As we all would have seen, yesterday, Manly coach Des Hasler went on a tirade about the inconsistency between the Stewart sentence and the Carney sentence yesterday, a tirade that has resulted in a response from NRL Chief Executive, David Gallop.
It comes after Todd Carney was charged with a DUI earlier, with Gallop outlining outlining that the Roosters had remained impartial in their decision, in light of the $10,000 fine, and counselling for the young five-eighth.
“The two cases are very different.” Gallop said. “[The] Carney [incident] involved a largely inadvertent act last Saturday morning.
“Stewart’s conduct was at a season launch which the club itself admitted to handling badly. Despite this, no action was taken by Manly.
“We look at each case on its merits and in its own context. In other words, we make our decisions impartially, with even handedness, across all clubs, as a primary motivation.
“Any suggestion that these decisions are infected by a desire to please someone else is incorrect, malicious and defamatory. We have maintained that position over many years and while we are not immune from criticism, we totally reject any suggestion of bias.”