Over several years of calamity and sordidness, Brendan Fevola has proven himself to be the fool of the AFL. Fevola has plummeted from the echelons of the game that sustained him and originally made him. Through nothing short of abominable behaviour and the perils of addiction, Fevola has lost it all.
He cannot train, cannot play. No club wants him. Once the AFL’s most feared forward, he has become a pariah.
Despite all of this, there is little doubt Fevola could be an important player for an AFL club 2012.
A falsely framed element of this argument is whether Fev deserves a shot at redemption. Entitlement matters little here. Truth be told, he burned all his rope in exiting Brisbane.
A prospective club needs to base its decision on three things: ability, mindset, and Fevola’s impact on the playing group and its culture.
When it comes to the latter, plenty of younger sides will baulk at the prospect; that fear is enough to scratch Fevola off their lists. The developing Lions were stung when they ignored his perilously recalcitrant nature. Fevola’s negative influence cannot be understated; they are still walking wounded.
Despite this jaded history, others clubs with stiff regimes might feel they can mould Fevola into a more respectable member of their outfit. They have plenty of good reasons for trying.
The man is clearly special on a football field.
Put Fev on the minimum playing wage, something he’s already expressed willingness to do, and he’s guaranteed to draw a crowd even at VFL level. His form playing in the seconds at the end of last season was impressive, with 43 goals in six games nothing to sneer at.
Show his attributes but not his name and Fevola would be snapped up by any club.
Granted, the demands of top flight footy would be a far different proposition. Every element of the game is faster and tougher, and a key forward can be easily found out if his pace is off. That would worry many coaches, but they’ll acknowledge the fact Fevola was so dominant and effective in front of goal despite having been unfit and unaccustomed to playing.
The pressure and scrutiny would be monumental, but it needs to become something he thrives on. For years now he has come out looking like the bully with no bravado, suddenly being squashed by a bigger kid. The media has been relentless, the fans unforgiving. His ego has been belted, his reputation left in the gutter.
Yet, there is still a warped sense of fascination with his story. Plenty of footballers have fallen by the wayside, but it seems the community at large is pushing Fevola with one hand, gripping him with the other. It’s a tragic tug-of-war that Fevola started himself.
Naturally, he is a divisive figure who is easily scorned by opposition fans and dismissed by the wider community as a buffoon. Equally, he thrives in the spotlight; whether it be on the MCG or in front of the camera (Brownlow Medal 2009 aside).
It’s hard to tell which clubs might take a punt on a character like that in one of the two drafts remaining before the beginning of next season. There are certainly more out of the running than in it.
The Bulldogs did the trick for Barry Hall, North Melbourne could dearly do with a heavyweight in their forward 50 to ease the burden on Drew Petrie, while Sydney could be a nice fit.
To attract someone, Fevola needs to adopt a tougher, harder shell and a more professional mindset. He still carries baggage, and his armoured exterior has more holes than Etihad Stadium’s grass after a busy week. There remains no solid evidence that his head is right and his comeback is in earnest.
Until that time he’ll remain the Lindsay Lohan of Australia’s sporting fraternity, enjoying freedom, but through his own misdeeds, still being denied doing what he loves.
Fevola’s current profile image on Twitter is of him standing by a sign that reads “end of the trail”. Only time will tell if it’s prophetic.
Disappointed
Guest
I am very disappointed that the Club didn't bring Fevola back home to Carlton. We have four generations of Blues supporters in our family and I would have thought that Carlton could have stepped up to help a young man who is trying to overcome his addictions. If he could have finished off his playing days at Carlton it may have been the making of him. Now he will probably have to go overseas to try out as a punter and being away from his family could see him spiral out of control again. Very disappointing, Carlton.
Still Angry
Guest
Fev has a chronic gambling addiction (i say "has" as this is something he has to deal with for the rest of his life) his drinking binges were a by product of this disease. Whilst playing football the race results would be shown on the big screen and Fev would be seeing that he was taking huge losses (he obviously did't win too many times) so he would be playing under sever duress. This would explain some of his unfavourable body language,his binge drinking,and some of his self destructive behaviour. Fev still has what it takes to play AFL and he is has more fans than haters, he would boost any clubs membership base as he did Brisbane and as he kept the Carlton faithful coming to the games during a dark period. Fev should be given the opportunity to play football without having the stress of addiction, debt and family problems hanging over his head. Fev hardly ever got suspended and bought great entertainment to Blues fans during the worst period of the Clubs history, He kept the fans coming and the membership ticking over and as long as he did that the Club were happy to clean up after him. Most people would give a reformed alcoholic or drug addict a chance to redeem themselves, most people would feel relieved that they are no longer an addict so why are so many against Fev. Not be too many people who have met Fev who would say he is a bad bloke, he was generous with his time with the kids on family days he was always last to leave the ground. It's now known that Fev had a gambling problem for most of his playing career and the Carlton FC can deny all they want that they were not aware of the extent of Fev's addiction but this is not true. They enabled his poor behaviour instead of taking a player welfare approach and also helped hide his addiction and losses from his wife. I was not going to re new my memberships until someone from the Club contacted me to explain why they could not do take the discipline way with Fev like Geelong did with S.Johnson. Eventually