August 1907. Rugby league in this country was born in this month, 111 years ago.
One-time English cricket umpire, the always jovial, and much loved David Sheppard would very possibly be hopping around on one leg as I write – were he was still with us of course.
Anyway, I digress.
What I really want to say is to comment on how far the game has come.
In 1907, those gentlemen who secretly met in a basement of a warehouse to scheme against the popular game of the day, rugby union, produced something that was a breath of fresh air for many.
Forget that their meeting was clandestine and underhanded. It means nothing. It was for the good of the people.
A new game, a game which would be loved by all, was born. Forget the treacherous and underhanded way it was contrived, such skullduggery would never be witnessed again. It was well intentioned and that’s all that mattered.
Their actions, as distasteful as they were, were for everyone’s good and surely there would never again be such infamy.
Move forward two short years, (yes that’s right, an entire 24 months) and the South Sydney Rabbitohs agree with the Balmain Tigers to boycott the grand final because of the governing body’s decision to play the match as a curtain raiser to an International match, rather than a stand alone game.
Honorable I hear you say.
Of course, it would have been, except for the fact that one team – South Sydney – decided to show up, kick off, and claim a forfeit.
Fast forward 80-odd years and we have Melbourne coercing their star-studded players (most of who are now being referred to as legends and the greatest of all time – how sad) to sign two sets of contracts to try and beat the salary cap in order to win premierships and you’d be forgiven for thinking not much had changed over time.
More on now to 2018.
We have a set of triplets controlling referring, a CEO sacking a coach and trying to poach another coach (that he doesn’t particularly like, just quietly, but who is the father of his No. 1 gun player) who still has two and a half years left on his contract with his current club, and you have to start to wonder, “Has anything changed?”
Sadly, I’m starting to think not.
Still, I’ll continue to believe in people like Dave Brown and Arthur Beetson and Wayne Pearce and keep telling myself that the game I love, “The Greatest Game Of All” is full of good-hearted honest men who only have the game at heart.
I can live in hope.
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