NSW Catholic schools looking to dump Rugby League

[Bomber Bears]

There have been enough incidents now to suggest that this type of behaviour is a little more deep rooted in league culture than a one off, as you say.

Ben Cousins cocaine addict
Nathan Bock - up on assult charge against his partner
Jeff Farmer - wife basher
Wayne Carey - affair with stevens wife, accused of assult on his girlfriend last year
Gary Ablett - girl dies of a drug overdose whilst in the room with him
O'Loughlin, Burgoyne incident of a few years ago - carpet sweepers out very quickly there
Gehrig was charged with the unlawful assault of a woman in an alleged incident during Grand Final week in 2006
The brawl at a st kilda hotel with voss, steven lawrence and gherig
etc

But of course it is only rugby league that has a problem

Disgusting acts by the cronulla side of 2002, there is no doubt about that, but dont be naieve enough to believe that this is a rl only problem, it's a football problem across the codes.

Oh and the irony of the catholic schools not wanting to associate with a group of people due to a sexual incident? Priceless.

 

[1908]

Zero wrote:

im not sure, perhaps the class difference up there, with the rich public school types influencing the media corporations.... perhaps their ownership of the game lets them feel they can get away with greater criticism... or maybe they feel obliged to not show favouratism and it goes back the other way too far...maybe its the greater budget that the AFL has for marketing and promotion...maybe its just the tabloid slant the media has in sydney

Forrest Gump, my reply was to what Zero wrote. Try to keep up.

 

[Forrest Gimp]

Ben Cousins cocaine addict
Nathan Bock - up on assult charge against his partner
Jeff Farmer - wife basher
Wayne Carey - affair with stevens wife, accused of assult on his girlfriend last year
Gary Ablett - girl dies of a drug overdose whilst in the room with him
O'Loughlin, Burgoyne incident of a few years ago - carpet sweepers out very quickly there
Gehrig was charged with the unlawful assault of a woman in an alleged incident during Grand Final week in 2006
The brawl at a st kilda hotel with voss, steven lawrence and gherig
etc

But of course it is only rugby league that has a problem

Disgusting acts by the cronulla side of 2002, there is no doubt about that, but dont be naieve enough to believe that this is a rl only problem, it's a football problem across the codes.

Oh and the irony of the catholic schools not wanting to associate with a group of people due to a sexual incident? Priceless.

I never said that the AFL players were exclusively well behaved. I implied this was a recurring theme in the NRL, and that it suggests something cultural. That was before I saw the report (I watched it a few hours ago). Now, after seeing it, it's pretty bloody obvious...

 

[1908]

Yes and Gould writes articles like this

Double or nothing: Why the NRL TV rights are worth $1 billion
http://www.leaguehq.com.au/news/exp...worth-1-billion/2009/05/15/1242335881328.html


He seems to be completely forgeting that a AFL telecast goes for 33% longer than a NRL telecast.

It was written by Roy Masters.

His brother, Chris, who worked for the ABC did a story on 4 Corners in 1983 that brought down then league chief Kevin Humphrey's and nearly cost Neville Wran his job as Premier, resulted in a Royal Commission.

 

[BarneyBent]

Ben Cousins cocaine addict
Nathan Bock - up on assult charge against his partner
Jeff Farmer - wife basher
Wayne Carey - affair with stevens wife, accused of assult on his girlfriend last year
Gary Ablett - girl dies of a drug overdose whilst in the room with him
O'Loughlin, Burgoyne incident of a few years ago - carpet sweepers out very quickly there
Gehrig was charged with the unlawful assault of a woman in an alleged incident during Grand Final week in 2006
The brawl at a st kilda hotel with voss, steven lawrence and gherig
etc

But of course it is only rugby league that has a problem

Disgusting acts by the cronulla side of 2002, there is no doubt about that, but dont be naieve enough to believe that this is a rl only problem, it's a football problem across the codes.

How many of those are instances/allegations of sexual assault? One. Every other incident was alcohol or drug related (aside from Carey and Stevens' wife, but an intra-club affair can hardly be put down to cultural problems). Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying this is any better, but it IS different. League in particular has problems with instances of sexual assault/dubious consent. Aussie Rules in particular has problems with alcohol, and to a lesser extent recreational drugs.

