Jesse Savage has become the second Rugby League playing Jesse to be nominated for The Frownlow Medal after a drug bust.
The Cronulla junior emulated his namesake, Jesse Bromwich, in being stood down from his club for possession of an illicit substance.
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. Kiwi international and Sydney Roosters player Shaun Kenny-Dowall won the inaugural medal in 2015, while Corey Norman from the Parramatta Eels won in 2016.
20-year-old Savage was found with an illegal substance during a police inspection of a licensed premises in Cronulla, just days after the Sharks’ former club chairman, Damian Keogh, was also caught with an illegal substance.
Savage was also born in New Zealand, so if his career survives this current controversy, he could follow Bromwich into the Kiwis team and into the leadership group of whichever club decides to offer him a second chance.
Image:Nuna
First published in May, 2017.
The Frownlow Medal 