to the unit to play scrabble you are clearly implying that you know that his intentions were to have sex with this woman. The fact that you deny this and keep on pretending that you and the lynch mob respect the right to be innocent until proven guilty shows your true character. If you want to prejudge the situation before JDB has given his side of the story and pretend you know what happened , just stick to your guns and stop the game of pretend. None of the constant negative comments you broadcast about him which you assume to be correct are valid at all. Try waiting until the evidence is heard , it can't be that hard can it? Did you learn nothing from previous cases including Walker and Stewart? I'll answer for you. No you didn't and you question my intelligence? All the things you try and attack me for are just trivia and a waste of time.
Nick
Roar Guru
lol
Big Daddy
Guest
Spruce, Are you talking from personal experience or just hearsay. They'll get a lot of hits now.
William Dalton Davis
Roar Rookie
If I remember correctly, Trent Merrin publicly stated he’d be more than willing to return to the dragons for another year or two. He may be getting on but that’s about as close to like to like any club could hope for on short notice.
Adam Bagnall
Roar Guru
That's incorrect. The NRL gave them something like $240,000 to go out and sign a like for like replacement. Only problem was that there were no Origin forwards available for that money so they got stuck with Patrick Kaufusi who is a plodder at best. Not really like for like at all
Adam Bagnall
Roar Guru
The like for like replacement was fringe first grader Patrick Kaufusi. Not exactly an Origin standard player and just another stupid policy in this whole mess. Could have been solved by letting him play and let the courts decide. Standing him down, as an innocent man, does more damage than letting him play
Nick
Roar Guru
Certainly not the cops, they have no involvement. But there should be questions raised as to what level of influence the NRL may have had with Dutton and his gestapo in terms of keeping him here. I personally have no objection with him staying in Australia, but compared to others who have been deported, the inconsistency and unfairness of it all is very apparent.
Mary Konstantopoulos
Expert
Spruce, is that a question for the NRL or a question for the government/police?
Nick
Roar Guru
Actually Mary The Russell Packer one deserves significant scrutiny. There has still not been an adequate explanation as to why Russell Packer, according to our current laws, is still allowed to live in Australia. Other kiwis have been deported for SUBSTANTIALLY less violent crimes than Packer. He kicked a man in the head who was already unconscious.