Its been interesting to watch the players uniting on this dispute. The players at the highest levels drew massive attention during origin and with threats to boycott the Dally Ms and the WC they are attempting to portray that they mean business.
That is, until you saw them assembled at the meeting in Sydney last week, and you hear the remarks made by one of their leaders, James Maloney. Firstly, the meeting in Sydney…I commented that ive never seen so many adults wearing hoodies. Half looked like mature aged students turning up for their HSC exams with the remainder their drug dealers for the afterparties. Fair dinkum..when you are arguing about hundreds of millions of dollars, you do so in a professional manner or else you are not taken seriously. Secondly Maloney considers everyone associated with Rugby League, outside of the 400 NRL contracted players, to be "accessories".
The contempt for everyone and arrogant attitude dripping from his statement should not be downplayed here. How many of these players think this way? Whatever good intentions some of them had has now been replaced by an elitist paradigm that the players are the only stakeholder that matters. Not the management that runs the game, clubs who nuture and train, coaches who teach and improve, sponsors and fans who pay for it and through word of mouth support it, the referees who control the rules, medical staff who make it possible for them to take the field, families who sacrifice for them to chase their dreams, security who keep them safe, the women who are flocking to the code in all types of roles, ex players who inspire and leave footprints to be overtaken, volunteers who give up a day every week to raise money and organise, the journalists who keep attention focused upon it and hundreds of thousands of kids who are striving to provide the next generation....nope, they are all window dressing. The only thing that matters is these 400 men who are already well compensated.
What a moron this guy is. He showed his true colours this origin series where his petulant responses to the losses proved how immature and self centered he is. No comment either about how every year the players find some new way to drag the game through the sewer..just that their opinions and wants should be respected as they are all that matters. Bloody disgraceful.
That is, until you saw them assembled at the meeting in Sydney last week, and you hear the remarks made by one of their leaders, James Maloney. Firstly, the meeting in Sydney…I commented that ive never seen so many adults wearing hoodies. Half looked like mature aged students turning up for their HSC exams with the remainder their drug dealers for the afterparties. Fair dinkum..when you are arguing about hundreds of millions of dollars, you do so in a professional manner or else you are not taken seriously. Secondly Maloney considers everyone associated with Rugby League, outside of the 400 NRL contracted players, to be "accessories".
The contempt for everyone and arrogant attitude dripping from his statement should not be downplayed here. How many of these players think this way? Whatever good intentions some of them had has now been replaced by an elitist paradigm that the players are the only stakeholder that matters. Not the management that runs the game, clubs who nuture and train, coaches who teach and improve, sponsors and fans who pay for it and through word of mouth support it, the referees who control the rules, medical staff who make it possible for them to take the field, families who sacrifice for them to chase their dreams, security who keep them safe, the women who are flocking to the code in all types of roles, ex players who inspire and leave footprints to be overtaken, volunteers who give up a day every week to raise money and organise, the journalists who keep attention focused upon it and hundreds of thousands of kids who are striving to provide the next generation....nope, they are all window dressing. The only thing that matters is these 400 men who are already well compensated.
What a moron this guy is. He showed his true colours this origin series where his petulant responses to the losses proved how immature and self centered he is. No comment either about how every year the players find some new way to drag the game through the sewer..just that their opinions and wants should be respected as they are all that matters. Bloody disgraceful.
