BILLY Smith tells the story involving St George teammates Graeme Langlands, Johnny Raper and former sportswriter Bill Mordey - each of them legends of their time - like it was yesterday.

"Me, Changa and Chook were at the Mandarin Club and we spot Mordey's car, which was unlocked, of course," he recalls. "So we decided to fill it to the roof with rubbish. Just because we could. And we were pissed."

The next day, Mordey didn't write a scathing report about St George players out of control. There was no rebuke from the league. No fines issued by the Dragons.

"All Mordey wrote was one line in his column saying the culprits were the Dragons' No.1, No.7 and No.8. That was the end of it. Although [Dragons secretary] Frank Facer gave us a lecture."

Of course, times have changed. There is nowhere for a sportswriter to park in the city these days.

But the hysteria and headlines about players behaving badly during the past week would have brought a tear to an old halfback's eye.

Bulldogs superstar Sonny Bill Williams caught urinating in public while on the drink; Bulldogs P-plater Ben Roberts charged with driving marginally over the limit after a night on the drink; Roosters back-rower Nate Myles stood down for turning up half an hour late to a 6.30am weights session after a night on the drink.

Now repeat after me: "My name is rugby league - and I'm an alcoholic."

Seriously, does the game seriously have a drinking problem? Whenever these incidents occur, the NRL, clubs and the fans are quick to toss around terms such as "last chance", "image" and - gulp! - "role model".

Maybe the game should chill out and consider terms such as "stupid", "naive" and "Remember when we were young pups running amok?"

Sheesh. You'd think the game could be more discerning in handing out its condemnation. You'd think it could spot from a mile away the difference between former Cronulla utility Tevita Latu punching a young woman in the face and breaking her nose in front of a Cronulla service station and Sonny Bill doing number ones in the dark.

In fact, if you are out and about in the city tonight, take a peek down an alleyway or into the dark corners of a doorstep and you're sure to spot a couple of urban warriors in suits - maybe even the odd sportswriter - doing precisely what SBW did two weeks ago. Possibly worse.

If anything, Williams and Roberts are guilty of a rare form of stupidity: Sonny Bill because he has form on the drink - the most recent example that toilet cubicle incident with ironwoman Candice Falzon; Roberts because he was eligible for a black licence, which means he would not have been over the limit.

But credit where it's due. Every time Sonny Bill has made a mistake, he has eyeballed the cameras and apologised. Roberts also took his medicine like a man.

But while the players fronted the assembled "vultures" (when coach Steve Folkes called the press this, it was one of the rare times he's smiled this year) at Belmore on Monday morning, chief executive Malcolm Noad kept himself tucked up inside despite assurances to the media - on three occasions - that he would be making comment.

As for Myles, it could be said he picked the wrong time to turn up late reeking of the night before.

The Roosters' knee-jerk reaction would not have happened in the good old days - or good not-so-old days. Then, Myles could have expected to find the coach waiting for him outside when he arrived, telling him he owed the team a big performance this Sunday. Then make him do an extra gym session. Club and player's image remain intact.

When the Herald newsroom got a whiff of the Myles yarn on Tuesday evening, the boss scowled: "Now I don't want any of you guys turning up late for work after a few drinks the night before, OK?" Thank God he was kidding. He was kidding, wasn't he? Anyone? Fellas?

Billy Smith has shared the odd sherbet with Williams and other current stars at his local, the Caringbah. "We did a lot worse than these guys," he laughs. "We were the biggest drunks in Australia - but we played great footy."

We expect our footy stars to be superhuman on the field. But should we really expect them to be superhuman, period?