If there’s a media outlet that’s given the Matthew Johns story a bigger run in the last week than the Daily Telegraph, I must have missed it. Front and back page, and with such prominence on their website that the layout at the top of the page changed to accommodate a much bigger photo, links to stories, and a “special section”.
In the last week we have seen the paper variously take the moral high ground, stir up controversy, demand a ‘clean up’ of the game, lead the call for Johns’ sacking, and even lead a witch-hunt into identifying the remaining players in the Christchurch hotel room.
By the end of the week, it had turned its guns back on the complainant ‘Clare’ and undermined by her credibility by publishing accounts of her ‘bragging’ about her exploits.
The Tele is without peer as the media organ most responsible for publishing and stoking interest in off-field scandal. The number of stories published, and the prominence given to them, has sharply increased in recent years.
The ‘Terror’ can take the lion’s share of credit for this, because, if we are to believe the old hard heads, the phenomenon is not attributable to an increase in bad behavior by players.
According to one of the game’s most knowledgeable figures, Phil Gould, modern players are a lot better behaved than they used to be.
In more recent times, the paper has been the venue for an ongoing discussion into the future of the game, and the threats to its viability.
During this discussion the paper has stated a firm position on the growing public displeasure about player behaviour, and cites it as one of the chief factors affecting growth of the game’s fan base and thus profitability.
The question then begs: why does the company with easily the biggest financial interest in the success of the game, News Ltd, double as the chief publicist for behaviour that its own paper says is threatening the very existence of the game?
One reason is suggested: that player behaviour has become an industry in itself. Just a like a soap opera, but with real life characters that punters know and love from the weekend games, these well paid clowns provide endless entertainment with their mindless, drunken antics.
A very large number of readers love it, and for News Limited, it is a source of free content that can be used to sell the papers during the week.
If this is true can we conclude that their outrage about player behaviour is manufactured? That it is downright disingenuous; that they care not a bit about bad boy antics, that they don’t rate it as a big threat to the game, but instead just exploit it as another source of controversy?
Their website full of racy images certainly suggests an equivocal position on the ethics of the current controversy.
Business minded analysts might suggest that News Ltd, owner of FOXTEL, is looking toward the next TV rights deal with the NRL, for which they obviously would prefer to pay less rather than more.
News are in a unique position to run down the image of the game just at the right time, and suggest, for example, with reference to their reader survey run last week, that the NRL’s asking price might not be justifiable given public dissatisfaction with the game.
It is also plain as day that the Johns story has become the latest flare up in the long standing feud between News and Channel 9, and in particular the animosity that exists between the Tele and the Footy Show.
Bashing Channel 9 and the Footy Show comes naturally for characters like Phil Rothfield and Rebecca Wilson, who have not allowed this opportunity to slip by.
Wilson in particular has some very old scores to settle with what she perceives to be the sexist culture that exists at the Footy Show. Her pieces in the last week have been the shrillest of the foaming-at-the-mouth commentariat.
As they draw breath from their moral posturing and hand wringing, the Tele ought to ask itself the following question: do they bear at least some responsibility for creating the monster they now seek to bring down?
We know that their relentless publicizing of scandal is designed to elicit a reaction from their readers – amusement, titillation, contempt, superiority – so should they then be surprised when a large group of them respond by being disgusted and turned off by rugby league?
If News Limited, and their official mouthpieces, are serious about cleaning up the game’s image they can take the first step and make a stand that might cost them in the short term, to wit, stop using the bad behaviour of players as the primary grist for the mill to sell papers.
Instead of condemning the beast, just stop feeding it.
On the assumption that player bad behaviour has gone on forever, will continue to go on forever, and is simply a reflection of what is going on elsewhere in society, will the public, and their readers particularly, be any worse off without blanket coverage of this particular type of story?
Or is it impossible for them to do this for fear of other media outlets gaining an advantage?
I concede the genie might well be out of the bottle by now and the cap nowhere to be seen. It may well be unrealistic to expect the Tele to do anything else. And I have to admit I am entertained by most of it.
