Controversy dogs NRL season kick-off
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Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Broadcast: 12/03/2009
Reporter: Sharon O'Neill
The National Rugby League season kicks off this weekend, once again bogged down in controversy over alcohol and allegations of assault. This time the drama surrounds last year’s premiers, the Manly Sea Eagles and their star player Brett Stewart. Stewart was this week charged with sexual assault and the club fined by the NRL after an alcohol-fuelled season launch went horribly wrong.
Transcript
KERRY O'BRIEN, PRESENTER: The National Rugby League season kicks off this weekend, once again bogged down in controversy over alcohol and allegations of assault.
This time the drama surrounds last year's premiers, the Manly Sea Eagles and their star player Brett Stewart.
Stewart was this week charged with sexual assault, and the club fined by the NRL after an alcohol fuelled season launch went horribly wrong.
The NRL has said 'Enough is enough' and has warned its clubs that bad behaviour won't be tolerated anymore.
Sharon O’Neill reports.
SHARON O’NEILL, REPORTER: He was the golden boy of the national rugby league, a star of the 2008 premiership winning club, full back in the Australian test side, and the face of this year's competition.
DAVID GALLOP, NRL CHIEF EXECUTIVE: Our campaign was designed around a young boy morphing into Brett Stewart.
PETER FITZSIMONS, COLUMNIST, 'SYDNEY MORNING HERALD': The worst phone call that David Gallop could get is to say that "Your poster boy, the one you've put on your calendar, for your year as The One has been arrested on a charge of sexual assault last night.'
It couldn't get much worse than that.
SHARON O’NEILL: The trouble for Brett Stewart began last Friday when his club, the Manly Sea Eagles, hosted a lunchtime season launch at the Manly Wharf Hotel on Sydney's Northern Beaches.
PETER FITZSIMONS: And a part of the culture seems to be 'Good time equals drunk. Fantastic time equals pissed out of my mind.'
SHARON O’NEILL: Stewart was drinking so heavily that he was eventually thrown out of the hotel.
At eight o'clock that night, having caught a taxi home, he allegedly sexually assaulted a 17-year old girl who was having a cigarette outside her family's townhouse.
NEWS READER: Once again the NRL is dealing with a sex scandal.
NEWS READER 2: The court order banning Manly's Brett Stewart from returning to his home has been extended for another month.
SHARON O’NEILL: On Tuesday night Brett Stewart was charged by police with one count of sexual assault and released on bail.
Hours later, after a lengthy board meeting, the Manly club decided the charges against Stewart did not warrant any action against him.
MANLY SEA EAGLES REPRESENTATIVE: Brett Stewart will play on Saturday night.
SHARON O’NEILL: For David Gallop, chief executive of the NRL, it was an intolerable situation. Within hours of Manly's decision the NRL decided it would ban Stewart for four matches and fine the Manly Sea Eagles $100,000.
But it was not the sexual assault charge which incurred the penalty.
DAVID GALLOP: On this occasion, clearly we felt that there were other parts to the episode which warranted a penalty, and we would leave the sexual assault allegation to the police and the courts at this point.
SHANE RICHARDSON, SOUTH’S CHIEF EXECUTIVE: David Gallop has made a stance. He's said 'This is not good enough and if you're not going to step into the breach, I am.' That's a great thing for our game.
SHARON O’NEILL: At South Sydney Rugby League Club the players are regularly breath tested to ensure they do not breach the club's 0.5 alcohol limit.
Last year the club dropped four of its players from match games when they failed the breath test.
SHANE RICHARDSON: It was a difficult decision but it was a decision the players made themselves and with the coach. They set the standard and when that standard was broken they made the decision that that’s what should happen.
(Extract, VB Gold advertisement)
VOICEOVER: Simply buy yourself a slab of VB Gold at a Cellarbrations or BottleO store in Queensland and -
(Extract, ends)
SHARON O’NEILL: The Brett Stewart incident has renewed calls for an end to the heavy sponsorship of rugby league by alcohol companies.
PROFESSOR SANDRA JONES, UNIVERSITY OF WOLLONGONG: If you look at sports like the Olympics and the soccer, they're sponsored by telephone companies, credit card companies, insurance companies, car manufacturers.
So there are lots of organisations that have money and are interested in sponsoring sport. And I think the Government need to take a stand and say 'This association between alcohol and sport is harmful to young people in this country.'
DAVID GALLOP: I think we need to recognise that there's actually an opportunity to use that relationship in a positive way and make sure that kids recognise that alcohol has a place in our community, it can be enjoyable, but there are pitfalls where you overindulge.
SHARON O’NEILL: Former premiership winning player Scott Sattler says the best way to keep players in line is to hit them where it hurts, the hip pocket.
SCOTT SATTLER, FMR RUGBY LEAGUE PLAYER: Something along the lines of a bond, a percentage of everyone's contract or a percentage of their sign on fee contract is held until the end of each season.
And if that particular player or the particular group of players haven't breached any code of conducts in regards to their club code of conduct or the NRL code of conduct, well, they receive that bond/bonus.
SHANE RICHARDSON: The most damaging way to punish a player, undoubtedly you could fine a player any amount of money you want, water off a duck's back in some case, most cases.
You don't let him play, it's a major thing to him because at the end of the day these players want to play rugby league and if they aren’t able to play it that’s a major blow to them.
(Extract, Rugby League advertisement)
VOICEOVER: Rugby League's State of Origin Series.
(Extract, ends)
SHARON O’NEILL: The mix of alcohol and sport has taken a huge toll on the National Rugby League. Even its attempts to build a fan base outside Sydney and Brisbane, by announcing a State of Origin match in Melbourne were very much overshadowed by the week's events.
CRAIG BELLAMY, NSW ORIGIN COACH: I'm getting a lot of questions here about a thing that, you know, is not a great look for our game. I'm trying to be here and hopefully push the positive things in our game.
SHARON O’NEILL: The NRL season begins this weekend. David Gallop is hoping it will be a memorable one for all the right reasons
DAVID GALLOP: We have outstanding athletes, athletes who are great role models on and off the field. This type of incident will be disappointing to the vast majority who are doing the right thing.
KERRY O'BRIEN: Sharon O'Neill with that report.
