rugby league
Double standards on an inconvenient truth
I read the following article about the Andrew Johns situation with great interest:
31/08/2007 8:40:00 AM.
AUDIO: We had our suspicions: Gallop
The NRL admits it heard rumours about Andrew Johns’ drug use, but did nothing about it.
The league great was only tested on average twice each season since 1998, even though Johns says the Knights were well aware of the problem.
Johns admits he often took ecstasy after Friday night matches.
NRL boss David Gallop insists the league did all it could.
“You hear rumours about a lot of issues in our game and a lot of players,” he said.
“The fact is you can only deal with the clear facts when you’ve got them in front of you, not rumours.”
So how does this explain the treatment of the Bulldogs Football Club in 2004? The NRL levelled a $500,000 fine on the club on the basis of rumours (including an incorrect police report read out by shock jock Ray Hadley on Sydney radio that was the subject of an internal police investigation).
A few questions for the NRL.
Was Johns a protected species due to his profile and the importance of his image to the game?
Will the Newcastle Rugby League Club now face sanctions for ‘bringing the game into disrepute’ over its knowledge of the Johns affair?
And will the revelation of the truth surrounding the Johns’ drug allegations now lead the NRL to investigate the other, less savoury, rumours that have floated around the game’s next immortal?
The stink of double standards is overwhelming.
Alan Jones: You d**khead.
I have a new hero - former St George halfback Billy Smith.
At the send-off for the Australian Rugby League team last night, Smith was invited as a previous winner of the Harry Sunderland award and took the microphone after Alan Jones gave the main speech.
Alan, that was the worst fucking thing I have ever heard.
You’re from another sport; rugby union. You know nothing about football, you dickhead.
Hats off to you, Mr Smith.
Which side are YOU on??
No ticket, no start, no prize??
Ben Kennedy is finding out the hard way that you should make sure you pay your union dues!
Retiring Manly backrower Ben Kennedy has reportedly been stripped of the prestigious Rugby League Professionals Association player-of-the-year award because he did not pay his union fees.
Being current with your union fees is important for a number of reasons. Firstly, you never know when you might need your union rep! Secondly, a union helps not just you but your workmates. This can make work a community rather than a dod-eat-dog environment.
Have a look at some things the RLPA gained in the latest collective bargaining agreement
- A $4m salary cap in 2007 – up from $3.366million;
- Minimum wages of $55,000 (1-17) and $50,000 (18-25) – up from $37,500;
- Origin payments increasing to $12,500 per game;
- Increases in Third Party Sponsorship Agreements to $150,000;
- Reduction in qualifying period for veteran players from 10 to 8 years;
Luckily it could all be an oversight that may be forgiven with a quick cheque with his outstanding dues to the Union:
I was under the impression I had paid my fees.
I’ve always been a big supporter of the RLPA and have always paid my fees.
Delusional!
In my mind, there is no doubt, given time and education, that AFL players far exceed their northern neighbours in the capacity to not only change codes but improve rugby league.
And with this statement Robert Shaw convinces most of his readership that he is completely mad.
Dean Byrne Benefit Night
Below are the details for a benefit for a truely tragic situation. If you are a fan of one of the clubs involved, or a League fan in general, please consider attending. Players do so much to entertain us and when they are seriously injured before becoming stars there is little they can do to provide for themselves.
One Football Thread To Rule Them All And In The Darkness Bind Them
Consider that this game, a match played with once-despised round-ball rules, against a team regarded as unbeatable, at an unwatchable time, has inspired the kind of talk once only the preserve of ‘Ork.
Federal Opposition leader Kim Beazley recounted to Channel 10 the famous words of former PM Bob Hawke following Australia’s victory in the America’s Cup in 1983.
“Any boss who sacks his worker today is a bum. That’s what Bob said.”
New South Wales Premier Morris Iemma told Reuters that employers should cut their workers a bit of slack tomorrow.
The Australia-Japan game played last week, similarly scheduled well outside of prime-time, has also dealt out to the rugby league’s premier event a judicious flogging.
We have a new national code of football.
UPDATE: Amanda agrees with me:
I’m not one of those who claims soccer is about to take over league and AFL as our tribal ball game of choice. Being a Winter game domestically and an unrivalled international programme, I reckon we can all co-exist happily. What annoys me in reading international comments about Aussies embracing the world game is that “rugby” (rugby union) is always included in the list of sports Australians care about more than soccer.
Like, so not.
How fast the mighty fall...
Just three short weeks ago I was in despair, now I can barely contain my joy!
Queensland 30
Cockroaches 6
When will the bias end?
This article highlights just how partisan the media has become on the battle of the codes.
If honking horns is as bad as it gets with the AFL, clearly all the boozy nights and mobile phone calls that surround rugby league are proof that they play another code, on and off the ground.
Honking horns as bad as it gets? Excuse me?
Oh the pain!
After two weeks of not being able to post on here thanks to a proxy server error I find that my enthusiasm is as damp as my clothes were last night at the Origin.
Yes I go for Queensland but did I really deserve those beers being thrown at me?
Hmmm…