And so Mitchell Pearce did what he did. We don't care about your moral compass, whether Pearce was right or wrong in actions or what this means for the NRL, that stuff is for the lame media to discuss. All I care about is how Mitchell Pearce's actions now impact the Roosters' 2016 NRL season.

The first major hurdle in figuring out what kind of punishment Pearce will face. Again, I don't care about your moral compass ... or my moral compass, I'm trying to figure out what sort of punishment we might be able to expect. Working against Pearce is the fact that he does have a history and I expect this history to push Pearce's punishment towards missing NRL games, instead of a fine and not being allowed to travel with the Roosters to England.

From a Roosters perspective, they could look after their own backsides and give Pearce a slap on the wrist ... a relative slap on the wrists as banning him for a few months would be a heft punishment for anyone else, but would ensure Pearce is able to get back as soon as possible. There's enough time between now and the start of the season to allow the Roosters to 'punish' Pearce without impacting their season too much, the issue however will be when the NRL Integrity Unit step in.

The Integrity Unit must work on the rather obvious idea of protecting the NRL's integrity, this would mean a hefty punishment for Pearce you'd have to assume; six months or a full season could be taken away from Pearce easily. The best case scenario for the Roosters and Pearce is that the punishment is seen more in the amount of money that Pearce is fined, as opposed to any suspension that he may get.

Worst case for Pearce is that his contract his torn up.

Let's work on the basis that Pearce will miss at least the first five games this season, more than enough time to possibly send the Roosters' season down the drain in the current NRL landscape. The Roosters have bid farewell to Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, James Maloney and Michael Jennings this summer, these three weren't just the Roosters' most potent attacking weapons, they are all amongst the best in their position and in Tuivasa-Sheck's case, the best fullback in the competition.

They left the Roosters and left the Roosters looking towards their co-skipper Pearce to lead what is a young backline. Jackson Hastings was penciled in to replace Maloney and a Pearce/Hastings combination wasn't too much of a drop from Pearce/Maloney as Hastings has shown in his short NRL career that he's a long-term NRL half. Key point here being that Pearce was the leader, Pearce would steer Hastings around and guide him through his first full NRL season as a half.

Not only does Pearce's antics mean that the Roosters will now likely rely on Hastings and new recruit Jayden Nikorima as their halves combo, it also covers the Roosters' culture in clouds. The Roosters are a premier NRL club who under Trent Robinson have developed a defence-orientated game plan and they push the boundaries in terms of nutrition and sports science thanks to their financial position. They have not only bid farewell to the experienced Michael Jennings in recent times but also former CEO Brian Canavan who has now joined Gold Coast, now with Pearce doing what he did, there's a worrying lack of respected experience.

Pearce is his own man and I won't to point the finger back at the Roosters or lay any responsibility on the Roosters. It's hard to ignore the fact though that the Roosters have always walked the tightrope of being a club that other clubs look up to and a place where you can very easily get 'caught up' in all sorts of drama. Note that Dale Copley, who joined the Roosters from the Broncos is also in this video in the pink shirt. Copley obviously didn't do anything wrong and this is not an implication that he did anything, just an example of how being at a glamour club in Sydney can put you in unfortunate circumstances.

Copley wouldn't have been in such a situation in Brisbane, not publicly.

What makes this better/worse for me is that young Jayden Nikorima should now get an opportunity. Jayden is the younger brother of Kodi Nikorima, who played for the Kiwis this year, but Jayden has already pledged his allegiance to Queensland and Australia having moved to Brisbane at a younger age than Kodi so fair enough.

Jayden was recruited by the Roosters from the Broncos to sit and wait for an opportunity, possibly coming off the bench as Hastings did last year. Suddenly Nikorima could be thrusted into starting duties with Hastings, a job that would have been a lot easier if there was Jennings there to offer some pointers or if Blake Ferguson wasn't adjusted to life at fullback.

Here's how I see the Roosters backline looking without Pearce: Ferguson, Daniel Tupou, Dale Copley, Shaun Kenny-Dowall, Joe Burgess, Jackson Hastings, Jayden Nikorima.

There are options there, that save me from the sadness that Jayden Nikorima's decision to rep Australia gave me as they involed kiwi lads. Omar Slaimankhel played NSW Cup last season and could be an option at either fullback, wing or centre and I'll be keeping a close eye on whether Slaimankhel gets the nod for fullback. Slaimankhel spent his time in NSW Cup last season playing mostly fullback and this would allow Ferguson to stay at centre.

I'm just not completely sold on Slaimankhel being a more dangerous fullback than Fergsuon but I'd love to see it. Just like I'd love to see young kiwi Joseph Manu get some game time. Manu has looked amazing at centre for the Roosters' Under 20s side and has the ability to be a above-average NRL centre, plus he's from Tokoroa so boom.

This saga will also mean greater responsibility for a kiwi who himself has been the focus of headlines in recent times. Shaun Kenny-Dowall had his moment last season but emerged on the other side and showed that he's still very much one of the best outside backs (centre/wing) in the NRL. Now, with the clubs' co-captain not setting the best example, there's a void that needs filling and as Kenny-Dowall has almost 200 NRL games worth of experience and is 28 years old, he's now the elder statesman of this backline. Not only is Kenny-Dowall an integral part of this backline as he can do a great job at centre or on the wing, he's also going to be given an opportunity to step into a bit of leadership role as there's no one else for the Roosters' young backs to really go to.

See what I've done there? I've put a positive kiwi spin on Pearce's antics, just like the anti-rugby league brigade will comfort themselves in this drama.