Simon Dwyer is League's Secret Shame

[Springs]

Well the major reason rugby league was created was for compensation for injuries. Why isn't this covered under NRL insurance? Dwyer clearly can't work many jobs with one arm. This type of thing is why our sport exists in the first place, it's strange that it's like this. Disappointing.

 

[BunniesMan]

We signed a billion dollar doubling the money the game had overnight. Anyone who suffers a permanent injury from this game should be taken care of for life.

 

[sensesmaybenumbed]

All NRL players have insurance, they aren't covered for career ending injuries and are instead covered for two years lost income under personal accident insurance. Is it adequate in a high collision sport? Probably not, but I would imagine it would be very costly to provide insurance for every player for career ending injuries. The NRL have said they will be reviewing it, and they should, but it's not fair to say NRL players are not insured.

Thanks for the info, I stand corrected.

We signed a billion dollar doubling the money the game had overnight. Anyone who suffers a permanent injury from this game should be taken care of for life.

You do realise they aren't referring to the psychological injuries you've received following LOL@souffs?

 

[TheDalek079]

Why hasn't the NRL offered Yow Yeh a job for life?

 

[sensesmaybenumbed]

Or Nathan Merritt?

 

[madunit]

I've been waiting for this.

NRL wouldn't let the Tigers extend Simon's contract & exclude it from the salary cap.

So the Tigers gave him a job instead. Given his disability he was lucky to find such a decent paying job so quickly. Tigers i believe paid a fair bit for his medical expenses.

 

[Big_nick]

.. And it all comes down to the fact that the mechanism of Alex's injury was via a banned tackle, so in a sense the NRL is covering their ass whilst also creating some positive media around what would have been a negative outcome for the sport.

It is not fair that players careers are cut short from the game, but unfortunately that is sport. It is not your typical accountants office and it's ridiculous to compare the two.

 

[madunit]

Well the major reason rugby league was created was for compensation for injuries. Why isn't this covered under NRL insurance? Dwyer clearly can't work many jobs with one arm. This type of thing is why our sport exists in the first place, it's strange that it's like this. Disappointing.

You're muddying the waters. Rugby League paid players a set wage (about 2 pounds per week) for every week they were injured in 1908-09

Once the Wallabies were paid, all players had to be paid & that changed the structure of the game. The money that once went to players to cover them for injuries, went to an ambulance fund to have medics & an ambulance at every game, as clubs didn't employ doctors.

So it was assumed (for lack of a better term, as there was no players association) that the money the players earnt playing, on top of their salary, would cover them for lost time via injury.

 

[El Diablo]

http://www.news.com.au/sport/nrl/tw...rl/story-fndujljl-1226902619156?pg=1#comments

Bull Posted at 1:26 AM Today

Are u joking?? Where is all the detail about Wests Tigers taking care of both Simon and his family and keeping him involved at the club, helping him study and gain experience coaching at both city country and u20 origin level ?? The Tigers have been solid for Dwyer and his family this is a misleading and unbalanced article. Joke!

 

[betcats]

I dont think the tigers have done anything wrong, the nrl should certainly be consistent with looking after players in a similar situation to Alex and Simon. It shouldnt take media articles for them to realise this.

 

[typicalfan]

Like many things the ARLC are doing, this is something the NRL are improving at from a somewhat small base.

I hope the Alex McKinnon situation paves the way for the future.

 

[juro]

The best solution I can see is for all NRL players to take a pay cut, even if 10 or 20%, with that money being used to organise better insurance cover for these sorts of injuries. Put it to a vote with the players union and see what they say.

 

[Danish]

Am I missing something? Dwyer had a job at the Wests Tigers, and from the sounds of it also a coaching roll of some sort with the city team.

How exactly is he not being looked after enough? He had to buy his own acupuncture kit did he? I guess a box full of needles and hogwash is expensive

 

[MuTT]

With the bucket loads of money these blokes are on they can afford income protection instead of fancy cars and what ever else they spend their dough on.

 

[Liddell]

I don't get how he doesn't know if he has a manger anymore. Surely it's his job to make a call or two to figure that one out.

If the RLPA hasn't contacted him, why hasn't he tried to call them and see if he's entitled to anything?

 

[Danish]

I don't get how he doesn't know if he has a manger anymore. Surely it's his job to make a call or two to figure that one out.

If the RLPA hasn't contacted him, why hasn't he tried to call them and see if he's entitled to anything?

I'm not sure why he would even think he needs a manager. He is not a player, just a regular joe like the rest of us now working a normal job.


Honestly though I doubt Dwyer even meant any offence by the few lines he is quoted in this article. The whole thing reads like a standard telegraph stitch up. Absolute scumbags

 

[BunniesMan]

Reading the article I never got the vibe that it was an anti-Tigers piece. If anything it was an anti-NRL or anti-RLPA piece. From everything I've read the Tigers have done a lot for him but they're hardly rolling it. It is the NRL that should ensure he is taken care of with a job for life.

People that suffer disability playing our game should be taken care of by our game for as long as they want it. How many tens of millions are we banking every year? It would take a fraction of one percent of that to give one person a job.

 

[BunniesMan]

I'm not sure why he would even think he needs a manager. He is not a player, just a regular joe like the rest of us now working a normal job.


Honestly though I doubt Dwyer even meant any offence by the few lines he is quoted in this article. The whole thing reads like a standard telegraph stitch up. Absolute scumbags

This is pathetic. They come out in support of a disabled man who has been left out in the cold and because it's them you disagree. If they said something should be done to help orphans you'd disagree. Play the ball, not the man.

Whatever the motivation, that article is 100% spot on.

 

[Bulldog Force]

I don't understand how this is a secret shame when:

• Everybody knew about this injury to Dwyer
• It wasn't a scandal or anything to that extent, it was an unfortunate injury
• When Alex McKinnon got injured, it brought the Rugby League community closer, it just proves that we rise together through tough situations!

 

[Hutty1986]

While his injury isn't as horrific as Macca's, it's still having a massive effect on his everyday life and the fact no-one's even bothered to check in with him is f*cking disgusting. Obviously not every player whose career ends due to injury can't be given jobs for life, etc but a bit of decency wouldn't go astray. Such a shame, because Dwyer was a bloody good footy player and seems like a good bloke.