The Warriors lost badly on ANZAC Day, and now they’re being accused of disrespecting the combatants in a military campaign that happened 101 years ago. That’s dumb, writes Jamie Wall.
April 25th, 2016 won’t go down as a day to remember for the Warriors. Not only was the team’s 42-0 loss devoid of any positives, it was also seemed horribly inevitable from moment the Storm first got their hands on the ball.
The online backlash was swift and predictable. The team’s official Facebook page even gave them a free hit by posting an image of the team in front of the words ‘Lest We Forget’. This prompted countless suggestions on how the team had forgotten to tackle, pass, win, etc.
However, some chose to take it a bit further and had a dig at the Warriors for daring to play so badly on ANZAC Day. How disrespectful. Insulting. Shameful.
The keyboard nationalists insisted on carrying out the ridiculous task of comparing a battle fought 101 years ago to a regular season NRL game in 2016. Maybe the Warriors should’ve dug some trenches, contracted dysentery, or launched a bayonet charge. Could the game have been won if they’d adopted a pincer approach and attacked the enemy from both north and south?
Even current servicemen were outraged.
The performance was a raging trash fire, sure, but it’s not like the Warriors had any hand in when or where it was played. In fact, they didn’t even take the opportunity to put out a special jersey for the occasion (which is probably a good move, because last year’s ANZAC commemoration jersey wasn’t one of their better ones).
Oh well, at least next weekend if the Warriors lose to St George-Illawarra they won’t be accused of defiling the memory of our fallen heroes. Instead, regular transmission will be resumed and we can look forward to the more balanced criticism they usually get.
