Code's been in last-chance saloon plenty of times, but scandals keep coming
May 21, 2004 SMH
Despite official condemnation, rugby league still has a serious drinking problem that is damaging the sport's image. Darren Walton reports.
If the situation wasn't so serious, you could say it was enough to drive rugby league bosses to drink. But right now is not the time to be making jokes.
Mark Gasnier's obscene phone call scandal is the latest in a long, long line of alcohol-related public relations disasters for the code. Given that Gasnier's offensive phone call followed a NSW State of Origin team drinking session on the very same night the NRL launched a $1 million forum into players' behaviour towards women, it can be argued that his regrettable act might well be the dumbest of all of league's alcohol-fuelled social faux pas.
And there's been a lot since the foundation of the NRL in 1998, almost all of them the dubious results of team bonding sessions.
It seems the NRL and the ARL have lurched from one boozy calamity to another ever since Julian O'Neill defecated in the shoe of a teammate and made a mess of a Dubbo motel room in March, 1999.
That was the same O'Neill who was once ejected from Jupiters Casino on the Gold Coast for urinating under a gaming table . . . while drunk, of course.
The same week O'Neill couldn't find a toilet in Dubbo, four North Sydney players were embroiled in their own alcohol-inspired mischief on another pre-season tour in Wagga Wagga.
A month later, Australian hooker Craig Gower exposed himself to a female Irish tourist at the Coogee Bay Hotel following - you guessed it - a bonding session, for the Test team.
The same week, Brad Fittler was discovered heavily intoxicated outside a Sydney police station after a big night out.
One police source at the time described him as "the drunkest human being ever". Whether he was or not, one thing is indisputable is this: he was drunk and he was to be named Australian captain 24 hours later.
At the time, Nick Politis - the chairman of Fittler's Sydney Roosters - called for an alcohol ban across the code. The ban never eventuated and the problems continued.
If it wasn't John Hopoate turning up intoxicated to Manly training (1999), it was St George Illawarra forward Lance Thompson at the Dragons (2004) - or someone else.
There have been countless other drinking indiscretions in between. League officials could be forgiven for thinking they had documented enough of the dangers of its players drinking excessively on a team bonding session, although some observers might say such a stance was naive. The league might have learned after Chris Walker's exploits while breaking curfew at a Queensland State of Origin camp last month.
Capsicum spray was needed to rein in an intoxicated Walker in the early hours in Brisbane. He was later charged with assaulting police, obstructing police and being a public nuisance. Walker put his hand up, apologised and vowed to stay off the drink for the rest of the season.
In the wake of the latest incident, the Queensland players - sans Walker, who was sacked by the Maroons - will spend the next two evenings at their Gold Coast hinterland base some 20 km away from any major nightspots.
The Queenslanders will play cricket and golf and train, and probably drink and be merry - but they will only bother themselves. Maybe other clubs and players should also take the hint.
Saturday, January 07, 2006
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