Look at it this way: how many times have you heard about League players being embroiled in rape allegations? How many times have you heard about AFL players getting absolutely sloshed and starting fights? Each code has instances of both, but AFL has a whole lot more instances of alcohol and drug abuse, and League has a whole lot more instances of sexual abuse, which is why these distinctions are made.

 

[1908]

What you should be questioning is the reporting by the media, take the Bulldogs case as a perfect example, the liberal use of the word rape by the media was nothing short of a disgrace. The police new within 48 hours there was no case yet the media went hysterical.

They follow the same pattern, it doesn't last one or two days it goes for a week or two, maximising customers to ensure higher advertising rates.

 

[dan warna]

if NSW schools do start dumping RL it can only be a good sign and another nail in the coffin for this ridiculous game

for once Pell might do something useful

 

[handy point]

I can't see the schools picking up Aussie Rules as their main winter football code, purely from a logisitics reason. Much easier to convert straight over to Union.

That is, unless Demetriou and his Illuminati fingers get onto the case.

 

[dan warna]

I can't see the schools picking up Aussie Rules as their main winter football code, purely from a logisitics reason. Much easier to convert straight over to Union.

That is, unless Demetriou and his Illuminati fingers get onto the case.

ROFL dimwit isn't smart enough to take advantage of the demise of NRL.

as for union taking over, that is a growing sport so <shrug>

 

[Bomber Bears]

See you show your lack of knowledge dan warna when you claim union is growing. Union is doing **** all, as it has ever since the world cup.

 

[dan warna]

See you show your lack of knowledge dan warna when you claim union is growing. Union is doing **** all, as it has ever since the world cup.

ROFL

2007
Code Games Played Total Crowd Average Crowd
Australian Rules 185 7,050,945 38,113
Rugby League 205 3,549,126 17,313
Soccer 99 1,663,187 16,800
Rugby Union 57 828,123 14,528

between 05 and 06 RU took a 50% increase in attendance, between 06 and 07 went up a further 200,000 people in attendance from few games from 624,000 attendance total in 06.

don't have the 08 or 09 figures yet but clearly when you try and quote something try and get it right.

again another fail comment from a fail sport

yes RU is much smaller than RL but its growing

note average attendances and total attendances of soccer is growning too

of the winter outdoor sports NRL will lose to soccer soon as well looking at the stats

ROFL when you make comments try and back them up

 

[JimDocker]

I'm in a workplace where this sort of thing goes on. Understandably you must realise there is a massive sub culture in both men and women where this is acceptable.

Believe it or not, the only reason a lot of this information goes public is due to public figures involved. Most Australians would be shocked at the amount of group sex that takes place on any given weekend throughout the country, I'm not saying it's wrong or right but just stating everyone has differing oppinions.

Standing on the moral high ground on this subject is about as moral as the church with its collection plates, I ask you this who decided once upon a time that this sort of act (group sex) is something so moraly wrong that all should be exposed and condemned?

Now I'm not totaly factual with the details of what went on in NZ, however if what the young girl stated is true, then shame on everyone else involved. All acts of a sexual nature must be consensual.

The most sensible post on here.

There is a lot of accusations flying and a lot of emotive language being used. If the girl was r*ped, it was disgraceful. If the girl willingly took part in a gang bang as some girls willingly do, end of story. I am not defending rape and I am not defending men cheating on their wives, but there are many sexual preferences out there and self righteous bleating will not alter it. John's wife put it best when she said she would not want it to be her daughter. That is how I and I imagine most people would feel.

There are several places in Perth that are advertised in the local daily that that have group sex. It is very common and people need to accept that some women actually go for it. Whether it affects them in later years is a question for them.

No I can't name them. Does this mean they don't exist? Not sure of your point... I know they play/played for Cronulla?

I can only hope that you have a daughter and that one day she cops an absolute pasting from your 'heroes'.

Well done mate. Way to lose the high moral ground.

 

[zero]

The most sensible post on here.

