Where's The Consistency

At times there is nothing more entertaining than hearing a fired up talk back radio shock jock go to town on a back peddling politician or sports administrator, as was the case last week when the airwaves' hardest working man Ray Hadley pushed NRL boss David Gallop into a corner.

They were talking about the incident involving young Roosters players Jake 'if i keep carrying on like this i'll have no' Friend and Sandor 'i have the best name in footy' Earl.

Hadley raised a point that i am sure many NRL fans are currently wondering - why were these two players allowed to play on without suspension, especially after they'd been charged by police?

Simple Gallop said. There was an ongoing police investigation.

What happened, Hadley asked, in the 2006 case of Tevita Latu when the Sharks player was de-registered despite an on-going investigation for punching a woman in the nose? It was an open and shut case of Latu admitting his guilt Gallop said. Friend and Earl were disputing the facts he said.

Well please explain then Mr Gallop the suspension earlier this season of Brett Stewart. You said it had nothing to do with the ongoing police investigation that Stewart was facing and disputing. You said it was for "not conducting himself at all times in public in a sober, courteous and professional manner".

Were Sandor and Earl conducting themselves in a 'sober, courteous and professional manner' when they got in a fight? Was Anthony Watmough at the Manly season launch? I think not. Were they suspended? No.

Now the point i am trying to make here is not that Stewart shouldn't have been given an enforced holiday on the sidelines (because i believe he should have for acting like an idiot) or that Watmough and the two Roosters should have.

I am merely trying to show the inconsistencies in these examples. Was Stewart really suspended for being drunk and unprofessional or was it because of the police allegations? If it was the former, why have Friend and Earl been allowed to play on?

Gallop has spent plenty of time in recent years in the sort of corners that Hadley had him in last week (and I'll blog about that in coming weeks). It's high time he punched his way out and showed some leadership by ruling consistently across the board.