No, he's welcome to go and earn an honest wage doing something other than professional sportsman.

I don't think players should be banned by the governing body in these cases. It's up to whatever club signs him to justify their decision to their fans and sponsors and weigh up any hit against their reputation.

I don't think governing bodies should moralise, otherwise where do we draw the line on what should be accepted and not? For instance what about drink driving or speeding?

Whilst I'm disgusted by the crimes and I wouldn't want Blake Ferguson at my club it's up to the club's not the governing body in my view.

Not disagreeing with you, but it is a very tricky area to deal with.

On one hand, the Roosters may believe that he is worth a punt and is the final piece of their 2015 challenge for honours.

On the other hand, you have an organisation that annually has a "women in League" round, where the clubs wear specially produced shirts to show the level of appreciation there is for the unsung female heroes in our game. The kit washing, taxi service mums who make sandwiches, organise raffles and generally support the men in league for little recognition. Do they say, Thanks to these women, but we're going to let a convicted indecent assaulter of a woman play in the sport because he's good at the game?

No player or club is bigger than the game. He's had his chance(sssss)...let him go. The game doesn't need him

In this case (and the Carney one) so much is focused on how good the player is?

Question, if the player was average and MIGHT get in the Catalans team at a push or be a fringe player who'd be ok at best would people say he should be given a chance?

His ability/skill level shouldn't actually come in to it at all. I wonder what the fake-French-thread starting ponce would say if English teams could sign him but French law ruled him out of singing for Catalans?

Yep I agree with all that. I just think it means the governing body is deciding on moral issues in a subjective fashion.
There are plenty of RL players at all levels of the game and some in both SL and NRL who have violence-related convictions. If we ban all of them the next step is probably drink-driving or recreational drug use.

As for the women in league round I wouldn't say that the NRL would have a case to answer, I'd say the Roosters would have to justify to their female fans and to their sponsors why they've a convicted indecent assaulter playing for their club, interacting with female fans and representing the club.

I just think we're going further and further, both here and in Australia, down a path where everything is up to and decided by the governing body and so thereby the fault of the governing body when something goes wrong. And I don't think that's healthy for the sport. I think clubs have steadily absolved (or tried to) themselves of responsibility in numerous areas from junior development to finances, to marketing, to attendances etc to the point where now if a club broke the salary cap or played an ineligible player there would probably be more focus on why the RFL or NRL didn't pick it up and stop them than on the club.

I think governing bodies shouldn't take on more than is necessary because they're always underfunded and will always annoy half the people with whatever decision they make. Plus there are plenty of other areas that require attention that they could use their time and money on.

This is a direct result of opening the Pandora's box of "government interference in family".....ie, you can't smack your kids resulting in a generation of kids growing up with no respect for themselves, the law or anything else.
An entirely different thread!
Back to Fergie.......he's had his chance, he's blown it. Move along here, nothing to see other than an inane grin on a pseudo French internet nuisance.

The governing body sometimes has to step in because clubs have consistently shown a complete inability to think beyond the short-term aim of winning games next season.

The NRL has shown with the massive fine its hit Gallen with and other actions that it is taking a much harder line with players than it has in the past. They're doing it because too many NRL players get up to gross and/or criminal activity, only to get away with it because their club (or another one) needs them.

Every close season since I've been in Aus its only been a matter of time before we hear about assaults, public drunkeness or worse amongst NRL players. The game has a dire image in the press and amongst the general public because of it.

I have no problem with a couple of high profile idiots to be frozen out of the game if that's what it takes to get the message across to all players that such rubbish won't be tolerated.

The governing body sometimes has to step in because clubs have consistently shown a complete inability to think beyond the short-term aim of winning games next season.

The NRL has shown with the massive fine its hit Gallen with and other actions that it is taking a much harder line with players than it has in the past. They're doing it because too many NRL players get up to gross and/or criminal activity, only to get away with it because their club (or another one) needs them.

Every close season since I've been in Aus its only been a matter of time before we hear about assaults, public drunkeness or worse amongst NRL players. The game has a dire image in the press and amongst the general public because of it.

I have no problem with a couple of high profile idiots to be frozen out of the game if that's what it takes to get the message across to all players that such rubbish won't be tolerated.

Agreed.

We are in the business of selling elite entertainment - the relative skill of an individual is pretty important in that proposition.

