And only drink beer 🍻🍻no cocktails.🍹
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And only drink beer 🍻🍻no cocktails.🍹
Do you mean nationally? I wouldn't be so sure. What's to say the some of the up and comers won't dethrone them? Your Matt Toomua's, Lealiifano's, Bernie Foley, Kyle Godwin types are more salt of the earth and definitely seem to be more reliable if a bit less flashy. I would be very surprised if any of O'Connor, Beale and Cooper are playing rugby in Australia past 2015.
i mean everywhere, there didn't seem to be the number of "incidents" with players a decade and more ago and while some of that observation may be directly contributed to social media, i do think the pendulum is swinging where more players will get "into trouble", they'll bounce around national teams more, they'll be lured overseas by big dollars at a much earlier age and end up not playing half as much rugby for their country when compared to the players I was watching many years ago. I realised this emerging pattern after reading Rex's open letter to Bambam...
yep, I think you have hit the nail on the head there sandgroper.
there used to be a team culture of "what goes on tour, stays on tour". and that goes for any sport. and even if they did get up to mischief it just became the stuff of legend - 52 cans on a plane flight to the uk comes to mind. I imagine you'd be thrown off the plane these days and absolutely crucified in the media.
now however there is much more spotlight on players, much more accountability to the team/fans/sponsors and a prevalence of "social media".
boy will be, and always have been boys. I feel they just get called out for it now (rightly or wrongly).
Whether we like it or not sport at the elite level is no longer an outlet for a bunch of guys (or girls) getting together playing the sport for the love of the game and then doing what they want afterwards. It now a very highly paid "profession" that involves the same role model statuses that others in the public eye need to keep.
If players want to play at this level, they have to realise that there whole life even after they are finished playing is in the public domain. It comes with the territory. This is downside to the reward of doing a job the rest of us can only dream of ...........
yep, and I agree that this is the difference between now, and when Boonie played. he probably rocked up, had a spew, had another beer then went out there and slogged a few.
now if a professional athlete rocked up hungover (or still drunk even) to training, let alone a match, they would be told to go home and sleep it off, or worse.
it would also be in the online papers by lunchtime, an opinion piece would have already been written about how they are a bad role model, their team mates would have posted a funny twitter pic, their sponsors would be on the phone complaining about damage to their brand and the fans would by arguing about how their favourite player doesn't take the team/the jersey/the sport seriously, or doesn't fit in with the culture they want to develop.
Twitter definitely gives lame people an opportunity to say lame things.
But.... Matt Dunning (Fighting), Matt Henjak (Fighting, Ice throwing), Lote Tuqiri (Long list), Wendell Sailor (Coke), ACT Brumbies taxi story. If I actually spent time thinking about it I could come up with a much longer list.
Shit happened before Cooper, Beale, O'Connor, etc came onto the scene. We just tended to ignore it a bit. There will always be dickheads- you just need to look past them and their media attention and look at those guys who are humble, talented and inspiring like your Pocock/Godwin types.
There will always be, and has always been, a long list of people who should not drink and or be allowed out in public.
Damn camera phones....
Team announce for tomorrow - but no Mafi!!??? But we have The Badger and Brett back YAY!!!