Are off-field incidents exclusive to the NRL?

I remember in my teen years with mates , travelling out in the bush relieving myself beside a country road at night,the next town an hour or so away.If kangaroos could use a phone camera, we would be gonners.

I just cant imagine there holding back now..... they print stories that aren't even true so what more could they possibly do?

"Barry Hall to the Bulldogs" ;-) Redb

yes tribalism is very important but i think these days both Gallop and Demetriou have come to that realisation from comments made recently. the call to cull Sydney teams is louder but Gallop is resisting due to the tale of the Nth Sydney Bears (which had great colours by the way :-) ). You often lose the fans for good and they may even take an interest in another code. i think the Swans benefited a ltitle from Nth Syd bear support. A relocation or merger is much preferred. Redb

I am confident the AFL will have no back page scandal stories :P ....because only Ben Cousins or Jason Akermanis have any sort of profile that would warrant a back page. Redb I am just glad you missed the Ahn Do segment on last night's NRL Footy Show.

I agree the media love to make a meal out of football stars of any code. The Willie Mason / Brendan Fevola pissing up against the wall stories for starters - I mean its dumb to get caught but every bloke in Australia has down that at least once his life. However, the Daily Terror's website features more of the seedy sensationalist side than any other judging by the more conservative sites in the stable. Redb

RedB Judging by the media in general not just the Terror,seediness seems to be becoming more prevalent. They are hardly holding back to date.A player has to just pick his nose in public,and there would be a story about lack of etiquette and some relationship to the swine flu. To use a horrible analogy I would rather be knifed in the back by someone I dont know,than someone I do.Anycase the non involvement of News,might mean journos for that organisation ,will not be able to take for granted interviews with rl players. If anything the non involvement of the that organisation,will no doubt bring some fringe fans back to the fold(more so with a CC Bears return).Secondly there can be no suggestion of conflict of interest in the next Tv contracts. The plusses for News Ltd removing (control) itself from the game ,far outweigh any minuses that may crop up.It will mean also a privately owned Storm,which will also help. I will say one thing for News,they have assisted financially in developing rl in Victoria,to at least get a foothold.

CC, Given the Daily Telegraph's penchance for the seedy tabloid style I would think if News Ltd are out of the picture there will be no holding back on league. Redb

RedB If another clown steps out of line,it will make it.Unfortunately it will be front page .,not back,so the journos have covered themselves. Other codes such as the AFL have apparently enjoyed fvaourable treatment,if Kerry stokes from ch7 in his court action against the rest of the media is to believed. There apparently was a clause that News as part of the Pay Tv deal for foxtel, commit to a at least x number of AFL "good news" stories in its papers each year. Rest assured the AFL has and is being afforded excellent coverage by the Sydney media over the past 20 odd years.just ask the Swans.Tim Morrissey leads the charge in the Telegraph.You should be happy ,AFL in the main is the media pet in Sydney. Don't worry within 6 months I predict,there will be a commission running rugby league,and News Ltd will be out of the equation.You will have to find a another whipping boy.

Maybe, then there is this from Andrew Webster in his blog: "Hallelujah! The Daily Telegraph has declared a scandal-free zone on its back page until the end of the season and it is music to the ears of sportswriters. Contrary to what the public might think, journalists hate covering the seedy side of the game. Enough with the off-field atrocities. It’s time to focus on the footy and talk league with the NRL finals just around the corner. Join me today from 1pm when I back The Daily Telegraph’s decision to make the back page a scandal-free zone. " It still smacks of ownership clawing back lost support, perhaps they have noticed a downturn in circulation or recevied considerable feedback? Or been lobbied by the NRL? I wonder if other codes such as AFL will enjoy such priviledged treatment? Redb

I think that is the real lesson I learned from Super League is too respect peoples tribalism i.e. their affinity for their team. If you dump North’s those fans aren't going to start supporting Super Northern Sydney Stars. My uncle was a Bears fan, and he still watches Rugby League but he doesn't support any particular team and only goes when it's Australia vs New Zealand. Lesson for the AFL if you dump North Melbourne don’t expect those fans to start supporting a different Melbourne team.

Redb, I think it's a bit tongue-in-cheek. At the bottom is: "*The editor makes no such promise. If you seriously stuff up expect to see yourselves on page one."

I think it's more of an acknowledgment that a lot of their back page scandals aren’t really scandals, their just crass overhyped non events that belong in the gossip section not the news section. Like the Broncos million dollar play pen as the story was called…then you read it and it is a bloke with a family that has an expensive unit and sometimes Broncos players visit him. Then the drugs story which they back track more and more from each day and that beat up has probably forced them to try a gesture like this. Their not really big stories, and I am sure they will all be in the inside cover anyway.

