Munster told to Pull His Head In!
My take is that the Melbourne Storm hierarchy tried the nice guys approach and to keep it all in-house after the Hunt incident but Munster went on another bender.
And so it was decided to put a leak Munster's booze issues out to try to "shock" Munster into pulling his head in
So with Newcastle in town; all the NRL media were here and it all blew up while the NRL spotlight was in Melbourne in a meaningless trial game but it was pointed for Cameron Munster.
Anyway; lets just hope Cameron Munster heeds the call. Either way.
And so it was decided to put a leak Munster's booze issues out to try to "shock" Munster into pulling his head in
So with Newcastle in town; all the NRL media were here and it all blew up while the NRL spotlight was in Melbourne in a meaningless trial game but it was pointed for Cameron Munster.
Anyway; lets just hope Cameron Munster heeds the call. Either way.
https://wwos.nine.com.au/2018/02/11/15/ ... -to-behave
Melbourne Storm captain Cameron Smith warns teammate Cameron Munster to behave
The message from Cameron Smith was clear on Sunday - get your off-field behaviour right, Cameron Munster.
Smith believed Storm teammate Munster was still in the Queensland mix as the Maroons begin life after Johnathan Thurston and Cooper Cronk but did not believe the playmaker could become "special" unless he turned himself around off the field.
Smith's NRL club Melbourne last week denied a report that the Storm were becoming frustrated with Munster's off-field behaviour and were considering releasing the playmaker.
But Storm captain Smith on Sunday spelled out what was expected from 23-year-old Munster after appearing to lose his way during the 2017 Rugby League World Cup.
"He's a young guy. Most young people get into some sort of mischief but he's a good young kid - I truly believe that," Smith said.
"He has just gone through a major personal break up with a girl-friend."
"We all know he is a wonderful footballer but once he gets his off-field right along with his on-field stuff he can be a special player we can see for a long time to come.
"And he can be a special player for Queensland if he wants to - he's just got to make sure he applies himself properly."
Munster made one of the great State of Origin debuts in Queensland's game three victory that sealed an 11th series win in 12 years in 2017.
However, Munster was reportedly on thin ice at Melbourne after it was claimed the Storm star was sent home from Australia's World Cup campaign for coming to blows with teammate Ben Hunt.
It also emerged Munster failed to return from a day at the races to the Kangaroos team hotel until the next morning during the Cup campaign.
Melbourne Storm
✔
@storm
In response to speculation on social media, Melbourne Storm is not releasing or considering releasing, Cameron Munster from his Storm contract.
Munster was also among the eight players who were hit with a 12-month Origin ban by Queensland coach Kevin Walters for breaking curfew at the 2016 Emerging Maroons camp.
Smith and Johnathan Thurston were in Brisbane on Sunday to promote their testimonial clash - Melbourne's February 23 clash with North Queensland at Suncorp Stadium.
Smith said the likes of Munster could do worse than follow the example of former Test and Maroons playmaker Thurston, who retired from representative footy in late 2017.
"He's done a great job in teaching those guys what it takes to be a State of Origin player, the way you need to conduct yourself around camp and what you need to do to win big games," Smith said.
"Hopefully those young fellas can do that this year."
Melbourne Storm captain Cameron Smith warns teammate Cameron Munster to behave
The message from Cameron Smith was clear on Sunday - get your off-field behaviour right, Cameron Munster.
Smith believed Storm teammate Munster was still in the Queensland mix as the Maroons begin life after Johnathan Thurston and Cooper Cronk but did not believe the playmaker could become "special" unless he turned himself around off the field.
Smith's NRL club Melbourne last week denied a report that the Storm were becoming frustrated with Munster's off-field behaviour and were considering releasing the playmaker.
But Storm captain Smith on Sunday spelled out what was expected from 23-year-old Munster after appearing to lose his way during the 2017 Rugby League World Cup.
"He's a young guy. Most young people get into some sort of mischief but he's a good young kid - I truly believe that," Smith said.
"He has just gone through a major personal break up with a girl-friend."
"We all know he is a wonderful footballer but once he gets his off-field right along with his on-field stuff he can be a special player we can see for a long time to come.
"And he can be a special player for Queensland if he wants to - he's just got to make sure he applies himself properly."
Munster made one of the great State of Origin debuts in Queensland's game three victory that sealed an 11th series win in 12 years in 2017.
