In what has been a very disappointing season, the
Penrith Panthers have had a very good week.

Last weekend, the Panthers, wallowing near the bottom of
the NRL premiership, effectively ended the Roosters finals hopes –
much to the joy of many of our readers – and on Monday confirmed the go ahead
for the multi-million dollar upgrade of the Panthers’ home ground, the Penrith
Football Stadium.

But the best news of all came in the form of a memo from the
Panthers’ management to all players yesterday. The club has formally
banned “Mad Monday” – the sad event in the calendar of just about every
club when the players get as full as state school hat racks on the
Monday after their season ends. And in the case of the Panthers that
will be Monday, 5 September, along with six other NRL clubs. From this
year, the Panthers’ players will have to turn up for training on Monday
even though their season will have finished.

I’ve always regarded “Mad Monday” as a public
relations disaster for the game. The image on the Monday night television news bulletins,
and in the next day’s newspapers, of players drinking themselves silly at various
pubs, bars and restaurants – and making quite inane comments – does rugby league
no favours at all. And more than once “Mad Monday” has led to criminal or
objectionable behaviour.

The Panthers have been refreshingly upfront
about why “Mad Monday” is now a part of the club’s
history. Coach John Lang says it’s not the best image for the
game and Penrith wanted to move on from it and acknowledged that excessive
drinking was a problem for the game – as it is for sport and society
generally.

I hope that in the coming days the remaining 14 clubs in
the premiership will follow suit. Wishful thinking, I suspect!

The Panthers intend to do more work in the local
community – and the club already has a good record of community
service. So there will be a double bonus – no boorish behaviour
and help for worthy local causes. Would it be too much to expect the NRL to issue a
written request to every NRL club to follow the Panthers’ very commendable
example?