Six GWS Giants are attempting to emulate Jarryd Hayne and win The Frownlow Medal.
Hayne won the prestigious medal in 2021, and his sexual assault conviction was recreated at a Wacky Wednesday celebration which earned Frownlow nominations for AFL players Josh Fahey, Jake Riccardi, Toby McMullin, Harvey Thomas, Joe Fonti and Cooper Hamilton.
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 Talatau Amone is the most recent recipient.
Fahey paid the greatest tribute to Hayne and was punished the most severely. He has been suspended for four weeks after dressing up as the disgraced NRL star and performing a skit with a blow-up doll.
During the ‘Controversial Couples’ party, Riccardi dressed up as a taxi driver and partnered Fahey as Hayne, though did not engage with the sex doll. McMullin and Hamilton simulated the September 11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, while Thomas “dressed as a particular pro sportsman”, (believed to be Josh Giddey), and Fonti as a girl, and they acted inappropriately during their skit.
The champagne comedy earned two-game suspensions for Riccardi, McMullin, Thomas, Fonti and Hamilton. Meanwhile, Lachie Whitfield and Conor Idun performed a controversial skit based on Django Unchained and apparently mentioned slavery, but were only given $5000 fines. Media networks claim this is because they sought permission from other players who might have taken offence.
Also out of pocket $5k, are captain Toby Greene and fellow members of the leadership group Sam Taylor, Harry Perryman, Tom Green and Lachie Keefe.
Which begs the question yet again – how many players are not in modern football teams’ leadership groups?
At the awards night for The Frownlow Medal and The Frownlow Medal Hall of Fame, which is madder than any Monday and whackier than any Wednesday, all of these players can perform their award-winning comedy routines live to Hayne and a host of footballing stars.
Image: Dan Peled
The Frownlow Medal 