However, Munster was reportedly on thin ice at Melbourne after it was claimed the Storm star was sent home from Australia's World Cup campaign for coming to blows with teammate Ben Hunt.
It also emerged Munster failed to return from a day at the races to the Kangaroos team hotel until the next morning during the Cup campaign.
Melbourne Storm
✔
@storm
In response to speculation on social media, Melbourne Storm is not releasing or considering releasing, Cameron Munster from his Storm contract.
Munster was also among the eight players who were hit with a 12-month Origin ban by Queensland coach Kevin Walters for breaking curfew at the 2016 Emerging Maroons camp.
Smith and Johnathan Thurston were in Brisbane on Sunday to promote their testimonial clash - Melbourne's February 23 clash with North Queensland at Suncorp Stadium.
Smith said the likes of Munster could do worse than follow the example of former Test and Maroons playmaker Thurston, who retired from representative footy in late 2017.
"He's done a great job in teaching those guys what it takes to be a State of Origin player, the way you need to conduct yourself around camp and what you need to do to win big games," Smith said.
"Hopefully those young fellas can do that this year."
https://wwos.nine.com.au/2018/02/13/07/ ... n-the-mole
Troubled Melbourne Storm five-eighth Cameron Munster facing Kangaroos ban: The Mole
By The Mole
| an hour ago
Munster on thin ice with Kangaroos
Cameron Munster isn’t just in strife with his club the Melbourne Storm - his Kangaroos future is hanging by a thread.
Bad boy Munster was selected in the green and gold for the first time in last year’s World Cup - but hardly covered himself in glory.
He was in strife several times, culminating in officials sending him home after an off-field altercation with team-mate Ben Hunt.
Melbourne Storm five-eighth Cameron Munster was involved in an altercation with Kangaroos teammate Ben Hunt. (AAP)
Mal Meninga is attempting to instill a new culture into the Kangaroos and I’m hearing if Munster crosses the line one more time, he’ll never wear the green and gold again.
Troubled Melbourne Storm five-eighth Cameron Munster facing Kangaroos ban: The Mole
By The Mole
| an hour ago
Munster on thin ice with Kangaroos
Cameron Munster isn’t just in strife with his club the Melbourne Storm - his Kangaroos future is hanging by a thread.
Bad boy Munster was selected in the green and gold for the first time in last year’s World Cup - but hardly covered himself in glory.
He was in strife several times, culminating in officials sending him home after an off-field altercation with team-mate Ben Hunt.
Melbourne Storm five-eighth Cameron Munster was involved in an altercation with Kangaroos teammate Ben Hunt. (AAP)
Mal Meninga is attempting to instill a new culture into the Kangaroos and I’m hearing if Munster crosses the line one more time, he’ll never wear the green and gold again.
Hey Cameron, remember when you said this was the Storm’s doing because it was all said and done in 1 day? Well this is what I was talking about. It’s not finished, not one day has gone by that I haven’t seen a new article blasting Cameron Munster. Do you still think it was the club?
Yes, I do. clearly Munster has had relationship issues and drinking issues. But the Storm have tried to internally mentor him and it didn't work so they are trying the court of public opinion to get Cameron Munster to pull his head in.
I agree with you; it wont go away; just like Jessie Bromwich's misdemeanour.
But the Storm don't want it to go away.
They want Cameron to think twice about his choices from now on.
If public humiliation and shame is the only way that will happen. so be it.
I agree with you; it wont go away; just like Jessie Bromwich's misdemeanour.
But the Storm don't want it to go away.
They want Cameron to think twice about his choices from now on.
If public humiliation and shame is the only way that will happen. so be it.
https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nrl-pr ... 856a205f2f
Brett Finch explains why Melbourne is the best place for Cameron Munster to mature
FORMER Storm player Brett Finch has rubbished suggestions the club should let Cameron Munster go, declaring Melbourne is the best place for the 23-year-old right now.
Munster has made headlines in the past fortnight after news of an altercation with Australian teammate Ben Hunt during the World Cup was broken by Fox Sports’ chief NRL reporter James Hooper.
A week later NRL.com reported Melbourne was considering releasing the talented utility from his contract. The club has since strongly denied that claim.
But there’s been plenty made of Munster’s attitude and general personality since the original Fox Sports story emerged.
