News Articles
11 March 2001
From news.com.au
11 March 2001
I'm a footballer, not model
11 March 01
Sunday Telegraph
ORGANISING a photo of Sydney Roosters glamour boy Craig Wing has always been an easy job. Like grabbing a quote from Anthony Mundine.
If you wanted him bare-chested on the beach for a photo, no problem.
Not anymore.
The one-time Cleo Bachelor of the Year declined to pose for The Sunday Telegraph last week and will maintain his reluctance in front of the lens until he feels he is respected as a footballer -- not a model.
The crux of Wing's transformation was a magazine poll last year in which fellow players voted him "the most overrated player" in the NRL.
"That hurt," Wing admitted. "People pulled me aside and said `think of why they said it. It's not really that you are the most overrated player, consider it more of an over-publicised player'.
"So I thought of it more that way and it made sense.
"I only had myself to blame for being in the spotlight all the time.
"For example, before the first game of last season I was posing for photos on the beach. I mean ... I'm a footballer.
"I want to keep focused on playing football and being respected as a football player.
"It's only three rounds in (to the season) and I'm kidding myself if I think I'm where I want to be. There's a long way to go and a lot more I want to learn.
"I just want to be humble ... I got a real kick in the arse last year."
The 21-year-old, a star performer from the bench this season, took last year hard.
It was the ultimate fall from grace.
South Sydney's golden boy, the scorer of THAT solo try against Cronulla in 1999, had glamour clubs Brisbane, Parramatta, Canterbury and the Roosters waging a bidding war for his services.
The Roosters won, for a reported $1 million over three years, but it wasn't long before some were wondering what all the fuss was about.
A couple of indifferent performances saw the glowing reports on Wing turn to criticism within the space of weeks.
Wing felt as though he wasn't contributing to the Roosters and that his teammates didn't care if he was there or not.
"I'm more aware and a much better person after going through what I went through in the first half of the year," Wing offered.
"I've been quiet media-wise for a fair while, taking the `head-down, bum-up' approach.
"I was hardly even mentioned in anything to do with the season build-up, which I didn't mind at all.
"I thought it was quite good because it allowed me to stay focused on playing football, which I want to do.
"I've got my Foxtel work (as a presenter on The Cover and World's Weirdest Pets) outside of playing, which I really enjoy and I try and keep it and footy separate.
"All the hype last year was a negative thing for me coming into a new team when I was unproven ... it made it that little bit more difficult fitting in.
"They didn't know what sort of person I was.
"But the guys know me now and they know I put in on the field and put my hand up for anything."
It seemed everyone was expecting a repeat of his try against Cronulla ... even the man himself.
"For my first game -- for some stupid reason -- I was expecting myself to score two tries straight up," Wing said.
"It was a lot of pressure to put on myself and I didn't come out of it as well as I would have liked.
"I copped a lot of criticism and I was down a lot -- a hell of a lot.
"But there was a stage in the year when I thought `stuff this -- I didn't start playing this game as a kid and play four games a weekend because I hated it'.
"It was because it was fun and I enjoyed it. That's what I've been trying to focus on again. When you get caught up in the hoopla you often lose sight of where you're going and why you play the game.
"But I've matured and I won't be distracted from why I play the game and why I'm in the team.
"I'm in the team because I can play football, not because I'm marketable."
While Wing's long-term goal is to break into the starting side, the Roosters are benefiting from the 83-kilo speedster darting out of dummy-half late in either half as the opposition forwards tire.
This was never more evident than when he pinched two tries last week against the Cowboys as the clock wound down.
"I don't know if he's a hooker, but he's doing a great job for us there," said Roosters coach Graham Murray.
"The expectations (on Wing) were probably too high last year. The only footage I ever saw of him was when he scored that try against Cronulla and as good as it was, you don't come across players that do that all the time.
"The expectation to do that every week was not realistic.
"I reckon he's in for a big year."
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