Bob Katter (Kennedy, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I want to read into Hansard a letter I have written to the NRL judiciary, NRL management and to the Minister for Sport:

As Federal Member for Kennedy, I represent vast areas of North and North West Queensland. In the National Rugby League … Kennedy, along with the rest of North Queensland, is proudly represented by the Townsville based North Queensland Cowboys.

One tenth of the greater Townsville region regularly attends Cowboys matches and half a million watch the NRL on the television every week. Rugby League attracts and involves some half a million Australians every weekend and Rugby League has done more for social cohesion—

and I think you would agree with me on this, Mr Acting Deputy Speaker—

and a fair go for First Australians than any other social mechanism in this country. In other words the game is of great significance particularly to the people of North Queensland.

I write to you today to express my concerns over the refereeing during the Knights and Cowboys game over the weekend.

During the match a Knights player (and you can watch it clearly on the replay) smashes his hand into the face of Jonathan Thurston, bashing his head upon the ground, with the net result that he was knocked semi-conscious and could not see out of his left eye for the rest of the game. It was clearly visible on the television, but no substantive action taken.

Jonathan Thurston was later tackled with what I would interpret as a shoulder charge, a good second and a half after the ball had left his hands. Again he was knocked semi-conscious and no substantive action taken.

The third incident is what has prompted this letter. A Newcastle Knights player holds Jonathan Thurston's leg up in the air so that his body is pointing to the ground. His foot is at least six and a half feet off the ground whilst his head is only a couple of feet off the ground. A second player puts his right arm under Jonathan Thurston's chest and his left hand behind Jonathan Thurston's head so that it will be the head that takes the full impact of his body in the spear tackle. This is extremely dangerous and should warrant at least a year on the sideline. Many players have copped a year for much less than this. I think, but I'm not certain, it was the same player from the Knights on all three occasions. Most certainly the commentators attributed it to the same player in the Knights. The player was not sent off the field, he was allowed to continue with his efforts clearly aimed to maim Thurston at least temporarily.

To subject the greatest player in the Rugby League to this sort of treatment will see the game reduced to who's got the most brutal, violent thugs. The numerous other attributes of our wonderful game will be lost as people walk away as the Jonathan Thurston's—

our greatest drawcard in rugby league—

are replaced with the likes of the Knights player. Brutal violence will replace the brilliance, courageous, big-hearted intelligence that is the centre of our wonderful game.

(Time expired)