Did our boys do anything illegal?
or was it morally wrong like lafai smashing up walls inside his home while arguing with his wife?
I think that is a great point Phalangist.
If we are to put aside Kennel tag teams for a minute and take your point further I would ask, are we more pissed about the punishment compared to the precedent set with players at other clubs and their crimes. Or do we actually think with all the facts that they did absolutely nothing wrong?
I can understand the point of view that there have been many players who have committed equally as bad or even worse offences and appeared to go virtually unpunished. If we did not have the history at Coffs and Mad Monday etc. would the reaction and outcome have been the same? Perhaps not, maybe the punishment would have been more measured.
Or is the problem that some of us regardless of the club history think that CHN and JO did nothing wrong except rooting a couple of legal aged chicks. While equally, some of us think it was inexcusable because of our history, their age and the fact they are/were highly paid representatives of our club and the League. And although just young men themselves, they knew it could be a massive issue if caught ..? You can easily make a case for either depending on your view.
Everyone does stupid things in life for one reason or another, but we all know that they come with consequences if caught or things go wrong. They both knew the rules and the clubs history, and in the end not only have the been heavily punished but it has hurt their families, team mates and club.
You speed and get caught, you get a ticket. You steal from work and get caught you lose your job and probably talk to the cops. They were not speeding and they stole nothing. So, illegal? definitely not. But was it a massive fuck up on their part, and
they knew it could be before they did?
Maybe, that is the question.