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AFL must act on spoilt golden child

Roar Rookie
1st July, 2015
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Roar Rookie
1st July, 2015
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1207 Reads

With the recent revelations that drug use is rife at the Gold Coast Suns, this poses many questions, but also answers others. Unfortunately for the AFL the answers aren’t what they were hoping for.

How can a team heading for finals before their captain suffers a season-ending shoulder injury drop off so far, and so quickly?

A player divide, and with it trust issues, would fit the explanation perfectly. The so called God Squad, a group of players who like to pray before each game, and another group of players who party hard are polar opposites, and with the amount of time players spend together, this was likely to bring unbalance without firm rules.

We now know there either weren’t firm rules or they weren’t firmly enforced.

This divide could also be an explanation for Gary Ablett’s decision not to rush back after his injury this year. The highest paid player and the captain of the football club should be setting an example. But with all these issues that he no doubt knew about he wouldn’t know how to handle all this.

Not even the AFL know how to handle this. Their ‘golden child’ is slowly imploding and it will have long lasting results.

With over a quarter the playing list being implicated in this drug saga, it can’t change overnight. The club must make a stand. They need to start setting new standards and issuing tougher sanctions to players not toeing the line.

It is looking increasing likely that Harley Bennell will be either delisted or traded, while most clubs will be hesitant to take him on. A number two pick who shows so much potential but struggles with the demands of senior AFL football.

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With drug culture in the AFL gaining publicity more often, the dangerous combination of that, along with a contact sport and the unavoidable head knocks and impact, can end very badly.

Mental health issues are already on the rise, and recent studies showing that there is a higher instance of mental health issues in people who have had numerous concussions. Combine this with drug and alcohol abuse and the combination could be a deadly one, maybe not immediately but history tells us that players are at most risk when they retire.

That thought must scare the hell out of parents, some of whom will see their kids end up at the Gold Coast Suns next year. The Suns will need to meet with parents beforehand, and reassure the family that this is something that is being stamped out.

Now I’m not naïve to think that drugs don’t exist at any other club, but when a club’s professionalism is questioned by players and players are asking to be traded halfway through a season, it’s clear it’s not a happy environment.

With more than $100 million invested by the AFL, they can’t afford to see this club go down, and with a battle against rugby and football to be the premier football code in Australia, these controversies can’t be helping.

The AFL and Gillon McLachlan have done some good things so far, but how they handle this will be critical. With Essendon’s supplement scandal already hanging over the AFL’s head, this will surely be the catalyst to introduce a new illicit drugs policy that should not just protect the player from the media spotlight but to protect them from serious physical and mental harm.

The AFL are now on their second strike, they definitely do not want a third or they will be named and shamed across all Australian media even more than they already are.

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