When I last wrote about the problems that excessive drinking
by players, and the wider “alcohol culture”, were causing rugby league – and
that the response of the games’ officialdom remained inadequate – I was taken to
task by one or two of the “experts” who claimed that a lot of progress had been
achieved.

Well, this week’s events involving (again) the Canterbury
Bulldogs surely demonstrate that despite all the hand over the heart assurances,
all the “responsible drinking” programs and the “pro-active” approach by the
NRL and clubs, the problem remains as serious and debilitating for the game as
ever. And it’s not just rugby league of course.

But for a game that’s currently experiencing its best season ever, it is a
distraction that is unwelcome and unwanted. And it’s a distraction that is
grabbing more headlines, bad headlines, than ever. It began with the Bulldogs pin up player, and the
Outside Centre’s rising star of 2004, Sonny Bill Williams being picked up for
drink driving in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

That made the main television and radio news bulletins
in Brisbane, not to mention the saturation coverage it received in
Sydney – radio, television and newspapers alike. Sonny Bill was trotted out to make a humble, and
seemingly genuine, apology to his fans and the game generally for this one
“indiscretion.” But today’s Daily Telegraph rains on his apology parade!

It turns out that he was apparently driving while
suspended after accumulating too many demerit points, and he
was the holder of a provisional licence – in NSW that means a
zero blood alcohol level. While his .075 reading is normally regarded as “low
range” it’s not so for a “P” plater!

One gets the impression, albeit sadly, that the Sonny Bill Williams
“halo” has slipped rather badly. But, once again, it’s alcohol that’s
at the heart of it. And for the Bulldogs, and the NRL, it gets much
worse. The Daily Telegraph today reveals a series of
booze-driven incidents since the Bulldogs suffered the club’s worst ever defeat
at the hands of the Eels last Friday night.

Apparently four of the Bulldogs “stars” travelled to the
Central Coast on Saturday to help at a fundraiser for the local club. Three of the four players – Mark O’Meley, Luke Patten,
and, you guessed it, Willie Mason – were turfed out of the Central Coast Leagues
Club for being “too intoxicated.” And, surprise, surprise, as they were escorted out they
were, in the words of a doorman, “very aggressive.”

And TheTelegraph, still the subject of a “ban” by the
Bulldogs, has really taken to the Dogs with a piece of “four by two” going over
all the alcohol-related incidents involving Bulldogs players this
year. The simple reality is that the more football players are
paid, and the higher their profile as “role models,” the more coverage they will
get when they transgress in public – all the more so when grog is involved
(as it seems to be in 99 out of 100 incidents).

The NRL is rightly proud of the success of the 2005
season. But it has a long way to go when it comes to actually implementing
effective responsible alcohol behaviour programs in every
club. On the eve of what might be a grand final preview – the
Eels v Dragons blockbuster on Sunday afternoon – rugby league is dominating the
headlines for the wrong reasons. And it’s the same old sad story. Booze and
players behaving badly.

This has been a horror season for the reigning premiers,
the Bulldogs. This week’s events, following on the club’s worst ever defeat,
have made it a real nightmare. But should we be all that
surprised?