Finch can sympathise with the young Storm star. And he wants Munster to know that there’s no club in the NRL better to help him than the one coached by Craig Bellamy and captained by Cameron Smith.
“I think he’s in the best club you can be, and if anything needs to change or something needs to be done he’s in the best possible hands with the leadership group and Craig Bellamy,” Finch told foxsports.com.au.
“If you get a kick up the bum it’s because you deserve it. It’s tough but fair.
“They work really hard down there and if you’re not pulling your weight ... the strength of their leadership group, a lot of the time Craig Bellamy doesn’t have to discipline a player.
“The players do it themselves, the leadership is so strong.
“In my time down there we had Cameron and Cooper (Cronk) and Billy (Slater) ... there’s guys who have been part of the squad for a long time. If you’re someone who needs a bit of a kick up the bum usually the players address it before it even gets to the coach, they nip things in the bud pretty well.
“That’s why they never seem to have major dramas down there, because they are tough on each other, they are accountable to each other and they’ve got a standard they expect people to stick to it.”
Brett Finch explains why Melbourne is the best place for Cameron Munster to mature
FORMER Storm player Brett Finch has rubbished suggestions the club should let Cameron Munster go, declaring Melbourne is the best place for the 23-year-old right now.
Munster has made headlines in the past fortnight after news of an altercation with Australian teammate Ben Hunt during the World Cup was broken by Fox Sports’ chief NRL reporter James Hooper.
A week later NRL.com reported Melbourne was considering releasing the talented utility from his contract. The club has since strongly denied that claim.
But there’s been plenty made of Munster’s attitude and general personality since the original Fox Sports story emerged.
Finch can sympathise with the young Storm star. And he wants Munster to know that there’s no club in the NRL better to help him than the one coached by Craig Bellamy and captained by Cameron Smith.
“I think he’s in the best club you can be, and if anything needs to change or something needs to be done he’s in the best possible hands with the leadership group and Craig Bellamy,” Finch told foxsports.com.au.
“If you get a kick up the bum it’s because you deserve it. It’s tough but fair.
“They work really hard down there and if you’re not pulling your weight ... the strength of their leadership group, a lot of the time Craig Bellamy doesn’t have to discipline a player.
“The players do it themselves, the leadership is so strong.
“In my time down there we had Cameron and Cooper (Cronk) and Billy (Slater) ... there’s guys who have been part of the squad for a long time. If you’re someone who needs a bit of a kick up the bum usually the players address it before it even gets to the coach, they nip things in the bud pretty well.
“That’s why they never seem to have major dramas down there, because they are tough on each other, they are accountable to each other and they’ve got a standard they expect people to stick to it.”
https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/austra ... caccf89027
Australia Test coach Mal Meninga sends challenge to troubled Storm playmaker Cameron Munster
AUSTRALIA coach Mal Meninga has accepted an apology from Cameron Munster following his unacceptable behaviour while in camp with the Kangaroos during their World Cup campaign.
Munster was given a rude wake-up call after he was called home to Melbourne to front Craig Bellamy after becoming involved in a physical altercation with teammate Ben Hunt on a boozy night out in Darwin.
Breaking his silence on the incident for the first time, Meninga admitted he was “disappointed” with the five-eighth’s behaviour but the door isn’t closed on Munster wearing the green and gold this year.
“I was disappointed. It wasn’t a major thing but we needed to nip it in the bud,” Meninga exclusively told foxsports.com.au.
“Cameron needs to understand where he sits in the game and the role he plays. He’s an Australian player now, so let’s hope he becomes a good role model for the game and understands alcohol is not his friend.”
Meninga has now challenged the Rockhampton product to become a good role model.
Having issued Munster a reality check, the versatile half can save his career by accepting responsibility for his behaviour and growing up.
“Absolutely. If he’s playing good footy and behaving himself,” Meninga said when asked if the door was still open for Munster to represent his country this year.
“We have really strong values at the Kangaroos around behaviour. They are role models for our game and heroes for people watching and the kids that want to play.
“They have a huge responsibility and the expectations on a Kangaroos player is that behaviour is the number one factor that’s going to keep you in the national side.”
Like Meninga, Queensland State of Origin coach Kevin Walters said he won’t be putting a red line through the name of the No.6.
While it was only in 2016, Munster and eight of his Emerging Queensland Origin teammates were banned for 12 months by Maroons management for breaking curfew while in camp, Walters said he hasn’t looked into the Kangaroos incident.
