Sponsored by
PETER SMITH: Bad boys are tarnishing our game
Hands up everybody who thought St Helens would sack star stand-off Leon Pryce following his recent conviction for assault. That's nobody then.
Saints went through what many people would regard as the charade of holding internal talks to discuss Pryce's future, after he avoided a jail term last week.
The Great Britain back, a former Bradford Bulls player, was ordered to do 100 hours community service by a judge at Bradford Magistrates' Court, after pleading guilty to an assault carried out last summer.
In 2003, Pryce was sentenced to 120 hours of community service after being found guilty of unlawful wounding, following a "glassing" incident.
The latest case also involved Stuart Reardon, a former Bulls team-mate of Pryce. Reardon was given a 12-week suspended prison sentence after pleading guilty to assaulting his estranged wife, Kay. The assault charge against Pryce related to Kay's new partner.
According to Saints, Pryce has shown genuine remorse for his actions and the community service order is sufficient punishment.
A club statement read: "St Helens have reviewed the case and court sentence of Leon Pryce in detail.
"The club has concluded that the sentence of 100 hours community service is in itself sufficient punishment for his crime but have, in any event, also issued Pryce with a formal warning.
"In arriving at their conclusion, the club did take into account that Pryce was open, co-operative and truthful to the club when recounting the matter, has shown genuine remorse for his actions and due recognition of the embarrassment which it has brought upon himself."
Unlike many in the sport, this writer has no problem with Pryce and Reardon avoiding jail time. There are far more dangerous characters out there and it's doubtful if locking either of them up would have served any useful purpose.
But incidents like the one they were involved in last year – and the subsequent court case – are becoming an increasing problem for the sport.
Leeds playing St Helens in front of 20,000 people might not be worthy of a mention in the national media, but a Saints player appearing before three magistrates will be newsworthy every time.
Pryce and Reardon aren't the first high-profile rugby league players to get into bother and, sadly, they won't be the last.
Leeds Rhinos' Chev Walker and Ryan Bailey were jailed following an assault case in 2003 – a ruling which seemed harsh at the time and looks even more so in hindsight.
Earlier this year. Hull KR's Ben Cockayne spent a brief time on remand after admitting assault.
Like Pryce and Reardon, Cockayne was warned that he faced a prison term, but was instead handed a 12-month sentence suspended for two years, ordered to carry out 240 hours of community service and pay 750 in costs and compensation to his victim, Kiel Thompson.
Hull KR, like Saints, held a meeting to debate the player's future. In Cockayne's case, the club opted to suspend him – without pay – until he has completed his community service. He was also told to undergo counselling for anger management and post-traumatic stress disorder, a result of his involvement in the Iraq war.
One club who did decide to sack a player was Castleford Tigers, who axed reserve-grader Steve Hayward after he received a six-month suspended sentence for assaulting Thompson in the same incident.
So what's the difference between Hayward and Pryce, Reardon or Cockayne? Cynics will argue it's the fact that he was a second team player and not an established Super League star.
The recent court cases have cast a shadow over rugby league, a sport which doesn't need the bad publicity. Obviously, clubs aren't going to sack top players – and even if they did, someone else would sign them.
Before sentencing, Reardon was released from his contract by Warrington Wolves. No reason was given, though it was probably due to his on-going Achilles problem.
He was immediately signed by Hull, who at the same time were launching a club campaign against domestic violence. Reardon then failed a medical and was released less than two weeks later.
Had they been involved in any other walk of life, Pryce and Co would barely have rated a mention in the news pages. But as rugby league players, they are role models and therefore have extra responsibilities.
You could argue that they've been dealt with through the courts, so deserve the chance to get on with their lives once punishment has been served – as Walker and Bailey have done with no further problems.
On the other hand, incidents like those involving Pryce/Reardon and Cockayne do have a damaging effect on the sport's image and let down clubs and supporters alike.
If clubs can't be relied upon to take action, maybe the governing body should.
In Australia, players have been de-registered by the sport's authorities for bad behaviour off the field. Several of the Aussie game's bad boys have headed straight to clubs over here.
In line with other sports, the RFL imposes two-year bans for failed drugs tests. Hull KR coach Justin Morgan was fined 2,000 earlier this month for criticising a referee.
Yet players can assault an innocent party and continue as normal. There is a growing feeling that it's time the RFL came down hard on those bringing the sport's reputation into disrepute.
It's a difficult issue and a case can be made both ways, but with players' behaviour increasingly under the spotlight, the RFL needs to decide what its policy is – and then stick to it, whether the player involved is a reserve-team no-hoper or an international star.
****
THERE was a lot of booing going on at Headingley Carnegie last Friday.
Rhinos were jeered off at half-time and full-time in their defeat by Harlequins, but the abuse started earlier than that.
Iestyn Harris was booed when he appeared on the pitch before kick-off as members of Rhinos' 1999 Challenge Cup final-winning team were introduced to the crowd.
Leeds fans who barracked Harris should be ashamed of themselves. The current Featherstone Rovers player left Leeds to play rugby union in Wales and angered Rhinos supporters when he returned north with Bradford Bulls.
But Harris was, in this writer's opinion, Leeds' best and most influential player during the first 14 years of Super League.
His signing in 1997 began to turn Rhinos around, he set numerous club records and skippered the triumphant 1999 team, as well as winning the Man of Steel award the previous year.
Harris never gave less than 100 per cent to the Leeds cause and won plenty of games during his five years at Headingley.
He should be welcomed back any time.
Email to a friend
Print this page- Leeds United: Whites ponder next move in hunt for new manager LATEST
- Web poll: Who is to blame for Leeds United’s league position? VOTE HERE
- Leeds United: Time for Ken Bates and Co to listen up
- Leeds man remanded on sister murder charge UPDATED
- Leeds United: Aston Villa boss drops hint on Fabian Delph
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Leeds
Sunday 12 February 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: 0 C to 5 C
Wind Speed: 7 mph
Wind direction: North west
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
Temperature: 4 C to 8 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: North west
