The Roar
The Roar

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Culture is more important than two points

Will Moylan make the difference for the Sharks? (AAP Image/Paul Miller)
Expert
10th April, 2017
55
1428 Reads

On Friday night, Penrith lost to South Sydney by a point. Panthers fans would have been watching the last minute of this game with their hearts in their mouths, only for those hearts to be ripped out and stomped on by Adam Reynolds, who kicked the winning field-goal with 37 seconds left on the clock.

Few were shocked that Penrith lost this game, after all, they were missing three of the most damaging players in their backline: captain Matt Moylan, Peter Hiku and Waqa Blake.

After a breach of team protocol last week, which involved breaking curfew following the Panthers’ loss to Melbourne, a decision was made by the coaching staff to drop the trio to reserve grade.

As I said, without these three players on the field, there wasn’t a lot of shock that Penrith lost. What I was shocked about though, was how Twitter reacted to the loss.

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Tweets like this were not uncommon:

“Dumb call to sack Moylan, Blake and Hike @PenrithPanthers – should have been heavily fined.”

“Winning is everything, dumb decision by the Penrith Panthers.”

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“They let down their members, fans, sponsors, teammates by not fielding the best team.”

“What if they lose tonight and miss top four by two points.”

“Anthony Griffin cost @PenrithPanthers two points.”

These sorts of tweets disappoint me because they contribute to a ‘winning is everything’ culture, which suggests that some extra talented players should have more leniency applied when they do the wrong thing off the field.

Bizarrely, it also points the finger at the coach when, in reality, had the players abided by team protocol (like the rest of their teammates), Anthony Griffin would not have been in a position where he had to discipline them.

Anthony Griffin

The most frustrating aspect though, is if it’s always about putting your best team on the field, what sort of behaviour off the field is significant enough for a player to sit out? If it’s always about putting your best team on the field, then almost anything can be excused.

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That’s simply not good enough.

There is a school of thought that as long as a player is performing on the field, fans should have no interest and no say on whether what they do off the field is right or wrong.

But the reality though is that we live in a world where the line between what is public and private is blurred.

Whether players like it or not, the minute they put on that jersey they become a role model. If this status is not something that they are willing to embrace, then perhaps they should reconsider whether they want to be a professional athlete.

When I read that Griffin and his staff had made the decision to drop the talented trio, I thought ‘good on them’.

By doing this, Griffin made it clear to his players that they are all equal. No matter how talented on the field, each player is held to the same standard. That should be encouraging to the whole team.

It made clear that the Panthers expect a certain level of behaviour both on and off the field. Those standards are applied consistently across the board and if a player does not meet them, they will be punished. Moylan, Blake and Hiku would have been embarrassed to be playing reserve grade and will think twice before making a decision in contravention of team protocol again.

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Dropping these three also served as a powerful signal to the rest of the NRL community about what sort of a club the Panthers are. This focus on strong culture reminds me of another club – the Canberra Raiders.

Think of the incidents with Josh Dugan, Todd Carney and Blake Ferguson. In each of these circumstances, the Raiders adhered to an agreed team protocol and a certain standard of behaviour. The same standard was applied and ultimately it led to these players leaving to play for other clubs.

NSW State of Origin player Blake Ferguson leaves Waverley Police Station on Monday, June 17, 2013. Ferguson has been charged with indecent assault following an incident with a female patron at a bar in Sydneys south on Sunday night. (AAP Image/Mick Tsikas)

You could almost say that the Raiders were disadvantaged on the field because they took a strong stance off it, but that view is short-sighted. It ignores that a positive team culture and environment is more important than the individual contribution of any one player.

I applaud Anthony Griffin and the Penrith Panthers coaching staff for taking a stand and for applying the same rules and protocols to all players.

The Panthers may have lost the game on the weekend. Big deal. To use one of my favourite rugby league clichés, a week is a long time in footy and there are plenty more weeks to go.

This decision was about far more than winning a football game – it is about developing a culture and making sure that every single Panther is all in.

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This will serve the club far better in the long term, helping to create a culture of which other clubs in the NRL will be envious.

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