The NRL career of Kevin Locke came to a grinding halt in 2015 and the most memorable aspect of it might well be this nomination for The Frownlow Medal Hall of Fame.
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. NRL player Shaun Kenny-Dowall won the inaugural medal in 2015, while NRL star Manase Fainu is the most recent recipient.
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.
Locke played a few games for the New Zealand Warriors but failed to cement his spot at fullback on the wing. He then tried his luck in England and signed with Wakefield in 2015, who were then on the bottom of the table.
This stint didn’t last too long either, as Locke was seen in video footage in a car which crashed into the wall of a house while being driven by teammate Tim Smith. While Locke took less of the blame for the incident, it was enough to see him dismissed by the club, and that was basically the end of his rugby league career.
The only consolation is that he can now relive this incident and his glory days with a host of other wayward footballers at the awards night for The Frownlow Medal and The Frownlow Medal Hall of Fame later this year.
Image: NuNa
The Frownlow Medal 