MELBOURNE LINK IN NRL DOG ACT

So all the media who were first made aware or shown the now infamous Monaghan photograph decided it was NOT in the public interest to publish news of its existence. Even when it appeared on Twitter the rest of us were safely oblivious to it.  

All the media except one that is. 

According to News.com.au Melbourne radion station SEN was the first to release news of the existence of the image to the wider public and name it is an NRL player.

 http://optuszoo.com.au/news/222861/a-new-low-even-by-footy-standards.html 
which was posted on the social network site Twitter before Melbourne radio station SEN named the Raider yesterday morning.

If it wasn't a NRL player the community would never been made aware of it.

But what was the last big NRL story that SEN broke? Any?

So thanks to SEN the entire community and much of the world has now had the "pleasure" of, if not seeing, at least being forced to imagine, an image that will forever pollute our minds.

For once "But think of the kiddies?" was an appropriate question. 

Why would SEN do that when the rest of the Australian media chose not to? 

AFL DESERVED SOCCEROO'S KICKING

As ex Socceroo Craig Foster says "The real question is this, if AFL is such a great game, why waste energy trying to hold down football (soccer)?"

Why fork out money to buy Folau and Hunt if the game itself is the greatest thing ever invented? Just put the game on and we'll all come running (not!).

Shouldn't that money have gone to support the code in the bush and the kids? Put some guernseys together for a team in the outback or to build a kiosk at a local oval?

Foster was taking on the AFL over their decision to schedule pre season games in 2011 at the same time as A-League's biggest games. Talk about the AFL having an irrational fear. Appears that they have no confidence in their game's fans. 

As Foster points out the AFL has done nothing but run obstruction plays against the FFA's efforts to win for Australia the hosting rights to the FIFA World Cup.

What's the problem AFL? In the rest of the world all the other codes manage to get on with worrying about their own schedule and their own game.

Looks to me that the AFL doesn't want anyone playing in their sand pit. Bad luck AFL. My round ball mates are coming round to your backyard and we are going to make room to play, whether you like it or not.

Truth be told the reason AFL lacks confidence in its own game is obvious. It's gone nowhere since it was born. As Foster says "This is natural when, after more than 100 years, you are still trying to push the sport on large swathes of Australia, let alone the world."

Keep kicking them Fozzie!

NICE PIECE CARO - WHERE'S THE VICTIM'S STORY?

Caroline Wilson in the 'Age' has provided an expansive 1700 word feature piece that takes us through the story of AFL footballer Andrew Krakouer. "How football saved Krakouer"

It's a heart-felt story of "Krakouer's social and AFL resurrection".

It tells us about his "growing up in difficult circumstances while his father served eight-and-a-half years in prison" and then, with astounding brevity, details the events that put Krakouer himself in jail, with "before his own sentencing on serious assault charges."

The rest of the piece is about the redeeming of Krakour and the role that AFL football and the AFL community have played.

Balance?

In 1700 words there is nothing said about the incident that put Krakouer into prison, nor the damage he inflicted upon his victim, or details of how that victim is getting along with their recovery and their life.

I look forward to Caroline writing for us a 1700 word piece on Krakouer's victim and what Krakouer, AFL football and the AFL community are doing for them. 

THE PUPPET MASTERS

A bit too cute on the part of the AFL when it comes to Folau.

''Israel's Broncos contract officially finishes on October 31 and he'll be training at Blacktown on November 15,'' said David Matthews, AFL's Sydney-based general manager of national and international development in this story.

The same story suggests "Among Folau's tasks, the 21-year-old may end up in Tonga, where the King has been spruiking to the AFL the merits of setting up an Australian football academy."

Where did Folau's sudden interest in Tonga come from?

I can't recall in his journey from Campelltown to Queensland Maroon and the Kangaroos any talk of helping out the Tongan rugby league game or their national team.

A bit of a storm brewing because Folau suddenly decided (after agreeing to join AFL) that he wanted to play for the Tongan rugby league team in their Parramatta match on October 24th, and that he should be entitled to as his rugby league contract doesn't end until October 31. But that was ruled out because he had played for the Kangaroos within the past 2 years.