The 23-year-old is firmly in the mix to slot in the halves this year following a successful Origin debut in 2017.
Meet Fox League stars Matty Johns, Gorden Tallis, Michael Ennis, Fletch & Hindy and more as the Full-on Footy Tour hits the road. Click here to register to attend the free events!
With Johnathan Thurston and Cooper Cronk both retired from rep footy, Walters will judge Munster on his attitude and performance this season.
“That doesn’t bother me. He’s in a good system, Cameron, has great people around him,” Walters told foxsports.com.au.
“I didn’t look into that (incident) at all. I really like what Cameron brings to a football team. I was really happy with his performance last year, particularly in game three.
“I know he’s in a great system at the Storm with great people around him so you’d expect him to take his game to another level this year for the Storm and hopefully that will translate into Origin and maybe Australia.”
Echoing the words of Melbourne coach Craig Bellamy that Munster needs to address his behaviour when drinking, Meninga said the Munster incident has been dealt.
Bellamy and Meninga both spoken to him separately and now it’s in the hands of the Storm star to respond and prove he belongs in the representative arena.
“A bit like Craig said, he has got a bit of an issue with drinking so he needs to work his way through all that,” Meninga said.
“He has a really supportive club. He’s probably at the best club for this stage of his career.
“Let’s hope that he can stay on the straight and narrow but he does have a bit of an issue with the drink and that’s what caused all the dramas.
“It wasn’t major but Craig and the club were obviously worried about him and the way he was behaving in camp and that’s why he went back down South.
“It was something that needed to be nipped in the bud. Hopefully he’s learnt from all that and becomes a better person which in turn will make him a better player.”
Australia Test coach Mal Meninga sends challenge to troubled Storm playmaker Cameron Munster
AUSTRALIA coach Mal Meninga has accepted an apology from Cameron Munster following his unacceptable behaviour while in camp with the Kangaroos during their World Cup campaign.
Munster was given a rude wake-up call after he was called home to Melbourne to front Craig Bellamy after becoming involved in a physical altercation with teammate Ben Hunt on a boozy night out in Darwin.
Breaking his silence on the incident for the first time, Meninga admitted he was “disappointed” with the five-eighth’s behaviour but the door isn’t closed on Munster wearing the green and gold this year.
“I was disappointed. It wasn’t a major thing but we needed to nip it in the bud,” Meninga exclusively told foxsports.com.au.
“Cameron needs to understand where he sits in the game and the role he plays. He’s an Australian player now, so let’s hope he becomes a good role model for the game and understands alcohol is not his friend.”
Meninga has now challenged the Rockhampton product to become a good role model.
Having issued Munster a reality check, the versatile half can save his career by accepting responsibility for his behaviour and growing up.
“Absolutely. If he’s playing good footy and behaving himself,” Meninga said when asked if the door was still open for Munster to represent his country this year.
“We have really strong values at the Kangaroos around behaviour. They are role models for our game and heroes for people watching and the kids that want to play.
“They have a huge responsibility and the expectations on a Kangaroos player is that behaviour is the number one factor that’s going to keep you in the national side.”
Like Meninga, Queensland State of Origin coach Kevin Walters said he won’t be putting a red line through the name of the No.6.
While it was only in 2016, Munster and eight of his Emerging Queensland Origin teammates were banned for 12 months by Maroons management for breaking curfew while in camp, Walters said he hasn’t looked into the Kangaroos incident.
The 23-year-old is firmly in the mix to slot in the halves this year following a successful Origin debut in 2017.
Meet Fox League stars Matty Johns, Gorden Tallis, Michael Ennis, Fletch & Hindy and more as the Full-on Footy Tour hits the road. Click here to register to attend the free events!
With Johnathan Thurston and Cooper Cronk both retired from rep footy, Walters will judge Munster on his attitude and performance this season.
“That doesn’t bother me. He’s in a good system, Cameron, has great people around him,” Walters told foxsports.com.au.
“I didn’t look into that (incident) at all. I really like what Cameron brings to a football team. I was really happy with his performance last year, particularly in game three.
“I know he’s in a great system at the Storm with great people around him so you’d expect him to take his game to another level this year for the Storm and hopefully that will translate into Origin and maybe Australia.”
