Matabele
Journey Man
He remains a class act. Gets his point home very well, even if it was done by a ghost writer, he'd have still signed off on it.
The Beaver:
With all that has been going on in the NRL recently I found it hard not to write something about it. I know the Manly boys pretty well and being on the other side of the world, I can't say that my facts about the incidents would be that accurate. So I thought I'd just comment on a few of the issues that are affecting our game at the moment.
First, there's the issue of the NRL suspending players for incidents outside the playing field. I've got a pretty bad memory, but I can't remember this ever happening before. Now I'm not going to sit here and tell you whether I think this is right or wrong because that's just my opinion. But I will say this: there have been off-field incidents in the past and neither the NRL or the club has stood the player down. So if the NRL believes that off-field behaviour is becoming a major issue for our game, then maybe we need to set up a panel or judiciary to look specifically at issues off the football field.
The NRL, the individual, and the club could all put their case to the committee at a hearing. I see this as a more proactive way of dealing with things rather than reacting to each individual incident. Alcohol counsellors could form part of the committee and it would provide for a better structure for people playing the game in the future.
There's also been talk about slapping an alcohol ban on all NRL players to stop the bad headlines. I don't think that's the answer and it would be impossible to enforce anyway. At the end of the day it comes down to individuals doing the right thing. It's up to each person to be responsible for their own actions and it would be an over-reaction to ban everyone from having a drink. The clubs and the individual need to look after themselves. Alcohol is not just a problem for the NRL, it's a problem across society.
There have been suggestions that the salary cap has forced out senior players and their steadying influence on clubs. Senior players can sometimes have a positive influence on the younger ones but I'm not convinced that would minimise these issues. It's more about individual personalities that can defuse a situation. Their ages doesn't matter.
I'm pretty confident the dramas won't affect Manly on the field. Knowing Des Hasler, he'd be thinking more about the individuals concerned and their personal welfare rather than what they mean to the team.
I'm sure the boys will stick together. It's not the first time the club has had difficulties and Dessie has always kept everyone nice and tight. They will get through this and come out the other side.
The Beaver:
With all that has been going on in the NRL recently I found it hard not to write something about it. I know the Manly boys pretty well and being on the other side of the world, I can't say that my facts about the incidents would be that accurate. So I thought I'd just comment on a few of the issues that are affecting our game at the moment.
First, there's the issue of the NRL suspending players for incidents outside the playing field. I've got a pretty bad memory, but I can't remember this ever happening before. Now I'm not going to sit here and tell you whether I think this is right or wrong because that's just my opinion. But I will say this: there have been off-field incidents in the past and neither the NRL or the club has stood the player down. So if the NRL believes that off-field behaviour is becoming a major issue for our game, then maybe we need to set up a panel or judiciary to look specifically at issues off the football field.
The NRL, the individual, and the club could all put their case to the committee at a hearing. I see this as a more proactive way of dealing with things rather than reacting to each individual incident. Alcohol counsellors could form part of the committee and it would provide for a better structure for people playing the game in the future.
There's also been talk about slapping an alcohol ban on all NRL players to stop the bad headlines. I don't think that's the answer and it would be impossible to enforce anyway. At the end of the day it comes down to individuals doing the right thing. It's up to each person to be responsible for their own actions and it would be an over-reaction to ban everyone from having a drink. The clubs and the individual need to look after themselves. Alcohol is not just a problem for the NRL, it's a problem across society.
There have been suggestions that the salary cap has forced out senior players and their steadying influence on clubs. Senior players can sometimes have a positive influence on the younger ones but I'm not convinced that would minimise these issues. It's more about individual personalities that can defuse a situation. Their ages doesn't matter.
I'm pretty confident the dramas won't affect Manly on the field. Knowing Des Hasler, he'd be thinking more about the individuals concerned and their personal welfare rather than what they mean to the team.
I'm sure the boys will stick together. It's not the first time the club has had difficulties and Dessie has always kept everyone nice and tight. They will get through this and come out the other side.
