In perhaps the cheekiest story to come out of State of Origin or even NRL this year, State of Origin Streaker Wati Holmwood yesterday pleaded guilty in Sydney's Burwood Local Council to one count of entering a playing field without authorisation and one count of wilful and obscene exposure in or near a public place. All things considering, it was probably a wise for Holmwood to plead guilty, considering he had nation wide coverage as well as over 80,000 spectators witness his performance. It seems that there was no lack of evidence that the deed had been done.
I am sure that you all remember the display (especially the Blues fans out there who were hoping for New South Wales to get one more set of six). In the final minutes of State of Origin Game III, Holmwood jumped the fence (still fully clothed), then got rid of his clothes and made a very quick dash down field - completely interrupting play in only his running shoes. This absolutely sealed the victory for Queensland, making it the 8th series win in a row for them (always next year Blues fans).
Sentencing is due to take place later this month on August 29. We'll be keeping an eye on this story to see what happens next and for those of you who love Rugby Union, keep your eyes peeled (or perhaps firmly shut)... Holmwood has indicated that a code change is not out of the question, especially since he has indicated that he would really like to streak at an All Blacks test.
What I find most interesting about this story, is that even though sentencing is yet to come, Holmwood has already been punished with a ban at both ANZ Stadium and at all NRL matches. For me, this punishment raises serious questions about enforceability and specifically, how security and ticketing officials are meant to be able to spot Holmwood at an NRL game in a crowd of thousands. At the turnstiles of NRL games, fans flock through the gates and when seated, individuals can become lost in a sea of team colours.
The difficulty in playing 'where's Wati' at NRL games was highlighted even further when you consider that when he was arrested at Game III, it took police until they took him to the station to recognise him as a seriel offender. Further, Holmwood was called 'largely unrecognisable' as he fronted court earlier this week wearing sunglasses and fully dressed.
If banning someone from a Stadium is not a solution, then the next step is considering what is. If the ultimate goal is to prevent streaking, then I don't think a fine would work either. Holmwood is a serial offender, already having a national audience during the 2011 Finals Series in a game involving the Wests Tigers and New Zealand Warriors and also, because of my comment earlier that he is considering a code change.
So while we might all have a bit of a laugh, is there a way to prevent streakers?
Would love your thoughts!
Love,
@LadiesWhoLeague
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