Okay, let’s get murky. Underworldly. Pop the hood of the NRL and the life of its players and see exactly what is under there.
The Tim Simona revelations in the Sunday Telegraph were as sordid as it can get.
Betting against your team, betting against yourself, ripping off charitable organisations, and succumbing to a poker machine and cocaine use gives Tim the quadrella.
To top all this off, he lied to the NRL Integrity Unit, lied to the club and, most assuredly, lied to himself.
This is such a shame.
First, there was Tim’s talent. He was one those guys you shake your head at how athletic they are, wishing you were blessed with just a little bit of that (I blame Mum and Dad).
Secondly, it brought more unwanted headlines to the game at a time when the football was doing so much talking and everyone seemed to like what they were hearing. On two consecutive Sundays, the biggest selling newspaper in the country splashed front pages featuring NRL players in a less than favourable light. Rounds 1 and 2 were almost shot down in a blaze of negative publicity.
Does Tim deserve a lifetime ban? It’s hard to see what you have to do to get one if he doesn’t. In saying that, I have always been a strong supporter of rehabilitation, no matter your walk of life. Indefinite works, as long as we never see him in the league again.
Imagine being Simona and going for a job interview right now. Maybe that is as big a challenge as getting back in the league. Rightly, he is being supported through this transition by the NRL and the RLPA.
Was the club at fault? Should they have known what he was doing? It was reported in the Telegraph piece that the Wests Tigers gave Tim an advance on a number of occasions because of financial difficulties.
If I was CEO and had a player being paid $325,000 a year asking for an advance, it would set off some pretty loud alarm bells.
Based on the ATO estimator, Tim would have been paid about $16,500 a month (with around $10,000 withheld for taxation purposes). I am not sure how everyone else lives, but I could get by on that and I have a wife, three children and a mortgage. Surely you dig deeper.
Apparently, Tim lied to the club. So why not take the opportunity to lie away from the player? Tell them to provide documents, supporting evidence, family-based live testimony, or no advance. Maybe the Tigers did do that.
As for how the cash-strapped Tigers had enough money to pay Tim his advance? Remember, the club is now 75 per cent owned by the Wests side of the merger. Wests Leagues Club at Ashfield is a powerhouse and has increasingly supported the franchise financially over the last four years.
How did they manage that? I’d say it was on the back of increasingly huge revenues from poker machines.
About 12 months ago a person who claimed they knew that NRL players were betting on games contacted me on social media. Given the seriousness of the accusation I asked them to back it up – provide some evidence and we can take this further. No evidence was forthcoming. After the Simona revelations, they were back in contact.
My bullish denials of 12 months ago were not so bullish this time around. Could it be happening again now? Possibly, it would seem. Next time a player misses a tackle, do we start asking questions? That is the heart of the matter – the integrity of the sport. The purity of the contest cannot be in question, even though it has been questioned now for a week.
By his own admission, Simona was a heavy cocaine user at different stages over the last three years. All that time he was able to avoid drug testers and never returned a positive test (to my knowledge).
Much has been written and spoken over the last seven days about athlete welfare and education, with the latter supposed to act as a deterrent. The way Simona spoke in his big reveal in the Telegraph about using cocaine on a Friday, because he knew it would be out of his system by the following Monday, sounds like he used that knowledge as a device. Education cuts both ways.
It is only natural a proportion of NRL players take cocaine. In a guess, I would say it was a lower percentage than the average population in their demographic. Those who do are taking a risk, but their whole professional life is a risk – why stop now?
I hope that Tim Simona’s actions are of one who stands alone. If he isn’t, it will not be too long until rugby league followers will have no one to stand with.
The Barry
Roar Guru
So why wouldn't I be as brave?
mushi
Guest
Why is a loan doubtful?
Silvertail47
Guest
Keep my parents outa this grub , you piece of s?it
Mushi
Guest
I'd want to see the supporting evidence first. But taking on debt =/= bleeding money. It's actually responsible capital management, I think every major sports league in the US has debt and they print money.
