Former NRL player Daine Laurie has been nominated for The Frownlow Medal Hall of Fame after being sent to jail for a shooting offence which occurred in 2016.
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 Shaun Kenny-Dowall won the inaugural medal in 2015 before Corey Norman in 2016 and Tim Simona in 2017.
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 Julian O’Neill.
Laurie is facing charges of wounding with intent to murder following two shooting incidents on the NSW North Coast, in which he shot at a house.
During a career in which he played for Newcastle, Penrith and Wests Tigers, Laurie also landed himself in trouble. The towering forward was sacked by the Panthers for consuming alcohol on a flight to Auckland with the NSW Cup team.
The former Indigenous All Star joins a long and illustrious list of Frownlow nominees who have spent time as a guest of Her Majesty, including:
Craig Field, Matthew Lodge, Ben Cousins, Craig Wells, Russell Packer, Zane Tetevano, Nick Stevens, Anthony Watts, Richie Fa’aoso, Ahmad Elrich, Shane Yarran and Jim and Andrew Krakouer.
Laurie will have plenty of time to think about his fate, which is in the hands of the judges of Australia’s legal system and The Frownlow Medal Hall of Fame.
Image: Nuna
First published in January, 2018.
The Frownlow Medal 