Whenever we have alleged cover-ups or Mad Monday stake-outs, I feel like a media studies lecturer when I get on social media – without the pay packet.
The amazing thing is that while my colleagues complain about trolls and block people, I almost always have constructive conversations and correspondents at least end up understanding my point of view, even if they don’t agree with it.
But it’s draining.
So please excuse me while I kick off this week’s column by talking about the football. I’ll make a couple of points about Arizonagate at the end.
Even though it’s been missing for a year, the All Stars game needs a reboot. The introduction of a third team, the Pacific All Stars, would do the trick. So would a return to Suncorp Stadium, or even a move to another non-rugby league capital.
After tonight’s game I’m off straight to Manchester for the World Club Series and Challenge and this is a competition which has enormous potential.
There are, of course, limits to what can be done in a finite pre-season – a proper round-robin tournament is a bridge too far for the time being.
But what is to stop Catalan and the New Zealand Warriors being permanent fixtures, making it more international? And what is to stop a seeded draw and the addition of one more game – the final.
The highest ranked team from one comp would play the lowest ranked from the other in the main fixtures so winning your domestic comp would give you an advantage.
So Souths would play Catalan, St Helens would play the Warriors, Wigan would play Canterbury. If Souths and St Helens both win, into the final. But if they lose we compile a competition table to determine the two finalists.
The mathematicians out there would be able to come up with a fair handicapping system. In any case, the concept should attract bids from cities in the UK, Australia, New Zealand and perhaps even places like Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
And it would be nice if it was left out of the next TV deals so it could turn a coin that way too.
Finally, just a couple of points on the Souths Saga which seems to be reaching its conclusion.
“The public’s need to know” can never be measured. And as colleague Roy Masters points out, reporters do feel a “need to tell”. It is not, as some have said, primarily about job advancement or selling papers.
It runs much deeper than that. I still feel sick – and I mean that, physically sick – about having written a comment piece this week that was critical of Shane Richardson, who I regard as a good, honest man. I wrote it because I had to be consistent with previous stories about the same subject.
I wrote it out of something which I will never convince some of you that reporters have: a sense of duty. I am not for a minute comparing a football story to the things war correspondents go through but I think that even if you don’t accept I have a sense of duty, you should probably accept they do.
So if reporters feel a “need to tell” and the “right to know” cannot be measured, where is the dividing line between what is fair game and what isn’t?
A sports writer’s job is to tell you why teams win or lose. When a star player is stood down for months, as was the case with Ben Barba, and a premiership contender becomes an also-ran, it is the sports writer’s job to tell you why. The same goes for a change of captain.
So, bloke gets arrested for peeing in a corner – I don’t care. Bloke has to change clubs because his wife had an affair with the coach – do care because the impact crosses the sideline.
If the sports reporter cannot cover these essential issues that impact on the fortunes of a team, he is nothing more than a PR man. He is as shallow, expedient, glad-handing hanger-on – as some people seem to think we all are anyway.
That’s where I draw the line. That’s why the circumstances surrounding South Sydney’s change of captain are completely within the remit of the media to cover, in my humble opinion.
I completely respect your opinion maybe different. But maybe you understand mine better than you did when you started reading this column.
Now off to the football. My head hurts.
Steve invites you to follow the World Club Challenge and Series at @WClubChallenge and on Facebook.
Slartibartfast
Guest
Truth really does hurt
Bondy
Guest
paul We are living in far more different times now a days as most here would agree if that stink occurred today it would've been filmed on a mobile phone sent to most media outlets "paid for I would assume" and both players possibly banned from the sport for an extensive period of time . How things have changed and are continuing to change and rapidly ....
Von Neumann
Roar Guru
its not your duty, its not even a debacle in my book. there's a reason though why in 1910 it may have been a duty; but these days you guys are far too sensational, too often, for it to be a duty. I say unto you: steve - its a disservice. not talking personally about anyone, merely saying 'overall'. we have a right as people, in a free democratic society to be informed. But the constant sensationalism? Duty has nothing to do with it. I don't really care for the scuffles of players, ect, or that a club might want to keep it in house, because afterall, despite wanting to be informed, just what business is it of ours. NOT knowing this is NOT a threat to my life, to my safety, nor are we uncovering corruptions, ect in the NRL. There's lines being crossed there too. So these are justification pieces. Justifying bad reporting to earn more dollars. We know how it works, steve $$$$>ethics/morals. Lets not shape this.... I'd love to see more talk about the game specifically, not innuendo. Even if I wanted to hear about souths being quiet on it, I wouldn't need 10 opinion articles, I would just needed to be told
paul
Guest
While we are reminising of the 70s and 80s we played for randwick and got pissqalid after a game on saturday we headed to randi wixs on avoca st randwick owned in thise days by roosters captain roycy ayliffe my mate fought an old hard prop from sths called tony rampling on avoca st it was the best stink you would ever see went for approx 5 to 10 after it was over everyone went back inside and had a beer it was all over. It was different world back then
sam
Guest
Its not about what happened, but the fact that this was not made public is astonishing. I am sure there are many players who have been chastised would be feeling hard done by.
