Of all the grandstanding we’ve seen from him in recent weeks, amid the stream-of-consciousness tweeting and retweeting of columnists calling for de Belin’s head, Beattie’s interview earlier this week with Channel Ten has stunned many — and not least the Dragons. “If I was chairman of the NRL, which I am, and I was involved in a matter like this, which I wouldn’t be, but if I was, I would stand down,” he thundered. If Greenberg and Weeks want to, they could issue a breach notice to de Belin. Thank you for clarifying that. But you’re not Jack de Belin. You’re not a 27-year-old footballer. You haven’t pleaded not guilty to serious sexual assault charges in a court of law. So maybe keep all that to yourself. Not your time to shine, Peter. I’d go so far as to say Beattie has prejudiced any decision regarding de Belin’s immediate future on February 28.

Beattie is a lawyer. So, too, are fellow commissioners Megan Davis and Amanda Laing. So is chief operating officer Nick Weeks. While all concerned have been locked in meetings with other lawyers trying to work out how to alter the current laws so players charged with serious offences can be stood down, a cursory glance of the NRL Code of Conduct reveals they can already take such action. Under the heading “Criminal Proceedings”, rule 58(1) says: “Where the breach of a provision of this Code involving a Player, Game Participant or Match Official has occurred, and the conduct constituting that breach is the subject of a police investigation or criminal proceeding, neither the Chief Executive Officer nor the Chief Operating Officer shall proceed against that Player, Game Participant or Match Official … until the conclusion of that investigation or proceeding, as the case may be, unless the Chief Executive Officer or the Chief Operating Officer form the view, in their absolute discretion, that it is appropriate to do so.” In their absolute discretion. Charged: St George Illawarra and NSW star Jack de Belin's playing future will be determined at the ARLC's annual general meeting. Credit:Adam McLean In other words, if Greenberg and Weeks want to, they could issue a breach notice to de Belin and claim that even putting himself in a situation where he has been charged has brought the game into disrepute. At the very least, it’s deceptive from the league to suggest it has no power to act. It could’ve acted in December when he was first charged.

Only when the gruesome nature of the allegations came to light, when de Belin appeared in court on February 12, did the NRL dramatically change tack. Only then did Beattie launch his media offensive, talking like a politician about the de Belin case. Until that point, head office had trotted out the same old line that it has for years about not standing down players until the criminal process is complete. This has been an issue for the game for far longer than two weeks. While Beattie and some figureheads beat their chests (despite the breathtaking hypocrisy of some in doing so), the complexity of the issue shouldn’t be dismissed. According to his teammates, Brett Stewart was never same person after the two years in which he had sexual assault charges relating to an incident involving a 17-year-old girl hanging over him. Rival fans would hang over the fence at away matches and yell “rapist” as he sat injured on the sidelines. He broke down in tears when, in September 2010, a jury found him not guilty.

Roosters star Shaun Kenny-Dowall also broke down when, in February 2016, he was cleared of 11 domestic violence charges involving his former partner Jessica Peris. Stewart was banned by then-NRL boss David Gallop for four matches but missed most of the next two seasons with a knee injury as his matter played out before the courts. Kenny-Dowall missed a large chunk of football after he stood himself down on the grounds of mental health. Complex: teammates say Brett Stewart was never the same after sexual assault allegations of which he was eventually cleared. Credit:Anthony Johnson Should the commission allow de Belin to play on, it’s impossible to see him gritting his teeth and getting through the season with the matter unresolved. He won’t play in this weekend’s trial match because of a virus, which is very much the result of the stress of the allegations levelled against him.

In the meantime, expect Beattie to keep charging ahead on the campaign trail, whipping the Twittersphere into a frenzy, right up until the February 28 commission meeting. Please, pass him a warm glass of shut the hell up. Thursday marked his first anniversary as chairman. He got the job after his predecessor, John Grant, ushered in a fellow Queenslander as a parting insult to Sydney club bosses. Grant promised much but ultimately did whatever he could to keep his position. Somehow, Beattie’s making Grant look like a genius. WORLD CHUMPS In his pre-match speech before the World Club Challenge, Wigan chairman Ian Lenagan squared up the NRL for not sending a representative to the game against the Roosters at DW Stadium. “Yes, I did say something along those lines,” he confirmed. ‘‘What a disappointment that the NRL didn’t send a representative to see what a great opportunity this was to promote the game internationally.”

Indeed, Roosters suits were impressed with how well the event was supported by other Super League clubs. “The NRL needs a positive attitude towards the international game instead of being pre-occupied with bad-boy players,” Lenagan said. “You’ve got to get rid of this bad publicity. It hurts the game here. Ben Barba has been treated badly by being immediately condemned without a trial. Ben Barba was great over here for a year. I’m not justifying his actions, but you can’t ban him for life. He needs a trial first.” DES’S DOLLARYDOOS We are loving the daily dispatches from Manly players about the pre-season zaniness of coach Des Hasler, who has returned home to Brookvale Oval.

Let us add another to the pile. Sydney jeweller Affinity Diamonds held a special VIP dinner at the Tramsheds in Glebe on Valentine’s Day. Sitting at one table was NRL boss Todd Greenberg, judiciary chairman Geoff Bellew, head of commercial Andrew Abdo and their respective partners. So, too, was Sam Rahme, the CEO and founder of Affinity Diamonds and also a Sea Eagles tragic. One of a kind: Manly coach Des Hasler has been back to his wacky best. Credit:AAP Hasler and his wife, Christine, were more than an hour late. The apparent reason: parking was free from 8pm and they were circling the block until the clock ticked over. Hasler, of course, has a reputation for being very tight with his cash. As a player, he famously stopped dead in his tracks while running up the Brookvale Oval tunnel at half-time after he spotted a 20-cent piece on the ground. (Hasler, for his part, insists it was 50 cents).

SUTTON SPECIAL Souths premiership-winning captain John Sutton will be honoured with a testimonial match against Penrith at Redfern Oval on Saturday. There are countless stories that sum up the 34-year-old but one stands out. In 2003, when Sutton was an emerging superstar, Bra Boys founder Jai Abberton was charged with the murder of standover man Anthony Hines. Sutton, who was and remains a member of the notorious surf gang, turned up to court every day to support Abberton — against the advice of almost everyone around him. Abberton was acquitted in 2005 having claimed self-defence. “It’s the same sort of loyalty he has shown to Souths,” head of football Shane Richardson said.

“Unwavering and from the heart. That’s why the players love him.” THUMBS UP The greatest thing this side of Return of the Jedi is the decision from France’s fencing federation to recognise lightsaber duelling as a legit competitive sport. May competitors heed Yoda’s advice: “A Jedi uses the Force for knowledge and defence, never for attack.” THUMBS DOWN Seriously. Some of the racist gibber thrown around after Indigenous All Stars players decided to not sing the national anthem before last Friday’s match against the Maori All Stars – simply because they feel uncomfortable singing the anthem – shows exactly why the fixture must remain.

George Burgess as he will appear in Not So Enchanted THE QUOTE “To be able to walk away knowing that I’m one of the greatest to play this game, I’m cool with that”.

— NBA star Dwyane Wade, upon announcing his retirement, decided to channel Kanye West, who once said, “Maybe I couldn’t be skinny and tall but I’ll settle for being the greatest artist of all time.” IT’S A BIG WEEKEND FOR ... The 850 brave souls who will pack into Luna Park for the annual Big Sports Breakfast Luncheon. Special guests include Brett Finch, Sam Kekovich and Greg Ritchie. So many great memories from this function, none of which anyone can actually remember.