CARNEY TO PLEAD HIS CASE

MATT Lodge has denied he covered up his past as NRL boss Todd Greenberg declared he would not backflip on his decision to allow the Broncos forward back into the game.

Lodge has come under fire again following explosive allegations of domestic violence by a former partner.

The 22-year-old prop will return to Campbelltown Stadium on Friday night to face the Wests Tigers for the first time since they sacked him following his New York night of terror in 2015.

Lodge was cleared to return to the NRL this year after missing the entire 2016-17 seasons as he underwent rehabilitation and counselling.

And the NSW Origin hopeful said he had presented his entire history to the NRL when seeking to be reinstated.

“There’s no cover-up with the NRL,” Lodge said.

“They knew the full story, I kept them informed of every incident the whole way.

“That’s why they have allowed me to play again.”

The NRL and Broncos’ bungled handling of Lodge’s return to the game has been met with fierce criticism.

Greenberg recently admitted the game should have been more transparent around the reasons for Lodge’s return.

The NRL chief yesterday declared he would not be backflipping on his decision to let Lodge back in.

“Everything that was written and said over the course of the weekend was not new information to us,” Greenberg said.

“The integrity unit had assessed all of that information.

“It doesn’t for one minute condone any of his actions nor does it take away any of the concern we have for the victims. Matt spent a long time out of the game. He spent a huge amount of time in counselling and rehabilitation, including a specific case around domestic violence.”

Lodge played his last match for the Tigers on June 28, 2015.

Wests sacked Lodge after he went on a drunken rampage in New York and was briefly locked up in the infamous Rikers Island jail in October that year.

The NRL and Broncos have been criticised for allowing Lodge back into the game despite the victims of his New York rampage having not been financially compensated.

“This is a game that divides opinions and everyone is entitled to have their opinion,” Greenberg said.

“We make decisions which sometimes aren’t popular and will divide opinion and I understand that.

“This particular one goes to the very core of my own personal values. I thought long and hard about this.

“Like anything in life, it’s not just about punishment. It’s also about rehabilitation and a game that tries to help others.”

THERE’S NO COVER-UP WITH THE NRL. THEY KNEW THE FULL STORY, I KEPT THEM INFORMED OF EVERY INCIDENT THE WHOLE WAY. MATT LODGE