REGULAR readers will know I have a low opinion of rugby league administrators – about as low as a snake’s belly!
The latest scandal involving the NSW State of Origin player, Mark Gasnier, highlights two facts.
Firstly, the game of rugby league, and its senior players in particular, have a serious alcohol problem that must be addressed……and that the hierarchy continues to sweep under the bar cloth.
Secondly, the game’s administrators – with few exceptions – clearly do not enjoy the respect of the game’s highly paid players.
Frankly, on this occasion, I don’t just blame the player, or players, notwithstanding the disgraceful behaviour that has been revealed.
The bumbling, inept media performance yesterday by the highly paid CEO of the Australian and New South Wales Rugby Leagues, Geoff Carr, has worsened an already bad situation.
Mr Carr yesterday morning described the allegations as a “massive beat up” by the media. Within hours, he had to announce the player had been punted from the State of origin team.
Some beat up!
But the same Geoff Carr has “form”. During the Kangaroos tour of the UK late last year, he had to be dragged kicking and screaming to investigate the theft of property belonging to team members, amid widespread allegations that one player was responsible.
Surprise! Surprise! The case remains unresolved.
If highly paid rugby league players, or rules players, or soccer players, or croquet players, drag their game into public shame and disgrace, despite all the exposure, all the penalties, then the game concerned surely has a leadership crisis – and not just a player leadership crisis.
Officials like Mr Carr are highly paid (about as highly paid as the players)………..they follow the teams around like minstrels – and do so flying first class, staying in the best hotels, wining and dining at the game’s expense – without any real accountability – and when they go overseas they usually have a “side trip” to recover from the ardours of the tour, also at the game’s expense.
Not only did the player concerned make an obscene phone call to a woman he either did not know or hardly knew, it has also been revealed that some of the NSW team were trying to get on board a commuter bus at 7:30 in the morning, full as state school hat racks, after a night on strong drink.
I don’t feel sorry for the players concerned, and I certainly don’t feel sorry for the officials whose weak leadership, and in many cases poor example, makes them part of the problem not the solution.
I feel sorry for kids like my nephew who idolise rugby league players and must find the behaviour of their heroes bewildering, and the mums and dads who give up their weekends so their sons can play league in the hope that one day they might be a star as well.
They deserve better, and it is shameful that some of the game’s stars, and some of its senior officials, continue to let them down.
Punt the players, sure, but punt the over-paid, under- performing officials as well. I would be happy to supply a list of the latter!