Murphy: Don’t pay banned players

Rugby league legend Alex Murphy OBE is calling for clubs to take a hard line with players who are suspended due to disciplinary transgressions.

Murphy feels that indiscipline lets team-mates down, and, in the case of club like Salford, could damage their season irreparably.

“Any player serving a lengthy ban surely does not deserve to still be paid when he is banned and not playing for a lengthy period of time,” Murphy told the Manchester Evening News.

“I say stop paying banned players who are letting their clubs, their team mates and the fans down.

“If I was an owner, I would begrudge paying big money to a star player who was banned and was sat in the stand alongside me watching games rather than being out there playing.

“If it was up to me, any player banned for four games and more would definitely not be paid a single penny until they returned to action.

“Why should they still be paid when they have done wrong are are ruled out for a long time?

“If this was industry, a factory worker stepping out of line would more than likely be sent home and would probably be denied a wage or see it reduced.

“Clubs simply cannot afford to have players sidelined for large chunks of the season.

“It is happening across the board and it is becoming a concern.

“Maybe it’s a case of coaches getting their players to target certain opponents and do to them what they really want to do.”