A thundering Viking Clap resounded through the streets of the ACT in response to the news that Canberra player Jack Wighton had been nominated for The Frownlow Medal.
Loyal public servants in the nation’s capital united in a rising crescendo for their favourite fullback, who is under police investigation for an incident at a Canberra nightspot.
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.
Police are attempting to establish the exact nature of Wighton’s involvement in the incident which occurred before the beginning of the NRL season, and whether any punishment is warranted.
Wighton, meanwhile, attempted to clarify the situation.
“Yeah, nah, mate, it’s all a beat up. See, these guys came up to me at the bar and asked me to show them how to do the Viking Clap,” he explained.
“I thought, fair dinkum, I can’t even have a quiet one without someone hassling me. But they kept nagging me, so I thought, i’ll just do it quick and get rid of them.
The problem is, when I started getting faster, you know how it goes…and, well, I might have hit one of them in the chest, and the arm and the head…”
“It was nothing”
Wighton’s kind gesture to a devoted fan may be enough to win him The Frownlow Medal. He will find out later in the year.
Image:Nuna
First published in April, 2018.
The Frownlow Medal 