Looks like the execs at News Ltd have leaned on the sports editors of the Daily Telegraph: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/nrl/daily-telegraph-back-page-declared-a-scandal-free-zone-until-end-of-nrl-season/story-e6frexnr-1225758796972 "Enough. From today until the Grand Final on October 4, the back page of The Daily Telegraph has been declared a scandal free zone." Redb

Robbos. I will give you an idea from where I stand.I was one of those unfortunate mugs,who attended the meeting at the Sharks(in 1995/6 ?) when Ribot/Quayle/Arthurson/Meninga et al spelt out their positions. I went along with the SL concept and the world vision yada at the time. I believed Ribot was thinking beyond the square.What we all ignored was the tribalism of the game. Ribot more so and the late Porky Morgan were the ones who got into Rupert's ear to get the go ahead.The game was booming in thearly 90s with expansion to Perth /Nth Qld/Crushers and Auckalnd,and monetary wise was giving AFL a run for their money.The ARL had $20m in the bank in 95. If SLhad not occured rugby league would still be in Perth ,there would be Adelaideand Melbourne teams.There may well have been one or two Sydney teams gone or moved interstate>The point is many people were lost and still are to the game. People were lost due to mergers,and when the Bears disappeared some supporters went to union and some to AFL. Ask what happened in 87/98 to junior participation in rugby league .It dropped dramatically.The $20m in the bank was no more. I still maintain my 10 years argument 1996 to 2005.From the on 2005 rugby league is back on its feet,however other codes have made inroads ,and the game has more competition than ever before.On the bright side there are more people playing rugby league now than at any time in its history in Australia,and there are more countries and more interested countries(40) involved with the game than ever before. In effect Ribot's vision may get there,but done in aproper manner with consideration to the tribalism of the fans and new ones. I agree with your point ,if the players had said straight out,no we will stick with the ARL,Super league would not have happened.But maybe Rupert would have switched his eyes to another code.We will never know.

Crosscoder, I'm not backing Ribot here, but to say he was responsible for 'killing rl & dragging the game back 10 years' is a bit harsh. Sure he was one of the faces of it all, but it was driven by News Ltd. If it wasn't him it would have been someone else. Plus I didn't see Ribot with a gun to the players who switched. It was the almighty $, same as what got him involved in the first place as well.

RedB The only way i found out about the Carlton story was a snippet in the Terror and a glance of Elliot on TV news leaving a police station,in teh sydney news. At least we appear to be in agreeance that allegations of such serious nature should not just be left to go away,but investigated to clear those who were not allegedly involved. To adegree perhaps, but then again asmuch as I dislike intensely Ribot for just about killing rl and dragging the game back 10 years ,thereby giving other codes a leg up,he at least got a rugby league team into Victoria.Allbeit the wrong way round. Ribot also doesn't use the words "p..s off' ' .That in itself has got to be a plus ,and hell he needs all the plusses he can muster.

Crosscoder, As I've said a couple of times just becuase a negative AFL story does not appear on a TV or newspaper in Sydney doesnt mean it fails to get coverage elsewhere. Last night on Ch 9 News in Melbourne the story of "Kate" was aired in relation to the 'Carlton sex scandal' for want of a better word. It appears she had consensual sex with a Carlton player who was interrupted by a Moran underworld figure looking to peddle his drugs, at another time John Elliott himself was alledgedly involved in a sexual advance which the girl rejected. Elliott last night denied any inappropriate behaviour. Something is not right and the story wont go away. To give you an idea of the esteem of which John Elliott is held within AFL circles and removing the differences in behavior, on pure reputation and esteem - think John Ribot. Redb

RedB Not sure justification of the M John's story should therefore receive more coverage than the Elliot/Carlton(both extremely high profile in Australia),on the most serious of allegations.More so when the allegations of hush money was involved.Now there are further allegations by the woman involved of connections with the Melbourne underworld.Amazing ch7 and 10 and even 9 did not report it. Unfortunately don't have the time or inclination to read every comment.All I have to say,allegations of this most serious nature must,should and for the sake of seeming to do something ,be looked into. Not all the players were named BTW in the John's incident. It is an alleged criminal act,it must not be allowed to just let time ,the AFL or ignorance it so it will go away.Although now I believe things are heating up. 80% of the time rl fans feel they are being persecuted by media perception".Seymour gets drunk(non criminal but stupid),someone has a camera phone and all the TV stations hone in like vultures. The AFL stations 7 and 10 could not help themselves,making it headline news. When players perform anti social acts or are involved in alleged criminal acts,I don't have a problem.The allegations for urinating behind a shed ,a lane making the news by players,suggests the media has little else on its plate. If every man was in the newspapers for urinating in the open,at least once in his lifetime,the papers would have no room for the obits or ads. Wallaby Quade Cooper gets involved in a 3rd incident,involving alleged spitting and being abusive.He is fined $10,000 by the ARU .THis was noted in one media outlet in Sydney(Terrior) to my knowledge.Certainly saw nothing on the TV channels.So much for balanced reporting. As has been reported the Broncos are looking at taking legal action against News ltd papers on wild unsubstantiated allegations(2 pages in the Terrorgraph),about their players.Absolutely no proof,and the player (who was publicly named)supposedly photographed was back at Sanctuary Cove at the time.If that is not an example of persecution/victimisation by the media,then I didn't type these comments. Lose lips and slippery typing fingers,seem to be the norm in today's media.

Maybe the fact that a clown called Gary Linnell is now editor of the Daily Telegraph might have something to do with it. This guy after leaving channel 9 in a cloud of controversy, and after serving a short stint further down the food chain, was given the top job at the Daily Telegraph. Now after stating that he wants to (A) break stories (B) report on the big issues and (C) unleash the young guns, he has obviously declared open season on RL. Probably as a quick and sure fire way of increasing sales and boosting his own reputation/ego. Because the Daily Telegraph no longer offers anything positive for our code and because their readership numbers are shrinking, maybe NRL clubs should follow the lead of some of the SuperLeague clubs in England, by blacklisting certain reporters and media big mouths. Especially those who continue to write scurrilous articles concerning certain clubs and players, without any proof whatsoever. Time for RL to draw a line in the sand.