Which leaves me with my final plea to News: if you can’t stop the conveyor belt of scandal, can you at least spare us NRL fans the sermons and stop telling us with reference to the future of the game that ‘we’ll all be ‘rooned’?
Crosscoder
Guest
MichaelC The' taint " due to the press (limited in coverage though it may be) now applies to AFL.The actual words of AD( not the implication) that problems of a sexual nature happened in the AFL up to 4 years ago. Yep the media does indeed go to town if its a name(more so News part owners of the game).Really doing a great job of "promotion". Champ, please don't get me started on a 3 strikes drug policy.It's a joke.Everyone is entitiled to make a mistake,and a 2nd chance.But the opportunity to have a 3rd shot,nooo way. Unfortunately my team is consistent:they lose.
Michael C
Roar Guru
Crosscoder - yep - - and it all comes down to the appropriateness of the 'taint'. The implication of it as a 'bonding exercise' and all that - - the problem is that in the case of the NRL - - there is a name. ANd the media goes to town on a name, which - to me fully justifies the AFL not releasing names until strike 3 on their illicit drugs policy. There's the old right to know and need to know and public interest vs the interest (curiousity) of the public. Again - for me though, I usually just prefer to leave consenting adults to each other and prefer not to know - (I don't want to picture my footy stars in the missionary position!). I liked though how the DT tried to portray the AFL release of info as a 'scandal' (even ch.9 Today show repeated the use of the 'S' word!!!). They're mad. They're all mad!!!! 'roight then. Weekend beckons. May your team win!
Crosscoder
Guest
MichaelC You are telling me nothing new.The simple fact is a fair swag of people take heed on what is printed and stated in the media.Some don't.The power of the press and opinion writers should never be underestimated,even if the truth is bent to suit. From what I have read in the media and heard on radio by women presenters and talkback,I would suggest there is more than a few women who believe(and they are to be applauded) in old world values. The old saying mud sticks is spot on. You will note in my comments,I did not suggest that group sex was universally unacceptable to every woman.Yet the circle of friends I mix 9females)with, also find it demeaning. That is why i find it ironical when a code points a finger at another for having these 'cultural' problems,when just about every full blooded male and many women know it happens elsewhere. I am not defending what happened in 2002(it makes me cringe),but based on my knowledge in this world ,it is not unique to one code,one culture,or one country.It has been going on since the 60s,and therin lies the problem.
Michael C
Roar Guru
Crosscoder - it all depends who the most vocal people are at a given time claiming to speak on behalf of all women or all 'right minded people'.... THe vocal segment can claim to abhor group sex, or gay sex, or S&M etc etc. They may champion animal rights, or the rights to log or dredge etc. That doesn't mean there aren't people who enjoy it, and seek it, and as far as the rest of us should probably be concerned are absolutely fine with it.
Crosscoder
Guest
RedB. No confusion champ. The incident with the lass and the 200 AFLers contnued up till 3 years ago against the NZ incident 7,and which ATT was supposedly consensual).You stated possible rape better be 100% sure buddy,especially as she bragged about the incident to her work colleagues(oone who actually came out with her name).Neither you or i know what actually happened.You appear to know more than the police investigators involved. Suggest the findingsin the Duke University (USA) and the Lacrosse players,might send out a message also. Should the lass involved with the AFL footballers decide down the line it was traumatic,and wants to take it further,hmmmm! For starters I am appalled at any incident involving this type of thing,may be I am old fashioned.Yet apparently the presidents of the AFLclubs knew about it. And you should realise my friend and those looking through rose coloured glasses,that women have publicly stated they abhor group sex as being demeaning,and have lashed the Nrl players for being involved.Now AFL players have apparentlybeen involved in that situation,the notion that it is one code only ,has finally been smashed for six.The ivory tower ain't no more. One of the female journalists in Sydney,stated that group sex involving a woman,puts the woman in a position where shehas little control, of the situation. Channel 2 yep they are famous for being 100% correct for 100% of the time,and always seek to provide full balanced disclosure. Your conspiracy theory about News all the time,makes for good reading.I blame it on North Korea actually.
