When do the football codes burn brightest? When the fireflies of controversy dance around them. They say best men are moulded out of faults, and, for the most, become much more the better, for being a little bad. Shakespeare, Measure for Measure

When do the football codes burn brightest? When the fireflies of controversy dance around them.

They say best men are moulded out of faults, and, for the most, become much more the better, for being a little bad. Shakespeare, Measure for Measure

Roy Masters examines the sex scandals, fierce rivalries, gambling excesses, boardroom rants, bar room bust-ups, media headbutting and taxi-hijacking that have taken place across all codes of football in Australia over the last few years.

Bringing together historical perspective and contemporary insight, Bad Boys provides a glimpse into the past when 'to be a fan was an act of faith' and checks the pulse of the new generation of over-indulged players in a media saturated age.

Roy Masters is a legend in the world of sport and an esteemed media commentator, and he offers plenty of stories from his own days coaching, covering, and watching 'bad boys'. Without shying away from the salacious stories and out-of-bounds antics, Roy brings genuine analysis and investigation into the current state of play and what can be done to apportion the blame, improve the behaviour and put footballers' actions into a larger social context.

Chapters include 'Bad Boys and Bad Blood, 'Birds', 'Brawls', 'Betting', 'Bonding and Busted Bodies' and 'the Bench'. Covering stories across league, union, AFL and football - past and present - this book will provoke intra- and inter-code discussions across the country. Come on, you know you want to hang out with the Bad Boys...