- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
Instead of going to a Shakespearean tragedy last Saturday, Andrew and David Fifita moseyed along to a Penrith Junior Rugby League A Grade Game and… well, we know the punch line to this bad joke.
Or do we? I don’t think I do.
As far as I can determine from the reports I’ve seen and from talking to people who spoke to people “who were there” – yeah, I can sense your scepticism already.
That’s because you should be sceptical. This whole story has been a mess from the start. I’d even describe it as farcical if the ramifications were not as significant as they are likely to be.
The rumours on social media were circulating on Saturday night. There was an incident involving an NRL player at a junior league game that afternoon. Then the information revealed it was Western Sydney, then that it involved two players from the same NRL club – and on it went.
By the time Sunday morning rolled round Andrew and David Fifita had been identified as the culprits. They were the men who had threatened a junior league referee with violence and there was video evidence of the crime.
If we were in America’s Wild West 150 years ago they would have been lynched on the spot, strung up on the nearest tree through weight of public opinion to protect our referees. I might have even led the charge, particularly when Sharks CEO Lyall Gorman addressed the media outside Belmore Sportsground and declared that the Fifita brothers had acted “very inappropriately” the previous day.
The problem I have with it all is that we have a wide variety of opinions in the rugby league community about what should have been done, how it should have been done, and how swiftly it should have been done.
There were differing points of view that began to emerge on Sunday and Monday, which cast some doubt on the initial reporting.
People who claimed to be at the game called radio stations on Monday morning and told shows such as Triple M’s Grill Team that what transpired didn’t quite happen the way that had been suggested. Andrew was assisting a player from the field and play was allowed to go on which infuriated him and ignited the situation.
At this point I want to make clear that I am not privy to what happened at the ground. I have talked to people who themselves have second-hand reports, so the history teacher in me is inclined to put those to one side.
What does seem to be clear is that the referee was approached by David Fifita with a question about why the game was not stopped while his injured player was brought from the field. David was told to go away, then a video recording device was produced which incited Andrew Fifita to enter the playing area to defend his brother.
Firstly, let’s look at the actions of the NRL players. If you want to approach a referee about anything at a junior footy game, you’re looking for trouble. If you are unaccredited as a team official and you enter the playing area (i.e the fenced area) then you’re looking for more trouble.
If you then use threatening actions, gestures, words, looks – whatever – then you’re in for a whole world of trouble. If you’re a current NRL player who does any of that then you’re in for a week of headlines that not even the sacking of two NRL coaches and a potential salary cap scandal is going to overshadow.
The Fifita brothers between them managed to do all of that in a matter of minutes.
Secondly, we need to look at the genesis of the whole drama. It seems that we had one incident that became a catalyst for the game being brought into disrepute. Had the referee managed the game circumstances around the injured player a little better, had there been a measured response to the initial confrontation and a directive to speak to the ground manager, had there been a more discreet recording of events and witnesses corralled instead of a recording device in the heat of the moment, then we might have had a different outcome.
I am not blaming the referee for this at all. I have been in many situations like this and handled them more poorly, but with less high-profile people. Learning from this sort of thing is essential. There is a very good reason why you don’t see any 24-year-old referees running around in the NRL.
Thirdly, the whole rugby league community needs to take ownership of the problem of courtesy towards officials.
At a junior footy game on any given weekend you will see referees, touch judges, ground managers, sports trainers, canteen managers and every other volunteer that you can name all there for one purpose: to facilitate rugby league for the youth of Australia. Show all of them the respect they deserve for helping make our game great.
The final point I want to make is while the Fifita brothers have inflicted serious damage to their reputations, by being involved in local rugby league they are making a tremendous contribution to the grass roots game.
I have previously written about the influence people like Luke Burt and Brad Arthur have on kids at Rouse Hill, and you can add to that Blake Austin with what he has done at Doonside. Having NRL identities available for kids to see acting in a volunteer capacity, week in week out, with no acknowledgement – and none sought – is a real strength of the game.
A couple of players allowed a minor situation to escalate into a nation-wide witch-hunt that will drag on all week. As a consequence I won’t blame anyone from the NRL for avoiding junior rugby league because of it, as it’s much easier to stay cocooned in their elite world and minimise any risk to their reputations.
I would still rather the game find a balanced approach to these problems and one day iron them out for good. In the meantime, let’s get everyone involved who wants to be and respect them for their love of rugby league.
Rugby league will always be theatre; let’s protect it from becoming farce.
Reckon you can pick the winning team? Build your own dream team with Draftstars daily fantasy and compete on any match. For great odds on the NRL head on over to PlayUp. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Set a deposit limit.