There is a lot of accusations flying and a lot of emotive language being used. If the girl was r*ped, it was disgraceful. If the girl willingly took part in a gang bang as some girls willingly do, end of story. I am not defending rape and I am not defending men cheating on their wives, but there are many sexual preferences out there and self righteous bleating will not alter it. John's wife put it best when she said she would not want it to be her daughter. That is how I and I imagine most people would feel.

thats not the end of the story, thats only the end of the story as far as the law is concerned. no crime was committed, no charges laid, no case to answer.

look im all for people doing whatever they want and im certainly not against group sex, and there is certainly a self-righteous, puritanical bent to the outrage thats on.

but look at whats gone on here, the girl was 19 years old, and by all accounts a very young and emotionally immature 19, on top of that she was drunk. she was convinced to enter into a situation which escalated into one that was amazingly degrading, and left her permanently scarred. once again im not against people being degraded if thats their thing and thats what they want, but what happened here was someone who didnt have a sense of the consequences entered a very bad situation willingly. she didnt have the wherewithall or the good sense to stop what was going on, or stop it escalating, and she is absolutely responsible for what happened to herself.

she is responsible, but the guys involved are also responsible. they took advantage of her weakness and drunkenness to gang **** her 10 on 1. because there exists in rugby league (and other football codes too) a culture that degrades women, a drunk 19 year old ended up being sexually degraded, emotionally scarred and suicidal. johns is now being held responsible for the damage he caused that night, and i say rightly so.

just to reiterate, group sex is great, people should be way less uptight about it, but the victimisation and degradation of drunk teenage girls is not. and if thats what you get up to, then being publically humiliated and having your marriage and career threatened is probably just desserts.

 

[Ant85]

This isn't even group sex, but something far more perverse, more lurid and homo-erotic than most people care to ponder. It is deeply weird and disturbing...Give it a bit more thought sunshine...

It's called closet homosexuals.

Nothing weird or disturbing about that at all, they just have to be honest with themselves and stop preying on women to avoid their real urges.

Although what would be more scandalous for mucho, rugby Western Sydney?

Group sex with a woman, or gay rugby players?

I think the underlying issue here is gender stereotypes and homophobia. The gender stereotypes tend to be stronger in rugby. Men are meant to be big, buff, mucho, tough. Women are meant to be the cheerleaders, tiny little blondes, skimpy skirts, and objectified.

It's a problem with society, not a single sport or code.

E.g. Rugby in France is very "gay". The whole industry is targeted towards the gay market. Their calendar DVDs, where they're all posing nude, and rubbing up against each other are specifically designed for a gay audience. In general, France and other European countries have more liberal attitudes towards gender and sexuality.

We are still pretty conservative in Australia, and the "mucho male" gender stereotype has a major role in the way women are treated, and the way men behave.

AFL isn't far off the mark, just watch TFS for 5 minutes and you'll see. TFS plays very well to gender stereotypes.

 

[BuntonRules]

thats not the end of the story, thats only the end of the story as far as the law is concerned. no crime was committed, no charges laid, no case to answer.

look im all for people doing whatever they want and im certainly not against group sex, and there is certainly a self-righteous, puritanical bent to the outrage thats on.

but look at whats gone on here, the girl was 19 years old, and by all accounts a very young and emotionally immature 19, on top of that she was drunk. she was convinced to enter into a situation which escalated into one that was amazingly degrading, and left her permanently scarred. once again im not against people being degraded if thats their thing and thats what they want, but what happened here was someone who didnt have a sense of the consequences entered a very bad situation willingly. she didnt have the wherewithall or the good sense to stop what was going on, or stop it escalating, and she is absolutely responsible for what happened to herself.

she is responsible, but the guys involved are also responsible. they took advantage of her weakness and drunkenness to gang **** her 10 on 1. because there exists in rugby league (and other football codes too) a culture that degrades women, a drunk 19 year old ended up being sexually degraded, emotionally scarred and suicidal. johns is now being held responsible for the damage he caused that night, and i say rightly so.

just to reiterate, group sex is great, people should be way less uptight about it, but the victimisation and degradation of drunk teenage girls is not. and if thats what you get up to, then being publically humiliated and having your marriage and career threatened is probably just desserts.

best post yet. well said

 

[1908]

Most of the Sharks players mentioned were 19 or 20 at the time, only John's was older.

http://www.leaguehq.com.au/news/lhq...1242335881322.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1

Ex-Shark gives his version of events
Jacquelin Magnay | May 16, 2009

FORMER Cronulla prop Daniel Ninness has come forward and claimed that the woman at the centre of the Christchurch sex scandal had approached him and invited him back to her home late on the night in question in 2002.

