Quote: sergeant pepper "I really do get what you are saying, but I think the wider COVID issues are a separate point.
I know I keep banging on about it, but the NRL protocols are that strict it's almost like the NRL players are separate from the rest of Aus. They are that locked down into their own bubbles with monitoring, testing and clear guidance that they can travel easily across state lines, when others can't. I remember reading Canberra complaining about how tough they were doing it as they had to travel to another state, play and then travel straight home (massive total trip) and were refused permission to even book an overnight stay at a hotel. Now when you compare that to our M62 corridor it should be relatively simple.
For the sake of the game, jobs and clubs there really shouldn't have been anything other than the players being put into the tightest of lockdown imo. No trips out, no day drinking sessions, golf of whatever. Train, play, stay at home and repeat.'"
I agree fully mate with us tightening things up but I’m not sure however tight we go that we’d be able to avoid any issues because of the mess which has been made by the government (that’s a bit political though and probably for another debate).
We need to be stricter as a game on what we expect from the players though, even if that just helps us keep cases down and not out of the game altogether. I’m wrestling with the issue of Covid discipline verses onfield discipline and feel the game is getting itself in such a poor spot. If we keep it Wigan based and look at two incidents and compare punishments it’s astonishing IMO. We had a player break the minimal Covid rules in place and get a suspended two week ban. We then have a player make what many would say is a legal tackle and he gets an actual two game ban. The onfield/off field examples don’t go hand in hand but it’s so frustrating. I would be throwing the book at any players guilty of breaching Covid rules. I would much rather the time and resource of RFL employees be spent coming up with some Covid rules and then debating extremely harsh punishments for breaching them than spending that time handing bans out for a guy lifting his body an inch off the floor for a split second whilst tackling.
As I say they don’t go hand in hand as such but the balance is all wrong at the minute.
