SITTING in a room with Rosie Batty, Marina Go was fighting an internal battle.

She had never experienced the kind of terror that the Australian of the Year has endured at the hands of a loved one, and was struggling to comprehend how anyone could possibly survive.

Unfortunately for Ms Batty, her son Luke did not.

Ms Batty lost 11-year-old Luke at the hands of her estranged husband and Luke’s father, Greg, in a brutal murder at a cricket ground in Victoria early in 2014.

Helpless and harrowed, Go began to weep — for everything that she did not understand about domestic violence perpetrators, for the victims and for the distance we have yet to cover to eradicate it from society.

In Episode 3 of our Market Watch podcast Brett Kimmorley joins Nathan Ryan and Ben Glover to discuss transfer news and rumours. Guest Josh Papalii is also on the show talking about the Raiders turnaround and some big signings on the horizon!

COMEBACK: AUVA’A CLOSES IN ON NRL RETURN

The Wests Tigers board member and anti-violence advocate says that listening to Rosie’s story has changed her life.

There is no way she can continue as she did before. She has been swept up in a movement that demands zero tolerance of domestic violence from society.

CHARGED: KENNY-DOWALL SET TO MAKE NRL RETURN

As the general manager of Hearst-Bauer Magazines, Go was immediately disappointed when she flicked through Rugby League Week’s player poll on Monday, a magazine published by the company.

Attitude of NRL players summed up in Player Poll..... pic.twitter.com/p7yL8x1W0U — Mitchell Robson (@niles1991) August 3, 2015

What struck her was that 33 per cent of players polled by the magazine said they do not believe that the NRL should punish players convicted of violence against women.

She digested her initial disappointment and concluded that it was probably a black and white response from players who want a full team on the paddock. But still, shocking.

“Rugby league is a micro-culture in society and I suspect that unfortunately the views that are reflected in that poll are probably representative of societal views,” she said.

“That doesn’t make them right at all. I think it shows that we’ve still got a lot of work to do to ensure that all people, but particularly young men, understand the gravity of domestic violence.

“At the same time you would hope that everybody is so confronted by the concept of domestic violence that they would be horrified by it in the way that I am.”

The poll results come as the issue reaches significance in rugby league, with Roosters star Shaun Kenny-Dowall charged with several domestic violence offences and Kirisome Auva’a likely to return to the NRL next week.

A Rabbitohs centre, Auva’a pleaded guilty to domestic violence charges last May and the NRL-imposed suspension will end on August 13.

However, Go has called for the excuses to stop.

“Obviously there is the burden of proof, but once it has been proven that someone has committed an offence like this, we have to stop making excuses for them,” Go continued.

Shaun Kenny-Dowall has returned to Roosters training. Source: News Corp Australia

“Every time we make an excuse for the perpetrator we harm the victim. Rosie was saying that whenever you read an article about someone who has bashed their partner or killed their partner or children ... often the article will say things like ‘people are surprised, he was a really great dad and a loving husband.’

“If he was a loving dad and a great man he would never have harmed his wife and children.”

Fox Sports reached out to the NRL’s chief operating officer Suzanne Young for comment and was sent a response via email.

“Courts will always make the ultimate decision on whether a person is guilty,” Young said in the statement.

Ex-Rabbitohs Cody Walker was charged with domestic violence offences. Source: News Corp Australia

“However, as a game we do not tolerate violence towards women and will always impose significant penalties on those found guilty.

“If a case is proven we have a duty to our fans to make it clear there is no place in our game for those who are violent towards women.

“Our players spend 35,000 hours per year in the communities running domestic violence, anti-bullying and violence against women programs so we take these issues very seriously.”

Despite these numbers, Go said it is clear more needs to be done to change the stubborn attitudes.

“It’s one thing to learn about an issue, but it’s another thing to experience it,” Go said, adding that the Wests Tigers are tough on the issue.

“For some of the young men, thankfully, they have never experienced it and hopefully never will. Hopefully their mothers, sisters, daughters and partners never will.

“We need to find a way to get under people’s skin, I think. This issue is right under my skin because I’ve been in a room listening to women tell their stories and you just cannot escape it. I think we need that.”

Fox Sports contacted several of the NRL’s White Ribbon advocates for comment, but they declined or could not be contacted.