The television-driven transformation of NRL players to full-time professionals is behind many of the code’s recent woes, author and rugby league fan Thomas Keneally said on Wednesday.
The Schindler’s List author and number one Manly ticket holder said the “atmosphere of hoonery” surrounding rugby league was a problem for the sport.
“In the old days … a lot of people say that on Monday the blokes used to go to work, and work for a week and have training for a couple of nights a week,” he said.
“So certainly they drank, but they didn’t have a lot of time to get up to trouble.
“Now of course they’re full-time professionals and TV and other factors have made that … inevitable.
“Whether people think it’s desirable or not, it’s no use arguing with it, and teams therefore have to try to find something for (players) to do to balance that with the freedom.”
But it was unrealistic to treat players “like the inhabitants of a gulag,” he added.
Keneally said the players needed to realise that they were under constant scrutiny and learn to be on their guard.
“I’ve felt bad that the boys face intense scrutiny,” he said.
“They are only boys but they have to face up to the fact that if they do something even faintly wrong, they’re going to be caught on a mobile phone camera and some person is going to contact a tabloid and there’s going to be blood and misery everywhere.
“Having diarrhoea in the hallway of a hotel doesn’t help very much,” he said, referring to Sydney Roosters forward Nate Myles being caught defecating in a Central Coast hotel corridor.
News of scandals travelled fast, he said.
“I know an Irishman whose brother is ambassador to China and who read about (the Myles incident) and emailed his brother, and said `it’s a wonderful thing to know that your rugby league players are not afflicted with constipation’.”
Keneally predicts a premiership win for St George Illawarra with the Bulldogs, Gold Coast and Manly rounding out the top four.
Spiro Zavos
Expert
Tom has always said he'd swap some of his book for a Kangaroos jersey. I believe he was a nuggety halfback in his heyday. He is an entertaining and insightful student and love of rugby league. He wrote Des Hasler's biography and has written a rugby league novel. What he says makes sense. The players have to realise that there is a sort of Faustian pact involved here. They are hugely paid local superstars, that's the upside. The downside is they just can't be Sydney and Brisbane boys having a too-good time with the booze and women in their off-field life.