31st May 1993. Game three of that years State of Origin series and two boof heads inevitably find each other.
As a 17-year-old rugby league fan and player I remember moving forward expectantly in my chair as I heard Fatty Vautin utter the words “there’s a blue on”.
Big Marty Bella, or as my brother and I called him sizeable Martin Beautiful, was flailing wildly at Paul ‘the Chief’ Harragon.
Seldom did Bella look anything but cumbersome when on a football field, but his fighting style on this occasion was laugh out loud hysterical in its awkwardness, a fact that led his head to horribly assault the Chief’s fists on numerous occasions.
My brother and I are not only big Blues fans but the chief was also our favourite player, a respect we dubiously displayed in naming our female border collie pup ‘Chief’ after the Novacastrian prop.
The fight raged for an hilarious 30 seconds which had us both on our feet screaming at ‘The Chief’ to knock Bella’s block off.
To quote Laurie Daley, it was a ‘great origin moment’ and one that reverberates through origin promos to this day.
The week after that pugilistic night my schoolboy rugby league team were taking on our archenemies.
This much anticipated annual match-up was bookmarked each year less for the competitiveness of the games and more for the expected dust ups that inevitably occurred.
The violence that was anticipated was personified in the fact that both schools’ assistant principals turned up and addressed their respective teams before the match, espousing the virtues of fair play and not to give in to the devil that is the biff.
The much hyped and publicised Origin fight was directly referred to as an example of ‘the horrible’ behaviour we should avoid.
It was of course all to no avail. Fifteen minutes into the match all schoolboy hell broke loose.
Much like the Origin ‘fight’ the week before the two teams big men (boys) came noggin to noggin and words were exchanged.
No one knew exactly what was said but being the early nineties it it’s a good chance the words included some embarrassingly concocted, unfunny ‘mum joke’, something along the lines of:
Boof head 1: ‘get off me’
Boof head 2: ‘that’s not what ya mum said last night’
The ensuing all in brawl was one of those seminal moments in teenage boyhood, as I landed what would be my one and only punch in sporting anger.
My ‘victim’, a large and rather brutish second rower, was holding down a teammate of mine while a fellow assailant was doing his best to crack said teammates jaw.
As I swung my fist I anticipated the punch would have the equivalent power of a megaton bomb landing on the chin of the opposing man-child. It would surely be enough to send the ogre crashing to Earth.
As I metered out my own skinny kid form of retribution I felt the cold spectre of regret suddenly descend, and not because of the damage I had caused this alleged human being.
No, the oaf himself had felt nothing. His only reaction was to flick his large head, much like one does when a mosquito is being annoying.
He continued his dirty work.
The regret was for my inept teenage fists, clearly more Justin Beiber than Justin Hodges. I slinked to the back of the brawling throngs and began to unpick the mass of bodies, sheepishly avoiding the gaze of my intended knock out.
The game was summarily cancelled, principals were called and players were suspended from the rest of the competition.
But the irony of watching a professional game being promoted and celebrated through fighting while schoolboys were castigated for the same thing was not lost on any of us, even as 17 year olds.
Flash forward to Orgin Game 1, 2013.
When Paul Gallen landed his rights on the cement like noggin of Nate Myles I felt a stirring within my bones.
I was up out of my chair cheering on the Blues pugilistic hero, a remarkable enough reaction as being a Dragons fan requires one to naturally feel instant disdain for any Cronulla Shark.
I’m not one to consider myself a supporter of violence, and as the previous story points out I’m clearly not very good at it.
So as I turned to see Channel 9 leading out of a commercial break with a full highlighted replay of the stink backed by dramatic something-grand-is-happening music, I suddenly thought of all those young minds watching that very sequence.
And It all seemed a bit, well, a bit….dirty!
Not necessarily the fight itself nor its apparent lead up, as both combatants have variously been described throughout their careers as ‘hard men’ at best and ‘grubs’ at worst. They deserved each other at that flash point in time.
The feeling of uncleanliness had something to do with being embarrassed at my excitement for the prospect of an Origin stink.
It had even more to do with the realisation that a game I love is stuck between the rock solid fists and hard-headed places of its own celebrated historical toughness.
I tried to imagine if other sports used violence to promote and endorse their brands.
If baseball used an all in brawl, football used Zinadine Zidane’s admittedly hilarious head-butt during the 2006 World Cup final.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vF4iWIE77Ts.
Or the NBA used the ‘Malice at the Palace’
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLUbycSKAqY.
I could not imagine it because the games would not allow it.
Yet as has been constantly discussed this past week, league allows its own violent confrontations to promote its most marketable event.
While many league followers (your truly included) have espoused the virtues of the Origin stink, as the coach and players themselves did publicly.
Far from being a sopping wet doona on the fight club mentality of Origin football, I too will no doubt secretly feel a pang of excitement should their be a part two in the Myles v Gallen rumble, all the while publicly voicing and believing in the detrimental effect it may have on our impressionable youth.
