Victor Radley’s ineligibility proves why Dally M voting must get with the times
VICTOR Radley can’t win this year’s Dally M Rookie of the Year. Nor can Kalyn Ponga. All because the game’s awards process is from an era when men arrived at grounds in suits and porkpie hats, writes PAUL KENT.
Opinion
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VICTOR Radley can’t win this year’s Dally M Rookie of the Year.
Radley is victim of an antiquated rule, one that has claimed too many scalps in a game that long ago should have moved on.
New millennia, anybody?
Radley is ineligible for Rookie of the Year because he was suspended for a high tackle on Marty Taupau in round nine and then wore another week for late contact on Christian Welch in round 16.
Two strikes, you’re out.
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The same system transfers to the big one, the Dally M Player of the Year. Players lose three points for every game they are suspended first time around and then are immediately ineligible after a second suspension.
It has ended in injustice several times.
Billy Slater lost the Dally M Player of the Year award in 2008 when he was suspended through the season for throwing punches, of the uppercut variety, at St George Illawarra’s Jason Nightingale.
Under the rules, Slater was deducted three points because of the game he missed under suspension.
So Slater forfeited his three points and watched Matt Orford take the top gong, two points ahead.
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Andrew Johns lost the award in 2001 when he got suspended for a little forearm action on Cronulla’s Adam Dykes. Preston Campbell took home the award, a point ahead of Johns.
In both cases, Slater and Johns were already handicapped by not actually being allowed to play in a game, which at the very least cost them the chance to add to their totals.
The Dally M Awards are the game’s biggest personal honours.
They once ran in conjunction with the Rothman’s Medal, which used to be voted upon by referees to find the game’s best player, and took over when the ban on smoking advertising saw the Rothman’s go to the wall.
It was a pity. A lot of simmering feuds got settled on Rothman’s night, some requiring a little bloodshed but all in good fun.
At the very least it cleared the decks.
In the spirit of that the NRL has to look at resetting its current awards procedure.
The system is a relic from when player of the year honours were called the Best and Fairest and the “fairest” was given equal consideration alongside the “best”.
It came from a time when men arrived at grounds in porkpie hats and double breasted suits.
The game was professional only in the token sense. Players still held day jobs, unlike today’s full-time professionals.
Most often overlooked is back in those early days, when “fairest” was given equal billing, was players needed to be sent off to be disqualified from winning.
This was a time when they basically needed to commit manslaughter in order to be marched.
Now we live in a weird half-land.
Serious offences are not treated nearly serious enough and light incidents like careless tackles fail to make it through the match review process without penalty.
Yet these light offences are wiping out serious contenders for awards.
Radley, already tipped for higher honours in the game, is a strong example.
In a quick straw poll most would plonk for Kalyn Ponga as their Rookie of the Year so figure the whole Radley argument is wasted breath.
Ponga is also ineligible.
Not because he has done time in purgatory but because he is actually in his third season as an NRL player.
He played two finals games for the Cowboys in 2016 and then seven games for the Cowboys last year before he signed with Newcastle and, among other things, Cowboys coach Paul Green decided he was not going to spend the rest of the season developing a player to prosper at a rival club. So Ponga got sent back to Queensland State Cup.
The interchange rule has polluted the definition of rookie so a rookie is now considered a player who played less than four games in his previous season.
With Ponga out Radley might have been a strong chance. Ruled out by the system.
Now we look at Jamayne Isaako, superb on the Brisbane wing.
Jesse Ramien has a future as bright as he wants to make it, based on talent.
Rhyse Martin, AJ Brimson, Lachlan Lewis, Kotoni Staggs and the two Sione Katoa’s (Penrith and Cronulla) … they are all contenders.
But not Radley.
He pays for a time in the game long out of date. When he might prove to be the best of the lot.