Echoing the words of Melbourne coach Craig Bellamy that Munster needs to address his behaviour when drinking, Meninga said the Munster incident has been dealt.
Bellamy and Meninga both spoken to him separately and now it’s in the hands of the Storm star to respond and prove he belongs in the representative arena.
“A bit like Craig said, he has got a bit of an issue with drinking so he needs to work his way through all that,” Meninga said.
“He has a really supportive club. He’s probably at the best club for this stage of his career.
“Let’s hope that he can stay on the straight and narrow but he does have a bit of an issue with the drink and that’s what caused all the dramas.
“It wasn’t major but Craig and the club were obviously worried about him and the way he was behaving in camp and that’s why he went back down South.
“It was something that needed to be nipped in the bud. Hopefully he’s learnt from all that and becomes a better person which in turn will make him a better player.”
https://article.wn.com/view/2018/02/17/ ... _with_hig/
Lack of respect leaves Cameron Munster on the outer with high-profile Kangaroos
Posted, 2018-02-17
A bigger problem for Cameron Munster than the minor blue he got himself into with Ben Hunt was the lack of respect he displayed to his teammates during the Kangaroos' World Cup campaign.
Munster put some significant noses out of joint from the start of the campaign. And when I say significant, I'm talking about the highest profile people in our game.
Lack of respect leaves Cameron Munster on the outer with high-profile Kangaroos
Posted, 2018-02-17
A bigger problem for Cameron Munster than the minor blue he got himself into with Ben Hunt was the lack of respect he displayed to his teammates during the Kangaroos' World Cup campaign.
Munster put some significant noses out of joint from the start of the campaign. And when I say significant, I'm talking about the highest profile people in our game.
Munster's issues started in Melbourne at the beginning of the tour. He was out and about in his home city and the team's respected head of security, Adrian Gard, gave him a quiet warning to pull his head in. Gard is an experienced campaigner, having taken care of the All Blacks and plenty of high-profile celebs, including Pink, Paris Hilton and the Kardashians, and he spends hours scouting locations for the players and teaching them what to do in various situations. But that was lost on Munster, who told Gard off in an abrupt manner.
Then came the Darwin stink involving Hunt.
Munster still went out on his own in Brisbane following the dust-up in Darwin.
The Kangaroos leaders were not impressed that he didn't understand the opportunity he had been given and he didn't buy into the "rise" concept (respect, inspire, selfless, excellence) that has been driven by the Kangaroos leaders.
This column is all for having characters in the game and I have had no problems with Munster. However, those who have seen him on the drink say he has an aggressive streak. Witness the Hunt drama.
The problem for the Kangaroos is that Munster is an out-and-out superstar. There was talk of an "intervention" involving Kangaroos coach Mal Meninga.
"Yeah, we had a talk," Meninga said. "I know that he was regretful and he said he was an idiot. I explained to him that we have all been there at some point and that you can turn it around. I told him about me at a similar age and I hope that he listened. Only he knows that."
Meninga learnt about Munster's colourful history with the Storm after the Hunt incident.
League is littered with players who had ability but an attitude problem and it would be wrong to write off Munster. In the end, it may not be the view of the coach that matters: his peers may determine his future.
Then came the Darwin stink involving Hunt.
Munster still went out on his own in Brisbane following the dust-up in Darwin.
The Kangaroos leaders were not impressed that he didn't understand the opportunity he had been given and he didn't buy into the "rise" concept (respect, inspire, selfless, excellence) that has been driven by the Kangaroos leaders.
This column is all for having characters in the game and I have had no problems with Munster. However, those who have seen him on the drink say he has an aggressive streak. Witness the Hunt drama.
The problem for the Kangaroos is that Munster is an out-and-out superstar. There was talk of an "intervention" involving Kangaroos coach Mal Meninga.
"Yeah, we had a talk," Meninga said. "I know that he was regretful and he said he was an idiot. I explained to him that we have all been there at some point and that you can turn it around. I told him about me at a similar age and I hope that he listened. Only he knows that."
Meninga learnt about Munster's colourful history with the Storm after the Hunt incident.
League is littered with players who had ability but an attitude problem and it would be wrong to write off Munster. In the end, it may not be the view of the coach that matters: his peers may determine his future.
