DIEHARD
25-06-10, 02:29 AM
NRL games pay tribute to women
THE PRINCE DIARIES by Scott Prince
IT'S NOT until you become a parent that you realise how much you took your mum for granted.
I certainly did.
Every Saturday morning during winter in Mt Isa, Mum would wake me up with breakfast ready and my footy gear all folded and ready at the end of the bed.
It was early and it was cold.
When I started playing club rugby league for Townies, I was five years old and the under-6s kicked off at 7am.
So Mum would have me in the car and off to the game looking a million dollars. I would whinge about the cold, the early morning and the fact I had to pull my socks up.
But never a whinge from Mum.
A few hours later I would be back in the car whinging about a bruised leg or a gravel-rashed elbow, or how hungry or thirsty I was.
But never a whinge from Mum.
My dad was a shift worker in the mines at Mt Isa and often he was working when my games were on, so it was up to Mum to get me to and from the footy.
When I grew older and started to play some rep football it was both Mum and Dad who would take me to the games.
But this wasn't just down the street.
We would trek the hundreds of kilometres to Julia Creek, Longreach or Townsville, sometimes a nine-hour trip one way!
I can still hear myself in the back seat whinging `are we there yet'.
But I can't remember Mum or Dad complaining at all.
Years later, now that I am a parent, it is my wife Kristy who has to put up with the whinging.
Okay, so she doesn't leave my footy gear folded at the bottom of the bed (I should have read the fine print more carefully before we got married) but Kristy is the reason I have been able to stay in the NRL after numerous setbacks, such as two broken legs.
That's why it is fitting that this weekend's NRL games are a tribute to the Women In League.
This may be sold as a `man's game' because it is physically tough and demanding.
But we should not kid ourselves about the influence that women play.
Try organising any junior footy side without the mums, wives, sisters, aunties and grandmas.
Who would we run the canteens, get the jerseys, shorts and socks washed, cut the oranges and wipe away the tears.
Of course, let's not forget the growing number of women who are managing, coaching, refereeing and playing major roles on all sorts of committees.
So to Kristy, Mum and all the women out there who help make our game great, thank you.
A FLASHBACK to last Friday night's doubleheader and while the two games on the one night at the one venue is a great idea, there have to be changes.
I think the fact that four players involved in the second game -- two from the Titans and two from Bulldogs -- ended up with hamstring injuries raises questions.
Our preparation was limited compared to the norm. We did not have access to the field before the game, so I couldn't do most kicking drills. Also starting a game at 8.45pm is just too late.
Keep the double-header concept especially just a couple of days after Origin when there are a lot of NSW supporters still in town just start the first game at 5.30pm and allow all teams access to the field for warm-ups.
Source: http://www.goldcoast.com.au
THE PRINCE DIARIES by Scott Prince
IT'S NOT until you become a parent that you realise how much you took your mum for granted.
I certainly did.
Every Saturday morning during winter in Mt Isa, Mum would wake me up with breakfast ready and my footy gear all folded and ready at the end of the bed.
It was early and it was cold.
When I started playing club rugby league for Townies, I was five years old and the under-6s kicked off at 7am.
So Mum would have me in the car and off to the game looking a million dollars. I would whinge about the cold, the early morning and the fact I had to pull my socks up.
But never a whinge from Mum.
A few hours later I would be back in the car whinging about a bruised leg or a gravel-rashed elbow, or how hungry or thirsty I was.
But never a whinge from Mum.
My dad was a shift worker in the mines at Mt Isa and often he was working when my games were on, so it was up to Mum to get me to and from the footy.
When I grew older and started to play some rep football it was both Mum and Dad who would take me to the games.
But this wasn't just down the street.
We would trek the hundreds of kilometres to Julia Creek, Longreach or Townsville, sometimes a nine-hour trip one way!
I can still hear myself in the back seat whinging `are we there yet'.
But I can't remember Mum or Dad complaining at all.
Years later, now that I am a parent, it is my wife Kristy who has to put up with the whinging.
Okay, so she doesn't leave my footy gear folded at the bottom of the bed (I should have read the fine print more carefully before we got married) but Kristy is the reason I have been able to stay in the NRL after numerous setbacks, such as two broken legs.
That's why it is fitting that this weekend's NRL games are a tribute to the Women In League.
This may be sold as a `man's game' because it is physically tough and demanding.
But we should not kid ourselves about the influence that women play.
Try organising any junior footy side without the mums, wives, sisters, aunties and grandmas.
Who would we run the canteens, get the jerseys, shorts and socks washed, cut the oranges and wipe away the tears.
Of course, let's not forget the growing number of women who are managing, coaching, refereeing and playing major roles on all sorts of committees.
So to Kristy, Mum and all the women out there who help make our game great, thank you.
A FLASHBACK to last Friday night's doubleheader and while the two games on the one night at the one venue is a great idea, there have to be changes.
I think the fact that four players involved in the second game -- two from the Titans and two from Bulldogs -- ended up with hamstring injuries raises questions.
Our preparation was limited compared to the norm. We did not have access to the field before the game, so I couldn't do most kicking drills. Also starting a game at 8.45pm is just too late.
Keep the double-header concept especially just a couple of days after Origin when there are a lot of NSW supporters still in town just start the first game at 5.30pm and allow all teams access to the field for warm-ups.
Source: http://www.goldcoast.com.au