By Steve Kaless
April 10th 2008 @ 4:31am
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The 4,354th reason why I love rugby league
When people ask me why I love rugby league, the answer is often a long one, as it is for all sports fans.
This week it could be said in two words. Luke Bailey.
Rugby league (like Union and AFL) brings about much of its charm from toughness, from pushing yourself not because you want to, but because you don’t want to let your team mates down.
It is one of the great lessons taught to a young player that gives them a great grounding for later life and this week there was no better example than Gold Coast prop Luke Bailey.
Here was Bailey on the sidelines attempting to prove to his team doctor that his arm wasn’t broken and he should be allowed back on the field.
To do so, the big man got down and did some push-ups to show that everything was a-okay.
Later scans proved he did have a busted arm and he’ll now miss six weeks.
So Bailey was completing push-ups with a broken arm, just so he could try and help his teammates. Legend.
I’ll be telling everyone around the office next time they claim a bad back, a bit of a head cold or god forbid, stress leave.
It is a reason why kids idolise league players and not the sickly bloke from accounts always moaning about his chest cold or the girl in HR always saying she feels faint.
If everyone in this country was a little bit more like Luke Bailey, a lot of lawyers would be out of work and the country would be a much better place.
No sport quite does a circus better than rugby league, and there were two beautiful three-ring tricks coming from England in the last seven days.
First, disgraced Olympic sprinter and confirmed drug cheat Dwain Chambers announced he wants to play rugby league for the Castleford Tigers. But wait! The Tigers are happy to give him a run! Please big guy who runs fast doesn’t necessarily add up to a happy ending here.
Someone send a video of the Knight’s American export Greg Smith debut against Bulldogs to the north of England pronto before Chambers body ends up in the same state as his reputation.
But if you think that is mad, what about the Southern Orcas (from New Zealand no less) applying for a franchise in the English Super League!
After missing out to the Titans, the Orcas reckon jet lag is a myth and think Wigan fans would love nothing more than a trip to NZ in between road trips to Leeds and Bradford.
But just as I though that nothing as stupid as that would ever be proposed in this day and age in Australia, I was forced to quickly revise it all.
And as usual my revision in the intelligence of a grown adult came about through the actions of a referee.
NRL referees are now fronting up to matches in suits, but not satisfied with that they are looking for someone to sponsor them.
I’ve already shown my economic naivety, but I thought you sponsored groups if you thought it would increase sales. Who really wants to wear a suit “as worn by the NRL’s referees”. What’s next? Marketing Akubra hats “the nation’s parking inspectors can’t be wrong!”
Finally, I can’t help myself but have a chuckle at the poor old rugby union columnists I work with both on this site and elsewhere.
It must be so hard to keep up that patronising tone every time a leaguie falls foul of the rules only to have a rah-rah do exactly the same before the ink is dry.
After all the talk of thugs and scaring kiddies there goes Epi Taione landing the big Liverpool kiss right on Jeremy Thrush (no comment on the surname) and then Tana Umaga getting red carded as a coach as coach of French club Toulon.
Nice work boys, classy stuff from the gentleman’s game.
How can any parent possibly allow their little Hugh, Rhys or Dylan play rugby against other boys with double-barrel surnames when such thuggery is allowed to go on the field with nothing but a slap on the wrist!
Ah, that feels better already, I’ll now remove the spoon from the pot.
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Spiro Zavos said | April 10th 2008 @ 10:46am | Report comment
Steve has made a terrific point about the hard men of rugby league. It all takes me back to David Storey’s This Sporting Life, the best novel about rugby league and one of the great sports novels. The hardness of rugby league is, as Steve, suggests a large part of its attraction. This was especially true in the This Sporting Life days of no reserves. When players had broken ankles, legs, arms or shoulders they had to play on for as long as they could, of only to take up a space on the field. Shades of Clive Churchill of blessed memory.
In the days of reserves, though, I wonder about the playing wisdom of a player wanting to stay on the field with a broken arm. Surely his hits and tackles would be severely compromised? The thought of the Charge of the Light Brigade comes to mind when players like Luke Bailey try to play despite being severely injured: ‘C’est magnifique. Mais ce n’est pas la querre.’
Chris Beck said | April 10th 2008 @ 11:02am | Report comment
I’m reminded of things I’ve seen, or read about, in ice hockey.
Guys get hit with the puck or a stick and they’re bleeding all over everywhere.
Guys will block a shot (up to 100 mph) and stagger around because their foot is killing them, but they won’t leave the ice.
Bob Gainey once played in the playoffs with two separated shoulders. He could only play in a penalty-killing role, not five on five, but he somehow still played.
russell Bussian said | April 10th 2008 @ 3:42pm | Report comment
Hey stop stealing our baby names short list to use for your list of typical union names!! You missed one by the way - Lewis!
Roger said | April 10th 2008 @ 5:29pm | Report comment
Gee thats a cheap shot ay Union, you can do better than that. What is different between the two codes is that whilst there are probably as many dirty things that occur in both codes like headbuts etc, League fans and journos seem to punish with one hand, but give them a pat on the back with the other by claiming toughness points.
In Union however, fans and journos dont claim toughness points by the dirty play of players, rather giving credit for true honest toughness. The real toughness in league of players like Webcke, Bailey and Hindmarsh is diluted and direspected by endorsing these acts.