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mystormboys
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Cameron wrote:https://article.wn.com/view/2018/02/17/ ... _with_hig/
Lack of respect leaves Cameron Munster on the outer with high-profile Kangaroos
Posted, 2018-02-17
A bigger problem for Cameron Munster than the minor blue he got himself into with Ben Hunt was the lack of respect he displayed to his teammates during the Kangaroos' World Cup campaign.
Munster put some significant noses out of joint from the start of the campaign. And when I say significant, I'm talking about the highest profile people in our game.
It's a shame that this Weidler doesn't get off his high horse and do an article on Matt Lodge. I tweeted him this morning over this - oh yes still waiting for a reply. It's a shame they couldn't do some tough writing about this
http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/nrl- ... 0w7xr.html
NRL won't make Brisbane Broncos forward Matt Lodge pay damages to US victims
Matt Lodge will not be compelled by the NRL to begin paying off $1.6 million in damages to victims of his alcohol-fuelled rage in New York after the governing body declared it did not get involved in civil matters.
The NRL on Friday defended its registration of the 22-year-old's one-year contract with Brisbane as the lawyer representing Lodge's four victims told Fairfax Media they had not received a cent of the compensation the front-rower was last March ordered to pay them.
It emerged that the 118-kilogram prop, who has been described as a future NSW State of Origin prospect, personally fronted NRL chief executive Todd Greenberg and chief operating officer Nick Weeks to help convince them he met the code's fit-and-proper person requirement.
They were satisfied that he had spent enough time in exile from the competition since the incident in October 2015 and Lodge will on Saturday night make his first appearance in Broncos colours in a trial match against Gold Coast Titans at Toowoomba.
While the victims' Manhattan lawyer, Renan Varghese, was scathing of Lodge this week, saying "it's been clear by his actions in this case that he thinks he's above the law", an NRL spokesman confirmed that Lodge's civil liabilities in the US were not a consideration when it came to approving his contract with the Broncos.
Officials at League Central privately believe the victims are a better chance of recouping money from Lodge if he is thriving as a footballer and therefore earning a higher salary but the NRL has not demanded a commitment to pay them as a condition of his registration.
"We only make decisions based on football and behavioural matters," a spokesman said.
The NRL moved to explain the decision to allow Lodge, who played 12 first-grade games for Wests Tigers in 2014 and 2015, back into the game on the eve of his first outing for Brisbane.
"He spent more than two years out of the game and during that period he hadn't had any issues," a spokesman said.
"Once [the integrity unit] are satisfied that they're fit and proper they will register them as long as they've spent adequate time out of the game and have a propensity to rehabilitate.
"It was a serious incident but he rehabilitated really well and he's ended up being a really reformed person in the game."
Varghese, speaking on behalf of the victims – German tourist Carolin Dekeyser, New York couple Joseph Cartright and Ruth Fowler, and their then nine-year-old son – was reluctant to aim criticism at the NRL directly because he was not aware of the procedure conducted before registering players.
However, the lawyer added: "I would have hoped that they would have contacted us as part of the process."
The Lodge lawsuit is not the only US civil case with ramifications for an Australian player.
Jarryd Hayne has vehemently denied a claim brought against him in California that he raped a woman while he was in the US playing American football for the San Francisco 49ers.
If the NRL's position on Lodge is applied to the Hayne situation then the Parramatta back's civil matter, scheduled for Santa Clara County Court in April and which he plans to fight, would appear likely to be given little weight by the governing body.
The pending re-entry of Lodge to the NRL competition itself has drawn comparisons to the integrity unit's process in determining whether or not to register players who have spent long periods out of the game over their conduct or for criminal reasons.
Russell Packer was allowed to join St George Illawarra in 2016 having served a prison sentence for assault and this week the front-rower was named one of five co-captains of his new club Wests Tigers.
This year another high-profile player with a chequered past is bidding to mount an NRL comeback.
Former NSW five-eighth Todd Carney, who has returned from the Super League and joined Northern Pride in Queensland's Intrust Super Cup, has been linked with Manly, who are in the market for a playmaker after the departure of Blake Green to the New Zealand Warriors.
However, the message out of the NRL is there is little appetite to accommodate the 31-year-old because of the string of indiscretions and run-ins with police that marred his decade in the competition.
Sports lawyer Tim Fuller, a former first-grade player, believes that improvements could be made to the way in which such decisions are made so that they were less subjective and could be conveyed more transparently to supporters.
"I think there should be more structure to it," Fuller said.
