Tim Moltzen has never rigged a rugby league match. Never punched a bloke at 3am in the morning outside a greasy takeaway joint. Never been caught asleep nude in a hotel stairwell in need of a high-pressure hose-down.
So why then did this seemingly nondescript NRL player require a security escort onto Kogarah Oval last Friday night?
Quite simply Moltzen broke a couple of golden rules of Australian sport. While the hardnuts standing at the back of the hill will happily accept blokes into their team who have had as many run ins with the law as they have crappy tattoos, Moltzen has put himself on the fans’ blacklist. His first crime? Not living up to the press he generated.
When the bickering started last year between the Dragons and Tigers about who Moltzen would play for in 2012 there was a fair degree of bemusement from both sets of fans. All this effort over Tim Moltzen?
Surely this was a bit like two middle-aged women arguing over the last copy of You’ve Got Mail at the video store. Who cares, just get something else.
Things reached ridiculous levels this week with news that the NSW Waratahs were also interested in Moltzen.
Let me guess, the Dallas Cowboys and Fremantle Dockers have already filled their quota of versatile-and-decent-speed- if-not-a-bit-on-the-lean-side-footballers?
Sir Alex Ferguson not making any hard to understand late0night booty calls?
Maybe the Waratahs are just after a few more boos from their fans, but it seems like madness.
Sure Tim’s case is not the first time a transfer has caused a bit of a rumble in rugby league, but is Moltzen’s signature up there with such blokes as Dennis Tutty, Gordon Tallis and Mal Reilly?
The bloke has played one game for country Origin, and considering everyone bar Michael Slater has had a crack at playing halfback for New South Wales over the last five years, that’s a trifle underwhelming.
Of course Moltzen didn’t ask for all the attention , but going back on a deal with the then current premiers because you’ll miss your roommate Benji Marshall’s Friday night frittatas is always going to pull a headline. This was Moltzen’s second crime.
Few things rile a rabid fan-base like saying; “Look, quite frankly where I’m at right now is fine and I really must have taken several head knocks to even consider playing for your lowly club and its ugly, inbred fan-base. Cheers anyway.”
They never actually say this in public, but that’s how it comes across to supporters. The Dragons in particular have been burnt in the past, so it’s not like Moltzen was completely unaware what pain was coming his way.
And really, in a world where professional athletes in some sports can be shifted from sunny San Diego to glacial Green Bay overnight, isn’t backing out on a deal at a club down the road for no real reason a wee bit, dare I say, childish?
It is for this reason that so many took considerable delight in Moltzen’s tragic performance last Friday night, for while it may seem petty, seeing his game distilled to its purest form behind a toothless forward pack felt as if the truth has finally been revealed.
Tim Moltzen is a good footballer, and may someday be a great footballer. But he’s a long way from being able to pull off any Lebron-style signings stunts and as a skinny man in a world of monsters, he would be best to plan his plays a bit more carefully in future.
Unless of course he really likes hanging around with those security guards.
Follow Chris on Twitter: Vic_Arious@twitter.com
Kram
Guest
Why is this even a story? Great read but honestly, who is Tim Moltzen? Parramatta should sign him, play him at halfback and then add him to the list of great players that never were.
Redv04
Guest
Pete75 , can you explain why Tim Moltzen wore Red and White to the Tigers 2011 Awards night , iromically on the same night Robert Lui assaulted his Girlfriend , can you also please explain why Steven Humphries had a 45 min private conversation with Tim that same night , where the plans to renig on his Dragons contract were hatched ? Didnt think you could answer those 2 questions. BTW , Tim Moltzen has a great game playing half for the Dragons and half for the Tigers , I think he almost had a M.O.M performance for the Dragons ...... LMAO
shmoltzen
Guest
But seriously, what is sport without having someone to hate?
cos789
Guest
great article. one of the best i've read on the roar.
Gerry @ YourLawnAndGarden
Guest
Except for the bulldogs!
Chandy
Guest
Sounds like Moltzen had too many choices
Pete75
Guest
Mals, All that proves is that no team has a monopoly on idiot supporters.
Pete75
Guest
Again, how do you explain the statement that Stephen Humphries released two hours after the announcement if that was the case? "Only 2 weeks ago they attempted to renege on the Mitch Brown release after James Tedesco" No they didn't. Don't be misrepresenting the truth, we're a bit more switched on at the Roar than on the Fox Sports forums! Mitch Brown was released but hadn't yet signed with the Bulldogs. Up until that point the Tigers were within their rights to ask him to reconsider. Nice try champion.
Pete75
Guest
Really? How's that? Are you actually going to make an argument or just write a silly statement that adds nothing to the discussion? Did Stephen Humphries know four months in advance that Lui was going to go off the rails again? ????
eagleJack
Guest
It has everything to do with the Robert Lui incident. Seems the Tigers outfit are a law unto themselves. Only 2 weeks ago they attempted to renege on the Mitch Brown release after James Tedesco went down for the season. Fortunately Mr Brown wasn't as easily swayed as Mr Moltzen.
peeeko
Roar Guru
blind freddy can see that it is a result of robert lui
Mals
Guest
Yeah as opposed to the Tigers fans who were yelling out when Brett Stewart had the ball up at Bluetongue stadium last week "Kill the rap!st!"
Sharon
Guest
Everyone needs to get over the whole Moltzen saga, targeting & booing him just show the immaturity of the Dragon fans....
Pete75
Guest
Ken, Whites, Here we go again. If the Tigers were so keen to "get rid of" Moltzen, why did Stephen Humphries release a statement less than two hours after the Dragons announcement that they'd signed Moltzen and state categorically that they'd not released him? Why? And why, after that statement had been made, did Doust not follow up to get the release or find out what the problem was? How people can run about stating that it was only as a result of the Lui incident is beyond me....
Whites
Guest
Exactly Ken. The Tigers decided they had to many halves/five-eights, told Moltzen he could look for a better deal, Moltzen signs with the Dragons, Robert Lui decided to assault his girlfriend, the Tigers fired Lui and realised they might need another half/five-eight afterall, some bright spark in Tigers realises they have completed all the paperwork and here we are.
Ken
Guest
Yeah, I'm not sure if any fans are really upset about Moltzen not playing for the Dragons, personally I always believed we had better fullback options already at the club, and he certainly isn't doing much at the moment. Probably very annoying to the long-term planners at the Dragons but not a big deal to anyone else. Mostly It's a bit of theatre though, having someone to boo never goes astray at a sporting contest!
Ken
Guest
Um.. that's not what happened though. Moltzen DID sign a 3 year contract, on advice from the Tigers that they didn't want him and would be happy for him to look elsewhere. The Dragons did nothing wrong at all, Moltzen was the one who didn't wait for the release before signing another contract. Of course nobody waits for a release to be signed it's a routine formality in these scenarios and is always done after the event, which is why the Tigers are about to be sued. Moltzen was a bit of a victim of circumstance, told to leave and then asked to break a contract to stay where he wanted to be all along. His behaviour in simply avoiding talking to the Dragons management for 6 months was very ordinary though. The Tiger's backoffice is really to blame here, they convinced the young bloke to renege on his contract because he suddenly was useful to them again.
Soul Ranch
Guest
Still not sure why Dragons fans are upset about it. Based on the way Moltzen has been playing, they should be happy they dodged a bullet.
Tiger Tez
Guest
You need to get over it and and stop living in the past!
Gerry @ YourLawnAndGarden
Guest
Storm in a tea cup really! Why bother giving it any air time anyway? Seems to me the media are running out of stories (like Hayne's shoot ups in the Cross). The less controversy out there the better for our kids.