The Roar
The Roar

Advertisement

NRL must act swiftly and justly on players breaching lockdown

Autoplay in... 6 (Cancel)
Up Next No more videos! Playlist is empty -
Replay
Cancel
Next
Roar Pro
27th April, 2020
21

Before the NRL season was due to restart on May 28, it became clear that all stakeholders involved would need to come together and act assuredly and responsibly in the face of the COVID-19 crisis.

That includes the players.

However, after a week where Todd Greenberg stood down from his role as NRL CEO and the game continued to take blows from critics such as Peter FitzSimons and Queensland premier Anastasia Palaszczuk, the game has reached yet another obstacle.

Melbourne Storm star Josh Addo-Carr posted a series of photos alongside Rabbitoh Latrell Mitchell and Newcastle Knights player Tyrone Roberts-Davis after a recent trip away close to Mitchell’s property in Taree.

Mitchell, who has received unfounded criticism since his departure from the Sydney Roosters, posted a video message on his Instagram page on Monday morning to explain his actions.

“It was a little bit of a slip up, but Foxxy reached out to me because his cousins were going through a bit of stuff in Sydney, so he just wanted to get them culturally connected to the bush again,” Mitchell said.

And while Mitchell being on the front foot and publicly apologising is commendable, it still doesn’t offer a solution.

Advertisement

Especially after he publicly endorsed messages from his followers on his Instagram account stating, “shouldn’t have to explain yourself” and “shouldn’t have to apologise”.

Following the revelations, the NRL said they would investigate the matter and support any government sanctions handed down. And that is exactly what they should do.

Now, it may seem petty and unjust to discipline the players given that thousands of Australians are seen breaking the rules by frolicking at local beaches and even partying in their households. But the NRL does not have room to negotiate or sidestep on this matter. They must act quickly and justly.

If Peter V’landys, the NRL and all of its stakeholders are serious about restarting on May 28 then they need to send a clear message now.

Only yesterday the NRL sent out clear, strict biosecurity rules to each club, so a blatant breach should be met with appropriate punishments.

Not only would this send a clear message to any player thinking about bending the rules, it would also remind the state and federal governments that the NRL and the Australian Rugby League Commission are taking this issue seriously.

close