Quote WiganBurt="WiganBurt"the whole incident, backlash and media coverage has really annoyed me, including the statements about the police getting involved.
why aren't the police involved when sports persons from any sport, clubs or even sporting governing bodies cheat using recreational or performance drugs, financial cover ups etc, and why aren't those incidents so violently discussed?
i'm so livid with ben as we clearly had a good chance otherwise, just as saints did, but he did what he did and it cost us the game, which in turn meant he let himself, his club, teammates and friends, family and more importantly fans down. by far the greater of any punishment that is to follow.
people really need to get a grip and come back to the real world. the sport will deal with it and that will be the end of it.
the man will be handed a hefty ban and that should be the end of it. there's so much more going on in the world at the moment yet people are going on about this like he made a terrorist threat on live national tv and anything of actual relevance to the world fades into insignificance!'"
I agree with your post, well argued. I find it galling in the extreme having to listen to idiots in the national media pontificate on about rugby league when they show no interest in it whatsoever unless something bad happens. A few things occur to me -
- Ben Westwood got a pat on the back and was playing for England within a month after last years' final. Ben's assault looked a lot worse because it was out in the open, but I'm not convinced that it was that much different.
- Shaun Wane must take some share of the blame. I love SW and think he is a great coach. But as he said himself he has made mistakes. In hindsight the Sky documentary was a big mistake from the club and it came back to bite us in a big way. Now SW didn't invent foul play in rugby league, so let's not exaggerate things too much, but the comments about 'hating' Saints were bad. I don't hate Saints fans, some of my best mates are Saints fans. There was no need for it.
- After the media frenzy and former players calling for year long bans etc it is absolutely vital that Wigan support Ben this evening. He mustn't be allowed to be thrown to the wolves (no pun). James Graham got 8 games after biting Billy Slater. I think this may be comparable.
- Wigan need to stand up for themselves too. Hetherington never fails to speak out when he perceives injustice against Leeds. In my view Ben knows he has cost us the GF and that in itself is worse than any ban. For example, the RFL need Wigan to participate to give the limping dog that is the World Club Challenge series any credence. A meaningless friendly with the Broncos should be treated as just that unless the RFL treat Ben with the same 'fairness' they treated the other Ben last year.
- If people want to bring the Police into sport where will that lead us? It's a complete non starter. Haven't the Police got more important things to investigate? Unsolved murders, paedophilia, tax fraud etc. I can't believe the hypocrite Jamie Peacock of all people saying if it had been done outside the ground he would be in prison!!! (Et tu Jamie...)
- A possible spin off could be that we keep Taylor to his final year instead of letting him go to Hull. That might be a good thing. Every cloud and all that...
