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Rugby league has a habit of creating headlines and this year it’s Manly with off-field issues.
Apparently a group of first-grade players ignored instructions from team management to go home while in Gladstone and instead ventured on to a strip club, before heading back to the hotel for a late-night scuffle.
What is baffling is that these outstanding athletes are given a window of five to ten years to play an elite level of rugby league. During this time, many will earn enough money to retire on – which means that they can party like it’s 1999 for the rest of their lives.
But no, they can’t wait.
We’ve seen it all before, with many players having destroyed their careers and money stream before it really gets started. The grog monster has a lot to answer for – he’s made grown men drink their own urine, get very friendly with dogs and even defecate in hotel hallways. And these are just the incidents we’ve heard about.
Thankfully there are some exceptions to this madness. Long-term stars who appear, on the surface, to be responsible include Cameron Smith, Billy Slater and Cooper Cronk. Is it any coincidence that they spent the majority of their careers under the tutelage of Craig Bellamy? Or are they just special players who have the appropriate level of respect and perspective on their careers? I think the latter.
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As for the Sea Eagles, their recent behaviour is unusual – for decades they’ve prided themselves on their team spirit, built from a foundation of unity against fans of other clubs, who all seem to hate them.
Apparently Jackson Hastings created tension within the ranks, although Daly Cherry-Evans accepted a portion of responsibility.
Some compassion must be afforded to Manly fans, who have watched in horror as their off-field dramas seeped onto the playing field, culminating in a thrashing dished out to them by the previously winless Parramatta Eels. The key word is ‘heart’ and it was clearly lacking last Sunday.
But no team is immune to this disruption. Surely this threat has not helped Todd Greenberg’s hairline, nor that of all 16 first grade coaches. So who will it be next?
Although most fans aren’t losing any sleep over the troubles at Manly, they’re quietly concerned that one day it will be their turn.
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