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The world of Rugby League is not round anymore.
It is flat and the two sides are win or lose, good or bad, sweet or sour,
thumbs up and thumbs down.
Yesterday's BalmainBrisbane game at Leichhardt Oval, with its accusations
of gouging and the boiling onfield hostility of players seeking winning bonuses
and places in the forthcoming State of Origin teams, typifies the
win-at-all-costs mentality.
Coaches, pressured by administrators, who in turn are pressured by
sponsors, promulgate the idea that competition is the behavioural equivalent of
gravity, a force that makes the world go round.
This ruthless Darwinianism means that the less gifted, the less lucky
-football's equivalent of the lumbering dinosaur - are eliminated, like early
losers in a tennis tournament.
It is a system which forces players to look inward, focussing on their own
club and their own status.
After yesterday's Leichhardt game, Brisbane caught a bus to the airport,
hoping Balmain would catch a cold.
Terry Matterson, of the Broncos, was the only player to enter the rival
dressing-room and the player he sought for a friendly chat had long gone.
Today's players are encouraged to think of their teammates as "ours" and
the opposition as "them".
The Broncos admitted the hype before yesterday's game was the most intense
in years and Balmain captain Ben Elias said: "You could tell before the game
that this would be an intense game.
"You couldn't hear a pin drop and at half-time, no-one said a word."
Balmain coach Warren Ryan said: "There was a lot of feeling in that game.
They want to beat us because they never have. We want to ensure they never do."
It is a case of "we", "us" and "them".
But what of "ours"?
Danny Shepherd is one of ours.
He belongs to us all - the players from the 16 clubs and the hundreds of
thousands who follow the code.
Shepherd is attached to a life support system at St Vincents Hospital and
an Easts official said last night that his condition is not expected to improve.
"It was sad to see him tonight, lying there almost lifeless with his wife,
Sue, a 10-year-old son and an 18-month-old daughter at home," the official
said.
"A sheer lump of a lad with a strong heart but damage already occurring to
his pancreas and his liver showing signs of collapse."
Cardinal Sir James Freeman will celebrate a Mass for Shepherd at 10am
tomorrow at Mary Immaculate Church, Victoria Street, Waverley.
The long-term Easts supporter will leave his retirement home of five years
to say the Mass.
Theories on the cause of Shepherd's condition extend from heat stroke to a
bite by a funnel web spider.
"We've had all sorts of experts to St Vincents and they have no idea," the
Easts official said.
"The doctors say that if they knew the problem, they could reverse it.
"We want as many players as possible at the Mass, both as prayers for
Danny and a show of encouragement for his parents who have flown down from
Townsville."
Irrespective of the outcome of tonight's judiciary on the claims of
gouging by Wally Lewis and John Elias, both men should pledge to attend the
Mass.
Their quarrel demonstrates that the Rugby League world is not only flat,
but incredibly small.
Their hostility dates back to 1985 when they were opposing players in the
Brisbane grand final.
Elias played for Wayne Bennett's Brisbane Souths team, while Lewis
captained Wynnum Manly.
It seems time has not diminished their rage, such was the fury of words
exchanged yesterday.
Elias has a high regard for Bennett who removed Lewis from the captaincy
of the Broncos.
These, and other thoughts, were echoed on the field yesterday.
The referee of yesterday's contest admitted "there were occasions when I
asked the players of both sides to drop off with their abuse".
Compared to Shepherd, it all seems so petty.
His tragedy is a salutary warning that the theory of direct, unrelenting
competition, as a long range force being "good for the game", has become over
stated.
Such a scheme always has fewer winners than losers.
It is at odds with the fact that through the ages, life forms on earth
have become increasingly numerous and various, rather than follow the lead of
the dinosaurs.
As a matter of historical record, many of the most notable human
accomplishments have come from co-operation rather than competition.
Cathedrals, constitutions and colleges are monuments to cooperative
behaviour while the internecine warfare between the two branches of the Players
Association is an example of how competition can destroy a code.
Tomorrow's Mass is an occasion for our footballers and coaches to think of
the organisation for whom they play as the Sydney co-operative rather then the
Sydney competition.
A chance to make the world of Rugby League round once more.
And most importantly, an opportunity to pray that Danny, age 28, wakes up
to see Sue Shepherd before he sees the Good Shepherd.
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