Suspension turned out to be a life-changing decision for talented Leapai
THE NRL career of promising Logan teenager David Leapai was over before it even started, simply because he attempted to break up a fight in a junior grand final last year.
The saddest part is, too many people saw the end result coming.
Leapai was a talented halfback contracted to the Canberra Raiders, who became the face of the unprecedented year-long suspensions handed to 58 Brisbane juniors in October.
The bans, which made national headlines, were the result of a wild grand-final brawl involving his under-18 Waterford team ... a brawl in which Leapai did not throw a punch.
Every member on the Waterford team sheet was suspended for bringing the game into disrepute.
Leapai's family and Raiders officials feared 12 months out of the game would set his development back so far he would never recover.
The ban was overturned on appeal, but Leapai's confidence never recovered.
The pressures of rugby league have been bluntly captured this week through the suspension of Ben Barba and tragic loss of Wests Tigers young gun Mosese Fotuaika.
Leapai is another example of how fear of failure can consume a person.
"The whole thing is just really sad and shows that when you suspend a young player from playing a game he loves, you're making a life-changing decision,'' Raiders veteran development officer Brian Edwards told The Sunday Mail.
"David couldn't cope mentally with the ban hanging over him. He became uninterested and we could not keep him on the contract.
"He should be in Canberra right now preparing to play SG Ball against the Melbourne Storm but I don't know where he is.''
In the two months between the ban and the appeal, Leapai became disenchanted with league and friends said he had no faith in the suspension being overturned.
He stopped training with Edwards' Raiders development team and put on weight.
When the ban was finally rescinded, he called Edwards and asked when he was moving to Canberra.
"I told him he still needed to pass fitness tests because he was not training like his contract said he had to,'' Edwards said. "He was overweight and a long way behind, fitness wise, and still didn't seem interested.
"I had to tell him the Raiders could not take him on in that state and he would have to bide his time.
"I think he became even more frustrated. He was struggling to get work at the time as well because the Raiders contract would have given him a traineeship.
"I wish he was still playing with us and working to get back with the Raiders. Last I heard he went to Cairns.''
It is understood Leapai is angling to play colts for the Northern Pride in Cairns this year.
Leapai was signed to the Raiders aged 15.
"I hope he finds a way to the NRL,'' Edwards said.
Source: http://www.couriermail.com.au/sport/nrl/suspension-turned-out-to-be-a-life-changing-decision-for-talented-leapai/story-e6frep5x-1226589110257
Topic: Possible Raiders NRL career seems lost after suspension of talented youngster
