Comments on: The NRL: No Wonder it is in Such a Mess

By: Bill Muehlenberg

Bill Muehlenberg — Thu, 21 May 2009 04:44:28 +0000

Thanks Frank

I stand corrected (and thus betray my ignorance of all things rugby).

Bill Muehlenberg, CultureWatch

By: Frank Bellet

Frank Bellet — Thu, 21 May 2009 04:07:33 +0000

Bill,
While agreeing with your comments here, I must point out that you made an error at the beginning of your article. In part, you stated that “some Rugby players and a New Zealand girl etc, etc,” I have often had to point out to Victorians, that Rugby is a different code from rugby league. If you use the term “rugby” that means Rugby Union. Rugby League is different. I haven’t heard of any scandals, which have occured in Rugby of late, but one of their flock reading that quote might become a little upset.
Frank Bellet, Petrie Qld

By: Michael Hutton, Ariah Park

Michael Hutton, Ariah Park — Wed, 20 May 2009 23:33:07 +0000

After weeks of nonsense on the TV and radio. I have finally read something from a mainstream media person that makes sense.

www.smh.com.au/opinion/natural-men-scolded-into-timidity-20090520-bfn3.html?page=-1

I would not have thought it possible I would agree with Miranda Devine on anything?!?!?!?

Our society has separated sex from the relationship framework it was intended for (Marriage). Things like this will keep happening and our media, by and large, won’t know how to deal with them untill we put sex back in its framework and into perspective.

Michael Hutton, Ariah Park

By: Gerard Flood

Gerard Flood — Mon, 18 May 2009 08:14:59 +0000

Dear Bill,
in 2004, I queried the NRL regarding their irresponsibility in engaging Ms Lumby (in view of her public abhorrent view re group sex), and regarding its executives’ consequent betrayal of the thousands of Mum & Dad grass roots volunteers. They did not reply. The NRL bosses were (or still are) derelict in their duty: Lumby was a known liability.

And having a stripper before the game would make player attendance effectively compulsory. At a “social” function, atendance would be optional.

Gerard Flood

By: Jeremy Peet

Jeremy Peet — Sun, 17 May 2009 21:40:20 +0000

Now we hear some uproar about an amateur football club having a stripper just before the game to hype the players up. This just goes to show that logic and reason are vanishing qualities for, afterall, what is the difference having a stripper before a game or at a player’s Bucks party?

The error of the whole “It is OK so long as they are adults and it is consensual” rationale is being made clearly evident here.

Jeremy Peet

By: ben

ben — Sat, 16 May 2009 11:26:45 +0000

I wonder what might have happened if it was John’s sister (or any other players sister) found in the room. I suspect she would have been told do not be so stupid and may have been escorted home. As to the article, Msss Lumby does have a rather strange view of the world. It would seem that the NRL use such a person to try to put justification to some of their antics.
Ben Green

By: John Angelico

John Angelico — Sat, 16 May 2009 10:24:19 +0000

Doug, you said:

“lets not forget this young woman went back to the hotel room (CONSENSUALLY) with 2 blokes.”

However, many people are overlooking the fact that she wound up being trapped into having sex with over half a dozen, possibly more. Did she give consent to that? Did she even know that was going to happen, or was she trapped?

And Mr Johns apparently left the room – a part of the emerging reaction is over his lack of responsibility, along with the crude culture of sports clubs where blokes simply indulge themselves with hedonistic abandon. Apparently there was no-one among those “tough guys” who was man enough to say “No”.

And thirdly, since when does “consent” trump “doing what is right”?

Nobody comes out of this grubby business smelling of roses, least of all the ABC program which raked over the coals after seven years.

John Angelico

By: Bill Muehlenberg

Bill Muehlenberg — Sat, 16 May 2009 10:13:23 +0000

Thanks Doug

Of course my article mainly dealt with one issue, that of the unhelpful role of Lumby in the NRL. I did not mean to weigh into the pros and cons of the case itself. I did mention footy players who think they can do what they want with women.

But as you suggest, there is certainly another side to this story, one which I did not discuss. And we learned just recently that: “A former work colleague of the woman at the centre of the Cronulla Sharks sex scandal involving Matthew Johns claims her co-worker bragged about the incident”: www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,25477148-5005941,00.html

So there is definitely more to this whole sorry story than what I discussed in my article. There seem to have been plenty of wrongs committed on all sides here.

Bill Muehlenberg, CultureWatch

By: Hane

Hane — Sat, 16 May 2009 03:56:13 +0000

I have just as much respect for the 19 year old woman as I do for the men in this situation – None. They are all guilty and no-one gets my sympathy.

As we have heard very recently, the young girl was proud of her accomplishment at the time. If girls want to avail themselves in such a degrading manner, be prepared for the consequences.

And Lumby has her head in the sand. So much for the feminist movement.

Jane Petridge

By: Louise Le Mottee, Hobart

Louise Le Mottee, Hobart — Sat, 16 May 2009 03:12:36 +0000

we should “avoid asserting moral beliefs as moral truths”

Hilarious, really, when we know she is doing exactly the same thing in reverse.

Louise Le Mottee, Hobart