And enough with the class war, the steroetypes of leather elbow patches, expensive cars etc is as much a misnomer as all the one that all league fans being illiterate bogans…how about we move on from this old favourite of a sledge if you do?
Jerry said | April 10th 2008 @ 5:46pm | Report comment
Wait - a red card and a six week ban is a slap on the wrist?
cosmos forever said | April 10th 2008 @ 6:47pm | Report comment
I don’t agree Roger - I think League fans and journos are calling players to account much more and making a distinction between tough and dirty. Just read the press lines devoted to Michael Weyman’s “king hit”last weekend - other players speaking out like that simply wouldn’t have happened five years ago.
I actually think the Danny Williams king hit a few years ago was the tipping point for that.
Union has its own skeletons on this score - note the praise for a player like Richie McCaw who “pushes the envelope” and really is just a cheat when it comes to the breakdown. But his ability to get away with it is lauded by pundits and players alike.
Steve’s point is right about hard men, but like his cliches and stereotypes could be applied to all codes. During Showdown 24 on the weekend a wounded crow couldn’t lift his arms above his shoulders such was his rib damage after a(nother) hit by the Port - but he went back on and helped the team to victory.
Just as Lincoln Withers did for the Raiders in league a few weeks ago.
cosmos forever said | April 10th 2008 @ 6:49pm | Report comment
Having said all that - surely you can’t argue with Steve’s dig about the names Roger. Steve - you forgot Harrison, Reilly,Thorsten and Digby
Roger said | April 10th 2008 @ 7:04pm | Report comment
Yes the dig about names was good. I will def pay that.
I am not sure your comparison with Richie McCaw fits…sure he is a cheat, and does receive indirect praise, but there havent been many allegations that he is guilty of dirty or foul play. Richard Loe or Troy Flavell perhaps….
cosmos forever said | April 10th 2008 @ 7:08pm | Report comment
I’ll take your advice on the examples re. Troy Flavell. My point about Richie was less that he was dirty but that each code makes allowances for certain behaviours.
My wife (who as Steve knows, reads over my shoulder) says that rugby has nothing on league for the names:
Bronx, Braith, Cooper - all class additions to the bad name hall of fame!
Steve Kaless said | April 10th 2008 @ 8:34pm | Report comment
Gents,
I must admit I did feel I was leaving myself open for some return of fire on the names front.
I thought for sure I would be brought up on the oldd Western Reds centre Tristan Brady-Smith (straight out of pony club that one). And does Craig Polla-mounter count as double barrel?
Roger,
Come on mate, what will be left if we don’t have a petty pseudo-class war? We’ll be left to talking about the weather.
I think the posts here have certainly emphasised the important difference between toughness and thuggery and that is the real key with teaching the kiddies.
cosmos forever said | April 10th 2008 @ 8:39pm | Report comment
Reason 4,355 - i can watch the Catalan Dragons on foxsports (as I currently am) and see old Canberra Raiders STILL playing!
True Tah said | April 10th 2008 @ 10:11pm | Report comment
When I think of toughness in footy (union, league, soccer, AFL), I can’t think of anything tougher than Buck Shelford getting his sack getting stitched up and then running back on the paddock for the ABs v the Froggies.
Mardo said | April 10th 2008 @ 10:29pm | Report comment
Sponsoring refs makes sense to me.. each team only plays one game a week, whereas there is a Ref at every match.
westy said | April 10th 2008 @ 11:46pm | Report comment
True Tah….. as is typical with a Tah supporter they always have to pick some rugby player from overseas. I will take John Sattler any day.
Midfielder said | April 11th 2008 @ 12:37am | Report comment
All codes have touch guys.
Pound for pound its …….Vinny Griller ………………..for me
Mark said | April 11th 2008 @ 12:47am | Report comment
Union thuggery stands out so much because it is relatively rare (Epi Taione’s headbutt for example). It’s a weekly conveyor belt of examples in league. Both codes are teak tough but league is streets ahead on the legalised GBH. It was only a couple of weeks ago players were openly trying to dislocate shoulders after the tackle had finished, a few weeks before Craig Wing was badly injured in an appalling act of sanctioned assault. A little perspective would serve you well Steve.
Steve Kaless said | April 11th 2008 @ 1:12am | Report comment
Where is the fun in perspective? And would blogs even exist if everyone took a few deep breaths and had a lie down before deciding whether their views were really worth putting in the public domain?
I must say though, when either code has a player taking another bloke’s head off who also get someone goose (Paul Sheehan in the SMH was the latest) claiming they should go to prison. Because as their sterling logic goes “if you did in the middle of the street you would”.
What bugs me most about this argument is that if I pulled off a grass cutting Steve Mortimer-esque copy book ’round the ankles tackle and it happend to bring a bloke down on his lunch break in the middle of Pitt St that would also probably land me a stint in the big house.
Big Kev said | August 8th 2008 @ 11:03am | Report comment
geez this “class war” bullishit really shows an ignorance for towards Rugby. hmm Bakkies or Ma’a or Butch or Schalk are certainly more prevalent these days than your double barrelled Hugh Reece Edwards (he played for Natal, big tough fullback) type names. Leaguies like to stick with the bullshit leather patch cigar smoking view of Union fans to try and denigrate Union - but really it is such a tiny minority that it is hardly worth mentioning.