As a lifelong female fan and supporter of Rugby League, I am appalled by today’s decision regarding Robert Lui.
I am fortunate to have a local JRL club run by a strong woman, and the Under 9 team my son plays in has a fantastic female player. The piss weak one year ban is a slap in the face to me, our female Club Secretary and that little girl taking the field every Saturday morning.
The inaction by the ARL and the NQ Cowboys today and their passive reaction to this disgraceful act is an absolute insult to us all.
Until the League adopts a ZERO TOLERANCE policy regarding violence against women they are condoning this type of behaviour.
While the one year ban might be sufficient for Club and League executives to forgive and forget, what about the innocent victim in all of this, the child? What kind of role model is Lui providing for his son growing up? And will his partner ever get over the psychological scars inflicted by the vicious assault? How about the damage and shame caused to both families? I’m sure that won’t be fixed or forgotten within a year.
The League and the people involved need to ask themselves some very hard questions, there has got to be a tougher stance going forward because there is NEVER any excuse for abuse.
You can follow Holly on Twitter at: HollysAGemini
