ARL Commissioner John Grant makes his expectations clear to NRL clubs

AUSTRALIAN Rugby League Commissioner John Grant set NRL clubs a code of conduct that must be followed - or face the financial consequences.

Paul Kent yarn

THE overwhelming message seemed to be one rugby league fans understand all too well: "Don't worry, we're working on it" - but hey, isn't the new logo a beauty!

Amid the promises of all those things to come at yesterday's State of the NRL address, Australian Rugby League Commissioner John Grant indicated it might finally be time for the game to grow up.

And the game finally appears ready to listen.

For too long the game suffered from a bitter recipe of immature players, uncertain leadership and hard-fisted club management that too often forced them to be dragged into being held to account for their, and their players', behaviour.

Rugby league was stuck in the 1970s, and the rest of the world was moving forward. Not anymore.

While some might have a problem with the glacier-like speed of the ARL Commission's decision-making, I support any change that is proper and permanent.

While revealing the new NRL's four core values yesterday - excellence, courage, inclusiveness and teamwork - Grant kicked an old ant's nest and indicated that the game, finally, appears ready to take control of itself.

"This plan commits to players and clubs accepting their position as role models and living up to that challenge," he said.

Most NRL players I talk to don't consider themselves role models. They say they are role models only to their own children, nobody else's. The young football fan's role model should be their parents, they add, not them.

Which is absolute rubbish. It is an attempt to remove responsibility and, more often, accountability for their behaviour.

The moment a player signs an autograph he becomes a role model, fair or not. The choice is not theirs.

Only a month ago it appeared the NRL was stubbing its toe on efforts to make the game more female-friendly.

Mad Monday celebrations featuring a Bulldogs player singing how he would like to punch a female reporter in the face did little to improve it. Worse, the near-fortnight it took for a resolution also added to beliefs that the game was unwilling to confront its clubs for fear of upsetting the players.

Not anymore.

VIDEO THAT SPARKED MAD MONDAY MAYHEM

"We have put a line in the sand. You cannot publish this stuff and not stand by it," Mr Grant said.

"It's not to say it's different to what it was before but you can understand the process here is making it clear to people about what the expectations are and if they don't like it, then addressing it. We have made it very clear about what our expectations are."

There is more evidence that the game, under the commission's new direction, is growing up.

"In 2013 NRL club distributions and payments come with some conditions but with the expectation we will establish a set of goals for the clubs to achieve that will see distributions in 2014 and beyond becoming less fixed and more variable determined by need and performance," Mr Grant said.

Previously, this would have had some clubs howling in newspaper ink.

Now they look at the bigger picture.

One where when the tide rises, as they say, all the boats rise.