Jamal Idris and Le Te Maari take on a legend.

Former NRL players Jamal Idris and Lee Te Maari believe you have to beat a legend to be a legend, so they took on Frownlow medallist Ben Barba in a fist fight to earn a 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 AFL player Elijah Taylor 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.

Idris, Te Maari and Barba were all playing for the Canterbury Bulldogs in 2009 and had been socialising at a teammate’s house all afternoon. They were driving home together and decided to stop off at the Wentworthville Hotel in Sydney’s west to buy some drinks. They then realised that drinking drinks is better than just buying drinks, and stepped inside for a few coldies. When they stepped outside, Barba slammed Te Maari up against a wall and Idris stepped in.

This is where it gets interesting.

Barba is short, and fast, like most top fullbacks. Te Maari was a backrower and Idris was one of the biggest players in the game at the time. But still Barba took them on, because that’s the definition of Dutch Courage and that’s the kind of decision making that wins a player The Frownlow Medal.

The scuffle escalated and Idris ended up punching Barba in the face, leaving the young star with a bloody nose. As with any true footballing bromance, the players soon kissed and made up, and it was later revealed that Barba had been niggling and annoying Idris and Te Maari all afternoon.

Young guns Idris and Barba were dropped for one game. In a bizarre addition to his post-NRL story, Idris was the victim of an attempted kidnap while on holiday in Vietnam. Perhaps the kidnappers had been drinking what Barba was drinking.

Meanwhile, the more experienced Te Maari was suspended for two games as a result of the Wentworthville incident, which was not his first. He got into a fight outside a nightclub in Wollongong in 2008, and in 2010 was charged with numerous driving offences, including driving without a license. The backrower didn’t tell the club about his offence until it appeared in court, and the Bulldogs eventually tore up his contract.

Ironically, Barba and Idris were scheduled to attend an Arrive Alive promotion just days after the fight, where they would function as role models for junior rugby league players in western Sydney.

Referring to the incident and to the respective punishments, a Bulldogs official said at the time:

“Ben and Jamal are young players with big careers ahead of them and I hope this punishment will serve as a warning to them on what they stand to lose if they continue down the wrong path.
Lee is acutely aware of his responsibilities and I don’t expect to see him in front of the disciplinary committee again.”

Barba did continue down the wrong path, and despite winning the Dally M medal and a premiership, what lay head for him was a Frownlow medal and a nomination for The Frownlow Medal Hall of Fame.

Te Maari also faced the disciplinary committee again.

Barba is expected to take on Idris and Te Maari again in a lopsided tag-team fight at the awards night for The Frownlow Medal and The Frownlow Medal Hall of Fame later this year.

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Brett Kenny to headline FMF 1.

Rugby League legend Brett Kenny has been granted permission to use his signature headbutt move when he headlines Frownlow Medal Fights 1 against an unspecified opponent.

Kenny will be able to fight any past or present player from Rugby League, Rugby Union, Football or Aussie Rules, provided they have also been nominated for The Frownlow Medal or 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 Jarryd Hayne is the most recent recipient.

Kenny’s opponent has not been decided but the favourites include footy players turned boxers such as Paul Gallen, Sonny Bill Williams, Justin Hodges and Barry Hall, and possibly renowned pugilist Anthony Mundine.

The former Parramatta, NSW and Australian legend earned the right to headline FMF 1 after being charged with assault. Kenny was arrested for allegedly headbutting a man at the Police and Community Youth Club in Bateau Bay on the NSW Central Coast on April 12. The arrest earned him his Frownlow nomination and the right to fight in the main event at FMF 1.

Kenny is currently deciding which player to face in the ring, but the list of contenders is long. He could also face any member of The Frownlow Medal Wife Beaters Club, but it is believed they don’t want to be in a fair fight, while many punters are demanding he fight Beau Ryan.

Ryan is a Frownlow nominee who has never fought in a real boxing match, but a huge number of fans would apparently love to see him step in the ring.

Kenny has also been given permission to choose the venue for FMF 1, and possible sites include Bateau Bay PCYC or venues which have produced many Frownlow nominations, or nominees, including The Star Sydney, Northies at Cronulla or Hillsong Church.

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Why Taylan May believes he did nothing wrong.

Taylan May did it for the boys. He did it for the club, and for the great game of rugby league. That’s why he believes he escaped punishment from the NRL for an alleged assault in Queensland in 2021.

May has been charged with assault occasioning bodily harm after allegedly dragging a man to the ground at a Sunshine Coast nightclub while celebrating Penrith’s grand final win, and has received a nomination for The Frownlow Medal.

