Melbourne Storm have been fined an Australian record $50,000 following a extraordinary outburst by their heirachy. It's another chapter in a saga which is disgraceful when considering one undisputable point – the Storm, three-time minor premiers and defending champions, are expected to manoeuvre with far more decorum than has been exhibited. 

The key issue is now not so much whether or not the governing body has made mistakes as much as the fact that the Storm, operating under the NRL, should be more discerning with their views.

The remarks by coach Craig Bellamy were the most venomous attack ever launched on the NRL, which bordered on an uncontrolled rant at times. The condemnation was based on this week’s decision to ban the Melbourne and Australian Test captain, Cameron Smith, for two weeks for a grapple tackle.

“The press conference ... got hijacked by some of you guys in the media that had him hung out to dry straight away, and then it continued for four or five days,'' Bellamy remarked. "There are some sections of the media that seem to have an agenda against Melbourne and certainly the grapple tackle.”

"It's my player that misses out on a Grand Final opportunity and I think he's been hard done by here.''

He then made an irrelevant reference to booking agencies claiming that the odds offered on Smith being banned or not showed that, in a sense, it was Melbourne against the world and that the bookmakers had inside information that he would be banned. They offered $1.18 for a ban, and $4.25 for innocence.

The matter was givien additional fuel by comments by opposition coach Ricky Stuart which stated that Smith should be banned. On review, Stuart’s comments were not as inflammatory as some would have you believe.

"It's disappointing for Cameron. It's disappointing for their coach because he's a big part of their team,” he stated. "It's difficult for him. He's a good bloke. He'll be disappointed he's not going to be there."

Whether or not Stuart's comments were appropriate ultimately comes down to opinion. He should not and will not be fined as the Melbourne Storm would like to have the NRL do. Unlike Bellamy’s comments, he was offering judgment. A judgment I believe he is more entitled to give than most, for the simple fact that he is the Australian Test coach, and the man he was commenting on was his national captain.

The grapple tackle has come into prominence in the last few seasons and the NRL has been struggling to contain and police the controversial tackle. It involves the grappling of the neck in a pressure lock – usually applied by someone other than the tackler. 

It is something, rightly or wrongly, said to be most widely used by the Melbourne Storm. Many teams have a wrestling coach who instructs players on the most effective way to tackle. Many coaches have been aghast when the wrestling instructors have shown the grips on the neck and the head, claiming this is an area to avoid. Most such wrestling advisors will say that this is, in effect, surrendering the most effective way to force a man to the ground.

There has been massive inconsistency in the patrolling of the offence, with no accepted medium and many players beating the charges when said to have committed a grapple offence. Unfortunately for Smith, squabbling politics aside, he has been used as the ultimate example and this will now usher in a more effective managing of a tackle which, quite simply, will kill a player if continually employed.

Yes, it is harsh that he misses the Grand Final as captain of a magnificent rugby league team. But he has already been charged with a grapple offence earlier in the year, and the writing was on the wall as soon as he committed the tackle.

Arguments abounded that it was not intentional, but if this served as an excuse, any legal system would not operate at all.

There are simple facts that can conclude this argument: the grapple tackle is a source of controversy and danger, and to tackle around the head or neck is inviting trouble – and should constitute match bans.

It has been controlled inconsistently, but the NRL are a governing body, and like all such “governments” are prone to discrepancy – but still do their best to maintain transparency.

Stuart, in a perfect world, should not have offered opinion, but it is not the disgrace that Melbourne are continually bleating about.

The banning of Smith, especially for a Grand Final, is harsh - but the truth is that the NRL’s flagship team have handled themselves poorly and their abuse of the system and the league is unbecoming of arguably the finest team of the modern era. 

Drastic offences call for dramatic penalties and Smith’s punishment will go a long way to ensuring more simplicity with this grey area. But it is a dark day for Australian rugby league when their glamour team attack the very integrity of the system that operates the game.

Oh, and for the record, Melbourne did defeat an inept Cronulla Sharks team 28-0 to book their third consecutive NRL Grand Final.