Brendan Fevola gets a hand pass away under pressure from Daniel Bradshaw during the AFL Women's Round 11 match between the Brisbane Lions and the Carlton Blues at the Gabba.The Slattery Media Group
Trading Brendan Fevola was never going to solve all of Carlton’s off-field problems. Fevola was given a number of chances by the Blues but, as they say, a leopard never changes its spots. One gets the feeling the club won’t be as patient with Andrew Walker, Ryan Houlihan and Eddie Betts.
President Stephen Kernahan must have been fuming when first told of the events of at the club’s boat cruise on December 19.
Houlihan and Walker, somehow, attracted the attention of Crown Casino security, while Betts was arrested for being drunk. If any of that trio misbehaves again, they will be delisted (and should be).
On top of the $5000 fines already issued, Carlton yesterday suspended them from the club for a month. They are also ineligible for selection in the pre-season NAB Cup competition.
Kernahan, again, emphasised the importance of player behaviour yesterday. And captain Chris Judd, appropriately, cited the impact that drinking excessively has had in the community.
But how many times can the players be told the same thing?
It is like a case of a school kid who gives his teacher constant grief. But these are grown men that we are dealing with. Don’t blame the club or the leadership group – blame the culprits.
AFL players can drink. They are not robots, but you can drink without being a buffoon.
On the surface, Carlton appears to have a problem when you factor in the actions of Fevola and others. But these individuals have all the resources available to them, and they are on big money. Most importantly, they are grown men. They should know longer need a helping hand at every corner.
In handing down yesterday’s penalties, Carlton faced a tough call. If they did nothing, they would have been seen as too soft.
If they suspended (or delisted) the trio for the rest of the season, that hurts the club. The actions of these players, in the end, only hurt the club – both on and off the field.
It tarnishes reputations and sponsors can refuse to put money into a tarnished brand. The penalties should send a message. The club has taken away what is most important to these players – football.
Judd summed it up best yesterday when he said: “We understand the privilege and opportunity that comes with playing AFL football.”
Well, most players do. Some do not.
We didn’t hear much out of Geelong and St.Kilda over the Christmas period. There will always be one or two bad eggs in the pack, but football is like a business and you need to weed out the weak links. It is not about club culture. It is about an individual’s conduct and respect for their employer.
St. Kilda’s Andrew Lovett showed this earlier this year when he attracted the attention of Police after a night out. In the end, he became too much for Essendon to handle. Can the Saints change him?
The Blues will hope this is the last of their off-field troubles this season.
On the field, they will be without Judd for the first three rounds. When you combine that with a difficult draw and a revamped forward half, it will be a challenging season.
The last thing they need is ill-discipline from those who represent them.
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The Crowd Says (3) | Page 1 of Comments
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January 6th 2010 @ 4:20pm
Jazzman said | January 6th 2010 @ 4:20pm | Report comment
Until the AFL implements a strict, zero-tolerance policy that clubs must follow, players’ attitudes to the drink and their buffoonish behaviour won’t change. For example, imagine if Carlton did what many of us would see as the right thing to do and sacked the badly behaved trio. All of a sudden the Blues would be without three senior players despite taking the hard line and the lead on dealing with player misbehaviour. Then, for example, lets say the Magpies have three players stuff up next week and they hand out $2000 fines for the trio. Whose worse off? The Blues of course, who have sacked three players. So, at the end of the day, while I think Sticks Kernahan’s hard-line approach when talking about this issue in the media is admirable, seriously he shouldn’t pretend these guys were going to be sacked. The way the rules are, the club is in no position to do this. Change the rules, however, and make it a mandatory three-strikes-and-you’re-out policy across the board and maybe then players’ behaviour will change. This has to be handed down by the AFL and all clubs will then have to follow it.
January 7th 2010 @ 8:49am
Matt S said | January 7th 2010 @ 8:49am | Report comment
Young players aren’t getting the message. But ignored by the national media so doesn’t exist does it in AFL-
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/tiger-troy-taylor-accused-of-assault/story-e6frf9io-1225816762245
January 13th 2010 @ 9:25am
Richard said | January 13th 2010 @ 9:25am | Report comment
As a ‘Pies supporter, of course I love to hate the Blues. However, on this occasion, hats off to the new leadership down at Princess Park. The Carlton of a few years ago earned a very poor reputation and lost the respect of the League by tolerating, even promoting, all sorts of nonsense. To that old guard the end justified the means. But this new Carlton has principles and they are signalling that they mean them. Football teams must win at football, of course, but they must win the hearts and minds of the public through showing that they are worthy of respect. They win that respect not only by winning matches, but by showing respect, by doing good works, setting fine examples and being a positive role model for our youth. Well done Carlton. This stand you are taking will pay off for you in the long run, and you deserve it.