How much more can the NRL take after a year plagued by scandal?
Posted: Thu Sep 08, 2016 8:43 am
THE bombshell hit the NRL not so much as a shoulder charge, but a sledgehammer.
Blindsided on the eve of rugby league’s biggest four weeks of the year, NRL chief executive Todd Greenberg closed the door of his Moore Park office last night asking himself how much more the code can take?
Ironically, it’s the same question rugby league’s loyal fans have been asking for the past six months.
Todd Greenberg has seen the NRL veer from one scandal to another in 2016.
The answer?
Not much more.
Mitchell Pearce’s Australia Day dog drama ruined Sydney Roosters fans’ entire season while also costing the club $1 million.
The Parramatta Eels salary cap scandal tore at the heart-strings of desperate fans.
The ugly look of NRL stars James Segeyaro, Junior Paulo and Corey Norman eating Chinese with criminals in May led to consorting warnings from the NSW Police.
Corey Norman, Junior Paulo and Jamie Segayaro with Alamedinne family members Rachad, Jihad, Rafat and Auday in May. Picture: Instagram
And if news of Andrew Fifita’s inexplicable “FKL” wristband tribute to a coward punch killer wasn’t disturbing enough for the code, along came Canberra’s Jack Wighton who, by escaping a four-week shoulder charge suspension at the judiciary, sparked a furore of confusion that will continue for the next four weeks.
The finals series holds so much promise. Never before has the NRL had such an opportunity to showcase its pizzazz and star power with such a wide-reaching demographic.
Teams from North Queensland, Brisbane, Melbourne and Canberra join the likes of Cronulla, Canterbury and Penrith.
Andrew Fifita is under fire for the writing he had on wrist strapping.
But now the revelation of a match-fixing criminal investigation to begin as soon as tomorrow — the first day of the finals — has spoiled all of that.
The four finals matches on offer this weekend boast enough spice to fill each of the stadiums. There shouldn’t be one empty seat.
But there will be — and given what the fans have had to put up with this year, you know exactly why.
Blindsided on the eve of rugby league’s biggest four weeks of the year, NRL chief executive Todd Greenberg closed the door of his Moore Park office last night asking himself how much more the code can take?
Ironically, it’s the same question rugby league’s loyal fans have been asking for the past six months.
Todd Greenberg has seen the NRL veer from one scandal to another in 2016.
The answer?
Not much more.
Mitchell Pearce’s Australia Day dog drama ruined Sydney Roosters fans’ entire season while also costing the club $1 million.
The Parramatta Eels salary cap scandal tore at the heart-strings of desperate fans.
The ugly look of NRL stars James Segeyaro, Junior Paulo and Corey Norman eating Chinese with criminals in May led to consorting warnings from the NSW Police.
Corey Norman, Junior Paulo and Jamie Segayaro with Alamedinne family members Rachad, Jihad, Rafat and Auday in May. Picture: Instagram
And if news of Andrew Fifita’s inexplicable “FKL” wristband tribute to a coward punch killer wasn’t disturbing enough for the code, along came Canberra’s Jack Wighton who, by escaping a four-week shoulder charge suspension at the judiciary, sparked a furore of confusion that will continue for the next four weeks.
The finals series holds so much promise. Never before has the NRL had such an opportunity to showcase its pizzazz and star power with such a wide-reaching demographic.
Teams from North Queensland, Brisbane, Melbourne and Canberra join the likes of Cronulla, Canterbury and Penrith.
Andrew Fifita is under fire for the writing he had on wrist strapping.
But now the revelation of a match-fixing criminal investigation to begin as soon as tomorrow — the first day of the finals — has spoiled all of that.
The four finals matches on offer this weekend boast enough spice to fill each of the stadiums. There shouldn’t be one empty seat.
But there will be — and given what the fans have had to put up with this year, you know exactly why.