Winning - By Violence !

A case before the Sutherland local court has thrown the spotlight on a problem that is causing parents to withdraw their children from the junior Rugby League competition because of the violent tactics used by some teams.   A 34 year old trainer of a team notorious for rough play is accused of running on to the pitch and punching a teenage referee in the face - because he sent off a player for a serious rules infringement.  The sixteen year old referee suffered a fractured eye socket.

An adjournment was sought to allow the accused to prepare a mental health defence and the man was under instruction of a solicitor who was helping to construct a bid to have the charge dismissed. It seems that this incident was the culmination of a long string of incidents that have plagued this particular team and made competitors reluctant to face them on the field.

Parents who give their player sons support by attending games comment that matches are often marred by on field incidents from both players and the watching crowd.  Yelling abuse is common and bottle throwing often results from unpopular refereeing decisions - and one such altercation resulted in a player from the other team sustaining a broken arm.   It seems that this rough play and violence is encouraged by the men who train the players and given them tactical advice.

All sporting codes come down hard against any sort of violence against referees.  Any player attacking a referee can expect to be banned from the game - for life.  The safety of the referee is sacrosanct and even a menacing attitude and a torrent of abuse can see the culprit given a lengthy suspension.   Similar punishment awaits spectators who run onto the field and it is suggested that this accused was already warned off and suspended for similar previous incidents.

This is a dilemma faced by all sporting codes.   We encourage dads to support their childrens interest in sports by attending games but some people are temperamentally unable to suppress their aggressive nature - and this spills over into either a demand for success on the field or harassment of their child to the point where playing sport becomes a misery.   In extreme cases, attempts to navigate a child to sporting success by impossible demands simply drives kids to hate sport and devise methods to avoid it.

It becomes doubly dangerous when such an assertive dad becomes an official of his childs club and holds a position such as trainer or tactician.  This is where incitement to rough play can affect the entire team and instead of healthy competition it becomes an obsession - to win at all costs.

This is not helped by the on field conduct of national teams.  It is common for punchups to break out in televised games and often these receive encouragement from the commentators.   Often the predictions for a clash between teams with a long history of rivalry are studded with suggestions that this will be a bruising encounter - and many go to the game as a spectator with just that outcome in mind.

Many people will await the outcome of this particular prosecution with interest.   It seems that some adults have turned a junior rugby team into what are described as " a gang of thugs " who go on the field to intimidate and injure.  It is up to the courts and the game officials to impose penalties and bring this situation under control.

If left uncorrected the junior league which feeds promising players into the national game will wither away - and parents will encourage their sons to find a more rewarding avenue for their talent in Australian Rules or Soccer !