Inglis’ blue a sobering tale

EVERY Saturday the team talks about the big issues in sport locally, nationally and internationally.

Today Glen, Jason and Sean are talking about the penalty handed down to Greg Inglis by Mal Meninga following Inglis’ recent drink driving indiscretion.

Heading home from Dubbo where he played in the annual Koori Knockout, it is alleged that Inglis blew 0.085 when pulled over by police for speeding. Inglis had his licence immediately suspended, was charged with a midrange drink driving offence and was handed a two-game ban and was stripped of the Australian captaincy.

Jason Gibbs: Since his appointment as Australian coach, Mal Meninga has cracked down on ill-discipline and bad behaviour in the Australian squad.

He has been quick to admonish and punish players for any breach of the team’s code of conduct and for that he deserves praise.

Just as importantly Meninga has been consistent.

Inglis has been in blistering form since his return from injury and his “breach” could’ve easily been over-looked.

Meninga could’ve temporarily taken the captain’s armband off Inglis, given him a rap over the knuckles and let him play in upcoming Test matches.

And very few people would’ve cared.

Meninga did quite the opposite though, showing no fear or favour.

What Inglis did is absolutely inexcusable and he’s lucky the punishment from the Kangaroos isn’t more severe.

Hopefully this just a “oneoff ” for Inglis and not the first signs of an underlying problem.

And I hope Inglis reflects on his ban and comes back even

stronger.

Glen McCullough: Firstly I view Inglis’ breaking of the law as a careless mistake, more than an intentional or reckless act, if his version of events is in fact true.

To blow the bag up so long after having his last drink the night before is something he wouldn’t have anticipated when he hopped behind the wheel the following morning.

But that’s were the excuses end.

It shouldn’t have happened. (Why can’t some personal breath-test aid be available to those who risk driving the following day? Or is there something already out there?).

Now Inglis must face the music and pay for his brainfade, and he appears to have accepted his fate.

The loss of licence is the mandatory penalty and predictably he’s copped a socialmedia battering from those who take absolute delight in public shaming high-profile figures.

Meninga had to act and most punters seem to have accepted his penalty as appropriate and worthy.

Any penalty or punishment handed to people in life is first and foremost meant to be a deterrent; to send the perpetrator a message that their actions aren’t acceptable and they

must mend their ways.

Let’s hope for Inglis’ sake he has got the message and as a high-profile figure and budding Australian captain he can’t risk stepping anywhere near the line, let along crossing it.

Sean Teuma: Greg Inglis was incredibly deserving to be the man to lead the post-Cameron Smith Kangaroos forward, but after his actions earlier in the week the two-game ban was just as deserved.

There’s nothing wrong at all with sinking a few schooners to celebrate earning one of the greatest individual achievements in Australian sport.

But as a grown man and one of the game’s biggest idols you have to know better than to get behind the wheel the next day.

Get a mate who is sober enough to drive to take the keys, spend the day exploring Dubbo until you’re under the limit, or just stay another night in town and drive back home the next day. Surely in the offseason it wasn’t a matter of life and death for GI to get home a little bit later.

In this day and age there really is no excuse for drink-driving. Captaining Australia in any sport brings about a position of incredible respect, and Inglis has to earn a bit of that back now.

Perhaps more sadly it has taken the gloss off a ripper of a Koori Knockout final with La Perouse going down by a point to the Newcastle All Blacks.