Wayne Bennett says former NRL star Danny Wicks deserves a second chance after spending 18 months in jail. Picture: Nathan Edwards Source: The Daily Telegraph
SUPER coach Wayne Bennett says former Knights forward Danny Wicks deserves another chance in rugby league.
While stopping short of offering him a start at Newcastle, Bennett said society has an obligation to give those who have made mistakes a second chance.
Released from prison on Friday after serving 18 months for supplying drugs, Wicks is banned from playing until September next year.
EXCLUSIVE: Prison, drugs and Danny Wicks
He will be 28 when he is allowed to play again.
"I don't know Danny and I don't know anything about his life," Bennett said.
"As a society we talk about giving people second chances. We talk it, but we don't always live it.
"That's the disappointing thing for Danny Wicks or any other person coming out of prison. It's a real frustration of mine. If you've done something wrong in life and you get a penalty, and go to jail or whatever, then we add another one on top of that."
Bennett has a long history of offering help to footballers who have spent time in jail.
In 1991, he gave Joe Kilroy a start at the Broncos after he completed a three-year sentence for drug charges.
He has also taken a close interest in the welfare of Johnny Elias, the former football player who once shot a man in a McDonald's carpark.
Bennett uses the uproar over Kortney Olson, the woman who overcame alcohol and drug abuse to get a start on the Gold Coast Titans' conditioning staff, as another example.
"All they wanted to talk about was her past," Bennett said. "It's the future that counts.
"Some people do make mistakes unfortunately. If they keep making them that's a different matter, but they've got to get on with their lives."
Wicks is back at home living with his family in Yamba.
He has lost 20kg from his giant frame and the former front-rower is not even sure if or when he wants to play NRL again.
If he does, at least Bennett won't be standing in his way.
"I've got no problem with him getting another opportunity as long as he wants one," Bennett said.
"If you do the wrong thing you redeem yourself. Sometimes it's hard in rugby league because of the restrictions the game puts on them."
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Picture: Barker Robert Source: The Sunday Telegraph
MEET Kyah Simon, the first indigenous female to score a goal for Australia. The Sydney FC captain and Matildas striker is one of the country's most gifted footballers and the 21-year-old is fast becoming hot property. After successfully leading Sydney to the W-League title, Simon left yesterday on a new 12-month contract to play in the US with the Boston Breakers, after finishing as their leading goalscorer last season. But it's not only on the field where Simon is kicking goals. Joining the likes of cricket stars Michael Clarke and Chris Gayle as ambassadors of Spartan Sporting goods, Simon boasts her own signature designed soccer ball which proudly displays her Aboriginal heritage.
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BEN Barba has a real juggle on his hands to keep everyone happy in his private life.
Both his ex, Ainslie Currie, and his new girlfriend Lauren Tweddle were spotted at ANZ Stadium on Friday watching the Bulldogs and South Sydney blockbuster.
Stadium staff conveniently placed the girls in different corporate boxes, but only a few suites away from each other.
Ainslie was there with Barba's two young daughters, Bodhi and Bronte, who love watching their dad play.
Barba made a great comeback against the Rabbitohs in front of an NRL club record crowd of more than 50,000.
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GWS are running a poor last in the battle for the hearts and minds of sporting fans in Sydney's west. On the same weekend that the mighty Western Sydney Wanderers won the A-League minor premiership, the AFL's newest club was forced to offer half-price tickets to last night's match against the Swans.You could understand that happening later in the season against an interstate club, but not when you're playing the AFL premiers and your cross-town rivals in a season-opener.
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Michael Weyman statue in his home town of Moruya with the wooden spoon on it Source: The Sunday Telegraph
PIGEONS aren't the only threat to statues these days. The bronze version of Moruya's favourite son and St George Illawarra prop bfMichael Weymannf was given football's most unwanted utensil during the week. The wooden-spoon gag comes as Immortal and proud Dragon bfJohnny Raper said he wouldn't waste $1 backing Steve Price's mob at $101 to win the premiership. But after last night's effort against the Sharks, the Dragons might get the last laugh after all.
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THE Melbourne Rebels have serious problems, and we're not just talking about the fight that saw teammates Kurtley Beale and Cooper Vuna sent home from South Africa. Our spies in Durban tell us Wallaby winger James O'Connor was seen out boozing two nights before the 64-7 record loss to the Sharks. The club needs some lessons in professionalism from their neighbours Melbourne Storm.
