Former NRL footballer Anthony Watts has a simple message for anyone doubting his credentials for The Frownlow Medal Hall of Fame;
“Bite me!”
The ex Cronulla Sharks and North Queensland Cowboys player was recently nominated for the Hall of Fame after allegedly attacking a man at a wedding in Queensland.
The Frownlow Medal is awarded to the player whose off-field demeanour epitomises the values of the modern day footballer and draws attention to the status of footballers as role models to young Australians. It covers Australia’s four major football codes; the National Rugby League (NRL), Australian Football League (AFL), the A-League (Football) and Rugby Union’s Super Rugby competition. The first medal was awarded to Sydney Roosters and New Zealand representative Shaun Kenny-Dowall in 2015.
The Frownlow Medal Hall of Fame honours former players and players who received media attention in previous seasons, for similarly scandalous behaviour, and its inductees include Ben Cousins and Todd Carney.
Fellow nominees heard the news and reportedly rushed to the garage to dig out their old cricket box, recalling the time in 2013 when Watts reportedly bit the penis of an opposing player in a grade match.
They have good reason to fear Watts . The ex-hooker was once charged with assault against an ex-partner then later served time in jail. He became involved in a drunken brawl while on parole and was sent back to prison.
He was at one point a member of a bikie gang and shortly after leaving prison was found in possession of a substantial quantity of steroids.
Watts himself is confident of being invited to the Hall of Fame awards ceremony in October, where he and fellow nominee John Hopoate are set to premiere their stage show Smuggling the Budgie.
First published in August 2016
Image: Nuna
The Frownlow Medal 