Then Folau decided he wanted to be a water carrier in the Tonga game, and should be allowed to as he is still a NRL player until October 31. Of course you don't need to have a NRL player contract to run the water on and off the field. But all of that was barred because he failed to have the necessary certificate and training to act in that role.

So now we're at the stage where Folau can begin to be seen as someone being denied at every turn to do his best for Tongans by petty rugby league administration acting out of spite because he has agreed to join the AFL.

How soon we seem to forget that Folau spruiked the AFL cause in Sydney's west at his mid season media conference, despite the existence of that same NRL contract he now holds so dear.

Here's a question. Why didn't Folau seek a release from his Broncos contract when their season ended back in early September? Why keep the contract alive? Wouldn't he want to get on with his AFL training and career?

I seem to recall Karmichael Hunt flying out to France in mid October 2009, well before his Broncos contract presumably ended on October 31st of that year.

AFL AND OUR POLICE SERVICE

This story "Overland defends deal between police and AFL" by Robin Grace, appears in 'The Age' on Oct 13. The following is a short important extract: 

"Victoria's police chief says he scrapped a controversial deal between police and the AFL because he believed it was inappropriate.But he said today the deal had been deemed appropriate at the time and the officer who had approved the agreement had since been promoted to assistant commissioner.

The deal, reported today in The Age, gave the league extraordinary rights to investigate football identities and to vet public disclosure of police inquiries.Chief Commissioner Simon Overland said today the deal was struck to clarify the way police dealt with the AFL over matters that would attract "enormous public interest".

…

"How could I defend it? I've scrapped it because I don't think it's appropriate for it to continue to exist," he told radio 3AW.Previously secret details of the deal, made public yesterday, show that police were required to consult the AFL before commenting on their own investigations into AFL players, coaches, board members and even staff. The deal also gave the AFL permission to "investigate matters of illegal betting" and serious crimes such as drug trafficking, domestic violence and sexual assault."

I wonder if the contract was legal in the first place. Police cannot normally delegate its powers to a private entity with an obvious interest in the outcome of a criminal investigation. It was wrong for the AFL to assume it was above the normal citizen and to strike such an arrnagement. Putting aside the lack of statutory power to delegate police powers, if one assumes this power does in fact exist, the contract was voidable on a number of other grounds, namely:

1.            It required the publication of personal, sensitive and obviously defamatory information to a third party civilian entity that could, if it so chose, use the information to influence the commercial decisions of the persons subject to, or connected with, police information and evidence. This was always an unacceptable and compromising position for the persons connected to any investigation;

2.            There was an inherent denial of procedural fairness in that the individuals connected to any investigation were not offered the opportunity to deny the publication of the police information to civilian third parties (in particular the AFL itself). Plenty of innocent persons appear in police files. The publication of the files creates a real potential to cause unmitigated and unjustified damage to the reputation and families of the innocent persons. Why should the AFL have this knowledge and power to publish (even accidentally)?;

3.            The public were denied procedural fairness in that the deal compromised the objectivity of the police to properly investigate any person connected to or associated with the AFL, including the AFL Corporate entity itself. No private citizen, whether an individual or a company such as the AFL pty/ltd should ever have that kind of power to influence any police force;

4.            The deal compromised the chain of custody of the police files. In any criminal hearing, the police files are evidence and may need to be put before the Court. If the AFL have the files, there is a chance that they may be responsible for misplacing the file or parts of it, or for placing other documents on that file.

5.            The deal gave the AFL an unfair commercial advantage in the sporting market place. The deal was always designed to protect the AFL's branding. In essence, the deal was a form of corruption. It was a way to ensure that the AFL did not have to deal with the police in the same way other Sports do when it comes to possible criminal charges and convictions of their sports stars.

The Special treatment given to the AFL by the terms of the contract placed them in a special position above that of other citizens. No police force is likely to enter into a contract with a Bikie Club to share files for joint investigation of their members, so how can the AFL justify this police contract?

The criticism for this outrageous arrangement must be equally shared by the AFL. They should not have made the agreement. I wonder if the AFL have similar arrangements with othe State Police Services?      

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