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 Jarryd Hayne is the most recent recipient.

May is adamant he did nothing wrong, and is not afraid of punishment from the courts, because he did what he did to protect captain Nathan Cleary from hecklers.

“I stuck up for Cleary. I don’t think I was in the wrong,” he told the media.

“Anyone in my position, if they’re a good friend, they would have done what I did.”

He also did it for the team. Winning Frownlow honours is the greatest achievement for any Australia-based football team. Plenty of Panthers players have been inducted into The Fronwlow Medal Hall of Fame, including Craig Gower, but none of the medallists has played for Penrith. May’s own brother, Tyrone, played for the Panthers and came close to winning in 2021. He pleaded guilty to four counts of recording intimate images without consent. He was sentenced to 300 hours of community work and narrowly avoided jail time. Another offence saw him lose his contract.

Taylan’s actions earned praise from his coach Ivan Cleary.

“He’ll always put others above himself,” Cleary said to the media.

“Growing up it’s probably got him into a bit of trouble, but that’s why we love him, he’s constantly putting the team first and putting his brothers ahead of him.”

“He’s definitely not a selfish guy.”

He also did it for rugby league.

The NRL took no action against the rookie, suggesting they are trying to protect The Frownlow Medal, which they have won every year except 2020, when it went to AFL player Elijah Taylor. Punishing May would keep him on the sidelines and thus less able to remind Frownlow judges that a rugby league player deserves to win the medal yet again.

“I didn’t want the situation to escalate. (My teammates) are big names, I’m a nobody . . . the security were on my side. The situation for me, it doesn’t really faze me. I’ve put it behind me and just focused on the game,” May explained.

Has May done enough to keep The Frownlow Medal in the hands of the NRL for another year?

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Payne Haas vs Marcelo Montoya.

Who wins in a head to head battle between Payne Haas and Marcelo Montoya?

Both NRL players recently earned nominations for The Frownlow Medal for separate incidents and received different punishments.

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 Jarryd Hayne is the most recent recipient.

So, who comes out on top, the prop or the winger?

Let’s examine the incidents.

Warriors winger Montoya called Kyle Feldt a ‘fa//ot’ during a recent game against the North Queensland Cowboys and received a four week suspension for a homophobic slur. Feldt is married with children and there is no suspicion that he is gay. In addition, Feldt has been playing in the NRL for many years, and has played State of Origin for Queensland. He has given and taken sledges before, and has no doubt developed a thick skin. Yet, Montoya claims he was simply trying to get under Feldt’s skin and put him off his game when he used the term. Did it work against such an experienced player?

Also, how many members of the public actually heard Montoya use the word?

Furthermore, if Feldt is not gay, as we can rightly assume, is a homophobic slur actually offensive? Yes, it’s offensive to gay men throughout the world, but is it actually offensive to Feldt?

Haas, meanwhile, received a one week suspension for alcohol-fuelled violence. He got drunk and punched his own teammate, Albert Kelly, in the head during a physical altercation. He was also fined $10,000, despite the fact that he has a record. He received two prior Frownlow nominations; for refusing to cooperate with the NRL Integrity Unit in 2019, and for intimidating police in 2021.

Kelly was also suspended for one week, and fined $5000, for his part in the fight, and is also known to The Frownlow Medal.

Four weeks for a homophobic slur. One week for alcohol fuelled violence.

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Albert Proud joins The Frownlow Medal Wife Beaters Club.

Former AFL player Albert Proud is the latest professional footballer to join The Frownlow Medal Wife Beaters Club after pleading guilty to assaulting his former partner.

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, and NRL star Jarryd Hayne is the most recent recipient.

Proud was sentenced to five and a half years in prison for seriously injuring his girlfriend during a drunken assault in 2015. He pleaded guilty to grievous bodily harm and wilful damage, but could have faced a murder charge had the woman not received medical attention immediately after the assault.

Reports indicate that Proud punched his girlfriend in the chest and attempted to strangle her after getting drunk at a friend’s wedding. The injuries were so severe that the woman spent 33 days in hospital and suffered lasting injuries.

This was not the first allegation of assault against Proud. The Brisbane Lions suspended him in 2009 after accusations of assault from a 23-year-old woman in a Gold Coast nightclub. Proud took leave from the club a year later to deal with alcohol issues. The Lions finally parted ways with him in 2011 after he assaulted a police officer.

