Kirisome Auva'a should get five year ban, says former Test prop Sam Backo NRL boss Dave Smith denies the league's integrity unit smacks of double standards regarding the Gallen episode and the Kirisome Aava'a domestic assault case. Kirisome Auva'a (L) celebrates South Sydney's premiership with Sam Burgess and Dylan Walker. FORMER Test prop Sam Backo has called for Souths centre Kirisome Auva'a to be banned for five years to send a strong message about domestic violence. Backo has opened up about his family's battle with domestic abuse after his niece, Taleah Backo, was assaulted by former Tigers half Robert Lui three years ago. Now at the Cowboys, Lui was hit with a 12-month ban by then-NRL boss David Gallop, but Backo said the governing body must get tougher and sideline Auva'a until 2020. The Australian team wore white ribbons to a Four Nations function on Wednesday to support a campaign against domestic violence. The NRL integrity unit has come under fire over allegations it knew about an incident involving Auva'a, who pleaded guilty in a Melbourne court last Friday to charges of injuring his partner. NRL boss Dave Smith will take legal advice before deciding Auva'a"s fate over the next 48 hours. "The NRL can't let him get away with this,"" Backo said. He's pleaded guilty so come down hard and give him a five-year ban. My niece went through this ordeal. She was young and caught in an abusive relationship. It was a terrible time for our family. It's time for the NRL to get serious. If you want to be a football star, you need to live by some basic, old-school rules. Former Test prop Sam Backo said the NRL should come down hard on Auva'a. Growing up, I was taught some basic rules: show respect for colour, creed and religion, you don't touch kids and you don't hit women. Any bloke who hits women is not a man, he's a coward. The integrity unit have known about this incident. What message does Dave Smith want to send, that it's OK to assault a female and you can still play in a grand final and walk away with a premiership? A one-year ban is not enough. Give him five years and then he will learn the consequences when his career is taken away from him. Players when they stuff up want to make up excuses like they were drunk or suffering depression. It's a disgrace. Unless the NRL take a hard line stance now, some blokes will never learn."" The NRL's handling of Kirisome Auva'a case has drawn widespread criticism. Test captain Cameron Smith, displaying the "I Swear"" white ribbon on his Australian suit, said the code was acting to stamp out a societal problem. "The Kangaroos are supporting the "I Swear" program, which supports anti-women's violence,"" Smith said. It's a great cause and we're all behind it. It's not just rugby league, it's something in society really. "It's something we're always battling against but we do our best to promote non-violence with women so hopefully that message is heard."" Should the NRL have acted sooner on Kirisome Auva'a? Asked if the NRL needed to take a hard line stance, Smith said: "I'm not an administrator. I just play the game and whatever they feel is a sufficient penalty for people that are involved in that situation, that is their decision. I stay out of that. If something happens, they deal with it and it's their decision. Robert Lui received a one-year ban following his conviction for assaulting his then girlfriend. The Cowboys are watching the Auva'a affair closely after Lui was rubbed out of the code for a year for his altercation with Backo's niece. Backo, who played six Tests for Australia in 1988-89, said the code's Women in League round was meaningless if the game did not protect females. "I work in indigenous communities mentoring the next generation of kids, I'm trying to address Aboriginal unemployment,"" Backo said. I'm trying to effect change with disadvantaged youth and the NRL needs to effect change with respect towards women. The game doesn't need blokes who bash women. It's time for the NRL to send a stern message, rub Auva'a out for five years, take away half his career and make these blokes aware that there are consequences for your actions.""