Last week I was at a Parramatta media opportunity, as they call them in the game these days, when Eels captain Tim Mannah copped a grilling over the Corey Norman sex-tape drama.
It was unfortunate for him that he had to face the music, but it was a scheduled media call and the club was hardly going to throw Norman up among their nominated interviewees.
Because of the latest drama surrounding Parramatta, there were some media representatives present who you wouldn’t normally see at your everyday interview opportunity, and they were keen to stir the pot.
Mannah was asked if players and officials at the club had told Norman, who has now been the subject of repeated dramas, if it was time for him to “pull his head in”.
He replied: “I’m sure he has obviously learnt his lessons and we don’t know when the video was taken, but our job as his teammates and his mates is also to support him, and not… He’s got enough people getting into him, he doesn’t need any more of it.
“He’s definitely got people here that are obviously trying to help him as a player and a person, but at the same time it’s our job is to support him as well.”
More specifically, Mannah was asked if Norman was in need of a “kick up the arse” from senior players, to which he answered: “Oh, I think how we handle it should remain behind closed doors. It doesn’t really need to be public, how we handle it as a club.”
I respect Mannah enormously, I’ve always had good dealings with him, and I realise he’s between a rock and a hard place when he fronts the media in a situation like that. But I sincerely hope rugby league hasn’t reached the stage where the senior players wouldn’t be giving Norman a kick up the arse.
If Norman isn’t a player who deserves a kick up the arse, then who is?
We don’t know what goes on behind closed doors at training, when players and coaches get together. Maybe they still talk a lot tougher and make individuals much more accountable there than they will let on to the media.
But I can’t help but think it isn’t the case right across the board and that this is an unfortunate by-product of changing times.
Players are still part of a team, but since they began earning big money – and I wouldn’t ever begrudge them of that – it has increasingly seemed like the individual is more important than the side.
Not in every case, but in many.
As rugged as it might have seemed at the time, it was good that the media threw those questions at Mannah, and it would have been good had he made Norman a bit more accountable, publicly, with his answers.
I realise it’s difficult when we’re talking about alleged sex tapes, and drug charges. It’s all very grubby. But there are ways of making a statement without getting too personal.
Hopefully, harsher truths are being told in private at the Eels.
Parramatta are effectively gone now in terms of making the finals this season, after their loss to Penrith on Sunday. They lost without Norman, who had been stood down by the club after pleading guilty to the drug charges in court. But that may not be such a bad thing.
The equation was so difficult they were probably going to fail it at some stage. It is better that it has happened sooner rather than later, so that the accent can be put totally on future planning rather than some slim hope of still getting something out of this season.
The Eels, as a club, are currently the basket case to end all basket cases, but with the right management in charge the future can still turn bright again relatively quickly, once they get through this awful period.
Dingo
Guest
Norad I am impressed you searched all News Ltd websites till you found one that was a bit slow in putting the story up. Impressive work but you should concentrate more on your studies or Fairfax papers where the story was up in an instant
Squidward
Roar Rookie
I side that lost its first grade coach and then it's replacement coach in 2014. Stop trolling
The Barry
Roar Guru
"So therefore..." Perfect internet logic
catcat
Guest
For some reason people just get a hate on for Pearce. It started when he was playing origin and again this year with his love-dog antics. It's like there is a perception - true or not- that he got an easy run cos his dad is Wayne Pearce. Corey Norman in a lot of ways has a much lower profile player and just doesn't polarise people like that .....Mitch is a harmless fool compared to Corey !
Jacko
Guest
With the Sharks leading the comp with drug injected players playing for them when other codes ban players for 2 years for the same drug you have to question their season completely and for me the 2016 sharks should not be allowed to play until all affects and benifits of the performing enhancing drugs are out of the players systems. Seems odd that the majority of the players in this years team were in the 2014 wooden spoon side. Will a club decide to lose a season like the sharks did to win future seasons with drug tainted players?
Jacko
Guest
Perhaps those performance enhancing drugs are enhancing their performance??? Lets face it 16th in 2014 and finished 2015 in 5th and now leading comp. Please show me a side who has done that. The drugs the players got a 3 week ban for and essendon players got 2 years for is DEFINATLY assisting the sharks this year.
Jacko
Guest
Thats funny Alex when you consider that the Sharks are full of players who took performance enhansing drugs and are probably still benefitting from taking them so therefore leading thecomp.
Barry John Rules
Guest
Its been on the Telegraph site for 3 hours
Oingo Boingo
Guest
I did define it , but the politically correct moderators seem to have an issue with the truth , like so much of the lamestream media at the moment .
Merci
Guest
A tactic to have that threat hanging over the NRL in case they wont to do anything else to them. The NRL wouldn't want this saga to go on in the courts forever and maybe the NRL MIGHT give back some of the fine but that seems unlikely as the club has gone south administratively since the projected penalty was announced.
Pot Stirrer
Guest
I cant believe the lack of media to wards Normans drug conviction. He started the Night Dining with Bikies who everyone knows how they make thier money. Then goes to the Casino and gets arrested for Drug possesion. Seems The Dt is more worried about Poodles than Drugs.
Norad
Guest
Norman story was everywhere but no sign of Swans drug story on http://www.news.com.au/
The Barry
Roar Guru
I think you might be right. It still seems disproportionate. Maybe being in the pre-season there was a bit more attention devoted to Pearce than if it occurred in the season proper. Eight weeks seemed harsh for Pearce then but more so now pending Norman's punishment.
AA
Guest
Pearce was a fool and got what he deserved. Everyone accepts that. Norman however, was a greater fool. At least with Pearce, he didn't record himself in the act. It was done without his consent. Normans silence is deafening.
andrew
Guest
What have Shark fans got to do with 13 wins?
andrew
Guest
You need a definition of "Thugs" then. Otherwise there are entire football Clubs that should have been banished at different times...
Squidward
Roar Rookie
What have the Sharks got to do with the price of molly in parramatta?
Alex Green
Roar Guru
Hi Parrafan, I agree the Sharks also got off lightly. Perhaps the NRL might've considered point deductions if the Sharks weren't already clearly destined for the spoon! Also, while everything alleged may well have happened, the evidence was a little flimsy so it was harder for the book to be thrown at them. Ps. "Sharks fans in particular are looking increasingly silly in the last couple of months." - in light of 13 wins on the trot I'm just going to leave that there to speak for itself haha. Sorry!
kris
Guest
Here's one out of left field. Parramatta will do anything to get hayne back in blue and gold. If they get rid of norman that frees up a lot of cash. Parramatta are probably the most disgraceful team ever in NRL. They just don't get it
Parrafan
Guest
"Light punishment". Sorry how many competition points did Sharks lose for injecting band performance enhancing substances. How long were the players that injected said substances sat out for? Gee people have short memories, and I have to say Sharks fans in particular are looking increasingly silly in the last couple of months. Norman was a first time offence. Pearce has a long history with off field discipline, including alleged sexual assault and run ins with Police over excessive consumption of alcohol. . Norman will likely sit out 2 - 4 weeks and hopefully people will put away their torches and pitchforks.