Danny Cipriani and Richard Kingi order a bottle of vodka.

Rugby Union players Danny Cipriani and Richard Kingi have demanded a bottle of vodka be placed next to their plaques if they are inducted into The Frownlow Medal Hall of Fame. The former Melbourne Rebels players famously stole a bottle of vodka from a bar in 2011 when they weren’t supposed to be partying at all.

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.

The Rebels team had agreed that they would not go out after losing a game to the NSW Waratahs. Not only did Kingi and Cipriani hit the town, they souvenired a bottle of vodka from behind the bar at a nightclub. Why an England international and Wallaby would need to steal rather than pay for a drink is a mystery…

Cipriani then strengthened his Frownlow chances by staying out late on a different night and failing to turn up to training the next day.

In response to criticism, Kingi and Cipriani said,

“You call the club Rebels, so what do you expect?”

“You think we’re gonna be tucked up in bed by 10pm on a weekend?”

Cipriani and Kingi will both attend the awards night for The Frownlow Medal and The Frownlow Medal Hall of Fame later this year, and have been advised that there will be no need to steal drinks as the bar is open all night long.

Image: NuNa

The Frownlow Medal welcomes back two of its biggest stars.

The Frownlow Medal is delighted to welcome back into its family Israel Folau and Jack de Belin after both moved one step closer to resuming their football careers. Folau and de Belin have been locked out of Australia’s most prestigious award but could return to the field very soon.

Former NSW Blue de Belin is set to play for the St George-Illawarra Dragons reserve-grade team this weekend against Western Suburbs, and once he inevitably returns to first-grade, he will be eligible for The Frownlow Medal. Folau, meanwhile, has launched legal action to force his way back into the NRL via the Queensland lower-grade competition.

Tyhe back-rower has been allowed to play again after his court case for alleged sexual assault dragged on for years but was unable to find a verdict, and all charges were dropped. Folau was kicked out of rugby league and rugby union after multiple homophobic social media posts, but is desperately seeking Frownlow eligibility via a legal case funded by one of Australia’s richest men, Clive Palmer.

Folau’s legal team have accused the NRL and The Frownlow Medal of religious discrimination, and argue that:

“…Israel doesn’t drink, smoke or take drugs. He has never been charged with a criminal offence, he hasn’t assaulted any women…”

How then does he expect to win The Frownlow Medal?

Folau’s many supporters argue that his social media posts should never have been punished because they are an example of free speech.

NSW rugby league officials, meanwhile, have promised to provide extra security for de Belin “to ensure Jack de Belin’s return to rugby league is conducted in the right spirit”. They have advised that “…if anyone goes there with the intention of trying to disturb anyone’s proper enjoyment of the day, we need to be ready to deal with that…” and that anyone planning to display “offensive signs” aimed at de Belin will have those signs removed.

So much for free speech.

Image: NuNa

Israel Folau opens yet another lawsuit.

Former football star Israel Folau has launched legal action against The Frownlow Medal claiming he did not win the award due to religious discrimination. Folau claims his numerous homophobic social media posts warranted a medal and that he will seek compensation through the courts.

Folau has never won the biggest prize in Australian sport, despite being nominated in 2018 and 2019, and despite playing first-grade AFL, for the Wallabies, and for the Queensland State of Origin team. He is also attempting to fight his way back into the NRL, so he can take another shot at winning The Frownlow Medal.

The cross-code star revealed his intention to sue the judges of the prize during a press conference for his planned return to football with the Southport Tigers lower-grade rugby league team in Queensland. Folau has not played professional football of any kind in Australia since his latest homophobic social media post cost him his contract with Rugby Australia.

He claimed to be very confident of winning the court case as he has the financial backing of Clive Palmer and the most powerful ally of all – The Lord Almighty. Folau also accused the Frownlow judges of religious discrimination in not giving him the medal, which went to Karmichael Hunt in 2018, and Ben Barba in 2019, neither of whom profess any strong religious devotion.

Judges of the medal deny any accusations of religious discrimination, or any other form of discrimination, and invite Folau to read the articles on this website, and to peruse http://www.instagram.com/thefrownlowmedal to see that all nominees are judged by their actions alone.

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Elijah Taylor earns a Wife Beater tattoo.

AFL player Elijah Taylor has joined a long list of professional footballers to have been awarded The Frownlow Medal Wife Beater tattoo after pleading guilty to assaulting his ex-girlfriend. The talented 19-year-old pleaded guilty to numerous charges for an incident in September 2020 and was sacked by the Sydney Swans.

Taylor has added his name to an illustrious list of players from the major football codes who have all been found guilty of violence against women, including physical assault and sexual assault, and who now display the sought-after tattoo on the fists used to injure their victims.

The list includes players such as:

AFL

Nick Stevens

Justin Murphy

Liam Jurrah

NRL

Robert Lui

Stuart Webb

Sam Burgess (premiership winner, England international)

Matt Lodge

Scott Bolton (premiership winner)

Kenny Edwards

Zane Tetevano (premiership winner, New Zealand international)

Ben Barba (premiership winner, Dally M medallist)

Jake Friend (premiership winning captain, Origin)

Anthony Watts

Isaac Gordon

Richie Fa’aoso (premiership winner, Tonga international)

Anthony Cherrington

Addin Fonua-Blake (Tonga international)

Kirisome Auva’a (premiership winner, Samoa international)

Greg Inglis (premiership winner, Origin winner, Australian captain – for a few hours)

Ken McGuinness (NSW Origin)

and Dylan Walker (premiership winner, Origin, Australia)

And let’s not forget Craig Wells, who was found guilty of raping a teenage girl after plying her with illicit drugs. A far cry from playing for the Wallabies.

