l played professional rugby league, fought in WW2, was at Normandy D-Day and worked on the docks all my life. l used to go to rugy until ill health made it impossible for me to continue. l had the priviledge of watching such great players as Peter Sterling, Brett Kenny and the like grace our rugby grounds. l am an advocate of home grown talent but believe 'star imports' are a benefit to our game although l also think the limit should be 3 per club.

l used to believe that l fought for freedom but day by day this belief has diminished. We are now branded criminals for such 'crimes' as overfilling the wheelie bin or dropping litter in the city centre or speeding and so on. Whilst one can understand being fined for such things (except wheely bin) one should not have to be branded a criminal.

Now l find that my sport is also being targeted. Aussie players are being refused work visas because of their 'criminal' record. At first l thought what have they done? ... armed robbery? fraud? murder? GBH? ABH? NO! none of these, what we have is speeding offences, charged with assault (not convicted, just charged) and affray. Affray? we see that virtually every rugby match. lt is just above breach of the peace and is in reality just 'handbags'. Any altrication on the streets, in pubs, at home, at work, at matches etc etc the police can charge you with affray.

Upon further investigation l could find no reference to any foreign rugby union players being refused work visas or, god forbid, a Pakistani, or the like, cricket player being refused. ls it because these sports have influence and power? ... or like the cricketers, would result in mass demonstrations by the Muslim community. l say this for the Muslim community, they stand up for themselves and make their voice heardand for that they have my respect ... whether l believe in their cause or not.

But what does the working class sport of Rugby League and their supporters do? ... sweet FA! Except ofcourse slag off and gloat the clubs who have lost the services of these players. How narrow-minded and petty can you get? The RLHQ do nothing, the club boards do nothing and the supporters do nothing. Yet you have all the supporters at what ground or another so how hard would it be for all supporters to band together? You are in touch with all the clubs here anyway! Petitions, demonstrations etc may shame the club boards into coming onboard and maybe just maybe the RLHQ. Flood the Canberra British Consulate with e-mails ... and your MP's ... and the papers. Get media coverage ... hell, SKY is owned by Rupert Murdoch alone.

lf it carries on, what will happen to our sport? the lnternationals? ... depleted teams? Rugby League won't become 3rd rate ... it'll be lower!

l've fought my battles ... on the battleground, work, bureaucracy ... anything that l deemed injust or wrong. Some l won and some l lost but atleast l tried. l didn't cry in my beer and do nothing. Apathy seems endemic throughout the majority of citizens hence the minority always have the say ... especially the mandarins in Government. The one club that would speak out, Won't ... because they are French and wouldn't stand for it. God, that grates saying that but it's true.

What is happening to Rugby League is injust and wrong but it won't change unless the clubs, RLHQ and supporters speak out against it ... but ... the silence is deafening!

Bloody hell what time did you start typin that lot?

Sorry mate ill have to read it tommorrow Im k-nackered !!!!

Agree with your every word.

Cracking post, agree 100% especially the bit that the French would not put up with it and let it 'pass by' they would kick up a holy stink.
It really is beyond me when a citizen of the commenwealth cannot gain access here because of a breach of peace or driving offences.
It's about time Red Hall and all RL club chairmen/women made some kind of strong protestations to the powers that be, these problems have been caused by weak knee'd jobsworths in Canberra hiding behind rules and regulations and taking them to the letter of the law and failing to realise what a rediculous situation they have caused.

I thought Churchill was dead

Interesting post, and theres one thing that links the speeding fines, wheeley bin police, and the refusal of visas for the various reasons we've seen. They are all easy targets, and makes the powers that be look as if theyre doing something. Especially with the visas as it has had quite a lot of media coverage, crikey, I even heard it mentioned in a Talksport news bulletin!

Fook I recommend you embark on a career in politics I will vote for you. Good Post

Good post, if not slightly over the top. Don't think I'm bothered enough about it to demonstrate and petition though.

great post and agree wholeheartedly.

fook me, it's like the BNP, Daily Wail and davem have all clubbed together to create the post above, what a complete load of utter garbage.

Has the OP any evidence of a single player or person getting into the UK to play another sport when they shouldn't have, no, I didn't think so.

Little Englunders, time to realise, the earth isn't flat and we don't own an empire.