2019 to 2020 A Rugby League Odyssey
Predictions about rugby league have started early and by now fans (other than those of the Roosters) are living in the renewed spirit of forgiveness for their team’s 2018 ladder position. The “off season” lingered short in the memory as Sydney City fans were soon saying “And we will do it again next year”.
Coach movement and off field behaviour took up a lot of social media space and credit to the rugby league media they articulated the concern with valuable opinions in many cases from different points of view.
Firstly there has been so much movement of coaching staffs that their children now believe the Moving Van is the school bus.
Then season 2018 saw some players, albeit small in number display off field behavior in relationship to the 50% of our nation who are women which left the wider community questioning the games values. Emily Dickinson said “behaviour is what a man does it may not be what he thinks, feels and believes”.
If a player cannot be true to his or her own values then they cannot expect to command the respect of others and further they will never be leaders.
2019? The 15 “also rans” of 2018 are by now full of optimism with new players, new strategies, loyal sponsors and fan belief that “maybe this will be the year that it all comes together”. For the Titans I can say that our fans never lack energy and they win or lose with the players. For the “fair dinkum” ones it’s great to win games but to love the game as they do is the best of all.
I have often wondered just what the game, if it could speak, would say to the players about itself and its expectations of them as participants.
Anyway the great thing about rugby league is that comes Tuesday night at 5 o’clock we are talking about next week’s game irrespective of what the result was the previous week. and Wednesday’s back page.
Rugby league is and always will be for the greater majority about passion, integrity respect and above all optimism.
Dec
30