If Semi Radradra wants to go, let him — and ban him from the game, says Paul Kent

AFETR all the hand-wringing, the only option available is to ban Semi Radradra from the NRL. It’s time the game stood up for itself, writes PAUL KENT.

THE threat out of Parramatta, however ill-conceived, is they will seek compensation against Semi Radradra for damage to their brand if he walks out on the club to play rugby union.

The Eels figure Radradra should sacrifice the $500,000 he is contracted for next year plus pay $200,000 in damages to its reputation.

That might be difficult in the current market.

In just the past three months the Eels got busted for cheating the salary cap, have competition points about to be deducted, house five officials set to be banned, have been fined almost a million dollars, a major sponsor walked out in disgust, the captain got sacked and told to stay off the booze — which appears the least of his problems — and they are part of a current police investigation into match fixing.

Oh, and players were also cautioned by police for consorting with bikies.

That would make the Eels’ claim against Radradra worth about 40 cents.

Say nothing else about Parramatta, they are triers. But are they in touch with reality? Or is the club in desperate need of outside help?

The moment the NRL ordered them to get under the salary cap before they could play for competition points other clubs circled the Eels, all looking for a shot at signing Radradra. He was the only player they were genuinely interested in.

Coach Brad Arthur wasn’t letting go of the goose with the golden egg, though, and released Nathan Peats and Ryan Morgan while Anthony Watmough benefited, under the NRL’s direction, from an extremely fast and convenient career-ending injury retirement scheme.

And now we know Radradra wants to go anyway.

In the absence of any meaningful thought from Parramatta, threats for compensation have now been made.

Nobody knows better than Todd Greenberg, the game’s current boss, how difficult this will be to redeem.

Greenberg was waist-deep in similar muck eight years ago when Sonny Bill Williams walked out on Canterbury for a rich French rugby contract, a time when we all went about wringing our hands worrying about the game’s grim future.

How will rugby league survive without Sonny, we worried? Not that bad, it turned out.

By the time he walked, breaking every promise made to the Bulldogs, Williams had already sought legal advice and was told he would Then NRL-boss David Gallop called on the International Rugby Board to block Williams’ registration

The IRB response was swift and cruel. According to its rules, it could not ban domestic teams from signing players. It was a major embarrassment for Gallop.

Eventually the Bulldogs sought an injunction against Williams in the NSW Supreme Court. Williams threatened to defy the injunction and play for Toulon rugby anyway.

Ultimately, threatened with the loss of his Sydney home if he went against the court ordered injunction, Williams brought in former Labor Party powerbroker Graham Richardson to broker a deal with Bulldogs chairman George Peponis. It was done over a Chinese meal.

“I even paid for the lunch,” Richardson said.

Williams bought his way out of the Bulldogs for $750,000. It was cheaper than losing his home, the only collateral the Bulldogs and the law really held.

Radradra has no home in Sydney. His former partner applied for an AVO against him Tuesday night, leaving him with less reason to want to be in Sydney.

And now the Eels threaten compensation from him if he leaves. Against what?

The hope is Greenberg, back on old territory.

Forget monetary compensation, the only option available is for Greenberg to ban him from the game. It’s time the game stood up for itself and ended the hand-wringing.

When Williams walked out on the NRL nobody had heard of Semi Radradra, but along he came.

There is another one out there, there always is. There is also another Sonny Bill Williams. His name is Semi Radradra.

How many more are we willing to tolerate?