CLANCY OVERELL | Editor | CONTACT
The subbies, apprentices and day 1 veterans of Betoota’s premiere construction company, BuildZone, have been walking on egg shells these past month.
The erratic temper and venomous tongue of foreman Bob Shayler (53) has thrown a spanner into the workplace culture, as even the most stone cold Serbian gyprockers are getting a spray on the new Betoota Chase shopping centre rebuild.
It’s taken the crew a couple weeks to figure out what’s going on, but they think they’ve finally figured out what’s up Bob’s arse.
Obviously it isn’t nicotine or alcohol withdrawals. Given the fact that he had the interlock removed from his ute back in January – and still smokes like diesel on a camp fire.
It’s clearly not ice coffee withdrawals either, judging by the plastic bottles he’s kindly offered to insulate the plaster walls with free of cost.
Marital woes are also ruled out, because he’s been happily divorced for ten years now and has made three trips to Thailand since the borders re-opened.
What his workmates has deduced is that Bob’s foul mood is directly linked to the fact that NRL360 is back on TV.
“It’s doing his head in” says 1st year apprentice, Jai, who’s been copping most the wrath.
NRL 360 Australian NRL talk show that deals with the issues in the NRL. It began airing on Fox Sports on 6 March 2013, and has been causing great personal anguish and grievances for people like Bob Shayler ever since.
A true case study into the Murdoch media model, NRL 360 is basically just a bunch of leathery old men complaining about what’s wrong with the world and somehow turning every single conversation into a discussion about political correctness gone mad – while a more youthful host attempts rein them in.
Bob, like hundreds of thousands of NRL fans, simply cannot look away from the agitating NRL reporters pressing cultural hot buttons – even if every single episode is basically a tangenting discussion about whether on-field concussions can be stopped.
“Fucken Kenty” scowls Bob, after snapping out of a Winfield Blue-fuelled daydream at smoko.
“You shoulda seen what these old bastards were on about last night. They want to get rid of video refs!!!”
“Absolute clowns”