Proud joins the following players in The Fronwlow Medal Wife Beaters Club:

NRL

Kenny Edwards

Zane Tetevano

Ben Barba

Jake Friend

Anthony Watts

Isaac Gordon

Richie Fa’aoso

Anthony Cherrington

Addin Fonua-Blake

Kirisome Auva’a

Jarryd Hayne

Jamil Hopoate

Joel Romelo

AFL

Elijah Taylor

Nick Stevens

Liam Jurrah

Andrew Lovett

Wayne Carey

Albert Proud

Rugby Union

Craig Wells

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Albert Proud earns a Wife Beater Tattoo.

Former AFL player Albert Proud has earned a Wife Beater Tattoo from The Fronwlow Medal after pleading guilty to assaulting his former girlfriend.

The Lions finally parted ways with him in 2011 after he assaulted a police officer.

Proud will be inked as soon as possible and joins a long list of professional footballers who have earned a Wife Beater Tattoo.

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Albert is proud of his Frownlow nomination.

Former AFL player Albert Proud has been nominated for The Frownlow Medal Hall of Fame for a series of incidents which included a prison sentence.

The Lions finally parted ways with him in 2011 after he assaulted a police officer.

Proud will discover later in the year if he has done enough to be inducted into The Frownlow Medal Hall of Fame.

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Andrew Lovett earns a Wife Beater Tattoo.

Former AFL player Andrew Lovett has earned a Wife Beater Tattoo from The Fronwlow Medal after pleading guilty to violence against women.

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 Jarryd Hayne is the most recent recipient.

Lovett pleaded guilty to the assault which occurred in 2011 on the Mornington Peninsula, Victoria. The court heard that the woman had taken Lovett in when he was homeless, and that the assault started after Lovett discovered the woman had told someone that he sold his medals to fund his alcohol and gambling addictions. One of the medals was from the Anzac Day game in 2005.

Lovett then reportedly smashed the woman’s phone before grabbing the victim by the throat and throwing her to the ground numerous times. He also held her down on the couch, while her baby slept nearby. The woman was left with neck and chest injuries, while Lovett was given a $2500 fine and escaped prison time.

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Wayne Carey earns a Wife Beater Tattoo.

Former AFL player Wayne Carey has been awarded a Wife Beater Tattoo after being found guilty of numerous charges of violence against women.

Carey was inducted into The Frownlow Medal Hall of Fame in 2015 for his famous extra-marital affair and other scandals, but earned the prestigious tattoo following physical abuse of various women. The tattoo also grants him access to The Frownlow Medal Wife Beaters Club.

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 Jarryd Hayne is the most recent recipient.

Carey pleaded guilty to indecent assault after grabbing a woman’s breast on a Melbourne street in 1997, allegedly asking her “Why don’t you get a bigger pair of tits?”

The North Melbourne star escaped any serious punishment, then in 2007 his girlfriend at the time told police he had smashed a wine glass in her face, cutting her mouth and neck. When police attended the scene in Miami, Carey kicked a female police officer in the mouth. His girlfriend later dropped charges, but Carey was convicted for assaulting the officer.

The respected TV commentator wasn’t done though. Only a year later, police were called again, this time to his home in Port Melbourne after reports of domestic violence. When they arrived, he assaulted them and had to be subdued with capsicum spray. He was convicted and fined $2000 for assault and resisting police.

Furthermore, it was reported that the Kangaroos paid a $15,000 settlement to a woman he allegedly sexually harassed.

Carey will be inked immediately, and fans will see his Wife Beater Tattoo every time he appears on the commentary team or a reality TV show.

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Liam Jurrah earns a Wife Beater Tattoo.

Former AFL player Liam Jurrah is the latest professional footballer to earn a Wife Beater Tattoo after pleading guilty to assaulting his ex-wife and partner.

The Frownlowm Medal Wife Beater Tattoo is awarded to every player who has been found guilty of assaulting women, and combines footballers’ love of tattoos and mistreating women.

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 Jarryd Hayne is the most recent recipient.

Jurrah was sentenced to prison in 2015 after pleading guilty to punching his former wife and threatening another woman with a broken bottle. The former Melbourne Demons player breached a domestic violence order (DVO) while visiting his ex-wife in Hermannsburg, NT, when the attack took place.

The court heard that he also assaulted another ex-partner a month later. The mother of his son was attacked in a town camp in Alice Springs, and also had a DVO out against Jurrah before the assault. The woman was threatened with a broken bottle and required stitches as a result of the attack.

Reports indicate that Jurrah had yelled at his baby’s mother to come home with him from the town camp, before climbing into her yard and punching her, and then chasing her in his car. He then refused to participate in separate recorded interviews with police.

Jurrah was sentenced to nine months jail, suspended for four months.

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