But its this brutalist limbo that the game finds itself in that again highlights the strange position rugby league occupies as a member of the modern day sporting landscape.
It is a landscape where sports are increasingly becoming safety and brand conscious, and public perception is key.
It seems its the game’s public perception that will ultimately need to change, and for rugby league and its fans this will happen for better or worse.
Freddie
Guest
Well well well. Looks like the NRL have finally got the message. http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/nrl/nrl-to-show-zero-tolerance-for-footy-violence/story-fni3fqyo-1226664374292 "The product has to be palatable and accommodate all people who want to be involved in the game. It's the mums and dads who decide if their kids get to play rugby league."
Prawn
Guest
I can't believe their are people out there saying these so called violent acts are killing rugby league and that the game will eventually die out. Rugby league is the cleanest it has ever been. Watch a club game in the 70s or origins of the early 80s and tell me It hasn't. I'm sick of people always trying to kick rugby league down. No one blames boxing or UFC for societies problems. UFC by the way is one of the fastest Growing sports in the world, it is also the most violent and brutal of all sports. boxing and ufc make majority of their money from pay per view sales showing that violence doesnt stop people from watching so I think rugby leagues growth and survival will be ok. For all those parents out there blaming gallen and others for their child behavior u hav to be kidding. If your kid sees a player fight then thinks its ok to go around punching people then you are not doing your job as a parent. You would hav to throw out your tv and force your kid to live in a bubble blocked out by the 'real world' if u wanted to protect' your child from seeing so called bad behavior. Also those who are comparing what gallen did to street violence are you serious. They say it isn't acceptable in society so why is it on a football field. The last time I checked it isn't acceptable to go around tackling people either. I think the world has gone way to over sensitive and everyone just needs to calm down. It's a game of footy after all. Bring on game 2. Rant over!
db swannie
Guest
Aggressive,nah,when you have people putting the boot into your sport (& stating absolute BS as truth) then you get a bit defensive. I notice you ignored the bit where I asked for Proof of your claims...that tells me everything I need to know ... AS for heading one way..bhaaaa where is the proof for that.. I think a 1.2 billion tv deal says otherwise.
Freddie
Guest
Typically aggressive League fan. I follow all sports, not just one. Record ratings? Probably, as the violence aspect will be hyped up by the media, but RL is a speck on the sporting landscape which hasn't got any bigger in over 100 years. Theres only one way its heading. That's a fact.
db swannie
Guest
Anything to back up the off field RL problems in relation to other sports ,or are you just talking crap to put RL down.,& I notice you wont declare which sport you follow. IS that because you are afraid that facts might get in the way of the bad light you are trying to put on RL..
Freddie
Guest
You do love the word strawmen don't you? I actually don't mind League, but I cannot stand the way the "physicality" (read violence) is used to promote the sport. Parents afraid of the "physicality?" No, they just don't like orchestrated thuggery, and I'm one of them. It teaches kids bad habits. Little wonder so many of the League players misbehave off the field. They're testosterone fuelled to the point of abandon, and are egged on by a simplistic media which has vested interests and cannot make the link. My point is that League as a sport only clings on in a small pocket of eastern Australia because of the frontier mentality, but the demographics (and attitudes) of the country are changing. 1 in 4 is born overseas, they certainly don't bring any love of RL with them, and incidents like this aren't going to endear them to the game. Why did I come on here? It's an interesting general discussion point regarding a sport I take an interest in (although less so than I used to because of the above points). Oh, and there's a reason there's no discussion forums on cucumber sandwiches. They are mainly inoffensive inanimate objects, and more importantly, they don't assault chicken wraps.
db swannie
Guest
AH poor Freddie .What sport do you follow.?????.If you are willing to hate on RL for a few punches & forecast doom & gloom ,then im afraid I will have to put you into the "Envious" category. Happens every yr around SOO time .Other sports fans & journos jump on the Down with RL bandwagon..Look at the comments from the Melb media Robinson ,whatley & co..:CAVEMAN" comments etc ..The insecurity of having nothing that can match a SOO series really gets them frothing at the mouth,& it appears you too. The funny thing is the next game will probably have RECORD ratings ,& I would bet you & the rest of the Helen Lovejoy ,"wont somebody think of the children" crowd will be watching. Simple fact RL is a Gladitorial sport.sometimes violent ,& for 1000s of years gladiatorial sports & activities have been followed . Not by everyone ,but if you think it is going to die ,I think you will be waiting a long long time.
hutch
Guest
So a sport which is currently bigger than it has ever been in its 118 year history will die hey Freddie? The only thing uninspiring is the desperation of your posts! Why the fear?
Steve
Guest
Well, given that my argument was that a couple of punches make no real difference to league and it's popularity one way or the other, I fail to see how you revealing the fact you hate league with, or without, punches kills it. You just love your strawmen, don't you? This is my point- parents who are afraid of physicality would keep their kids out of league or union, even Aussie rules, irrespective of fighting- the frequency of injuries incurred through 'legitimate' play should be a far more pressing concern. I seriously doubt the mountain of free publicity caused by the Gallen incident will make fewer people interested in league: tell you what, if there's a massive drop in viewing figures for SoO 2, I guess you'll have been proven right. If there isn't, well, you know the rest.... I do understand your point that you don't like or respect league, because you say it is anachronistic in today's society, but that is an entirely separate issue. As a side note, I don't like cucumber sandwiches, but I don't go to an online sandwich forum and argue with people about them.