Basil B'borgnay
Guest
yeah, your keep telling yourself that Mascord. For mine, I can say that I had no particular interest over what the truth was with barba, but if you need to believe this to justify yourself then so be it
G
Guest
Why are Rugby League players and other athletes expected to have morals above those of the general public? Todd Carney was sacked because of sensationalism in the media. Honestly the people that are making the comments about these incidents should have a look at their own back yard, What are your sons and daughters etc up to every weekend? Probably a lot worse in some cases, but this never gets reported and pasted all over the interwebs. Finally, when did Rugby League Journalists start turning into trashy magazine writers. How about actually reporting on the game and the many positive things that happen everyday.
nerval
Guest
Oh well. I tried. It looks as if Steve doesn't have anything to say about this...
Sleiman Azizi
Roar Guru
The earthquake ought to get 6 weeks.
Mark
Guest
Why have not reportrd the 4.7 magnitude earthquake that only 2 hours before woke players up and spooked 2 young dads
rossco
Guest
Agree completely. Sums it all up. Two guys go into a bar and get drunk, behave boorishly. When news gets out it is like the fisherman's latest catch - the story grows and grows. Can Sheesh or anyone else tell us where the idea Burgess picked up a bouncer and drove him headfirst into the floor came from? Or was it the bouncer had him in a headlock and Burgess freed himself as anyone would try to do. Burgess was the greater sinner but the focus is on Sutton. Why? Because he is still with Souths? Suspect so.
Justthetip
Guest
Steve your a credit to yourself and the code owes you a lot in my opinion. Your heart is in the right place and by reporting as you know you should your putting rugby league first. Some of your colleagues are far behind when it comes to morals. Being 100% honest as someone suggested is flawed in my opinion, because each individuals honest account is quite literally their point of view and can differ. If I was Shane Richardson I would try to limit any media leaks of the incident and deal out internal punishments because I believe a good leader has to balance discipline with caring for his players well being. I honestly have no idea what Shane did I just know what I would have done in his position. The people around a Shane or Wayne Bennett are far better off because of the influence of their decisions even (and often especially) when they're called into question. I believe Shane's influence in the nrl won't be halted because enough of the right people know he's a man of integrity. The same can be said for you. So hold your head high and keep providing us fans with more of what we need from you.
Slartibartfast
Guest
"Picked up a bouncer or a barmen or a member of the public and driven him into the ground head first" is this statement from an eye witness or another example of sensational exaggerated writing. You would make a great News Ltd. so called journalist. You forgot to add baby and small fluffy puppy dog to the list.
Fairs Fair
Guest
What grates is Rothfield wailing about why Richardson was not 100 % open with disclosure and how he as not being up front yet Rothfield was defending Cronulla players using every tactic to avoid fronting and telling the truth to relevant authorities over peptide abuse for over a year What is the bigger blight on the game?
Sleiman Azizi
Roar Guru
I think I'd go mad if league were just that.
David
Guest
Well said Hamnur, no internationals none of the fluff, just high quality club football 26 weeks a year.
nerval
Guest
Here's an example of sports journalism from one of your colleagues on the SMH: “Willie Mason. As ever, we know the league season can’t be far away when Willie has made a dickhead of himself. Couldn’t follow it, but seems he committed some very minor atrocity in Auckland.” The writer above abuses someone for being a “dickhead” while admitting he hasn’t “followed” the story but nonetheless delivers a searing contradiction in terms as summary: “minor atrocity” – the latter word being denuded of its force (think of what’s happening in the Middle East) when applied to something as utterly trivial as Mason having a play wrestle with his brother. Anything to say about this, Steve?
William Dalton Davis
Roar Rookie
There's nothing wrong with reporters reporting. They're doing their jobs. It's when people like buzz carry on like it's some kind of mass conspiracy because Richardson didn't tell him about the incident. It's when Willie Mason gets blasted in the media for "anti-social behaviour" (aka play wrestling with his brother outside a stadium). There's the people who report the facts. People who give their opinion on those facts. And them there are the people who blow those facts out of proportion while adding their own theories while twisting the facts to the point where it evolves from a late night drunken scuffle to a (insert place or item here)gate.
jamesb
Guest
Great post Col. I agree, players should do some volunteer work. Say maybe three times a week.
Sleiman Azizi
Roar Guru
That's not what I want from rugby league. Though I think a 20 week premiership season is closer to the answer than not.