I’ve heard similar stories about similar team meetings held in the past few weeks. Of players at one Sydney club already fearing their season will be cruelled by sins of the past. Of leading players harassing reporters to see what they know, and player managers doing the same. Of young players who already have a reputation for their myriad one-night or even one-hour stands being told by senior players to keep it in their pants. Loading And, while they’re at it, keep their camera phone there, too. Go and buy a Nokia 3310. Our kingdom for those simpler times. Meanwhile, the videos just keep on comin’. My WhatsApp now pings daily with lewd – or is it lurid? – messages that better belong on porn websites. The situation has become absurd with videos being passed on that might feature a prominent league player. Is that such-and-such? Is that his voice? His face? His tattoo? Answer: I don't care. On Wednesday morning, I received a grainy video featuring an unidentifiable man having sex with an unidentifiable woman. It was suggested to me that it was a player but, in truth, you cannot tell.

“How good is it?” he asked her. “How good is rugby league? How good is it? How good? Huh?” How good is it? Huh? It’s a mess. The NRL slowly opened one eye and bravely launched its season with a sparkly function at the Bondi Icebergs on Thursday night with a handful of leading players standing on top of a clear Perspex platform laid over the famous ocean baths. The metaphor was unmistakable: the players were walking on water, as many appear to do when they play. There was another unmistakable metaphor: the Perspex could give way at any moment and they will all end up underwater, gasping for air. Off-field: NRL chief executive Todd Greenberg has spent the off-season putting out fires related to player behaviour. Credit:AAP

Penrith have been dunked like a doughnut in the last week, despite all the warnings their young playing group has received in recent years about the dangers of casual sex, camera phones and social media. The decision by whoever to leak videos featuring May and teammates Tyrone Phillips and Liam Coleman onto social media within hours of NRL chief executive Todd Greenberg fining Dylan Napa over the “Big Papi” tapes is what has many clubs and players on edge. The Panthers have no doubt this was done to sabotage their season. Ivan Cleary was controversially brought back to the club by chairman David O’Neill to win a premiership. He’s already under enormous pressure to nurse a side shaking about what might come out next. The Panthers’ culture has also been questioned with former Blues coach Laurie Daley brutally lining up the club on Sky Sports Radio earlier in the week.

“I wouldn't want my son to play for Penrith,” Daley said. “And I wouldn't want my daughter to go out with any Penrith player … At the moment, it’s Penrith and Penrith haven’t got a great culture.” You won't hear too many clubs making similar remarks. "I know footballers too well," says one. "We could be next." Bad behaviour: Laurie Daley blasted the Penrith club culture. Credit:AAP Penrith supremo Phil Gould has been rattled by the events of this week, which isn’t easily done because he’s seen some things as a player, coach and administrator. He resigned as Blues coach in 2004 over the Mark Gasnier “fire up” scandal. More than a few people have asked this column if Gould might quit his post at Penrith over this. It would surprise if he did.

Penrith handled the crisis as well as they could, bringing the videos to the immediate attention of the NRL Integrity Unit and asking investigator Karyn Murphy to come to Penrith to interview those implicated as soon as possible. They weren't prepared to let this drag on like the Jack de Belin situation. A day later, May was arrested and charged with filming two women without their consent and disseminating those videos without their permission. The thinnest of silver linings out of what’s happening is that this issue – again – lifts the lid on the game’s attitude towards women. The sex was consensual. But sending it around a Snapchat or WhatsApp group to dozens of men was not. What people do in the confines of their own bedroom or disabled toilet at a nightclub is their business. Just don’t send film it and send it on. While outraged commentators and fans take the whacking stick to what's left of rugby league’s head, I’m equally inclined to ask questions of the people who actually follow the game.

Loading On Monday night, the children of former Penrith enforcer Mark Geyer started receiving messages from friends telling them about social media speculation that Geyer’s 22-year-old daughter was in one of the Tyrone May videos. They told their dad. Geyer was furious. How furious? Sin-binned by Bill Harrigan in the second half of the 1991 grand final furious. By Tuesday morning, the wildly incorrect rumour was the talk of the town. The Geyer family was devastated and remain so. Usually not bad on the tooth, MG hasn’t eaten all week because of the stress. His family is everything. This has wounded him deeply.

He has subsequently started legal action against NRL Memes, the Facebook page that published the rubbish claim. The page has been closed down. Let’s hope it stays that way. Do fans truly have an appetite for this stuff? Sadly, many do. When Geyer posted on the Facebook page on Monday night that the woman was not his daughter and demanded the post be deleted, other commentators on the thread were split. “Well,” posted one, “it does kind of look like her, MG.” Because apparently, Mark Geyer wouldn’t know what his daughter looks like. Says it all, really.

Why Lockyer had to make Seibold decision Queensland legend and Broncos director Darren Lockyer this week confirmed speculation that's been swirling around all summer that his relationships with former coach Wayne Bennett and former teammate Kevin Walters were severely strained. Bennett is dirty that Lockyer and the board signed Anthony Seibold to replace him with one season remaining on his current deal. Walters is dirty that they didn’t choose him as the replacement. Other retired Broncos greats are dirty with Lockyer for not going with “Kevvie”. Professional approach: Anthony Seibold brought his A-game to his interview to land the Broncos job. Credit:AAP Here’s a little insight into why Seibold got the gig.

Loading When Walters made his pitch to the board, he was overcome with emotion about how much the club means to him — and that was about it. Bennett got straight to the point and rattled off the greatest coaching record in history. How could they not want him? Seibold then fronted, rolling out Powerpoint presentations, stats and video analysis. According to those in the room, there was no comparison. Seibold got the job, Bennett came to Souths and Walters is still Queensland coach but remains devastated about not getting the Broncos job. It’s been said that Walters was promised the position when Bennett left. No such assurance was given by Lockyer. The quote

“From poor administration and fraudulent activity to an act of gross stupidity …” — NRL chief executive Todd Greenberg’s seamless segue from announcing salary cap sanctions to the Dylan Napa “Big Papi” sex tapes neatly captured his job description. Thumbs up Vale Les Carlyon, the peerless writer, reporter, author (yes, none of these nouns seem adequate) who died on Monday aged 76. He brought the magic of horseracing to life, along with anything else he wrote about. And if you were lucky enough to meet him you’d know he was as humble as he was brilliant. Thumbs down If you didn’t know any better you'd think the NRL floated its “wildcard weekend” concept to divert attention from its off-season from the seventh circle of hell. Giving the ninth and 10th placed teams a chance of making the finals means everyone’s a winner. Which means nobody is.