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Alcohol-related incidents involving NRL players are like blowflies on your sausage roll on a hot summer’s day. They’re not going away.
Sometimes the best part about being an NRL player are the perks that come with having a recognisable melon. Sometimes that very ‘perk’ is the worst part of all.
I can feel the atmosphere change when a bunch of footballers enter a room, especially at the more popular watering holes.
The public often recognise players faces and unfortunately, from this moment forth, the player is under a Big Brother microscope.
Every single move a player makes will be watched closely and if a player so much as knocks a drink over as he’s getting out of his seat, it may very well make front page ‘news’ the following day.
“DRUNKEN SUPERSTAR SMASHES BEER GLASS.”
See how easy that was? I just made a simple, everyday mistake seem like a huge issue with a punchy headline.
It doesn’t take much and believe me, this is an example of how intense and pathetic the media can often be.
Boring headlines don’t sell papers, so the editors beef them up to attract the masses. Quite often the story that follows a beefed-up headline is really not much news at all.
But hey… you bought that newspaper… right? In the end, it’s about money.
So who’s in the wrong? The player? The public? The media? Not always, but quite often, all three.
Sometimes we players may be a little ignorant to the fact that we stand out. Sometimes the public can overreact, then contact the media who follow suit.
Footballer, plumber, journalist or not, all of us who’ve enjoyed the odd night out could probably find a few moments that we wouldn’t be particularly proud of.
Knocking over a drink or two, getting into an argument, drawing unnecessary attention via being obnoxious, or just plain old having too much to drink.
The difference is, you’ll read about the footballer the next day, not John Smith the plumber… and that journo you saw drunk and disorderly the week before, well, he’ll jump at the chance to get that scoop.
What frustrates me is how the media often go about it.
The media will point the finger and say that a “NRL player is a bad role model”, then print a photo of that player having a wee on a tree at 3am outside a nightclub.
But guess what? Little Billy the footy fan isn’t standing outside the nightclub waiting to see his favourite NRL hero wee on a tree at 3am.
The only way little Billy knows about this is because the media put the bloody photo in the paper and all over his TV screen.
If your newspaper or news program really cared about players being role models, they wouldn’t print these late-night stuff ups.
Little kids look up to players when they’re on the field or at promotions and functions, not letting their hair down after hours.
I’m not saying the NRL player was right at all… I’m just pointing out how fickle the whole thing can be.
But as angry as that makes us, it’s tough cookies. Footballers can argue that it’s unfair until they’re black and blue (go the Sharkies) in the face but it won’t help.
It’s the way it is and it’s what we signed up for. Read the small print.
There’s a “No Dickhead Policy” in place at most, if not all, clubs today and I actually think it’s the way it has to be.
Now, we obviously have to be sensitive to each case, but if you’re a bloke who can’t handle his drink and stuffing up is a regular occurrence, then you won’t last, and the letters ‘NRL’ will only stand for ‘Not Real Long’!
You might dodge a few bullets, but it’s only a matter of time with all the new rules in place.
We have to be realistic.
Clubs are not going to be able to completely stop players going out and socialising.
What they can do is put a system in place that instills morals and respect into their clubmen and enforce their penalties.
I’ve been on the end of a few penalties myself and they do work.
At the end of the day, if you’re a goose every single time you have a drink, then stop bloody drinking!
It’s not like you enjoy the aftermath of constantly making a flip of yourself. You just lose friends and create enemies.
I’m very interested to hear your thoughts and read your comments on the above matter.
What system(s) would you put in place if you were the CEO of your favourite NRL team?
Eric Grothe Jr is playing with the Cronulla Sharks this season in the NRL, having previously played with the Eels and the Sydney Roosters. He likes writing about stuff that he finds interesting. Cheers.
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