This revelation occurred after Four Corners claimed at least 12 players and staff entered the hotel room, with six of them having sex with Clare. Ninness said he went back with the woman to her house but he did not have sex with her.

Matthew Johns has been stood down indefinitely from Channel Nine and the Melbourne Storm after being named as being involved in the earlier incident at the hotel. In a signed and written statement of events sent to major news outlets from a Glebe Officeworks store, Ninness said: "I was present towards the end of the evening on the matter under discussion seven years ago.

"I did not see any of the events said to have occurred and did not participate in any of the events said to have occurred."

Ninness said he became aware the media was preparing to name him and he wanted to get the correct information out to all media outlets at once.

He did not provide contact details to verify the accuracy of the release.

"We were gathered as a team in an establishment in Christchurch. After we left the establishment, I returned to my motel," he said.

"I saw a light on in one of my fellow players' rooms and went to see them. I entered the room, there were several other players in the room. I saw the woman in question in the room. I did not see any sexual acts taking place, I left the room. We were gathered outside the room and chatting.

"The woman who was in the hotel room approached me and invited me back to her home. She drove me to her home. I did not have sex with this woman. After a short period of time, the woman drove me back to the motel."
Ninness said he didn't want to make any further comment and threatened legal action if his name was associated with any defamatory imputations.

"I stopped pursuing my professional rugby league career in 2005 in order to pursue another career outside of football, and I value my personal privacy and life out of the public eye," he said.

Another former Cronulla player, Preston Campbell, now with the Titans, told reporters on the Gold Coast he could see no benefit in having others coming forward.

"I don't think so. I don't think it is going to help the matter at all," Campbell said.

"Whether it is going to help Matty at all, I don't know. It is totally up to them to come forward.

"But I am not sure whether they have to."

Meanwhile, Brisbane Broncos chief executive Bruno Cullen said clubs had to adopt a transparent culture to satisfy community expectations about the behaviour of players.

In a swift move to help counter the backlash against rugby league players, and with nervous sponsors across the code, clubs are looking at ways to enhance their community profile.

Cullen told the Herald that the practice of standing a player aside for a relatively minor misdemeanour and then publicly - and falsely - declaring that that player had a hamstring injury, was now firmly cast aside at the Brisbane club.

He said clubs had to be more open to fans about player misbehaviour and the sanctions that are then applied. He said the clubs have to be credible. "We no longer give out the excuse of a hamstring injury, when in reality the player has been reprimanded and stood down," Cullen said.

He said if he was in the situation of Cronulla-Sutherland chairman Barry Pierce - who is under increasing pressure to identify the players who were in the hotel room in Christchurch - he would name names.

"I would … but only if I was satisfied that the names were correct," Cullen said. "This is a new era."

Hardly the actions of a victim as you claim.

Why can't you accept the evidence being put forward?

The only REAL victim in all this has been John's wife and kids. Surprisingly the media are ignoring that line, surprise, surprise.

 

[1908]

ROFL dimwit isn't smart enough to take advantage of the demise of NRL.

as for union taking over, that is a growing sport so <shrug>

GROWING!!! What planet are you on. Union is in all sorts of trouble.

 

[Chook Norris]

between 05 and 06 RU took a 50% increase in attendance, between 06 and 07 went up a further 200,000 people in attendance from few games from 624,000 attendance total in 06.

don't have the 08 or 09 figures yet but clearly when you try and quote something try and get it right.

yet you completely ignore TV viewership..where Union is going in decline fast, don't you forget too that the number of people watching AFL in Sydney is bordering on embarassment(coming last place in it's time slot regularly)
Soccer is hardly going in leaps and bounds, it's crowds are on a slight decline

2007-2008 :14,610 average
2008-2009: 12,180 average

--
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2009/05/15/1242335880618.html

