Even if that were true, what has that got to do with David Gallop? :?
Mate, there is PLENTY of truth to it. I have friends who are both Sydney-based supporters and traveling supporters who at grounds like Parramatta, Brookie and Leichardt and have been threatened with physical violence to the point where security have had to remove them.
I also have friends who were eyewitness to the deplorable behavior of a group of Eels supporters last year. These "fans" hurled constant abuse at a little boy who was no more than 6 years old to the point where the kid was in tears and his parents, who in turn were threatened with physical abuse when they tried to defend their son, took him home.
And of course, let's not forget the players and the coach. At Brookvale, the players were verbally abused during the warm up (which is fair enough) and some "hero", it was reported, tried to get a shot in on Bellamy who had to be shielded by members of the coaching staff. I guarantee you, in ten years from now when the Big Three and Bellamy are gone, the next crop of superstars at the Storm will still be copping it, even if they were in nappies at the time of the salary cap scandal.
Verbal abuse is one thing (and booing constitutes verbal abuse IMO) but as long as you are capable of copping it sweet in the event the target returns serve with a verbal barrage of his or her own without it becoming personal or physcial, then folks need to their mouths shut. I have copped it (nothing physical, all piss and wind and fairly good humored) on the train from Wollongong to Hurstville from an entire train carriage full of St.George supporters who were all being egged on by MY UNCLE of all people and I was still decent enough to give as good as I got.
The point is, Gallop was only booed. It's pretty harmless to be honest. I doubt he'd by subject to physical abuse on account of being unpopular but I know plenty of Storm fans have been.
Let's take in to consideration instances of "fan unrest" over the years.There could have been a beer can shower circa Lang Park 1988 or Game 3 of Origin in 2009 (although we'd downgraded tom plastic cups by then). Or perhaps they could have thrown things like Bulldogs supporters at Kogarah in 2009 when they were robbed of a win due to a bad reffing decision and had to be pleaded with to stop by their own players! He could have worn an umbrella on the head from a supporter like Mark Geyer did at Campbelltown one day in the early 90s. Someone might have given him abuse to the point where he challenged his agressor to step out the back of the press box like Stuart Flanagan did with a Roosters supporter at the SFS a few weeks back. Or perhaps someone might have attempted to jump the fence and tackle him like some gobshite Tigepies fan did to a ref at Campbelltown a few years back.
Fortunately, for all the bluff and bluster of the crowd, it didn't manifest to anything drastic on Sunday and I doubt it would have at any ground regardless of circumstances.
Again, if Melbourne win the comp, there will still be plenty of detractors who will come up with every excuse under the sun as to why "the 2011 premiership is tainted", "the team is still built on an illegal foundation", "they must still be cheating the cap" etc. and the abuse will continue in to next season, and maybe the season after that. Will the players give a f**k? Unlikely.
