WE have all read and heard countless comments in the last month about "the NRL's off-season from hell."
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I'd prefer to look at it a different way - it's not the NRL's off-season from hell, it's the NRL's best off-season yet.
Why?
It's the time when the National Rugby League - led by chief executive Todd Greenberg and ARL Commission chairman Peter Beattie - finally got serious about player behaviour.
"This is not about being popular, this is about doing the right thing by rugby league," Beattie said last week.
"This is also about sending a clear message that the game does not tolerate violence; does not tolerate violence against women, does not tolerate violence against children."
In five years' time, the lasting effects of their hard-line stance to sexual assault and domestic violence allegations could well be referred to as the line in the sand.
A time when the NRL said "enough is enough" and if any player stepped out of line, they would be hit with a deserved punishment.
"Unless we do that and maintain that standard, then frankly our game will erode over time," Beattie said.
We all need to be careful about what we say and don't say about Jack de Belin, Dylan Walker and Tyrone May as all cases are in front of the courts.
The common reaction among most people - myself included - is one of anger, disappointment and a confusion as to why these players manage to get themselves in trouble so often.
But that's a separate issue.
I read on social media from a fellow journalist that only three of 480 full-time NRL players are currently looking at spending time in a courtroom.
That's less than one percent, except the issue is the minority always ruin it for everyone else.
Another comment was directed my way on social media that "this isn't our rock bottom - it's our foundation to build from."
It's a difficult point to argue against.
Hopefully in five or 10 years time we look back on the period between November 2018 and March 2019 as the tipping point on player behaviour.
The NRL have made a stance and cultures have changed, it's time we went with them.
What else is happening in sport?
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