Up there, Cazaly is losing his grip on Aussie rules

GLENN THOMPSON threw a ball to a couple of bored teenagers as they kicked soft drink bottles in the red dust of northern Australia.
"The next thing we knew everyone in town seemed to be chasing the ball … soccer is a natural game for these kids, who are lightning fast and can turn on a sixpence."
What Thompson sees as the start of a revolution that will threaten the dominance of Australian football in remote Aboriginal communities was on display during the Arafura Games in Darwin this week.
An all-indigenous squad of young soccer players became one of the star attractions after travelling 1000 kilometres from Borroloola, a tiny, isolated community on the Gulf of Carpentaria in the Northern Territory.
Calling themselves the Borroloola Cyclones, the players caused the upset of the games with a 4-nil win over the under-16 Northern Territory Boys.
"They went through like a category-five cyclone. They really lived up to their name," Thompson, their coach, says.
They also put on what commentators called an electrifying performance against Macau, maintaining ball possession for more than 60 per cent of the game only to lose in the dying moments, 3-nil.
"The boys have made history," Thompson says.
How in the few years since being introduced to the round ball, Borroloola, population 900, became the first NT community to shun Australian football and adopt soccer is a story that will ring alarm bells in the Melbourne offices of the Australian Football League.
"Auskick people turned up in Borroloola with a heap of give-aways but it was a waste as soccer now dominates there," Thompson says, referring to the AFL's nationwide program to introduce Australian football to boys and girls in primary school.
Thompson, 61, a handyman at Borroloola School who played Australian football in his younger days in Tasmania, says soccer is a natural sport for Aborigines because they are so agile and swift.
"I'll make a brave prediction … soccer will eventually overtake Aussie rules up here because it is a global game," he says. "When you make the national Aussie rules team, where can you go? Ireland to play some bastardised form of the game?"
John Pluto, 21, a stockman and one of the Cyclones' stars, says he played Australian football four years ago but is now sold on soccer because it is "more skilful and fun". His idols are the Brazilian soccer star Ronaldinho and Australian Harry Kewell.
"I watch them on Austar. It's a game that goes all the way up … everywhere in the world. The kids in Borroloola are playing it as soon as they can walk."
Borroloola Council has sunk a bore to develop a new oval for Australian football. But residents say almost everyone looks forward to Saturday mornings for "soccer time".
There are no formal teams but players form into four groups representing where they live. The goal posts are usually a couple of hats. "Getting a game of soccer up is simple … all you need is a round ball and away you go," Thompson says.
"I hear what people say about this being Aussie rules territory and all that, but believe me, soccer will start to dominate out here … and I predict that will happen when one day we host the soccer World Cup."
More than 3000 people from 50 countries competed in the Arafura Games.

When kids play a sport, they'd like to represent their country and participate in other rep games
RL and pretty every other sport does offer the chance for one to represent his/her country
..Aussie Rules does not.. only a chance to go to " Ireland to play some bastardised form of the game" and to play for clubs- and that's why RL will always be more popular worldwide than AFL

 

[mediumsizered]

When kids play a sport, they'd like to represent their country and participate in other rep games
RL and pretty every other sport does offer the chance for one to represent his/her country
..Aussie Rules does not.. only a chance to go to " Ireland to play some bastardised form of the game" and to play for clubs- and that's why RL will always be more popular worldwide than AFL

Aussie Rules is more popular in Australia than RL (& Union & Soccer). What happens overseas is irrelevant. Name one country where RL is the #1 footy code. I think you will be struggling on this one. Aussie Rules is the #1 football code in Australia, therefore Aussie Rules is the #1 football code in more countries than RL is the #1 football code.

 

[Ice-Wolf]

Aussie Rules is more popular in Australia than RL (& Union & Soccer). What happens overseas is irrelevant. Name one country where RL is the #1 footy code. I think you will be struggling on this one. Aussie Rules is the #1 football code in Australia, therefore Aussie Rules is the #1 football code in more countries than RL is the #1 football code.

Aussie Rules is also the #1 code in Nauru

 

[gostk86]

Aussie Rules is more popular in Australia than RL (& Union & Soccer). What happens overseas is irrelevant. Name one country where RL is the #1 footy code. I think you will be struggling on this one. Aussie Rules is the #1 football code in Australia, therefore Aussie Rules is the #1 football code in more countries than RL is the #1 football code.