"When you look at the way players are sanctioned and penalised for on-field misconduct...if you can grade on-field misconduct there is no reason why they shouldn't start to look at the same with off-field misconduct.
"It would take a lot of the guesswork out of the way they sanction players. Otherwise the average person out there just goes "how did they come up with that?"
NRL won't make Brisbane Broncos forward Matt Lodge pay damages to US victims
Matt Lodge will not be compelled by the NRL to begin paying off $1.6 million in damages to victims of his alcohol-fuelled rage in New York after the governing body declared it did not get involved in civil matters.
The NRL on Friday defended its registration of the 22-year-old's one-year contract with Brisbane as the lawyer representing Lodge's four victims told Fairfax Media they had not received a cent of the compensation the front-rower was last March ordered to pay them.
It emerged that the 118-kilogram prop, who has been described as a future NSW State of Origin prospect, personally fronted NRL chief executive Todd Greenberg and chief operating officer Nick Weeks to help convince them he met the code's fit-and-proper person requirement.
They were satisfied that he had spent enough time in exile from the competition since the incident in October 2015 and Lodge will on Saturday night make his first appearance in Broncos colours in a trial match against Gold Coast Titans at Toowoomba.
While the victims' Manhattan lawyer, Renan Varghese, was scathing of Lodge this week, saying "it's been clear by his actions in this case that he thinks he's above the law", an NRL spokesman confirmed that Lodge's civil liabilities in the US were not a consideration when it came to approving his contract with the Broncos.
Officials at League Central privately believe the victims are a better chance of recouping money from Lodge if he is thriving as a footballer and therefore earning a higher salary but the NRL has not demanded a commitment to pay them as a condition of his registration.
"We only make decisions based on football and behavioural matters," a spokesman said.
The NRL moved to explain the decision to allow Lodge, who played 12 first-grade games for Wests Tigers in 2014 and 2015, back into the game on the eve of his first outing for Brisbane.
"He spent more than two years out of the game and during that period he hadn't had any issues," a spokesman said.
"Once [the integrity unit] are satisfied that they're fit and proper they will register them as long as they've spent adequate time out of the game and have a propensity to rehabilitate.
"It was a serious incident but he rehabilitated really well and he's ended up being a really reformed person in the game."
Varghese, speaking on behalf of the victims – German tourist Carolin Dekeyser, New York couple Joseph Cartright and Ruth Fowler, and their then nine-year-old son – was reluctant to aim criticism at the NRL directly because he was not aware of the procedure conducted before registering players.
However, the lawyer added: "I would have hoped that they would have contacted us as part of the process."
The Lodge lawsuit is not the only US civil case with ramifications for an Australian player.
Jarryd Hayne has vehemently denied a claim brought against him in California that he raped a woman while he was in the US playing American football for the San Francisco 49ers.
If the NRL's position on Lodge is applied to the Hayne situation then the Parramatta back's civil matter, scheduled for Santa Clara County Court in April and which he plans to fight, would appear likely to be given little weight by the governing body.
The pending re-entry of Lodge to the NRL competition itself has drawn comparisons to the integrity unit's process in determining whether or not to register players who have spent long periods out of the game over their conduct or for criminal reasons.
Russell Packer was allowed to join St George Illawarra in 2016 having served a prison sentence for assault and this week the front-rower was named one of five co-captains of his new club Wests Tigers.
This year another high-profile player with a chequered past is bidding to mount an NRL comeback.
Former NSW five-eighth Todd Carney, who has returned from the Super League and joined Northern Pride in Queensland's Intrust Super Cup, has been linked with Manly, who are in the market for a playmaker after the departure of Blake Green to the New Zealand Warriors.
However, the message out of the NRL is there is little appetite to accommodate the 31-year-old because of the string of indiscretions and run-ins with police that marred his decade in the competition.
Sports lawyer Tim Fuller, a former first-grade player, believes that improvements could be made to the way in which such decisions are made so that they were less subjective and could be conveyed more transparently to supporters.
"I think there should be more structure to it," Fuller said.
"When you look at the way players are sanctioned and penalised for on-field misconduct...if you can grade on-field misconduct there is no reason why they shouldn't start to look at the same with off-field misconduct.
"It would take a lot of the guesswork out of the way they sanction players. Otherwise the average person out there just goes "how did they come up with that?"