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NRL clubs will remain empowered with the responsibility for punishing their own players for off-field indiscretions despite the controversy generated by the early season spate of alcohol-fuelled incidents.

In a vote of confidence for the status quo following a meeting of club delegates, the players association and the league, clubs will remain the first port of call when it comes to keeping their players in line.

The NRL will intervene only when it feels the punishment is inadequate.

"Everyone accepts that we should keep working to a consistent approach in terms of penalties but it is equally important to recognise that we are dealing with a very inconsistent range of circumstances," NRL chief executive David Gallop said on Thursday.

"There was clear agreement that the responsibility and indeed the ability to deal with issues in the first instance rests with the club and that an independent tribunal would be impractical.

"The NRL wishes to be involved only when the penalty of the club is manifestly inadequate and there is a need to protect the reputation of the game."

Influential figures in the game such as veteran coach Wayne Bennett called for the responsibility for punishing players to be taken out of the hands of the clubs, given that they stand to lose the most when it comes to standing down a player.

The NRL has already had to step in twice this season to hand down punishments, most notably in the case of Manly fullback Brett Stewart following his drunken antics at the club's season launch.

Stewart is to face sexual assault charges at Manly Local Court next month but the club initially said it would be happy to see him keep playing pending the result of the court case.

The NRL intervened and banned Stewart for four matches, not in relation to the assault charges but for bringing the game into disrepute with his intoxication earlier in the evening.

Just two days earlier Stewart and his brother Glenn had officially launched the NRL season, Brett Stewart along with Greg Inglis the faces of the game's advertising campaign that later had to be re-edited to remove Stewart's image.

Despite the game being dragged through the mud over the incident, the delegates at Thursday's meeting - which included club chief executives Steve Noyce, Shane Richardson and Todd Greenberg - decided against calling for an independent tribunal to administer future incidents.

"The disappointing thing remains that most players are worthy ambassadors for the game and it is clear that they are disappointed in the actions of a small handful," Gallop said.

Brisbane Broncos defeated New Zealand Warriors 26 to 10

Parramatta Eels defeated Canberra Raiders 18 to 16

Melbourne Storm defeated North Queensland Cowboys 26 to 12

South Sydney Rabbitohs defeated Newcastle Knights 22 to 12

St. George Dragons defeated Cronulla Sharks 10 to 6 (i hate both sides, so who to pick.... )

Penrith Panthers defeated Manly Sea Eagles 12 to 10

THE weight of recent history is overwhelmingly against the reigning premiers Manly Warringah and the Canberra Raiders – but both sides still believe they can feature in the finals.

While most would say it’s too early to write off teams, only four sides in the 11 seasons since the NRL was formed have successfully rallied to make the finals when starting the year with a 0-3 record.

To make matters worse three of those sides were bundled out in the first week of the post-season, having used up all of their best energy just fighting to be involved.

Only the 2005 St George Illawarra side, which rallied from its 0-3 start to finish equal first in the minor premiership (second on percentages) has made any real impact after starting so poorly.

But despite being favoured to win the competition, the Dragons were beaten in the grand final qualifier by the eventual premiers Wests Tigers.

Brisbane in 2007 (finished eighth), Melbourne in 2000 (finished sixth) and Brisbane again in 1999 (finished eighth) are the only other sides to have managed a revival from a horror start.

“We’ve been through tough times before,” Manly captain Matt Orford said after the side’s third straight defeat.

“But we’ll stick together and fight hard. We will lick our wounds and try and get the two points next weekend.”

Coach Des Hasler admits to some angst but is not prepared to write off a season this early on.

“We’ll get out of it,” he said. “It is a frustrating, tough period. We are well and truly under the radar now.”

The feelings are similar in the nation’s capital, where Canberra coach David Furner is adamant the past won’t dictate his side’s future.

“As the saying goes, history is meant to be broken,” Furner said. “We are still very confident. It is three games and while we haven’t had a victory we do know that each game could have been won so we’re close to putting it together.

“We have had a few decisions not go our way and we missed a few opportunities so we need to rectify those and then we should be okay.”