PNG - so they are equal
then RL is number 2 in most Pacific Island nations, inc Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, NZ (I believe)
probably 3rd in england and number 3 in france too

 

[ziad]

Aussie Rules is more popular in Australia than RL (& Union & Soccer). What happens overseas is irrelevant. Name one country where RL is the #1 footy code. I think you will be struggling on this one. Aussie Rules is the #1 football code in Australia, therefore Aussie Rules is the #1 football code in more countries than RL is the #1 football code.

The whole overseas angle is a joke used by soccer and rugby in australia as that is all they have to hang onto.

If you really want to be on a world stage go to athletics. Footy codes are full of people who play for the enjoyment and because they are not Mr Bolt. - a few turn out to be good enough to turn professional and a couple make a national team based on subjective selection.

If this is not so explain to me the NFL and the NBA (where stars treat the Olympics as a joke).

If you still think codes are selected by kids based on national selection get along to country football or similar.

If you cant work it out forget it you have no sole.

 

[Chook Norris]

Aussie Rules is more popular in Australia than RL (& Union & Soccer). What happens overseas is irrelevant. Name one country where RL is the #1 footy code. I think you will be struggling on this one. Aussie Rules is the #1 football code in Australia, therefore Aussie Rules is the #1 football code in more countries than RL is the #1 football code.

Um do you have any stats to reinforce your first statement? Don't say..AFL is played in more states and therefore must be more popular, because that i b*t shit

Name one country where RL is the #1 footy code

Papua New Guinea. fact

Name me one country where AFL is the national sport (Aus is still up for debate) .. Ok, you'll say Nauru.. with a population of less than 15,000
PNG has a population of over 4 million

Name me another country where more than 1,000 people know what AFL is

What happens overseas is irrelevant.

What happens overseas is extremely relevant..which is exactly why soccer will always have the edge over its competitors

 

[dan warna]

BWAHAHAHAHAHA

1908 has no facts to back up his post just an airy fairy article link and some wishful thinking.

if soccer does take over AFL, then it will have smashed RL as well.

AFL attendences are about twice that of NRL games.

yes NRL viewing audiences in Sydney and Brisbane are ahead of AFL but AFL still STILL gets 500k to RL's 700k in viewing, and frankly RL doesn't rate ANYWHERE else in the country while AFL games get the big numbers NATIONALLY.

as for RL, well looking at international data sets for super 14, well that is doing very well compared to RL.

world wide RL is a minor sport world wide, and in australia its number 4 and probably replaced by soccer and RU in the next few years.

ace it the prime time for a Grand final is saturday afternoon, the AFL has already won that that one, the NRL has shunted theirs to sunday because they can't compete with AFL, why would AFL bother moving their to sunday, when they have already won the TV ratings, the hearts and minds of MOST australians and even in these harsh economic times the AFL has taken a hit of 1% while NRL has taken a hit of 10%.

so you LOST 10% of your attendance and have 3% more watching on TV, while AFL have lost 1% of their attendance and have 8% more watching on TV? and this in YOUR sports heartland?!

so what we have is NRL dropping off in gate takings with a small increase in viewing, AFL maintaining gate takings with a 1% drop while massively increasing viewing by a 8% IN sydney and brisbane, a growth nearly 3 times that of RL in RL heartland

AND THIS FROM AN ARTICLE POSTED BY A RL FAN ON ANTHER THREAD!!!!

ROFL completely laughable.

even with idiots like dimwit in charge AFL is growing FASTER than NRL.

RU is growing faster than NRL, and soccer is growing faster than NRL.

by attendance NRL is declining at 10% and not even picking up that % in TV ratings.

these are the facts as POSTED in articles in the other thread that tried and pitifully failed to bag Australian Rules Football.

seriously folks like 1908 shouldn't bother debating on threads like this when they are clearly and easily proven wrong, often with their own material they post as evidence

 

[RUNVS]

Why does this thread even exist. I was at school for 13 years in Sydney and i never once had any professional football team come to my schools.

I honestly dont care what the Catholic schools are doing because as far as im concerned they shouldnt exist.