Any Australian that doesn’t live under a rock (let’s face it, it’s even making news where people claim they don’t give a flying fuck about Rugby League) would be aware of the 4 Corners story about the Cronulla Sharks group sex scandal of 2002, the subsequent naming, shaming, sacking, drawing, quartering and neutering of Matthew Johns, the naming (and then sniggering at) Brett Firman, and the outpouring of emotion towards the girl in question (“Clare”, might be a psuedonym, might have thrown quotation marks around her name to fuck everybody up). Everyone has an opinion on this, and hence forth, so must I:
When I first heard this break, I was naturally sceptical of the situtation and timing surrounding it; being the day before 2 big showpiece games of Rugby League (hey, I LOVE City v Country), and it has been known for League to go through some stress around its big showpiece events. Whether that’s an invention of the media or not it’s debatable, but it seemed a little too suspicious to be true, so I just forgot about it, and started waiting for Monday 9:30 for the fallout.
I didn’t watch the 4 Corners article as such (Good News Week was on. Stephen K. Amos motherfuckers!) but I made sure I caught up with the transcripts and the highlights. Indeed what was portrayed was harrowing stuff. This “Clare” was totally shattered, by what started with Matthew Johns and Brett Firman being invited up for sex, turned into a half hearted gang bang with a few boys whipping their cocks out for a flogging, God knows I don’t want to be watched having sex, and I’m a man. I must admit I was still sceptical at this time, as in why now, why 7 years later (the incident took place on 2002(as I said) in a Christchurch hotel)? What was the motivation? I mean, I wouldn’t put up with constant mental anguish for 7 years to time it to be leaked the day before the Test match. I’d be straight out there, the day after screaming the house down.
The Tuesday rolls around, and it’s 9/11 all over again. No it isn’t; this would probably knock 9/11 off the front page. Not so much in Sydney’s local subsitute for toilet paper the Daily Telegraph, where the story is mercifully off the front page, but at the back where self appointed moral crusader Rebecca Wilson lays into Matt Johns like he’s just shit in her glass of wine, demanding his resignation and daming rugby league’s culture. But enough about her (she gets her own blog tomorrow, and won’t that be FUN!), I’m still not on anyone’s side. I would never have group sex with anyone, and find the idea of fucking some chick while my mates wank off over it gross, the same as I would never get hard over my mate doing a girl, no matter how hot she is. To assume that right of entrance to an intimate situation because your friend/teammate has broken down the wall is just wrong. Then again, so’s throwing yourself at 2 footy players, ESPECIALLY if one of them is Brett Firman (who many people think was a joke player, but I rated him)
Wednesday rolls around, and Johns gets the sack. My opinion is swaying towards him right now. I mean, the group sex was consentual, it was 7 years ago, it happened before the agreement with his current employers began, that’s very harsh to be sacked for something that happened before you started your working relationship. Although the dissenters in the crowd are still saying it’s a bad look for the game, Priestess Wilson has received DOZENS OF EMAILS from parents saying how they’ll NEVER LET THEIR CHILDREN WATCH LEAGUE AGAIN!!!! Now funny these hysterical people happen to email an equally hysterical tabloid journalist about this isn’t it? These people, if they’re willing to forgo an entire sport because of half a teams actions (a team where there’s only 3 players from that 2002 team still playing) despite there being over 300 first grade players playing every week in the NRL, they’re not real fans anyway are they? And neither’s Rebecca Wilson (BUT MORE ABOUT HER TOMORROW).
Thursday’s more of the same, needless front page news while the fallout of the Budget rolls on, I get the joke forwards sent through sms from my mates, got 3 different one’s one of them twice. Still not any sway towards any side. Until late Thursday afternoon, the big revelation: SHE BRAGGED ABOUT IT! Yes like the true soap opera this had become all and sundry was agape at the fact this sobbing wreck of a 26 year old was bragging to her workmates about bedding Cronulla players a good 5 days before she decided she may have been sexually assualted and went to the cops. Obviously her mental state has to be called in question (I mean, who brags about sleeping with Cronulla players?), and again her motivation needs to be called into question. Is it money? It can’t be surely, she went to the goddamn ABC for Christ sakes! Either way, her over the top wish to “destroy their lives’ seems to have come true with Matthew Johns career in tatters, and The Footy Show has to air without him tonight with utter windbag Phil Gould in his place. People expect a corpse of a show, myself included. How wrong we were, Gould moved us all by his emotion towards his mate and the game he loves, Paul Vautin was competent, and female token Jacquelin Magnay put forward her best performance. I think I’m with Matthew Johns at this point in time, I mean, SHE BRAGGED ABOUT IT!
Friday and apparently the primary schools are threatening the players that they won’t be able to come out and do meet and greets. I’m sure AFL players will be able to do their Auskick shit even though that code’s track record. Oh wait, it never gets publicised. Anyway, after I stopped simmering about that I hear Luke Branighan wanted to sex her up but got knocked back. Maybe this girl is sane after all (never heard of Luke Branighan? Don’t worry, his parents stuggle to admit to him too). But wait, apparently she’s on compo from the NZ Govt? What the fuck for? A consentual night of sex? From what I reas of the compensation conditions, it seems the closest one she fits is “mental injury caused by certain criminal acts (sexual abuse or criminal injury)” Again I ask, where are the crminal acts? No one was charged, and if there was sexual abuse someone would’ve been charged, she was bragging about it the next day. Not only that it has been alleged this “Clare” (need I remind you the quotation marks could be just a mind fuck) also fucked two Rugby Union players in a toilet! If they were league players Rebecca Wilson would be straight onto her colums bagging out Rugby League culture (BUT MORE ON HER TOMORROW).
Now it comes to 5 past 12 on Saturday morning. I think I’m leaning towards Matthew Johns here. He may have cheated on his wife, fucked a mentalist, only came clean when he absolutely had to, but his story has not changed from the moment he opened his mouth. “Clare” ‘s has. And as my girlfriend said, it doesn’t take you 5 days to know you’ve been raped.
Stay tuned for the Rebecca Wilson thing! Sometime Saturday.
Yeah, this thing has gone WAAAAY over the top. And I too kinda feel sorry for Matthew Johns. I think a lot of these journos and moral crusaders putting the boot in are going to regret this period in their careers when they look back.
And I had never heard of this Rebecca Wilson lady until recently. Apparently she has been busted twice for drink driving. That strikes me as being much more dangerous (and illegal) than group sex. Will she stand down from her duties? Will she fuck.
excellent article excellent bog
And the City/Country game is a waste of time, mate. It should be a stand-alone weekend for just internationals.