Redb
Roar Guru
macavity, Let's clear up your confusion. This is what was said by the woman involved in the AFL group sex article, I think shes a slut but there is no suggestion of rape or trauma which is the main thrust of the 4 Corners piece. "A MELBOURNE woman has revealed she has had sex with up to 200 AFL players in the past 12 years. But she doesn't care what people might call her, much less think about her -- she has no regrets and is far from ashamed by what many would consider degrading behaviour. Late-night phone calls from AFL players asking for sex, drunken group sex with up to 12 players at a time and a notorious reputation are all part of the life of a footy groupie. The woman is in her 30s and asked to be identified publicly as ``Amy''. In two lengthy face-to-face interviews with Melbourne's Sunday Herald-Sun, she spoke widely of her encounters with AFL players and the group-sex culture within footy. She also strongly defended the players she has been involved with." ----------------- Now you and Crosscoder and your ilk read the next part very carefully, this is what Claire said to 4 Corners about her experience with NRL group sex. It is also why the NRL needs to act to improve its image. --------------- What Claire said: SARAH FERGUSON: Four Corners doesn't say that what took place in room 21 of the Racecourse hotel was sexual assault. But a woman involved in degrading group sex can still be traumatised whether she consents or not. In the course of the investigation, Jenkins formed an opinion of Clare. NEVILLE JENKINS, DETECTIVE SGT CHRISTCHURCH POLICE: Um she was a nice girl. She was young, um naïve, not worldly, just a growing up teenager. But even for 19 she was quite young I felt. CLARE: They were massive, like ah big Rugby players, I felt that I just had no idea what to do. There was always hands on me and there was always um, if one person had stopped, someone was touching me and doing something else. There was never a point where I was not being handled. Every time I looked up, there would be more and more people in the room and um there's lot, lots of guys in the room watching, ah maybe two or three that were on the bed that were doing stuff to me. SARAH FERGUSON: Can you try and tell me what some of those things were? CLARE: They flipped me over quite a bit and got out their penises and would put like, put them on my face and stuff and like maybe two guys would rub them on my face and things like that and yeah. SARAH FERGUSON: What were the others doing while that was happening? CLARE: They were I don't like know how to say it, um but masturbating yeah themselves while watching. SARAH FERGUSON: The player she remembers best was there from the beginning. CLARE: I only remember this whole time, I only remember one player definitely, it was Mattie Johns. CLARE: They never spoke to me, they spoke just to themselves, amongst themselves, laughing and thinking it was really funny. When you have sex with someone and it's nice and you talk and you touch and this was awful. This was nothing like, nothing like that. SARAH FERGUSON: Some players even came into the room through the bathroom window. CLARE: I had my eyes shut a lot of it and when I opened my eyes there was just a long line at the end of the bed. SARAH FERGUSON: What was going through your mind when this was happening? CLARE: I thought that I was, that I was nothing. I thought I was worthless and I thought I was nothing. And I think I was I was in shock. I didn't scream and they used a lot of like mental power over me and, and belittled me and made me feel really small like I was just a little old woman. SARAH FERGUSON: Towards the end Paul Gallen, the current captain of the Cronulla sharks, went in to see what was happening. Gallen told us it was pretty much all over by then, but nothing bad had happened anyway. After two hours it ended. CLARE: I think maybe one of the guys said she's had enough, or something along those lines, like alright guys let's wrap it up she's had enough. And so I put my clothes on and walked out as, yeah. SARAH FERGUSON: Did anybody talk to you while you were putting your clothes back on? CLARE: No no one. I was nothing. SARAH FERGUSON: Afterwards in the car park, Matthew Johns told Four Corners, he went up to Clare and said he was sorry about the other guys coming into the room. ----------------- group sex is not great in any scenario in my opinion, but can see the difference? Redb
Redb
Roar Guru
News Ltd not content with the Johns group sex - possible rape saga has now enacted some gay skit that appeared on the NRL Footy Show, apparenyly thsoe humours Johns boys have upset the gay communtity in Sydney. the Daily Telegraph is milking at as usual but wait a few days and they'll soon be defending the rugby league image - it's only a matter of bandwidth and newsprint. Perhaos time to condct a survey about gays then they an reveal in a few days time that msot gays did not take offence in the first place. Crosscoder, hint: Amy = Charmayne, not Claire. if you read the article re 200 it was over 12 years and she clearly says she is fine with it, the Claire - Johns Wellington hotel situation looks more and more like rape when the rest of the Cronulla boys showed up - as she was far from happy and clearly traumatised even suicidal 7 years on. Nice try even pathetic attempt. Redb
Crosscoder
Guest
We have no doubt heard of the fabulous 300 Spartans that held off an army.No doubt we will hear of the "fabulous" 200 AFL players who held off a lass over 12 years.Yep morality knows no bounds.
