A Rugby League Book With a Difference to Kick Off Season 2019
RUGBY league has had its share of off-field scandals in recent months, but a new Australian book credits the sport with saving young lives.
A dark, but ultimately inspiring read, Poolhall – Jail – Library tells the true story of how rugby league played a crucial role in breaking a cycle of domestic abuse and suicide ideation.
In particular, it is the junior club of Paul ‘Fatty’ Vautin – the Wests Mitchelton Panthers – which is central to the story, flipping the tired narrative about rugby league leading young men astray.
The book tells the tale of Loxton Berg, the pen name of a real journalist who went on to become media manager for the Queensland Rugby League, worked for Fairfax, News Corp and Australian Associated Press, and wrote for legendary sports magazine Rugby League Week for 20 years.
Shocking chapters detail how a series of abusive men entered into the family home, as Berg and siblings grew up in Housing Commission and rundown flats across Brisbane’s northern suburbs, Redcliffe and Toowoomba.
It’s the central character’s success in pleading to play with the Panthers that ultimately sets in chain a gripping series of events which escalate the tense narrative and lead him on a journey of discovery, where several family secrets unravel.
“I can hand-on-heart say that without rugby league, I wouldn’t be here today,” Berg says of the forthcoming novel.
“The mental and physical abuse that was rife in our upbringing only started to be combatted when rugby league gave me a wider support network, and the self-confidence and physical pride to think ‘Hey, this isn’t right’.
“The sad truth is I don’t feel my story is exceptional, however I’m in a privileged position now where I can articulate and publish exactly what that environment feels like.
“I’m hoping this will present two vantage points; one about what we all know goes on behind closed doors, but are too uncomfortable to speak out about; and also, what it’s like to complete the positive ascent on the other side.”
Poolhall – Jail – Library certainly covers some broad and unique ground.
The author says the seven keywords he was asked to supply the publisher were ‘rugby league’, ‘domestic violence’, ‘suicide prevention’, ‘travel’, ‘romance’, ‘inspiration’ and ‘Australia’.
“Nobody wants to read about doom and gloom from cover-to-cover, and there’s definitely an upward swing to the book after rugby league is introduced,” Berg says.
“Fans of the sport in both hemispheres will be pleased to note that there’s a couple of key games that get a mention, from State of Origin to the Super League grand final at Old Trafford.
“There’s a pivotal moment when things go awry at a Brisbane Broncos presentation ball, and also a week where I get tortured training with the North Queensland Cowboys.
“But no matter what sport people support, there’s some really raw topics in the book that people will relate to, which are tackled with brutal honesty.
“It’s a look at suburban contemporary Australia that’s nothing like Neighbours or Home and Away.”
A post-script to the story is that the author later went on to play a founding role in establishing rugby league in Latin America.
“But that in itself is a book for another time,” says Berg.
Poolhall – Jail – Library is available for purchase at www.loxtonberg.com