I am currently taking journalism as my major in my communication and media degree and aspire to be a sports journalist, specialising in Rugby League. For this reason I have chosen a text published in the Daily Telegraph about Alex McKinnon to critique for BCM210.
Alex suffered a freak accident in round 3 of the 2014 NRL season. He was dangerously tackled and suffered spinal injuries, a broken neck and facing life as a quadriplegic. It was a heart stopping moment for all rugby league fans as he was carried off the field on a stretcher. When his condition was announced, rugby league fans from around the world and even people who weren’t rugby league fans, rallied together to show Alex the support he needed. There were fundraising events to help pay for his rehabilitation and a campaign called ‘Rise for Alex’.
This article was talked about for weeks after it was published as it was written by NRL super coach and Alex’s coach at the time, Wayne Bennett. Wayne is a man of very few words and it is rare to see him show much emotion. The powerful article showed a softer side to Wayne and gave great insight into Alex as a person.
The title of the article is ‘Alex McKinnon is a great kid, who’s more like my son.’ This title immediately suggests to the reader that Alex and Wayne have a very close relationship. The opening line states “I WANT to tell you about Alex McKinnon, one of the best kids you’ve never met.” The word ‘want’ written in capitals expresses Bennett’s desire to write this article, he was not asked to write the article he chose to write it. “One of the best kids you’ve never met” suggests to the reader that Alex is the type of person we wish we could meet.
Bennett explains the time he first saw Alex at a training session and how much potential he had at 17-years old. He goes on to recount when Alex had his first shot at playing first grade. Bennett does not use emotive language and says it like it is, “I never used him that day- I didn’t give him one minute game time.” This is an example of Bennett’s true hard egg personality and confirms to the reader that this article is not a sob story, but it is real.
Bennett tells the reader about Alex’s upbringing in a small town called Aberdeen. He begins to use anecdotes to portray to the reader Alex’s caring and generous nature. A softer side to Bennett is exposed through the line, “one of the things endearing me to Alex is ability to care for other people.” He also cleverly describes Alex’s generous nature through a line that could be taken literally and metaphorically, “if someone hasn’t got a car or loses his licence, the beeping horn out the front belongs to Alex McKinnon.”
Bennett explains a time when he and Alex visited Alex’s old school to encourage the students to follow their dreams and “not to be afraid of the unknown.” He then touches on the horrible aftermath of Alex’s injury in one powerful, short sentence, “Today, it is his dreams shattered, he is who staring at the unknown.”
Bennett, W 2014, ‘Alex McKinnon is a great kid who’s more like my son,’ Daily Telegraph, 29 March, viewed 31 March 2015, <http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/nrl/alex-mckinnon-is-a-great-kid-whos-more-like-my-son-writes-newcastle-coach-wayne-bennett/story-fni3fbgz-1226868515571>
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