I don't share the view that Ferguson is a world beater that some on here are touting - people are quick to moralise and equally quick to forget - he would not have anywhere near the impact the likes of Monaghan, Bird etc have had.

You appear to be unfamiliar with the modus operandi of 'Monsieur' Jean Capdouze ...

How would an indigenous australian (and not a very nice one), running around in the South of France ever be classed as "one of their own"? Of all the rubbish I've ever read on here!

The woman in league thing is bollox - a number of players have had instances of 'allegedly' assaulting women and that includes the best player in the world Greg Inglis. I bet there isn't a poster on here who would not welcome Greg Inglis to their club. Haven't seen Gutterfax condemning him!!

As I said people are quick to jump on the bandwagon and equally quick to forget.

Like it or not our players become role models, kids wear shirts with their names on the back, crowds chant their names, their images adorn newspapers and magazines.

I find it hard to afford that kind of adulation to a player who's been convicted of the type of crime we're talking about here. There's definitely something not right with our game offering the likes of Ferguson as heroes for young children who can't understand or don't know the background to that players crime.

Have you ever seen Blake Ferguson play? I have, and I share the view of thousands of fans, including Nicholas Polites, that he is a devastating attacking force, more potent than even his friend and former fellow troublemaker Joshua Dugan. He is certainly more potent than Joel Monaghan and Gregory Bird, talented though they both may be. As a centre Blake is at the same level as Sam Burgess is as lock forward. In other words, Blake Ferguson is an exceptional talent.

All the more reason to prevent him playing again as he will definitely become the hero of young kids which given his crime is just wrong!

Let him take a course in general building, website design or some other industry where he can earn an honest anonymous living.

As a side note to this, Ferguson was found guilty of a sexual assault but DOES NOT have a criminal record for it. There would be no reason to prevent him gaining a UK visa, therefore Catalan would not be the only club in for him.

As I said for Carney, we shouldnt be a dumping ground for players who's behaviour isnt good enough for the NRL. We arent 2nd choice and we shouldnt present ourselves that way.

Saying that, sports governing bodies taking a stance on moral judgements is never going to work out well for the governing body. When they attempt to 'make a stand' and talk about how players are 'role models that need to behave in a certain way' they are simply talking themselves in to a one way street of puritanism. When they say one thing is acceptable and ban a player, the unavoidable inference is that anything that doesnt result in a player ban is acceptable. We then get further and further and further down that line banning players for lesser and lesser offences.

Easy way out of it is simply to say, we have a legal system to deal with players behaviour outside of the sport. They deal with that.

What a mental standpoint

. Why is ok for a builder or website designer to beat women? How disrespectful to builders and people who do earn an honest anonymous living.

There are a lot of hypocrites on this thread. A lot of you were slating GH of Leeds for not wanting Carney to be registered for Catalan but now don't want Blake Ferguson in SL?

Don't be so stupid!

How many kids go round pretending to be a website designer while theyre playing with their mates or wear replica boiler suits with a mechanics name on it.

Typical pathetic argumentative post from you.

Who
Name names!

More kids are going to grow up to be builders and website designers than will pro RL players. Why should they be lumped in with women beaters?

Your argument is just typical specious somebody-please-think-of-the-children nonsense.

If you havent brought your child up to understand the difference between the player and the man, if your child is so stupid and lacking in critical thinking that they will beat a woman because an RL player does it, and if your child could possibly be unable to understand that a good player did a bad thing, and you can't instill the ability to tell the difference in them. Then you have failed as a parent and they have far bigger problems.

Its not Blake Fergusons job to set an example for your children because you can't.

Spectacularly wide of the mark, the only thing left to consider is whether you're that thick or whether it's another example of your warped idea of the world.

The other thing we could consider is whether you actually have the ability to form any cogent argument or is your outstanding run of nonsense-then-hide an actual honest effort.

I don't see a problem with him playing Rugby League. If he did join a Super League club would that club lose supporters? Would it change anything? The media at first would write a story but as anything in Rugby League it soon gets forgotten. Players do bad things wether it's drugs, drink driving, or sex acts with dogs but everyone deserves a second chance including him. For the good of Ferguson Rugby League gives players opportunities to do a lot of off field work with charities etc so why not give him a chance.