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THE NRL has never had the saturation media coverage it enjoys these days. From Thursday night, Fox Sports, Channel Nine and One HD are all running rugby league programs in a three-way tussle for ratings. Peter Sterling's show on Fox Sports and The Game Plan on Ten both kick-off at 7.30pm. An hour later, the Footy Show will be live on Channel Nine.
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ALESSANDRO Del Piero is a maestro when it comes to evading defenders, but now the Sydney FC star has conquered one of the great challenges of the Harbour City - driving to Sydney Olympic Park on a major event night. Forget about the chauffeured limo, Alessandro drives himself around town and easily found his way from the eastern suburbs to ANZ Stadium for the Socceroos-Oman game...and arrived on time.
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FOX Sports will be forced to dump its 2pm Sunday kick-off timeslot in the first six weeks of next year's NRL premiership. Medical staff have found the early afternoon weather is too hot for the players in autumn, even allowing for the drinks breaks in each half. Clubs have also been complaining that the high temperatures are keeping fans away and affecting their crowds. The NRL has agreed to put on extra night matches next year.
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NRL legends Freddy Fittler, Nathan Hindmarsh and salary cap auditor Ian Schubert were presented with Outstanding Community Service Awards at Parliament House on Thursday in recognition of their Hogs for Homeless Charity Ride that raised money for Father Chris Riley's Youth off the Streets. And another of the game's wonderful ambassadors, Ricky Walford, was also honoured at the same ceremony for his commitment to encouraging social inclusion, reconciliation and healthy lifestyles through Indigenous Rugby League programs.
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WE haven't heard the last of the Josh Papalii nfcontract row with the Parramatta Eels. The Raiders forward was given money up front when he agreed to join Parramatta in 2014, before back-flipping on the deal. We're told the money has yet to be returned.
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SAINT - MARK Bosnich's emotion-charged halftime spray of the woeful Socceroos in the World Cup qualifier against Oman on Fox Sports was brilliant television and a lesson to a lot of the fence-sitting commentators in other sports who are too afraid to tell it like it is. Bozza was trending nationally on Twitter during the halftime break.
SINNER - JUST when the NRL was getting serious about severe punishment for a shoulder charge, the judiciary stuffs it up by reducing the suspension on Manly forward Richie Fa'aoso to just one week. Maybe it's time we found some new panel members.
AUSSIE CALL-UP - WE told you last week how Cronulla Oz Tag player Rob Kemp had his jaw smashed by a king hit in his recent State Cup grand final. The pain was eased slightly last week when Kemp was chosen in the Australian 35s team for a series later in the year against New Zealand. He's still considering his options as a result of the incident.
SHOOSH - WE haven't heard the last of Australia's Olympic swimming debacle. A new inquiry has uncovered fresh evidence of serious misbehaviour that will show Stilnox use and bullying was the tip of the iceberg.
KIWI CARNEY RAID - THE New Zealand Warriors have joined the race to sign Sharks five-eighth Todd Carney with an offer even bigger than St George Illawarra's. Still, out of respect to Shane Flanagan, Carney is tipped to sign with the Sharks any day.
COOL TO BE KIND - IN the old days, we would have been happy to get 90,000 fans to a round of rugby league, so how good was it to see the turn-out for the two Good Friday games. It is a tribute to the marketing skills of Paul Kind. He is doing a fantastic job for the code in the midst of the doping crisis.
JURASSIC SHARKS - SEASON ticket-holders and members are the lifeblood of any footy club. It's a shame the Cronulla Sharks don't understand this. I've had complaints through the week from members still waiting to get their season tickets, weeks after paying for them and four rounds into the season. It's further proof the Sharks urgently need a new board of directors, headed by former Olympian Damian Keogh, who is standing at next month's AGM.
FISHY BUSINESS - MARK Taylor hasn't lost his skills at catching. With 157 Test scalps to his credit, Tubby and his fishing partner Tom McLean finished second last weekend out of 94 boats in the Berkeley-Evinrude teams series bream competition on St Georges Basin. Their best five bream weighed in at 3.5kg, only 40g off first place. The former Test skipper caught a 1.23kg bream (40cm long) which was runner-up in the biggest bream catch of the day. The boys picked up $3000 for their efforts.
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