Kevin finds salvation
ballers in black and white. Play well on the field – good; drop a ball or miss a tackle – bad. And off the field it’s easier. Rugby league is not a sport that always helps itself.
The public has become weary of off-field scandal and less willing to quickly forgive, or forget. But life involves many more shades of grey.
Titans boss Graham Annesley has become the bearer of bad news far too many times for Titans’ fans liking in recent years.
But his demeanour when conducting a press conference following Proctor’s indiscretions was different.
Annesley read a statement from Proctor outlining the player’s remorse and embarrassment for his actions. Rarely had the club boss seemed so concerned about the player’s mental wellbeing.
“Yeah, it was big,” Proctor said of the toll his actions took on him mentally.
“(Letting everyone down) was probably the biggest (re- gret) but the club supported me really well and the welfare team here helped me out a lot.
“I wasn’t in the best headspace then but now I’m really good and in a good headspace and everything’s fine at home and ticking along well at the moment.”
The Titans punished Proc- tor heavily, stripping him of the co-captaincy, a position he had voluntarily relinquished immediately after the incident, suspending him for four games (compared to the two weeks Melbourne stood Bromwich down for), fining him $20,000 and ordering him to complete 50 hours of drug and alcohol preventionrelated community service.
That work with the Salvation Army has become Proctor’s salvation.
Proctor has been involved in group sessions where he listened to the stories of others and became comfortable enough that he shared some of his own experiences.
The former Palm Beach Currumbin High student has never paid much heed to media attention and playing in Melbourne and on the Gold Coast has been slightly outside the bubble that many players exist in, in the Sydney fishbowl.
But he said joining the sessions had been an eye-opening experience nonetheless.
“Looking at some of the experiences (people attending their services) have been through and then (looking at my) situation, it’s really nothing compared to what they’ve been through,” Proctor said.
“Putting myself in their shoes, I’m thinking, ‘I’m whingeing about nothing really, to be honest’.
“Doing that work with the Salvation Army has just done wonders for me and even when my community service is up I’ll just pop in and do a little bit and see how my mates are going there.”
“Mates” is not a contrived term. Proctor has struck up a friendship with several of the people he has met through his community service, including Cameron, with whom he has completed gardening work at Tamborine.
Proctor and his family were surprise attendees when Cameron graduated from a 10-month course he completed with the Salvation Army.
And he will have plenty of time this off-season, forced to watch the Kiwis run around at the World Cup.
But he is learning to see the glass half full – and having an extended break with his family in the off-season is a blessing he will cherish.
That break may even be with Bromwich and his family, although the Melbourne forward is likely to finish later than Proctor with the Storm favourites for the title.
Having walked away from the club to join the Titans, does Proctor have regrets?
“Not at all. I moved up here purely for family anyway,” he said.
“My partner’s from up here as well and there’s a bit of security in that contract as well, so it just made sense.”