New South Wales will be without James Tamou for State Of Origin Two after the forward was suspended for two games after being charged with drink driving and driving without a licence according to the Sydney Morning Herald.
The suspension is a step in the right direction for the NRL and shows that high standards are now being set by David Smith and the NRL Integrity Unit.
For a number of years I have been calling for mandatory suspensions in cases like this. Rugby League can not afford to draw a line in the sand on some issues while others are allowed to slide.
Rugby League in the past has been way too quick to continue to reward players who do the wrong thing off the field. Hopefully this action again Tamou changes that.
Losing Tamou is a huge blow for the New South Wales side and it will mean Laurie Daley will be forced to shuffle his line up. The Blues were already playing Paul Gallen in the front row and it will be interesting to see who they call into the side to fill the hole Tamou leaves in the forward rotation.
One name already being thrown around is West Tigers forward Aaron Woods.
Update: Tamou has also been fined $20,000 by the NRL.
