I am what I am - Manly star(staff writer, Brisbane Sunday Mail, 17 September 1995) In 10 years of giving interviews, Ian Roberts believes no one has ever totally captured who he is.
It started when Roberts posed nude for a gay magazine earlier this year, then defended his actions on television. The public response, while not totally unexpected, was largely positive. And not just from the homosexual community. Heterosexuals also wrote to Roberts congratulating him on his stand. One or two even admitted he had changed their way of thinking. Now he is going one step further. Roberts plans to write a book which will shock many people, change the thinking of some and make others feel good about who they are. Maybe, it might even help other people feel as at ease with themselves as Ian Roberts does. "I am in an exceptional position," he said. "I've got a great family and home life. "When I went on television after appearing in Blue (magazine) said those things supporting the gay community, people asked 'weren't your parents upset?'. Being the type of people they are, my parents would have been upset if I hadn't said those things." The former Test prop has played rugby league for a decade at the highest level and earned a reputation for toughness and skill second to none. He knows it is that side of his life which has given him the strength to be his own man and handle the pressures of being in the public spotlight. And this year, more than any other, he has needed that strength. Roberts started the season a Manly footy player. Even though it was not his intention, he ends it a reluctant champion for homosexual rights and a test case in the war between Super League and ARL. On both issues he takes no backward step. "I suppose I was bit naive when it came to the photos," he said. "They were taken for another publication but the publishers asked if I minded if they went into Blue. I knew it was a gay magazine but I didn't really expect the reaction. "I didn't want to offend anyone but at the same time, I make no apologies. "I didn't know it would create such a stir but in hindsight I'm glad it did. People went on radio and asked how could I promote that lifestyle. "I'm not promoting it, I'm just making people aware that it is my lifestyle and that is who I am." Roberts describes the attemtion as attention as "water off a duck's back". He has been in the media spotlight for 10 years and, while remaining the most modest of players, the respect he has earned as a footballer has proved advantageous. "The media haven't been aggressive with me, they've been pretty relaxed," he said. "Although sometimes I do think people come to an interview with a preconceived idea of who I am and they get disappointed when I don't live up to their expectations." So who is Ian Roberts? A good footballer? Sure. A loner? Not really He says he has plenty of friends, it is just that he doesn't mix in traditional rugby league circles. Someone who won't be pushed into something he isn't comfortable with? Absolutely. "Look," he said. "I don't regret one decision I have made this year.
"At one stage I was pretty well committed to the ARL but I hadn't heard the Super League side of the story. It sounded pie in the sky to me, but after talking to the ARL I went around to Super League off my own bat, knocked on the door and said 'okay, what's it all about?' After hearing what they had to say, I thought it was the way to go." Roberts plays for Manly, who are coached by Bob Fulton, Australian coach and ARL stalwart. If telling Fulton he was going to Super League wasn't bad enough, Roberts and team-mate Matthew Manly's Ian Roberts . . . writing a book that will shock people Ridge agreed to sue the ARL in a test-case which, if successful could enable all Super League players to walk away from their current contracts. All of which could have made the climate rather chilly. Could have, but didn't. Rather than force a wedge between Roberts and Fulton recent events have, if anything, brought them closer . "I've got new found respect for Bozo," Roberts said. "I couldn't speak highly enough of him. He accepts I've made my decision and he's fine. Everything he has done this past season he has done because he believes that is what he has to do to save his game. "Manly isn't going to give me a release but they aren't making it hard for me to be there at all. "Bozo is too smart for that. He wants to win the premiership this year and he won't cut off his nose to spite his face." But there is more to it than that. Fulton has also been there for Roberts off the field. "The whole club is great. The players, nobody ever gives me a hard time. "The crowds ... they still yell things but they can say whatever they like, it doesn't worry me. As long as they don't try to touch me, it's fine. "That's one thing that really makes me laugh. These guys in the crowd, they hate me because of what they think I am and what they think I'm about, and here I am playing their game and they have to pay 12 bucks to get in and see me play it." Another reason Ian Roberts is so at ease right now is his new job. He is Super League charity co-ordinator, a role which has brought him back to hospitals and children's wards. Working with sick children is something which has always been close to his heart, but for several years he has been unable to be as in volved as he would like. "I was very close to a little boy who passed away," he said. "It really hit me hard and I don't know whether I can ever be that closely involved again." It was his visits to hospital wards and an another traumatic experience which changed Roberts' outlook on life and himself. "About five or six years ago my partner - close friend who I trusted totally - ripped me off," he said. "That's when I realised: being sick, that's a problem. Being ripped off, that's a problem. But just being me and living the lifestyle I live, that's no problem. |
