- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
Brendan Fevola of Brisbane looks on after a loss in the AFL Round 12 match between the Western Bulldogs and the Brisbane Lions at Etihad Stadium, Melbourne. Slattery Images
The Brisbane Lions, like Carlton before them, are starting to lose the battle to justify having Brendan Fevola at their club. Yesterday they suspended the star forward indefinitely pending an investigation into alleged indecent exposure, but the issues with keeping Fev don’t stop there.
The Lions received an official complaint on Tuesday about the alleged incident, which they say took place at a non-club function over the weekend.
Alarmingly, a report on the Herald Sun website suggests Fevola “allegedly exposed himself to a married mother of four after luring her to a car with the promise of a free football for her children.”
Fevola is denying any inappropriate behaviour, it has to be said. The allegations are, at this stage, just that – allegations.
Despite this, however, the Lions were certainly on the front foot yesterday – as were the “extremely concerned” AFL – and it hasn’t taken long for questions to be raised about his future.
The situation for Fev hasn’t been helped by the timing of this story and certain factors beyond his control.
On Tuesday, Michael Rischitelli, one of the players offered up as trade bait in order to snare Fevola, announced he was leaving the Lions for the Gold Coast Suns. Another player affected by the trade, Daniel Bradshaw, left the club not long after a trade deal had been reached, and has been a star (when uninjured) for Sydney this season.
While the Lions are unable to change the past, the cost of Fevola may not stop at losing Rischitelli, Bradshaw and the player eventually traded to the Blues, Lachie Henderson. Especially considering his contract is reportedly back-ended and worth as much as $950,000 in each of the next two seasons.
The Lions are currently facing some salary cap pressure, with Josh Drummond, Simon Black and Luke Power named as players that could be forced out. On Monday, one Melbourne journo even cheekily suggested Fev take a pay cut because of the cap situation.
Other financial considerations, with the club facing a $2 million loss and a cut to football department spending, may also come in to play if any further action is to be taken.
Then, of course, there’s all the off-field issues that Fevola seems unable to escape.
This year, he’s confessed to a gambling addiction and there was the Lara Bingle nude photo story. His record at Carlton before that was long and well documented, right up to that infamous Brownlow Medal night last year, where his drunken antics used up his final warning at his original AFL club.
The other factor that hurts Fev is his troubled season on the field. Despite a groin injury, he kicked 48 goals from 17 games – however he was nowhere near his Coleman Medal-winning form of 2009 or his 99-goal effort in 2008.
All things put together, it’s hard not to think Fev’s career could be coming to an end.
At the very least, he’s now firmly on the same path he was on at Carlton, and every headline is bringing him one step closer to being booted out. Who’s to say he hasn’t played his last game?