Silvertail47
Guest
Wrong AGAIN BARRY What I'm implying is that in the real world you wouldn't be as brave as you are here behind your devise , never ever did I make a threat,
Mushi
Guest
And your parents needed contraception
The Barry
Roar Guru
That's not how it is at all. I've attempted to have a mature conversation with you a number of times without a hint of ridicule but you rant and you call everyone that disagrees with you names. You post aggressive comments questioning people's beliefs. Some of your comments on this thread are downright childish. You're the most aggressive contributor I've seen on the Roar but complain about being "attacked". Other people present opinions that disagree with mine and we have intelligent conversations about it. It's impossible to do that with you. I don't have any 'buddies' on this site. I don't know anyone here personally. I certainly haven't encouraged anyone to bully you. The fact that you see it as only you might suggest that it's something to do with your approach. Certainly would to someone with more self awareness. I haven't mentioned your grammar for weeks. If you don't care, I don't care. Now you're even responding with thinly veiled threats - "you wouldn't do it to my face" but somehow you're the victim. Funny you constantly complain about the victim mentality but constantly display it yourself.
Sleiman Azizi
Roar Guru
Who are you responding to?
kk
Roar Pro
Hi Jimmy, Penetrating piece to stir the thinking and the difficult art of player welfare. Honesty needs protection. Simona rattled the Tigers cage and upset the equilibrium of every lover of the GGoA. For those who need it management of a players finances and encouragement to use their idle time to produce for future benefit should be a priority at every club. The club itself should have the proper internal controls and checks to signal warning signs and the protocols in place to handle any problem at point of first discovery.
kk
Roar Pro
Agreed 100%. The Corporates must learn to advertise responsibly.
Silvertail47
Guest
Wrong Barry , I stated my opinion and like always you chime in with your attempts to ridicule , no one dare have an opinion round here ,no one dare object to a "expert" "guru" you have constantly voiced yourself against me , and why ? You don't know me , from day one you attacked my "grammar" but no one else ,gutless , rallied your buddies to do the same ,, it's simple stay in corner find someone else to bully , you wouldn't dare if you ever meet me in the real world ,
The Barry
Roar Guru
No one is attacking your opinion. The only one 'attacking' is you. It says a lot about your attitude that you think in terms of attack. I have no problems with your opinion, just the immature way you choose to express it and the fact you make no effort to understand anyone else's point of view.
Silvertail47
Guest
My thoughts exactly, let's see the gutless o es come out and attack your opinion, they won't , I'm sure though now that I've highlighted this you to will be feeling warm n fuzzy
Silvertail47
Guest
You need a ciggy
The Barry
Roar Guru
You just keep saying the same old thing but you're effectively arguing with yourself. No one - not one single person - is suggesting that Simona should avoid punishment. But you keep banging on about it as if they are. You're actually embarrassing yourself by constantly missing the point of what other people are saying. I'm not sure if it's deliberate and an attempt at humour or whether you're just incapable of understanding anther point of view and actually debating what others are saying. Either way you're completely missing the mark. It's impossible to have intelligent discourse with you. You just keep regurgitating the same pointless inner monologue. You're probably not. But you should be embarrassed by the immature way you approach this.
The Barry
Roar Guru
Brilliant.
TigerMike
Guest
He bet against his own team... Which came 9th by one loss... He bet against his own team on players that would score first against him.. You want him on your team? Hes all yours 375.000 per year LMAO
Sleiman Azizi
Roar Guru
Okay.
Silvertail47
Guest
You need a ciggy
Sleiman Azizi
Roar Guru
You are 'arguing' something that I have never stated. Either cannot read English very well, or you choose to not want to read English very well. Whichever it is that is your responsibility... But it doesn't bode well for any form of debate or discussion if you cannot understand what is being written. But at least you have at least stopped telling me to go to hell. Which was, of course, very un-Australian. I think.