MAY 2019 | The Australian Women’s Weekly 57
Controversy
laws and stood down until his case is
heard this May. Tyrone said he thinks
someone from another club leaked the
footage and the Panthers issued a
statement saying May will “vigorously
deny” the charges when he faces court.
Says Catharine: “In Australian sport
and even elite university colleges, there’s
been a culture of male bonding over
some toxic rituals – sharing stories and
images of sex with women, men sharing
a woman like a football – which are seen
as conquests.” Men who train as a team,
play as a team and have sex as a team.
In her work with the NRL, Catharine
has undertaken major research projects,
implementing the Respectful Relationships
program that has been in place since
2005 and is constantly evaluated.
“The NRL is really on the front foot
with this. They factor in players’
backgrounds and the education process
starts well before they hit the NRL –
they get a lot of support. It is not that
they don’t know what the right thing to
do is, it is that a few of them don’t care.
My attitude is, if they don’t get it, get out.
If you don’t want to be a role model,
don’t play NRL and your life won’t be
under scrutiny. Once you’ve had your
opportunity to reflect on the sort of
situations you’ll be in and the peer
pressures, if you’re stupid enough to go
out and sink 20 schooners and do some
of this stuff, in this day and age it will
come out.”
Says Jessica: “I think there are too
many dinosaurs roaming football clubs.
Then you get these cultures that develop
that don’t change, and a deep underlying
disrespect of women.”
Marina believes that leadership from
senior players, “who are good men, combats
that pack mentality of peer pressure that
is toxic. Boys coming through in the
group are looking to the older ones,
so you want good peer pressure from
good-quality men.”
A significant problem has been the
lack of consistency of punishment across
the codes and clubs.
“We [Wests Tigers] do believe that if
a player has done something that is
contrary to our values and culture, we
get rid of them straight away,” says
Marina. “That is not consistent across
the game. Some clubs are harder on this
and some clubs are still wrapping their
arms around them if they are a good
player. I believe that, for too long, clubs
have forgiven them and they haven’t
been called out for bad behaviour.”It’s more difficult when the player is
supremely gifted. A sacked player can
just move to another club. Matthew Lodge
was convicted of domestic violence
against his partner Charlene Saliba. He
was sacked by Wests Tigers after a
drunken rampage in New York where he
threatened a German tourist, Carolin
Dekeyser at 4am, saying, “Do you think
you’re going to die? This is the night
you’re going to die.” Frantically ringing
strangers’ doorbells, Carolin woke up
Ruth Fowler, Joseph Cartright and their
then nine-year-old son. When Joseph let
her into the foyer, Matt followed and put
Joseph in a headlock, repeatedly
punching him in the face, then locked
him out of his apartment and smashed
furniture as Ruth and their son cowered
in the bathroom.
Police arrested him at gunpoint and
he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanour
reckless assault charge. The
traumatised family moved out of
their home of 20 years.
Ruth and Joseph told Fairfax they
were “stunned” when after a two-year
period of counselling and rehabilitation,
Matthew was admitted back into the
game and now plays for Brisbane Broncos.
And when the Broncos beat Wests →MatthewLodge DylanWalker
Matthew was arrested at gunpoint
in New York and sentenced to
community service and treatment
for anger and alcohol abuse.The Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
centre has pleaded not guilty to
domestic violence related assault
against his fiancée.