Melbourne Storm forward Tui Kamikamica has made his return to the sport through the QLD Cup over the weekend, playing strongly for the Sunshine Coast Falcons.
Kamikamica had been subject to the NRL's no-fault stand-down rule after being hit with a charge for an alleged assault in Brisbane's Fortitude Valley on November 13 last year.
The charge was dismissed in court last week however after Queensland police failed to offer any evidence.
Kamikamica had initially been set to contest a two-day trial last week, having originally been stood down by the NRL late last year under the no-fault stand-down rule.
The prop and lock forward has since, seemingly, been cleared to return to the NRL, although the NRL has made no official comment on the matter of clearing his path to return.
Despite that, the27-year-old ran out for the Falcons in a 48 points to 18 beatdown of the Ipswich Jets on Sunday afternoon, with Kamikamica starting at prop.
He played 54 minutes in the encounter for the Falcons in a side which also featured fringe Melbourne first-grade options Will Warbrick and Cooper Johns, with the former scoring a hat-trick and the latter picking up a try assist.
Kamikamica managed 105 metres from 11 runs, with 62 of those metres recorded as post-contact yardage, while he also had three tackle busts and 19 tackles in a strong showing.
It's unlikely he will make his way straight back into the Melbourne side given the fact Craig Bellamy's outfit has won their last two games by a combined score of 120 points to 12.
However, a bench spot may open up for the Fijian powerhouse in the coming weeks as he returns to the NRL, where he had been part of a successful Storm forward pack rotation last year and was earmarked for the starting lock role this year.
Perhaps Mr Abdo, Mr V’landys and Mr Annesley would find it profitable to reflect on:
a) what the “no fault” stand-down policy was supposed to accomplish
b) what it has actually accomplished
c) whether it should be scrapped, revised or continue unchanged
According to court documents submitted by the NRL, during Jack de Belin’s apparent attempt to bankrupt himself through pointless legal actions (who was advising that unfortunate young man?), the driving force behind the introduction of the “no fault” stand-down policy was money.
“Over the last three years, the elite men’s rugby league competition in Australia and New Zealand … has been beset by scandals involving player misconduct, or allegations of player misconduct.”
“On average, between 2015 and 2018 an NRL player was implicated in an off-field scandal every 22 days.”
“Many of these incidents have involved (or allegedly involved) violent assaults, particularly against women.”
And:
“Telstra, the naming rights sponsor of the NRL, having a week earlier complained of reputational damage and demanded tough action, publicly congratulated the NRL ‘on their strong stance, reflecting community standards and moving closer to the values that Telstra upholds’. ”
So, Telstra complained about how it was damaged, and demanded the NRL do something. The NRL ought to have said “If you don’t like the product, don’t bid for the naming rights next time round”. Instead it folded like a pack of cards under the unspoken threat that Telstra would walk away from its deal _right now_ and not wait until the end of the contract. (It would seem Alan Joyce recognised that play, even if Rugby Australia did not).
Has it accomplished anything, other than keeping Telstra’s money flowing to the NRL?
It’s hard to say because the NRL does not publish a record (let alone the details) of the number of “scandals”.
The Panthers Post Grand Final NRL Celebrations, resulted in damage to the NRL Trophy by Nathan Cleary (fined $7,000) and Stephen Crichton (fined $4,000); plus Tyrone May getting stood down again for a social media post. Is that three scandals or just one?
Brent Naden testing positive to cocaine on the evening before the Grand Final – Separate scandal or lump it in with the other three?
Josh Addo Carr and Latrell Mitchell camping out and shooting rifles during lock-down. Two scandals or one?
Nathan Cleary publishing a TikTok video shot with girls when he was supposed to be maintaining social distancing. Is that a scandal?
George Burgess, a month ago, and talk of a girl and “touching”. Was it a scandal?
My gut feel is that nothing has really changed. Drunks will be drunks. When you’re drunk you cease to think clearly and you can’t even spell consequences, let alone recognise them.
The one thing that has come out of this policy is the damage to Jack de Belin and the Dragons.
Whilst he was stood down the Dragons paid him $750K a season for the rest of his contract. They paid him more money after the contract expired. (Does NRL Central think money grows on trees, and clubs have an inexhaustible supply of it? Have they forgotten that nearly all clubs run at a loss?) But crucially, they lost an SOO player for three seasons.
And as for Jack. Money gone, form gone, always looks unhappy. It’s not an exaggeration to say “Career ruined”. All that, even after not being found guilty in two trials.
Is this the best the NRL can contrive?