Nathan of Perth
Guest
I thought you were being sarcastic until you accurately described Canada :) third-world hellhole sounds right!
Freddie
Guest
Well you've just killed your own argument by admitting its a contest to see how "hard" everyone is. Australia is changing rapidly, the old frontier mentality is disappearing as it becomes more globalised and sophisticated. Also, parents don't want their sons getting the sh*t kicked out of them on the sports field. League without the violence is a pretty uninspiring game, so it's only natural that over time, numbers playing & watching it will dwindle. Even in the UK, it's birthplace, it can't break out of the northern enclave after 100 years.
peeeko
Roar Guru
yeah, 2 punches in a whole game, ice hockey going great with similar fights and other sports have games.
Steve
Guest
Not what I said, but it looks like you're certainly keen at swinging punches at strawmen ;-) I don't like Gallen or what he did, but if you think punches in Origin are going to 'kill' league (which is the point I was responding to), then you're missing a whole bunch of points, including your own one about 'a juvenile pissing contest to prove how “hard” everyone is' Newsflash- even without punches, that's basically what League boils down to!
Freddie
Guest
Ah that's right, wouldn't want him to be a poofy soccer player hey? Not a "real mans" sport, because we all know the only measure of a "real man" is to be able to give, and take a punch isn't it?
Steve
Guest
Agreed: Ice Hockey used to be Canada's number one sport until fighting stopped everyone from watching. They completely abandoned the NHL and started watch Swedish Hockey instead because there was less fighti............ ......wait, that's not true you say? Some people actually like a bit of biff in violent sports you say? Well perhaps in a thuggish 3rd world hell-hole like Canada, but not in Aus, surely. Anyway, I'm off now to fix half-tennis balls on the toes of my kid's soccer boots so he doesn't accidentally bruise his vegan non-leather beanbag football in our padded garage (he's only 24- you can't be too careful)
Steve
Guest
Oikee, mate, no-one's replying because you wrote 'bare with me', and admirably progressive though that offer may be, I don't think anyone here wants to 'bare' anything with you.
Freddie
Guest
This is why Rugby League will eventually die. Glorying in brawls and punch-ups. All a juvenile pissing contest to prove how "hard" everyone is. Why don't these guys just get in the boxing ring where at least they can be honest about it? No need to bother with a ball.
Razza
Guest
Yes, those were the days Kurt. You and your brother (I could never tell you and Dane apart) bought a new dimension to Australia, tough, but clean, with the odd barney with socks around the ankles and you didn't whinge and I thank you. Those were the days when an all in brawl was part of the game and if there wasn't an all in in a State of Origin match then it was not worth watching with a lot of the brawls planned in the shed before the match. But we have to move on now and play 80 minutes of rugby league and try to bite your lip if it gets heated on the paddock, we are only human and the first thing you want to do is to rip your opponents head off, but now the players have got to show respect for the mothers and fathers who have taken their children to watch a game of league and seen on TV to better their own skills, not to learn how to fight, that is taught at school, well that's where I learned anyway. Also there is the point of civil action taken out against another player when one is badly injured, like in the past where stiff arms were common practice causing broken jaws, I wont mention names, but a couple of ex - high profile players have been down that path. So lets keep it as clean as we can, a tough game with a handshake and a beer together after the game. "GO THE EAGLES"
oikee
Guest
You guys see what you are told to see. Look, a high court would look at that Farrah Tackle and throw it out of court. Even in that clip the ref is looking right at the tackle. I have seen it once, the first time i looked, Myles went in a legitmate tackle, his arms out to tackle Farrah, his head clipped Farrah but the real damage to Farrah came from Myles shoulder knocking Farrah out. Your clutching at straws, no really, a high court and Barristers would laugh you out of court. Until you sit down and really watch the replay without biase, you will live in denial, like Gallen and his cheersquad are doing now, and then take the law into your own hands until you end up in jail asking why, and them having to show you the stupidity of your ways, and your blind passion. Amen. Farrah if i recall played out the rest of the match. ? Same as Matai does every game after being injured every play, ? stop letting these players con you, even Hayne hit the deck to try for a penalty, and lets not forget the trainer trying to get a player to stay down, ?? What was the trainer doing 2 metres from a tackle in origin?? Askl the hard questions, stop being conned. Plus sticking up for Gallen is a act of denial, refusing to admit wrong is wrong. Move towards the light, come over from the dark side, reject NSW., Or your life be nothing but chitlings. hehe.
Chris Hardiman
Roar Rookie
Oikee, instead of doubling your dose of cane toad secretions this time of year you should halve it mate. http://youtu.be/2jJbMKEi_r0