Last night on The NRL Footy Show we got a great snapshot of what a rugby league club is really all about.
I wish we hadn’t got it, because that would mean Alex McKinnon wasn’t lying in a hospital bed after the awful accident in Monday night’s game between Newcastle and Melbourne.
But it did happen, so now everyone involved has to deal with it, while the rest of us look on and hope for the best.
The Footy Show isn’t known for devoting extended periods of time to serious topics, but last night was different.
It opened on this most serious of topics, inviting Knights great Danny Buderus, via a video hook-up, and the club’s chief executive, Matt Gidley, in the studio, to give the audience an appreciation of the person McKinnon is and how everyone at the club was coping.
Buderus, we learned, had become close to McKinnon since returning from England to finish his career in the NRL.
He appeared to be struggling to hold back tears a couple of times as he talked about McKinnon and the terrible circumstances the 22-year-old now finds himself in.
Gidley, it was clear, was also gutted by what had happened.
Andrew Johns spoke with feeling as a Knights great. He and the rest of the panel, led by host Paul Vautin, handled the segment very well.
Until Monday night, much of the recent news about the Knights had surrounded Nathan Tinkler’s ownership of the club and whether it would continue, given the state of his business affairs.
That remains a story, but the situation with McKinnon reminds us that at the end of the day a football club, in any code, is about the people involved, at all levels.
It is the quality of those people and how much they are prepared to give of themselves that determines how successful a club will be, and Newcastle has always been one of those clubs where the people give a lot.
We were reminded of that last night.
It was important television if you are a league fan, or even just a casual sports fan, because it brought into focus what we are really dealing with here – people.
Also on The Footy Show last night was a very revealing interview with Penrith star Jamal Idris and his parents.
Interviewer Yvonne Sampson did a great job with her treatment of the subject and Idris didn’t put up any shutters. We discovered a lot more about him.
Sampson has done a couple of very good pieces like that now this season.
Last night was an example of what The Footy Show, particularly with its treatment of the McKinnon story, can be like when it trades a bit of the slapstick for a bit more of the serious.
We all wish, of course, that the seriousness had not been brought on by an incident which has impacted so heavily on an individual and those around him.
Everyone in the game is feeling for McKinnon, and the player who will eventually face the judiciary over the incident, Jordan McLean, deserves our consideration as well.
He obviously didn’t mean for anything like this to happen and would presumably be finding it difficult to cope with the situation.
McKinnon’s teammates will have to go out and play a game this weekend, and it would be hard for them to prepare for that, given the circumstances.
But, again, that is what a football club is all about: sticking together, and supporting each other.
Lenore
Guest
Football tackles, in the old days, was about a player tackling the peson with the bloody ball\. brought him down around the ankles, knees, hips, back. The tackler didn;t call in the pack to assist. The Storm player is not at fault here. Rugby League rules are to blame. It is player on player, not pack on player. Bring back some talent and get the thuggery mob out of the game. That unfortunate player is not guilty of alex's condition, because rugby league rules created it.l
Kazzie
Guest
I think you will find that they were all struggling with this situation and may not have realised they were talking in the past tense about Alex. This situation has given everyone a reality check in that your life can change in the blink of an eye like it has for Alex. They were trying to do the right thing and I for one will not crucify them for this. Given that Danny Buderus and Matt Gidley were probably struggling to keep It together, they did a pretty good job. I am a knights fan and I am proud of how my club is dealing with this situation, while there is a lot of blame games on different rugby league forums, the knights have avoided blaming anyone and have focused purely on the welfare of Alex, his family and the rest of the team. Something we can all learn from. Sometimes in life tragic accidents happen.
robdowney
Roar Rookie
why is there a picture again?
Alana Tobias-Webb
Guest
I was listening to the secret today and heard the story of Morris Goodman aka the miracle man and thought of Alex after watching the show... Would love his family and Alex to read or watch the story and I pray it'll bring inspiration and a fast recovery to him x
Greg Prichard
Guest
You should be criticising Erin Molan for copping it then.
Lion Down Under
Guest
Well said. I thought both the Alex McKinnon and Jamal Idris pieces were very good, though my wife did pick up on the past tense thing and said "he's not dead, I hope his family isn't watching this". The Footy Show could do with a new direction, as others have said a 90/10 split between serious and mucking about. Beau Ryan is genuinely funny so keep his interruptions and "Beau Knows" and get rid of the rest of the cringy, highly scripted stuff. Get rid of Slats, Fatty, Big Marn and ration Andrew Johns to serious discussion about the game, he just isn't funny. I agree about Erin Molan as well - she needs to go back to being a journalist and lose the uunnecessary glamour. A bit of discussion of the games played, the games to come and some in-depth player profiles or discussions on part of the game with the laughs coming naturally rather than forced and it would be a good show. Oh, and a weekly segment on grass roots, especially bush, footy.
