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The Life of Riley

Written by: Adrian Rovere
Mar 18, 2008 10:00am
The NRL in its infinite wisdom elected to give Riley Brown a life and not charge him for his season-wrecking tackle on Craig Wing. It was within the rules so no crime was committed, but surely it would be considered derelict of duty if they didn't take action against the action? I mean it was a "dog act" - no one even fair-minded Rooster fans disputes that - so it must be outlawed from the game else the incident itself will be used against the game by rival football codes to send the talented youth in their direction. They would be stupid not to seize the opportunity. I can see the ad campaign now. The scene is a newsroom in the year 2017. They go to the nightly sports report and the sports anchor says something along the lines of: The maim game for this weekend's round of thugby league is Team X versus Team Y. Should be a brutal encounter with the latest betting favouring Team X to break more bones but Team Y to finish on top in the amount of blood spilt. Whilst in soccer, er football I should say, just can't seem to get used to calling it that, registrations at junior level have exceeded all the football codes for the ninth year in a row. A leading official elated with the further jump in popularity says it all started way back in 2008 when the NRL failed to crack down on a lethal tackle. "We just capitalised on it. It was a massive 'free-kick' for our game and I know at the time the ARU and Aussie Rules benefited from it too. It is perhaps why the latter has made such an impact in western Sydney with its second AFL team the West Sydney Wombats challenging the Sydney Swans for supremacy. The incident caused a furore and they punted the entire NRL board over it not long after, but the damage had been done and we've been cashing in ever since." That's sport I'm David Gallop. One of the most disturbing aspects of the nasty episode is the attitude of the Roosters club. They have dismissed it with a snigger and a chuckle, trotting out the line "he (Brown) didn't break any rules." No he didn't, just broke the shoulder of a defenceless player with his back to him and in doing so, made the decision easy for parents as to which code of football little Johnny should avoid. Heaven forbid, imagine if Anthony Minichiello after two wretched seasons, is put out of the game indefinitely by a similar incident. Will the Roosters be prepared to accept it as part and parcel of the game? I know avid fans like Janelle, Curdy, Double A and the O would be furious and rightly so, I would too and I openly admit that the Roosters are among my least favoured clubs. It was great to see Mini back to the type of form which made him one of the best in the game and other than against my team, the Bulldogs, I look forward to more of the same. How is what Riley Brown did any different to the 'king hit' by David Fa’alogo on Braith Anasta last year? In many ways it was far worse given Anasta wasn't being held by two players. The NRL's inaction over this matter sends out an appalling message. If you're not against what happened then you condone it. That's a dangerous position to take up. It basically says 'feel free to deliver a blow to the kidneys of a player without fear of being punished for your actions." Is the NRL for real? It appears only through relentless public pressure will there be anything done about outlawing this incident. It cannot be allowed to go unchecked. All the talk on radio talkback shows has been the fans' utter disgust over the incident. And we are talking supporters of all clubs and I might add, people not aligned with a club or necessary rugby league followers. They are just concerned parents sickened by what they witnessed. Bad things prevail when good men do nothing. I just hope the good men of the NRL, the people charged with the responsibility of fostering the game and seeing that it prospers into the future, do something. Do the right thing. On the subject of the Brown family, Riley's namesake Nathan cannot possibly have any lifelines left. It is patently obvious that the likeable Dragons coach just cannot get his players to give their all for the full 80 minutes match after match. For reasons only the players would know, Brown is unable to inspire them to produce their best. The Welsh rugby union team changed coaches and went from a rabble at the recent World Cup where they were knocked out at the group stage, to romping home in the just completed Six Nations championships. Sometimes all it takes is a different face at the helm. Two other coaches who would be somewhat nervous over their positions would be Steve Folkes and Matt Elliott. Folkes just doesn't seem to act quickly enough on his feet in a crisis. Blind Freddie could see that "the hook" should have come out for Matt Utai. The vertically-challenged winger was getting a bath. What was Folkesy thinking, that the law of averages would work in his favour and Parramatta would fail to capitalise on one of their high kicks? I guess in some ways he was right, winger Joel Reddy did spill the ball when a fourth try was begging. That made it a mere three tries and 18 points, that's acceptable, not! You would think if exciting youngster Heka Nanai is fit he should come straight in. What is he, near 100kg, 190-odd centimetres and can motor? Sounds a fair option. A mate of mine who’s a lifelong Eels fan from the northern beaches, reckons Penrith's buying policy of recent seasons - outside of big Petero - would challenge Parramatta's atrocious run of the late 1980s to the early 1990s. He recalls such luminaries as Pat O'Doherty, Ian Gately, Greg Drake, Stu Galbraith and the mighty Kenny Wolfe who they went searching for in Europe to bring back to the Sydney premiership. "I don't understand the Panthers signing the likes of Richie Williams, Brad Tighe, Joey Williams, Adam Woolnough etc. It brings back nightmares of what my club the Eels, did year after year for several seasons some 15 to 20 years ago. It was torture," he says. Coach Elliott may find himself in something akin to a torture chamber if he can't reverse all the talk of Penrith going back-to-back wooden spooners. But hey relax Matty, and Folkesy and Brownie, for it's only round one.

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