Did the NRL cheat Sandor Earl?

Great Article Pat on a serious issue. I have 4 points that I feel need to be reinforced regarding player welfare and cultural issues surrounding player behaviour- 1. The pressure on our young kids is horrendous and any comment about 'The Real World' by the roar haters should be dismissed. Try having a whole town or region talking about your prospects as a NRL footballer since you were 13 years old... That is before you consider that some of these kids come from broken homes and disadvantaged demographics and have siblings and family who live under considerable financial duress. The answer to this scenario is never going to be easy but improving the minimum wage and reintroducing open age 2nd tier (reserve grade) footy will go a long way. Lets not kid ourselves that there will be no pressure and kids wont be let go by clubs in their early 20's, but if each NRL club has to field 3 squads of 17 each week than surely fringe players will be given a bit longer to develop and prove to the club and themselves their worth.(I also agree that kids should have to play a season of reserves or turn 21 before being elevated into the top grade) I really do wish to see clubs put more effort ( & I know they already do a lot, but it seems to vary on the player and the club involved and certainly appears to be inconsistent ) into developing career opportunities from day 1 of every player contracted to ensure that a player has ongoing skills outside of footy that can see them earn some decent money. Just imagine for a second being that young guy who has grown up dreaming of being the next superstar only to be ditched by his club at 20yrs of age and ends up working as a labourer on $19/hour casual with no sick pay, annual leave or guaranteed hours. (before you disagree- there are plenty of young blokes out there faced with this very same set of circumstances) 2. In regards to ASADA and so called drug cheats I hold clubs and club officials 100% responsible. The player is the asset in this business we call sport, they are employed to follow instruction and unless they are out and out superstars have very little power over their employers. If a member of the medical or coaching staff tells a player to take a substance than I excuse a kid in his 20's for assuming the club has done its due diligence, even if it might appear to be shady the player isn't going to feel that he is in a position to question his employer. Sandor Earl clearly thought his career was in jeopardy if he couldn't get back on the field and prove his value, if he chose not to take the substance or even went to the media or ASADA he would honestly have believed his career to be over. What would you have done?? 3. I have little sympathy for the Dugan's and the Ferguson's of the world. I know for a fact that once a player's status reaches the level of these guys that they have all the support and education that they need. Each received an inappropriate amount of 2nd chances from the Raiders- How many chances do they need? 4. I cringe at the thought of blokes like B Stewart, G Inglis, D Boyd, B Teo, B Barba, G Bird and a host of others still being in our game after allegations of alcohol related violence against women. I am 100% OK with it if they are indeed innocent- but funny how the marquee players get cleared of any wrongdoing after lengthy investigations and lesser lights like Robert Lui get the book thrown at them? How many of these incidents have been swept under the covers?? When will the NRL step up and set some minimum standards for our game? just sayin.......

Couldn't help but think the problem is very complicated - Earl stated his mother adored him & put him on a pedestal so is the reality check of life for these youngs guys a problem. We can't all become GM's straight out of uni in the real world but these kids are spoon fed through their elite school sports programs are are potentially has-beens at 21. There needs to be an expectation that they'll be playing with old heads in a resrves/Intrust CVup comp - not going there if they are flops. Get rid of the Under 20's or put it where it belongs, after all the basketball scores indicate the players aren't ready for the grind of NRL. Although they haven't unearthed a lot of stars lately, the broncos have the right approach to the U20's, they play the 17year olds in it for a bit of experience & put the 19-20 year olds into clubs in the state league to earn their stripes & play with hard heads. The U20's is heaven for the naturally early developers from a polynesian background - big & fast at an early age, but the real game finds a lot of them out later on. Who remembers the U20 premiers from 5 years ago Those suicides are a tragedy for the game & do a lot of harm to those around them - ask the cowboys & tigers how their kids coped this year.

Great article mate, well done.

The problem is all the spare time the players have between training and games. The players need to be encouraged to pursue extra education during their off time. Whether it be a tafe cert or a uni degree it will ensure the time away from the game is being used wisely. Back in the day players were labourers or tyre fitters etc they all had second jobs. Maybe the younger players could get a second job to bide the time. On another point, it was a couple of seasons ago I was at Starcity two days before the start of the NRL season and I saw players 2 days out from the first game drunk and gambling. These were State of Origin players. Not a good example for younger players and the league. Coincidently their teams lost in the first week. I believe the Adelaide Crows have a policy that after game day up until Monday players can be seen out as late as they want. The rest of the week is 11pm. If they are seen out after that unless its an official function then don't expect to play the next week.

If he was a high profile player it would of been covered up

-- Comment from The Roar's iPhone app.

Very very good article and bang on the money. Young people have a lot of pressure at any time let alone in the spot light and without the maturity to deal with what comes with it. Like anyone they also need to earn a living, in my mind Earl did what anyone would do to get back to work and in his case keep the dream alive. If what has been said is true and that his "therapy" was paid for by the club this is evidence enough that it was approved, young people don't always question authority as much as more mature and experienced individuals might. I feel sorry for the kid. Someone has let him down, just who is up for debate, I don't believe it was the NRL but certainly his club at the time should of had a strict overview of what was taking place. The point of mental health in general for the players is a very valid one and certainly should be the highest priority for the game in general. Young men away from their support network, living alone or with other young guys in the same situation, and a lot of pressure is not a good recipe. I have read before that Australia has the highest rate in the world of male suicide between the ages of 18 -35 , and that's your average joe on the street. The pressure on some of these kids must be enormous , particularly if you take in cultural considerations. -- Comment from The Roar's iPhone app.

