LOUIS BURKE | Editor | Contact
Four months on from the scandal that rocked Australian sport, local bloke Arnie Dale (26) has learnt it is still too early to talk to his dad Hugh Dale (58) about the cricket ball-tampering scandal.
After witnessing his father experience the five stages of grief in March, Arnie thought enough time had past to make light of the fact the Australian cricket team tried to cheat in view of roughly three dozen cameras.
Arnie quickly learnt that some wounds take longer to heal than others and the damage Steve Smith and the ‘leadership team’ had dealt to Australian sporting integrity was one Hugh Dale would be wearing like an albatross around his neck for quite some time.
“Jesus Arnie. What are you doing bringing that up?” asked Hugh Dale as he frantically searched his pockets for a cigarette lighter.
“They’re young blokes mate, they didn’t know any better, honestly. Fuck me.”
Not having an interest in cricket himself, Arnie Dale fails to grasp exactly why his dad is still upset about how a team of young cricket players disgraced the Australian cricket legacy by cheating during a test no one was really watching anyway.
“My dad cried during Steve Smith’s apology,” stated Arnie Dale.
“To give you some perspective, he didn’t cry when my brother died.”
Tragic though it may be, Hugh Dale assures his family the day will come when he is able to talk about the tragic loss of Steve Smith and David Warner to the team, who at this point, have only eight months of their suspension left.
“I can’t sorry. Sport’s darkest day. If you ignore the personal life of almost every rugby league player that is.”
More to come.
