I don’t usually pay much attention to what the red bandana says. But he has got this topic spot on.
Jo must not go on
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Opinion
TFF had a bit of a rant on Thursday about the insanity of how – in the face of Joseph Suaalii’s brilliance – the Roosters and the NRL are looking to waive the rule which requires all players to be 18 years old before taking the field in the top grade. One more time for the dummies at dummy-half, the rule was commendably brought in six years ago in the face of shocking statistics which showed how badly many younger men were struggling with the pressures of league. And it wasn’t just physical problems. Mental issues were also apparent and, as I wrote, what prompted the rule change in 2015 was the tragic early deaths of five young men from the National Youth Competition, who had seemingly not coped with all the pressure that early stardom had placed upon them.
“We did a detailed study of those kids and what happened to them,” the NRL’s head of game strategy and development Shane Richardson explained to The Australian when they brought the new rule in. “It didn’t have as big an impact on me in the beginning than it did in the end.”
Get it? It was a serious rule, brought in for an extremely serious purpose.
Ah, the smarties say, but Suaalii is different. You should see the way he plays, the command he has on the field!
This would be after one game in reserve grade, yes? Where at game’s end he had to be helped from the field after suffering cramp? Please.
The rule was brought in because the NRL realised it had a duty of care not to throw 17-year-olds into the toughest footballing cauldron on earth before they were ready, when data demonstrated the terrible damage it could do. It was a blanket rule, to make it the same for all clubs, on a level playing field. And it matters not a jot if Suaalii actually is ready, physically, emotionally and mentally to take his place on the field. For any move to waive the rule for him, inevitably weakens the rule for all, as other clubs will inevitably seek their own waivers in years to come, pointing to the Suaalii precedent. The fact that Suaalii also appears to be a remarkably level-headed young man, with a fine family around him and great support, has nothing to do with it. For ultimately the issue is not about him, it is about players of his whole age-group being protected.
It is a nonsense to change it, a dangerous nonsense at that. In the words of the very wise Roosters fullback, James Tedesco: “Let him be 17 and let him enjoy his youth”.
Is that really so much to ask, when the consequences of getting it wrong for him and other young men are so potentially devastating