Believe me,its not easy.

As a player I didn`t like Newton,but it is a sad state of affairs when a human being gets to feel so low as to take such drastic steps.
Nobody can deny his dedication on the pitch.

I didn't like him as a player either. I thought that he was a thug. He was also brilliant when he stopped being a thug.

But regardless of either, it is an absolute tragedy – and shock – that he apparently reached a point where he felt that the only option was to end his own life.

I consider that utterly tragic – for him and for his loved ones. And I have made that opinion more than clear, more than once, in the last 24 hours.

On the other hand, I find it ironic that I didn't come here slagging him off after the drugs test result was reveled, but people who did are now slagging me off for daring to actually mention it in the context of his death.

Perhaps they're actually ashamed for their own behaviour some months ago and are now trying to shift the blame onto others?

If you weren't a mod you'd have been banned before now for derailing this thread!

Why bring that onto this thread though?

If you come onto the VT and read this thread first it comes across like you don't think people should be able/allowed to discuss the good points of Terry Newton's career without constant mention of the bad points.

Remembering the good things about people first and foremost doesn't mean someone is rewriting history or making them a martyr, it just means that the person did something good in their life and that is the thing you have thought of first. Concentrating on remembering the good in someone doesn't make them an apologist or a sentimental cretin either.

When we as a family discuss my alcoholic uncle who drank himself to death at 37 that fact doesn't come up. We remember the fun times, the times we were proud, the fact he had flaws doesn't need to be said. We know it. Just like RL fans know the bad/downside to Terry Newton, they are just choosing to concentrate on the good bits about his career in an aptly named thread.

is it safe to open my eyes now?

Well said.

Mintball, why don't you n Rommel do yourselves and us all a favour and start your own thread. This one's for paying some respect, which clearly you're incapable of doing without being unecessarily snide about it. No ones arguing the facts, it's just poor form.

My hightlight - any time Tez pulled on a Wigan shirt. When he went to Bradford I was gutted and I'd have loved to have seen him stick around a few more years. Perhaps on reflection he regretted it a bit too but he went on to do for Bradford exactly what he'd done for us and that says something about the bloke. He always gave his all and sometimes a bit more.

*shuts eyes again*

[iHey! Forget what this thread is about, LOOK AT ME!![/i

Ruined

Apologies to af for derailing his well meaning thread even further.

Have the hundreds of pages on here that have rightly castigated Newton for his misdemeanours over his career past you by? I find the whole "RIP" thing meaningless myself and would never post on one unless I knew the person. However, af has decided to start a thread that actually tried to focus on the positive and all you wanted to do was once again try to show everyone how fecking "right on" you are. Seriously, aren't you a little old for that stuff now? You really need to grow up.

Apologies again af.

Anyway back on thread - I'll always remember the sacrifice Newton made in 2003 when we had a really bad injury crisis and he put off surgery to help us go a on long unbeaten run under Mike Greg to get to the Grand Final.

Agree with every word of this. Looking back at that photo you can understand, if not accept, why he felt the need to gop down the path(s) he did.

You get my vote....but alas, I believe DM to be an apprentice in waiting for a moderator role and you and I will be bannished forever



Back on thread...I feel for the family of Terry Newton...and I feel for him himself in that he mesed up....knew he's messed up and in the end, couldn't deal with it. He was, by no means a Mother T....or a Lady Di.....but he was a human being who in his day, provided us all with entertainment to the detriment of his body. He should be remembered as that....a League Player who gave his all and lost his way. Nothing more...nothing less.

Terry putting fear in the hearts of the Aussies & Kiwis like no British player has done since.

We love you Terry, a Wigan Legend..

The silence is deafening........

Would constantly follow the play. Could be called an old-school hooker as he was almost always at dummy half and know exactly where everyone in his own line was and knew where everyone was in the oppositions defensive line. His pin-point passing could pick out a man miles away. Failing that, a dummy half scoot would always gain a number of yards at least, if not a try.

Was Terry involved with the Higham transfer from saints\wigan\bradford?

Millward ruined Wigan and Terry..A complete t0sser Millward was. Mission accomplished for some fans though..

Despite being a Wiganer and playing the game on the 'edge', two things about him I didn't appreciate, there was always something about Newton that was compelling to watch, which meant when he was on the field I found it hard not to watch.

Not one particular moment comes into my head when I think of Newton highlights, just consistently good in his role at hooker, when his head was on the game.

Maybe it's because the events leading up to his death were unknown at the time of HGH taking?

Did you know that Terry has been estranged from his sister for years due to her drug addition and the day after she was our of hospital and cleaning up her act she died a year ago in Terry's arms?

Did you know Terry was suffering from depression as a result and blames his depression resulting from his sisters death partially on his weekness in taking HGH?

Did you know he regretted not trying to do more for his sister?

Then there's the added pressure of the media and the anti-doping agency trying to get him to name names. The change of life from RL player to publican of a small pub in Wigan. Being branded a cheat, by his own admission he took HGH to try to get over injury and stretch his career out but how many others would be tempted to do this?

How much support did he get from the RFL or Wakefield?

Terry was a great player who always played the game with his heart on show. He was a pantomime villain in many ways, his actions were far less than his reputation. The way players around the sport have spoken about him just shows what he was like as a man. He didn't deserve the media focus for his actions to the degree he suffered, there are other players alleged to be using the same drug.

Terry had his faults but was a great RL player and his memory doesn't need somebody from the other side of the world spouting crap about how he is to be remembered.

All very sad I'm sure.

My point was that the same people that were saying he was cr&p anyway and it was right he got banned and no one would miss him anyway are probably the same people that were posting the sort of knee jerk eulogies on these forums when he died that are usually reserved for legendary statesmen such as Ghandi and Churchill.

And the poor bloke must have set a Facebook record for the amount of friends by any one user judging by the amount of people I have read who claimed to have played footy with him/drunk with him/ been mates with him or whatever.



ps... I'm an Aussie living in Hammersmith. Not really the other side of the world...although to you it may well be

Been bitten by Gene

That's the first thing I remember about him.

He bit him????!!!

Newton accused him of it in the game.

and later withdrew the accusation............

And?