The NRL Players Fishbowl

By Adam Sutcliffe

It's almost like a broken record. How many times do we hear it? NRL player drunk, NRL player out too late, "Whats that?" you say. "You didn't know NRL players were human?"

As an NRL reporter, I am personally sick of the amount of stories circulating about NRL players lifestyle habits, social habits and where they are supposed to be or not be hanging out.

The latest episode involves the Parramatta Eels' halfback Tim Smith. And while Smith may have been involved in drinking related episodes before - is it really anything newsworthy? What has Tim Smith done? It's something that many males his same age do on a weekly basis - have a few too many drinks and get a bit too rowdy. It might not be nice, pretty or polite - but we aren't in the 1950's anymore and he hasn't killed anyone.

This time it's alleged that Tim Smith was intoxicated, used bad language and didn't have his belt done up tight enough. Come on, is this really newsworthy?

How did it reach the news? Some 'innocent' bystander took it on himself to ring all the local newspapers and tell them how it was horrible to see Tim Smith drunk and something along the lines of he had never heard such bad language before. Come on, let's get real now.

If the allegations are true, and while we certainly not condoning them - lets not string the NRL player up for murder. For example an NRL player cannot eat, sneeze or sleep anywhere without someone from the public recording every detail and ringing the newspaper gossip columns when the player forgets to wipe their bum or heaven forbid eat a meal without using a knife or folk.

It's time for the public to wake up to themselves, realise that NRL players are NOT all perfect and for these morons who decide to ring the newspapers at every instant, to really get a life and find something more interesting to talk about. Shouldn't we be talking about the Centenary of Rugby League on our doorstep for 2008?

Because if its the drinking habits of males between the age of 20 and 30 you want to study or follow - just visit any local pub or bar on a Friday or Saturday night, and if you don't want to hear naughty words then heaven forbid, make sure you are home before midnight, or your perfect mindset might be destroyed forever. Maybe our latest public critic Charles Brincat who took it upon himself to notify the papers could form a foundation or something similar? "The Society of Goodie Goodies against Swearing and Misbehaviour" perhaps?

Heck, it's a wonder this guy even knew it was an NRL player they were reporting to the gossip columns. That's all from this reporter, I am off to wash my mouth out with soap before the secret society take me away.