Max Emery
Guest
Gotta lol @ anyone who says the Telegraph is pro-Rugby League. Real Rugby League fans wouldn't use that rag to wipe their arse. But that's not half as funny as anyone claiming AFL has some sort of moral superiority over Rugby League in this country. When your God is involved in the overdose death of a minor, your King is a partner-bashing, mate's wife shagging stand-over addict (Do you know who I am? lol), a bloke named Farmer can belt his missus and play on until he retires "gracefully" (as against NRL's equivalents who are punted immediately) and a complete and total waste of oxygen like Ben Cousins can get a standing ovation from fans, the moral high-ground is as far away as the tip of Mt. Everest is from sea level.
westy
Guest
Jimbo the answer is I do not know.I tend towards your view but I have serious reservations about her entire recall of facts given the statement by Minnis who she said did not have sex with her and escorted her home. You see this tawdry debate is missing the statements of all involved and without them it is all opinion. Four Corners did not get access to police statements nor those of all players. The young lady did consent to have sex with at least 2 men without any type of coercion. Her statements to the police and Four Corners confirm this.. What happened after that I or you do not really know. I say this to you because I respect your values and obvious respect for women. In my experience a young women may cosenually engage in group sex. it corresponds with my experience working as a barman as a young man. i witnessed young women not prostitutes approach men for sex with more than one. I would some times warn the girls that such and such bloke would hit his mother but some girls seem to like the danger .Some would boast to their friends. Could be all talk but sometimes I think not. I was never in that race indeed I am still trying to figure out how I ever got my lovely wife. The test for such men is then not to humiliate or intimidate and ensure the women is in control . The danger for the women is to loose control. i sadly suspect this may have been the case here. Life is complicated and does not fall into neat perceived sexual stereotypes.I do not know about 20 AFL players but what i do know is some girls in the late 60's and 70's did engage in consensual group sex. these women may now be married are married and raising families and I do not judge them for i have no right to do so.
jimbo
Guest
westy, the real owner of the Racecourse hotel at the time of the Cronulla group sex incident and the girl herself have come forward to talk to the ABC and dismissed the News Limited stories as bogus. I have no preference or bias towards the Fairfax press either. Depends on who you want to believe in the end and I don't belive News Limited journalism - they have more often than not been caught lying. Do you really think that any woman would willingly admit to the sorts of things News Limited are printing about them? Admitting to being a slut and having sex with 20 AFL players at a time? That's just pornographic fantasy.
westy
Guest
Jimbo your confidence in Fairfax publications is indeed touching. i think they are the paper who sacked journalists recently not News. I say this in all sincerity but the SMH has come distinctly down market recently , the telegraph would say a little more tabloid in focus. In terms of quality journalism the Australian has picked up. Secondly given your comments you possibly should work for the telegraph. I read your comments about sport with genuine interest however you are a little to dogmatic here. The facts are not quite as clear as you paint.
jimbo
Guest
Mycavity, don't believe ANYTHING a news Limited paper publishes as news. Why would any woman in their right mind admit to any of that crap. The News Limited stories about the woman who allegedly willingly had group sex with a group of Cronulla players and officials and then bragged about it are a load of lies as well.
