David EdwardsThe Month of "September", and Barry Hall's mental state.
July 9th 2008 23:41
Since the State of Origin series came to its dramatic close, SportingMind has been hard pressed finding any news on the NRL, or indeed any footballing code, that doesn't involve some kind of ridiculous controversy. Whether it is verbal abuse ('Blocker' Roach), Racial abuse (directed at Petero Civoniceva by a guy with the hilarious name of Sper Vega - or am i being racist here?..), physical abuse (Barry Hall), or sexual abuse (insert any given first grade/reserve grade NRL player). With a list as long and limitless as Nate Myles's forehead, it is no wonder we are beginning to forget what is actually happening on the field, instead captivated by the relentless barrage of media statements from accused footballers.
The NRL season is becoming drab, ho-hum if you will, as we crawl ever so slowly towards the month of September; that Spring month where the flowers begin to bloom, birds churpily re-annnounce themselves in the mornings, and we finally crown some NRL team as the winner of the (insert most recent NRL sponsor) Cup. Surely we can just give the trophy to Melbourne and skip off with a 2 month early mark? Another reason for my wanton desire to eliminate the next 2 months of football is so i can avoid hearing about the month of September. September is coming, the fabulous month of September! Players begin their obligatory quotes; "We just want to make sure we are going to be there in September". "Nothing matters before September". We get it. September is when the grand-final is. But please don't use September as an event, lingusitically speaking. It is a month of the year. Be more specific. "We really want to be there on the 28th of September for the Grand Final", i would much prefer.
To be honest i was not even aware that Manly, Cronulla and the (Sydney?) Roosters are actually leading the comp, with Melbourne 2 points behind the trio. When did Cronulla get good? Are they still called Cronulla? What is the real identity of the Roosters, are they the Sydney Roosters, or am i a few years behind? God, i'm so out of the "loop".
The sheer amount of articles i have read on Barry Hall is bordering on predatory, but i swear i'm not a stalker, it's just that my paper of choice (SMH) has been filled to the brim with a ratio of Barry Hall/ Barry Hall articles written BY Barry Hall / Actual Non-Barry Hall related News of 4:4:1.
The funniest part of this saga is the psycho-analysis that has come with his latest indiscretion. Fellow players and coaches are digging deep, beneath the brooding exterior of Barry, and attempting to rationalise why Barry did what he did. "Experts" have pointed out the fact that he has had some relationship difficulties, hence explaining his need to assault his opposition defenders. After all, who hasn't wanted to belt the nearest citizen after a dispute with the missus over who hangs the washing out? Brett Kirk yesterday alluded to Barry's actions being of an unconscious, reflex nature; stating, "It's a reflex action that he doesn't even know he's done". Kirk also went on to classify Hall as a "good person....with a bad habit". Much like a regular person's "bad habit" might be smoking, or maybe chewing their fingernails, Hall's habitual problem is that of brutally disfiguring humans. It is all a bit creepy, a little bit too "Crime Investigation Australia". I am half expecting Steve Liebmann to offer a narrated response to Hall's unexplainable motives. Stopping centimetres short of labelling Hall a sadistiic tool, i sincerely hope that he can fulfil his brutal urges off the sporting field, so i can enjoy his prowess on the field. Not sure what that might entail.
Hence my confusion regarding sport these days. None of said articles give me any insight at all, rather presenting me with provocative headlines regarding individual players. Scouring the Herald today, i couldn't find one decent story about either code, sending my already convoluded mind into overdrive. What to constructively blog about re: sport? The answer is nothing.
-SportingMind
The NRL season is becoming drab, ho-hum if you will, as we crawl ever so slowly towards the month of September; that Spring month where the flowers begin to bloom, birds churpily re-annnounce themselves in the mornings, and we finally crown some NRL team as the winner of the (insert most recent NRL sponsor) Cup. Surely we can just give the trophy to Melbourne and skip off with a 2 month early mark? Another reason for my wanton desire to eliminate the next 2 months of football is so i can avoid hearing about the month of September. September is coming, the fabulous month of September! Players begin their obligatory quotes; "We just want to make sure we are going to be there in September". "Nothing matters before September". We get it. September is when the grand-final is. But please don't use September as an event, lingusitically speaking. It is a month of the year. Be more specific. "We really want to be there on the 28th of September for the Grand Final", i would much prefer.
To be honest i was not even aware that Manly, Cronulla and the (Sydney?) Roosters are actually leading the comp, with Melbourne 2 points behind the trio. When did Cronulla get good? Are they still called Cronulla? What is the real identity of the Roosters, are they the Sydney Roosters, or am i a few years behind? God, i'm so out of the "loop".
The sheer amount of articles i have read on Barry Hall is bordering on predatory, but i swear i'm not a stalker, it's just that my paper of choice (SMH) has been filled to the brim with a ratio of Barry Hall/ Barry Hall articles written BY Barry Hall / Actual Non-Barry Hall related News of 4:4:1.
The funniest part of this saga is the psycho-analysis that has come with his latest indiscretion. Fellow players and coaches are digging deep, beneath the brooding exterior of Barry, and attempting to rationalise why Barry did what he did. "Experts" have pointed out the fact that he has had some relationship difficulties, hence explaining his need to assault his opposition defenders. After all, who hasn't wanted to belt the nearest citizen after a dispute with the missus over who hangs the washing out? Brett Kirk yesterday alluded to Barry's actions being of an unconscious, reflex nature; stating, "It's a reflex action that he doesn't even know he's done". Kirk also went on to classify Hall as a "good person....with a bad habit". Much like a regular person's "bad habit" might be smoking, or maybe chewing their fingernails, Hall's habitual problem is that of brutally disfiguring humans. It is all a bit creepy, a little bit too "Crime Investigation Australia". I am half expecting Steve Liebmann to offer a narrated response to Hall's unexplainable motives. Stopping centimetres short of labelling Hall a sadistiic tool, i sincerely hope that he can fulfil his brutal urges off the sporting field, so i can enjoy his prowess on the field. Not sure what that might entail.
Hence my confusion regarding sport these days. None of said articles give me any insight at all, rather presenting me with provocative headlines regarding individual players. Scouring the Herald today, i couldn't find one decent story about either code, sending my already convoluded mind into overdrive. What to constructively blog about re: sport? The answer is nothing.
-SportingMind
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Comment by Mick D
Thanks for pointing out who was on top of the NRL ladder. For someone who is meant to be a league fan, why don't I care? What is different about this season?
Perhaps Sportingmind can help me get to the bottom of this.