Hands already Fuller improving police behaviour, let alone players

Everyone at Raiders HQ would be entitled to raise their eyebrows at that. Given what's transpired over the past year - NSW Police not once, but twice accusing Canberra Raiders of assaulting police. Only to have those charges thrown out of court.

Both incidents left Raiders Curtis Scott and Tom Starling bloodied and bruised. And their names cleared.

Both incidents have called into question the actions of the NSW Police and not the behaviour of the Raiders in question. Sure, you could say both shouldn't have put themselves in the positions they found themselves in, but the police are meant to be their to protect the public from violence. Not be the cause of it.

Thankfully, Scott's been able to put his horrific encounter with the police behind him and was looking forward a much more positive 2021. Hopefully it's the same for Starling.

ARLC chairman Peter V'Landys wants NSW Police commissioner Mick Fuller to fill the final spot on the commission for the purpose of helping clean up player behaviour.

But it seems he still has plenty of work to do cleaning up the behaviour of his police force.

Scott's lawyer Sam Macedone's in the process of finalising a lawsuit against the NSW Police for their treatment of his client. Handcuffing, waking up - yes in that order - and then pepper-spraying and tasering him.

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Macedone hopes to begin proceedings in the next six to eight weeks to seek damages for Scott. The NSW Police were already forced to pay for Scott's legal fees after his case was thrown out.

The police officers involved in Scott's unlawful arrest have yet to be disciplined - although they are subject to an ongoing, internal investigation.

"As the matter is subject to a Law Enforcement Conduct Commission investigation it would be inappropriate to comment further at this time," a spokesperson told the Saturday Serve.

At the time of writing, NSW Police were yet to respond whether the officers involved in Starling's arrest were also being investigated after his charges for allegedly assaulting them were also thrown out of court.

Fuller's being brought in to improve player behaviour.

"I've taken a hard line to bad behaviour in the police force and if I'm on the commission I'll be taking a hard line to bad behaviour in the NRL," he told The Daily Telegraph on Thursday.

Well, we're yet to see proof of that when it comes to either of the two incidents involving Raiders players. Let's hope we will. Everyone's equal and all that. Having the "bad behaviour" of NSW Police treated leniently - especially those who mistreated Scott - would be a terrible start to Fuller's time on the commission. A bad look as the saying goes.

It will also be interesting to see exactly how Fuller goes about it.

"We need consistency and fines that are high enough to change player behaviour," he was also quoted as saying.

Is that going to be the new golden egg?

Former ARLC chairman Peter Beattie introduced the "no-fault, stand-down policy" in 2019. It's the policy that Jack de Belin and Manase Fainu are currently banned from playing under.

Apparently not being able to play rugby league was the panacea to improve player behaviour. Even though the policy covered alleged incidents that faced serious jail time.

Jail wasn't enough of a deterrent so I'm not sure how being banned from playing was going to be.

Now it seems fines are the answer. Maybe. Maybe not. We'll see. Maybe there is no answer. People are always going to make mistakes.