MoNkEy
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Dickhead.http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/nrl/jamal-idris-throws-panthers-teammate-jamie-soward-under-the-bus-over-infamous-diving-incident/story-fni3gfvk-1227068270833
Jamal Idris throws Panthers teammate Jamie Soward under the bus over infamous diving incident
IT was the moment the Bulldog army declared war on Jamie Soward and the they haven’t stopped peppering him verbal bullets ever since.
Playing for St George Illawarra in a top-of-the-table thriller against Canterbury at Kogarah in 2009, Soward was accused of taking a dive to rob the Bulldogs of a matchwinning try after the siren.
The result proved the difference for that season’s minor premiership — a consequence Bulldogs fans simply refuse to forget.
Soward has always denied any gamesmanship, but yesterday Panthers team mate Jamal Idris — who was the Bulldogs player called back five years ago — told a different story.
“He came up to me after the game and apologised for it,” Idris said.
“He said, ‘You’ve got to do what you’ve got to do’. It was literally straight after the game.
“I just looked at him — I don’t really hold grudges — and I just said, ‘fair enough’. If the shoe was on the other foot I would probably be happy.”
Five years later Soward can still feel the hate from the blue and white brigade, which will be in full voice for Saturday night’s qualifying final at ANZ Stadium.
Asked how Canterbury fans ranked on the hate scale, Soward replied: “Number one, number two, number three and number four.”
“All fans from the other clubs give it to me, so there’s no real scale. They are a club with such a proud history, so they will have plenty there on Saturday night. But in saying that, we had 6,000 fans travel to Roosters territory two weeks ago and outcheer their supporters.”
Soward was more coy when reminded of the Dragons-Bulldogs game. “Who cares?” he said. “Jamal plays outside me now”.
But according to Idris, you admitted to taking a dive?
“Yes ... four years later,” Soward joked. “I didn’t know at the time. I turned around to chase and that’s all I can remember. I’m not the referee, I don’t make the rules.
“I don’t take dives. I don’t feel like I need to. I’m not into that.”
It’s a different story as far as superstition is concerned, with Soward demanding Idris keep his beard until Penrith’s campaign is over.
“He won’t let me shave it,” Idris said.
“I put it on my Instagram before the Roosters (final) that I was going to shave it, and he came up to me two hours before the match saying, ‘I almost had a heart attack’.
“He reckons that if I shaved it, it would put him off, so I’ve had to throw aside my vanity.”
I was bloody fuming that night.
I also made the mistake of gleefully texting a St Merge nutter workmate before the video ref came up with that decision.
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