macavity
Guest
http://www.news.com.au/perthnow/story/0,21598,25528095-948,00.html "Amy revealed a culture of group sex in the AFL, claiming she'd had sex with up to 12 players from the same club at one time. " Whats that, redb? do you now care to retract? ** /awaits laughable arguments that this is (A) somehow "different" to RL's asserted (by redb) "group sex culture" or (B) a News Ltd conspiracy against AFL **
Veritas
Guest
One of the issues that has not been discussed is the ARL / Superleague "war" and its implications in the area of player behaviour. I know that the Hunter Mariners had a policy that evry Mariners player would be involved in training amd education / work outside league in order to prepare players for life after league and to remove 'idle' time. (As in the devil finding work for) Their was recognition that Rugby League was a product and that product (brand) had to be enhanced and protected if it were to prosper. Well the ARL'won' and we handed the game back to the boofheads. The Footy Show prospered with its mindless dragging up to entertain and promote the worst behaviour as acceptably funny. (Bring back the Bun) RL is now reaping what it has sown. It is losing sponsors and demographic. It is retaining the boofheads who are racing to its defence which means that it will eventually become more marginalised than it is now. There are some nebulus arguments raised in this article - Phil Gould says player behaviour is better than it was - The issue is, "was the behaviour of the Cronulla players ( Reg Reagan et al) acceptable? - This is all a News LTD beatup driven by a hysterical female and real newspapers won't have a bar of reporting this. It could be argued that News LTD have more reason to report these activities as they want the game cleaned up, the brand improved so that they can make more money (as will the ARL etc) It is a shame that Channel Nine - a leaderless organisation since the death of Kerry P-is not involved with helping to clean up RL and improve the brand. Doubtless, in a month or two Reg will be reinstated and we will see a restoration of bad drag and BBTB.
Michael C
Guest
Macavity - W.Carey was never given a brief hiatus and welcomed back like a hero. He was expelled from the North Melb footy club after is 'affair' with Mrs.Stevens. He never played for us again. B.Cousins also got removed from his club and deregistered for a year by the AFL. Remember though - - he hadn't actually tested positive to anything nor been convicted of anything - - the AFL could only do so much (no doubt they wanted to do more and rather than lauding him as a hero, he's returned with requirements to be tested 3 times a week). Is your concern that these guys were able to return - only after sitting out for a year and moving to a new club/new state/new city to effectively re-start their lives. They don't have the capacity to cross over to RU or head over to Superleague or France or whereever. Otherwise, you'd see more of them sticking around. Remember how Newcastle very quickly swooped on Mitch Sargent after he was expelled from the Cowboys.
Michael C
Guest
oikee - Remember, the AFL runs WADA testing too. (not sure on the funding, but, there's about 500 tests a year - - clearly not enough - - but, let the Feds fund it more). Anyone caught under that program will get the same treatment as W.Sailor or this latest Cronulla lad. You do realise, that the AFL is subject to WADA testing, as well as another 1100 or so illicit drug tests for which the 3 strikes applies. Do you realise that a 2 strike policy really is niether here nor there. It's not zero tolerance, and yet, it's not really designed to put the health and welfare of the player first. Surely it's got to decide what it's there for (the policy, that is).
macavity
Guest
I get it perfectly you hate RL and are deluded enough to think that someones moral character is determined by the colour or shape of the ball they kick, or whether they come from north or south of the murray. I on the other hand see that all codes have issues - very similar issues - and all need to be vigilant. I also see that only one code continually cops it with both barrels.
macavity
Guest
oh, and FWIW I think the death of Cronulla would not be a negative for RL in the long term. a club with very few fans, a history of failure and continued economic problems. We have lost those clubs before without pain - hell, we have lost much more worthwhile clubs and soldiered on. that NRL licence could be much better utilised in Perth, Brisbane, NZ, Central QLD, to name but a few. Unlike some codes, we have areas crying out for teams. unfortunately unlike some codes, we have 1/2 owners and weak administrators who don't have the game's interests at heart.
Redb
Roar Guru
still don't get it do you. Would you like a list of rugby league players indiscretions? See ya. Redb