Hoy
Roar Guru
I thought that talking about McKinnon like he was dead was very poor. "He was a wonderful person..." and I was also bombarded with "that is why we all love this game" 100 times last night as well. It was a bit too much, and not necessary I didn't think. It was almost laboured... "Make sure you tell them all that we love the game..." In regards to Molan, here is a legitimate female reporter with skill... and they dress her up and say what a good sort she is, and give her some fluff piece like the Molan files or something, which is what the players are twittering... Crazy waste of talent. I used to love the Footy Show, but over the last few years, I am tiring of them pandering to the lowest common denominator more and more, and I crave a bit more serious analysis.
Scott
Guest
Something like this was always going to happen when you have got a third man running in thinking that he is so tough. Not so tough when the first two are taking all control away from the man with the ball. Rugby league is meant to be one for the tough. Not the stupid!!
Epiquin
Roar Guru
One of the reason's the Footy Show was so popular during it's first few years was that it was the first time that fans could get to know their favourite players as 'characters.' it showed us their personality and help us familiarise with them. Much of this has been lost in recent years, but stories like the Jamal Idris piece last night are a great step in helping us get back to that. The Footy Show needs to be the right mix of serious discussion about footy and getting up close and personal with the players. Anything humorous should just be allowed to happen naturally instead of being scripted.
Don
Roar Rookie
Segments like last night's shows there is room in the NRL broadcast spectrum for a more serious and less "blokey" program that talks more about the teams, stats and tactics as well as touching on what happens with players away from the game day. I think Fox Footy's AFL 360 and On the Couch best show what can be acheived by not filling a panel with ex players and loudmouths. It is entertaining, informative, isn't afraid to delve into deeper stuff and offer an opinion and balances all that with some lighter stuff from guests and the funnier sides of the game. For comedic relief they have a separate show like "After the Bounce" which is really Fox's version of the Footy Show. I love the way the AFL experts like David King dissect a game plan. We don't see much of that in NRL at all. Sterlo tries it but again, there is an excess of "wise cracks" across his show almost as if they are in fear of not having something to laugh at every 5 minutes. It is a sad state of affairs that broadcasters keep dumbing down NRL programs and disrespect the intelligence of the potential NRL audience.
Pot Stirrer
Guest
There was a good story on the project last night about an injured rugby player.
Greg Prichard
Guest
It is one of the truly great initiatives, started purely out of love for the game by a group of like-minded individuals who just wanted to help. And they do help - enormously.
Worlds Biggest
Guest
Tiger, that is very disappointing Randwick didn't support you. I know a couple of guys who also suffered the same injury and there Rugby Clubs were fantastic and still are. Rugby could certainly do with a similar organsitation.
Midfielder
Guest
Maybe it was not the time ... however what HHHMMMM annoyed me HHHMMM nay made me think ... Many many years ago I was back slammed in a tackle with my head hitting a cricket pitch in the centre of the park it was the last game I played I was giddy for months... Lifting tackles of whatever kind often lead to a person head slammed into the ground the risk of a spinal injury is very real as is the long term effects.... at what point does a show like the footy show take a very hard look at all tackles where a players head hits the ground first or as the shoulder charge rules today re the head contact .. What about a rule that says no tackling above where the chest meets the tummy ... and no lifting at all...
Worlds Biggest
Guest
Greg you will remember Max " Man about town " Brown. Terrific guy. He was one of the pioneers who help start up Men of League, fantastic initiative.
Greg Prichard
Guest
I didn't miss the unfortunate references in the past tense. It was clumsy of those responsible, but obviously not deliberate and I was prepared to let it slide because I thought what the show was trying to do overall was good. The Footy Show obviously isn't perfect, far from it, and there are personnel changes that could - and should - be made. I don't understand what Michael Slater, for instance, is doing on the show at all. But last night was a change of direction that I think they should stick with, so I wanted to encourage that. I take your point regarding Erin Molan. It's a fair one.
Greg Prichard
Guest
Men of League is indeed a very fine group. Thanks for your insight and keen observations, Tiger.
BA Sports
Guest
I can't believe this article and this view by both Tim and Greg as journalists. The constant reference to Alex in the past tense was cringe worthy. It only highlighted to me that the past players who have zero command for the English language shouldn't be on television or radio. If Karl Stefanovic or David Koch had referred to him in the past tense they would have been crucified - rightly. I could just imagine his poor family sitting there yelling at the television - "he isn't dead!" And while I am at it, can someone tell Erin Molan, she doesn't need to dress like she is going to the Ivy every time she goes on TV?! Do away with the super high heels and just put on some nice pants and a shirt, like Lara Pitt and the other real female sports journalists.
Tiger
Guest
I broke my neck (C4-5) in a collapsed rugby maul playing for Randwick. Unfortunately in body contact sport things like this happens..it is no ones fault..it can happen in the most innocuous tackle and not in the most brutal tackle.. What is great is the support of the League community..let's hope it will be lasting..something lacking in Union..they tend to forget you after a while.. I'm sure it will through Men of League..they even wanted to help me and I hadn't played league for years..great organisation full of great people!
Greg Prichard
Guest
A 90/10 split could be good. There have been a lot of attempted funny segments on The Footy Show in recent years that simply haven't worked and should have been ditched as ideas before they got to air.