The NRL Rookie
9GO!
Tuesday 7.30pm
AS a proud Victorian, the NRL competition was not on my radar until very recently. In fact, as far as sports go, very few are on my radar … and if I could retain Victorian citizenship without even a passing knowledge of AFL, I’d happily drop that.
In AFL, at least they pass the ball forward – I mean, that kind of makes sense in terms of gaining a win.
As a young fella, I never understood rugby’s basic manoeuvre of passing backwards to go forwards … that always seemed to me like the hard way to get ahead. Now, with a few years of life experience under my belt, I can at least sympathise a little more … sometimes that’s just the way things go.
In the past, on news reports, all those league players with boxer’s noses and no necks, just seemed a little too hard and heavy to true sportsmen and a little too misshapen to be, well, human.
But I can confirm … thanks to The NRL Rookie on the 9GO! … that NRL players are human, with real people emotions, too. Or at least that’s true of the NRL hopefuls on this Survivor-like series.
The premise is that each in this group of hopefuls is on his last chance at NRL – only one will make it through – with the big prize a guaranteed NRL contract – and they’re all busting a gut to make sure that they’re the one.
When it comes time to cut contenders, emotions are understandably high.
We’re now in week three of the competition – the starting field of 28 has been cut by more than half – the hopefuls have been put through some gruelling ordeals and high stakes challenges to see which of them have the chops … and which of them are quitters.
Head coach Brad “Freddy“ Fittler and fellow coaches Mark Geyer and Adrian Lam spout every sporting cliche in the book … but they’re legends of the game, we’re told, and they’ve done their bit for the sport, so can be forgiven for a bit of cheesy observation. They don’t add much to the drama, and often get in the way. The show is actually hosted by Erin Molan, but ‘Freddy’ is more entertaining. And psychologist Kate Baecher adds some professional insights, and does add to the drama with her tips on who is likely to make it … and who to keep a closer eye on, if you know what I mean.
Early favourite 23-year-old Matt Gorman, who had surgery for a heart defect in the weeks before the series kicked off, has caught the coaches’ eyes for his sheer ticker … and this week we find out if he has the mindset of a team player and future champion … the tension builds.
But it’s the stories of their will and passion to succeed in this sport, their accounts of their early attempts and failures, and the lengths they will go to now to take this last chance … that at times pushes them past the brink of their endurance … that makes it a compelling watch.
I’m not yet ready to watch an NRL match without the aid of the appropriate beverages, but I am ready to concede the humanity of some of its participants.
– Andrew Cantwell