This is the type of input I expect on a forum and it's great to read. Keep it coming because there is heaps I still don't understand.

Agree entirely. Its a cop out to blame rugby league. Ray Warren is an idiot for gambling away so much money, plain and simple. Ben Barba just liked to drink heaps and gamble heaps because he enjoyed doing it. We are pretty simple creatures, we avoid pain and pursue pleasure.

You highlight an important issue. I will say that I think you are off the mark when you say that well known players turn to gambling or to drugs to escape the fame and limelight that success brings them. They'd have the same problem if they were investment bankers. Its more the case that high income and opportunity enable people to engage in drinking, gambling and girls. Its self serving to say ' the game made me do it'. And it doesn't aid their recovery from the mental illness if people think the illness is not within them.

There are many suicides each year in Australia, it would be normal (unfortunately) for there to be occasionally a rugby league player to be involved. There's nothing rugby league-specific about the two deaths mentioned. Same deal for university student X or Y who took their lives this year. There's nothing inherent in rugby league or university that can be blamed for someone's death because 1000s of others are involved in these 2 things without incident. You dont need to examine rugby league or university life for clues as to what mental disorder descended upon the person to make them take their own life. As for Hindmarsh and Sandow, I get the impression you are trying to paint these guys as victims. Its a condescending view. Hindmarsh, Barba, Ray Warren, Sandow all willingly wasted many 1000s of their own dollars on gambling. They are mature intelligent adults, I think. To blame the spotlight of rugby league for it is silly. 1000s of other normal people dont foolishly waste their money. Hindmarsh had a family for heaven's sake, he needed to be read the riot act from his wife and kids - simple.

Fair point. Athletes are responsible for what they put in their body, they all know it. Unfortunately Earl will spend a few years out of footy.

Hopefully now some people might understand the reasoning behind the AFLs health focussed 3 strikes illicit drugs policy. From the outset it was driven by the players association with a clear (mental & physical) health imperative. Those who want naming and shaming and full media access etc ignore that often players in such positions are not thinking rationally; may even have pre-existing or undiagnosed mental health issues or simply trying to deal with grief or stresses that make them vulnerable. Muvh of the above is no different to the community in general. I'm not saying they are special more that they aren't special however in saying that just as say with a boxer or jockey they are vulnerable to the interests of organized crime and that makes them special. Btw AFL also removed the old club structure of 1s, 2s & 3s. A shame. However never went down a youth league approach for the 2nd tier and I can see from some comments here how fortuituous that is. Todays GF illustrates the value of a system that allowed guys like Barlow and Mzungu to break back into the top level as mature aged recruits. The 2nd tier has to provide a broad pathway and a capacity for 2nd chances.

Great piece Pat, cheers. Rather than tearing the kids to pieces in the media, it would be nice to see some positive ways to solve this short-cut mentality in the first place. We all have limits to our abilities, some can run faster, jump higher or be smarter. That's life. It comes down to how you manage yourself, mostly through hard work. In this age of instant celebrity it is way too easy for young, impressionable kids to lose sight of what is important in life. A lot of empathy is needed from us the public, not ridicule.

Good story Pat, once upon a time there was 1st, 2nd & 3rd grade. Then 3rd grade was replaced with U/23's. While that may not have been perfect it gave the youngsters a way of progressing through the ranks surrounded by senior players.

Pat, this is not one of the best stories i have ever read on the Roar, it is the Best Story i have ever read on the roar. Not long ago i talked about Ferguson and Dugan, Barba. What i said at the time is saving just one kid is worth it for rugby league. Saving as in getting young players heads right so they mature and become better persons. You have gone a little deeper and again, when this situation with Sandor Earl came up, i said at the time the game needs to rally around Sandor so he did not do anything stupid. As in hurt himself. The pressures on these kids as you have pointed out is huge, and yes, i agree with you 100%, they need to bring the reserve grade up to second tier, and put under 20's back to third tier. I think i also mentioned that no young player should be allowed to play in the NRL unless they have had one year in reserve, (nsw,qld cups) . Great story, well written, congratulations on such a well thought out piece. Oh, my thoughts on Sandor, yes he did the wrong thing, weather he was naive, just young, or had little to no guidence from the club, surely now the real concern for the game is cleaning up all these areas and issues that have been highlighted by the Asada investigation. For rugby league, well i said it before, shut the front and BACK door for a start, dont lock reporters who love the game and want to see it thrive, like Paul Kent, Josh Mascord, out of the game, even Rebecca Wilson. Deep down, i think these people just want the code to be run well, like all of us. The real problem is the loss of confidence most have in this game now. Thanks for the story. I have been screaming out for intelligent writing.

Going off topic but can't stand players using pressure of big time sport to excuse their drinking, drug or gambling habit. It's such a cop out but it's the card they all go to because you sound like an arsehole for dear questioning it. They are just kids paid lots of cash living it up, much like the prats in the banking industry. Jones, Sailor etc need a way to defend why the tv networks and other media outlets should give them a job and its makes a good story. Very bored of it all, just come out and say you like getting off your face!