Furner is still upset his side was over-run by Parramatta last weekend in a game where key refereeing decisions went against his side.

“A little bit of patience and lack of execution has been the main problem but we can’t use those as excuses any more,” Furner adds.

LEADING NRL coaches Tim Sheens and Jason Taylor have leapt to the defence of new rules protecting kickers, claiming it is vital the game’s top players are protected from the ‘cheap shots’ that have claimed so many casualties in the past.

But they have warned that referees are also in danger of over-stepping the mark following criticism from Warriors coach Ivan Cleary at the weekend, who labelled the new rule ‘a farce’.

Under the new laws, players are only allowed to make contact with a kicker if they are attempting a legitimate tackle and will be penalised otherwise – even if contact is simultaneous with the ball leaving the boot.

“I agree that we should be protecting kickers,” Taylor told NRL.com today.

“I agree with the philosophy that blokes kicking the ball are the best players in our game – they’re our marquee players – and they shouldn’t be able to be targeted and smashed out of the game.

“Having said that, there is a fine line.

“You certainly don’t just want to be giving them room to do whatever they want.

“You’ve got to be able to apply some pressure and not give them free rein.”

Asked if the problem at present was more to do with a lack of education among players of what they can and can’t do, Taylor replied: “Yeah, that’s probably right.

“You can tackle them when they’re going to kick but you can’t shoulder charge them when they’re in mid-air and really smash them to the ground.

“Again, it’s a fine line but referees are probably leaning towards the harsher side of the ledger at the moment.

“At least it’s sending a message, isn’t it?”

Sheens – the NRL’s longest-serving coach – agreed, saying players were still confused as to what was acceptable.

“The principle of [the rule] is correct but the interpretation is another issue,” the Wests Tigers mentor said.

“There is no doubt it could do with a little bit of clarification about what point can you make contact and what point can you not.”

However, he was quick to dismiss Cleary’s suggestion that kickers were now receiving far greater protection than a fullback defusing a bomb.

The Warriors’ coach was furious at a penalty awarded against his side for a simultaneous hit on Brisbane’s Darren Lockyer that led to a try, saying: “If it’s about safety, that’s hypocrisy in my opinion.”

Sheens disagreed when contacted today.

“Kickers should be protected because they’re on one leg – that’s a little bit different from catching a ball,” he said.

“We’ve already had that incident with Brett Kimmorley (who injured his knee when hit by Queensland prop Steve Price in the 2007 Origin series).

“It’s just common sense but it’s very difficult when his toe is just on the ground and he gets contacted – he is still very vulnerable.”

But Price remains a vocal opponent of the new rule, insisting that kickers can’t have it both ways if they continue trying to gain an extra advantage by kicking in the line.

“The irony is that there have only been two injuries to kickers in the past few years and both of them have been from me,” he said.

“One (Tony Caine) was a guy kicking from dummy-half and the other (Kimmorley) was kicking in the line.

“In the old days kickers used to stand way back but now players are trying to kick it in the line because it gives them so much more yardage.

“Well, you can’t have your cake and eat it too.

“The advantage is now going to swing hugely in favour of the kicker when all they have to do is stand deeper if they don’t want to come into contact with anyone.

“We’re going to see it this season, where the defender has to pull out of the tackle because he’s not allowed to touch him and the kicker will dummy and run straight through.”

Price said kickers had already learnt to milk a penalty even with minimal contact.

“A few years ago we were worried about blokes lying on the ground looking for a penalty after a tiny tap on the head, now it has come to this,” he said.

St. George Dragons defeated Brisbane Broncos 25 to 12

Sydney Roosters defeated Parramatta Eels 24 to 6

Penrith Panthers defeated Wests Tigers 42 to 22

Gold Coast Titans defeated Melbourne Storm 18 to 6

South Sydney Rabbitohs defeated New Zealand Warriors 22 to 16

Canterbury Bulldogs defeated Cronulla Sharks 24 to 12

Newcastle Knights defeated Manly Sea-Eagles 26 to 12

Canberra Raiders defeated North Queensland Cowboys 23 to 18