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Warwick Waugh nominated for The Frownlow Medal Hall of Fame.

Former Wallaby Warwick Waugh has been nominated for The Frownlow Medal Hall of Fame after being caught drink driving. Waugh recorded a mid-range alcohol reading as he was on his way home from a charity fundraiser.

The ex Randwick and Australian representative was fined $800 as a result of the offence, and was ordered to have an interlock device fitted to his car.

The talented forward will no doubt be elated to have earned a nomination for Australia’s most prestigious sporting award, but should not assume that he will be inducted. He joins 30 other former footballers in contention for the hall of fame in 2020. They include past AFL players Heath Scotland, who was nominated for assault, and David Dench and Aaron Lord, who were found guilty of fraud. Another former AFL player, Justin Murphy, was found guilty of violence against women, the same alleged offence which led to nominations for ex NRL players Sam Burgess and Wes Naiqama.

Waugh, meanwhile, will not be the only nominee taking a taxi to the awards night for The Frownlow Medal and The Frownlow Medal Hall of Fame later this year.

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Matt Henjak will not be sent home from Frownlow awards night.

Judges of The Frownlow Medal Hall of Fame have assured former Wallaby Matt Henjak he will not be ejected from the award’s night of nights because, quite simply, anything goes.

Henjak will join some of the greats of Australian football at the gala ceremony after he committed a series of off-field indiscretions, including being sent home from a Wallabies tour.

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. Former NRL player Shaun Kenny-Dowall won the inaugural medal in 2015, while former NRL player Ben Barba is the most recent recipient.

Henjak was sent home from the tour of South Africa in 2004 for involvement in an incident in a bar. Allegations followed that the victim of Henjak’s behaviour had been paid in order to stay silent.

The talented back began his bid for The Frownlow Medal Hall of Fame in 2000, when he recorded a conviction for assault in the ACT. He then trashed a motel room in Bombala, NSW, for which he was fined almost $9000 and placed on a good behaviour bond. At the time, he was already on a good behaviour bond for the earlier assault conviction.

Henjak returned with another tilt at Frownlow glory in 2008 when he was sacked by the Western Force for breaking the jaw of teammate Haig Sare during a fight at a Fremantle hotel. The fine this time was $5000 and the suspension was for eight Super Rugby matches.

The former Brumby is confident of his chances of induction into the Frownlow Medal Hall of Fame and even more confident of having a great time at the awards night alongside players who have been nominated for alcohol abuse, assault, domestic violence, imprisonment, public urination and drug offences.

With a guest list like this, anything goes.

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Australia’s biggest homophobe fails to win The Frownlow Medal.

Former Rugby Union player Israel Folau has failed in his bid to win The Frownlow Medal, despite posting a homophobic message on social media which sparked a huge social controversy.

Folau claimed that homosexuals will go to Hell, in accordance with his conservative Christian views. The post cost Folau his multi-million dollar contract with Rugby Australia and divided opinion across the country.

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 code-swapper Karmichael Hunt was the most recent recipient

The talented footballer was sacked because he had already been warned about a similar post some months earlier. He then engaged in a lengthy court battle with Rugby Australia and missed out on playing in the world cup where the Wallabies performed poorly.

The post set off one of the most controversial debates of the year, as politicians, talk back radio hosts, breakfast show presenters, Christians, the LGBTQI community and members of the public shared their views on the topic.

The enormous controversy, however, was still not enough to win Folau the biggest prize in Australian sport.

Why not?

Because 2019 was the most most competitive year in the history of The Frownlow Medal, with players being charged with sexual assault, violence against women, stabbing, drug and alcohol abuse and gambling on their own games. A misguided social media post was simply not enough this year.

The controversy also means that one of the most talented footballers of the modern era may never play League or Union again. He will never play AFL again, but is unlikely to be missed by fans of that sport.

He’ll be forced to watch football, and The Frownlow Medal, from the sidelines. At least his Frownlow failure will give his army of Christian soldiers something else to complain about.

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Digby Ioane labels Frownlow judges the worst ever.

Rugby Union player Digby Ioane has attacked the judges of The Frownlow Medal Hall of Fame for taking so long to nominate him for the prestigious award.

Ioane took to twitter to call the judges “…the worst judges ever” after they waited until 2019 to recognise incidents which occurred as far back as 2011.

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 Karmichael Hunt is the most recent recipient.

“Bust my gut since 2011 for Frownlow nomination nuthin ‘til 2019. Worst.Judges.Ever.” he tweeted.

The 2011 incident to which Ioane is referring is the twitter sledge of a New Zealand referee who adjudicated the match between Ioane’s Queensland Reds and the Wellington Hurricanes, who won the match. Ioane called the referee “The worst ref ever” but promptly removed the tweet once it was brought to the attention of Rugby officials

He increased his chances of induction into the Hall of Fame in 2013 when a warrant was issued for his arrest. The warrant was issued because Ioane had failed to attend an earlier court hearing to answer allegations of assault at a pub in Melbourne.

Ioane was adamant that he was unaware of the court hearing. He then posted gangster style photos of himself partying with his Rugby buddies a few days after the hearing.

Ioane’s actions left many unanswered questions. The first is whether he has done enough to be inducted into The Frownlow Medal Hall of Fame. The second is what he will call the judges if he is not inducted.

Image:NuNa