A few weeks ago, the furore over the Storm's Jordan McLean and his tackle reached boiling point and led to a seven-week suspension. This harsh penalty was more about dampening the hysteria of the injury to Alex McKinnon than the danger of lifting in the tackle. New interpretations were introduced to combat lifting and the precedent was set with the penalty handed to McLean.
I didn't agree but accepted it was a starting point for players to change their thinking.
I said the next player, be it rookie or star, would be subjected to the harshest of penalties if the NRL were serious about their new stance.
But when the first player to be judged under this new ruling is charged, what do the NRL do? Reduce the charge so Bird can play in the final two Origins. The tackle looked worse than McLean's. It is irrelevant there was no injury. Bird let him go after leaving him vulnerable and it was just lucky how that player landed.
Because there was no injury, it's perceived there was little wrong.
The administration wanted to eradicate these tackles but, with this penalty, they have failed.
It proves that paying lip service to issues with outlandish rhetoric is enough to promote change when little or no change is what they seek. And all for the sake of Origin, where change is all they desire.
It's all about NSW winning, not preventing injury to the players they have vowed to protect.
To make it worse, Bird has crossed the line on many occasions, yet his record was not taken into account in this case.
It might be an old cliche, but the more things change, the more they stay the same.