Kernahan rang me and told me all about Fev's addiction (the whole sorry lot of it), he also told me that the Club had bailed Fev out not Richard Pratt as was widely believed by those who knew that Fev had a problem. I kept my word and reluctantly renewed my memberships because I got an explanation but was not expecting to hear what Kernahan told me. I felt extremely angry that the Club had opportunities to give Fev an ultimatum to get help, they had him when he was desperate for money and probably would have signed anything to get the bookies off his back. That bail out should have come with strict condition's including intensive counselling, self exclusion from tracks and an agreement to allow the Club to view bank and credit and statements. So many things should have been done differently as this was not a player just being bad, this was a player battling severe gambling addiction and whose life was spiralling out of control. Fev has a young family and the Blues hierarchy decided it was best to keep things in house and pretend it was not happening. One year later when the gambling story broke I watched with absolute disgust both Kernahan and Ratten lie to the media about not knowing about the severity of Fev's addiction and saying Fev was no longer their problem. I did not re new in 2011 and have never forgotten that phone call I received from Kernahan, put it this way "I was told that Judd was going to call me to ask me to re new". I still can't help but feel angry that they had him from 17yrs of age and instead of showing leadership they showed weakness when having to deal with their star forward. They showed poor judgment in allowing him to continue as he was without trying to intervene when they had opportunities to at the very least get Fev into counselling. None of us will know what may have been had things were done differently and I'm certainly not excusing Brendan's role in the whole sorry affair or making excuses for him., but the Club needs to look at it's role and errors and ensure that they have early intervention programs in place for players who are showing signs of any addiction. I believe the Club should bring Fev back to play out his career with the Blues without all his past baggage. Fev is a Blue and always will be to many of us. I believe that he would give 110% if given the opportunity to make amends, I also believe that our membership will be bolstered if the Blues bought Fev home.
Lifelong Blue
Guest
Come on Carlton bring him home! He could help Sam Rowe into the role over the next two seasons whilst helping us win a flag! Give him the opportunity to correct his mistakes. It's how he should leave the game. Imagine our forward line with, Fevola, Rowe, Waite, Walker, Betts & Garlett! OMG!
Ian Whitchurch
Guest
Cattery, Its what happens when you say 'I'll only play at one of these four clubs for X money or more'.
Ian Whitchurch
Guest
I remember Nick Davis. Nick Davis never got arrested, never brought the code into disrepute and never made the newspapers for reasons other than his footy.
Timmuh
Roar Guru
"A prospective club needs to base its decision on three things: ability, mindset, and Fevola’s impact on the playing group and its culture. When it comes to the latter, plenty of younger sides will baulk at the prospect; that fear is enough to scratch Fevola off their lists." That is exactly why oits hard to see either North or Sydney in the mix. North's squad is very young, and having a senior player of Fevola's type could prove damaging. Sydney's much touted "no d*ckheads" policy would very heavily suggest "no Fevola". The only side that might be a match would be St Kilda, if they decide to have one last crack before a rebuild, but having been burned recently that seems unlikely. He could be a great player still, but the risks are too great for any side in need of his playing type to take on.
Maximus
Guest
Remmember Nick Davis?
GoGWS
Roar Guru
I think GWS should take a punt on him but the odds are 1000/1....Fev is 30ish and probably has two seasons....The Giants will lose about 95% of their games over the next two seasons - GWS are entering a development phase and their forwards could learn from Fev on the field. Like him or loath him he can play and he can deliver goals. If I was Sheedy I'd sit Fev down for a heart to heart and lay down the law - no alcohol and no excuses...off the grog Fev seems OK...anyway it's all not going to happen - GWS is the AFL's shiny new franchise and they wouldn't let Fev within 1000 miles of the place...he is too much of a risk... I would take a punt on him but I can;t see the AFL taking the punt, though i think they'd be happy for him to go another club.
Ian Whitchurch
Guest
Geoff, A major strength of the Swans has been the 'No Dickheads' recruiting policy. Sign Fev, and that - and what it means for club culture - is out the window.
The Cattery
Roar Guru
Was Ablett snr involved in worse behaviour during his playing career? Anyway, he wasn't looking in the best physical condition last time I saw him, that would probably scare a few clubs off. Neon Davis is a current All-Australian, and the age of 30, he's a real risk of not ending up at a footy club next year.
Stuart Humphrey
Guest
Everyone deserves a chance . How many of u anti -Fev playing again ever played AFL footy. How many almost kicked 100 goals in a season or won a Coleman Medal . Ablett Snr was involved in worse behavior but was seen as a Champion Player . Fev is unlucky ,misguided and deserves a chance Go Fev ( Bulldogs maybe )
Geoff Prenter
Guest
The Sydney swans desperately need an established full forward. The Swans have the "right" people to keep Brendon Fevola thinking, playing football. Sign him, Swans and ease the club's biggest headache. Sam Reid needs him, Jessie White needs him, the Swans need him. Nobody has ever doubted his status as a match winning forward.
The Cattery
Roar Guru
Touche!
Richard
Roar Guru
You can't take a punt on a drop kick.
mds1970
Roar Guru
Fevola had his second chance at redemption. He blew it, and Brisbane got burned badly. He is too big a risk - any club that signed Fevola now would have their club's PR department cowering in fear and multiple sponsors ripping up their contracts. As a GWS supporter, there's no way I want him anywhere near my club. We have a young list of impressionable kids, and the last thing I want to see is a d###head like Fevola dragging the club's reputation into the mud.
Johnny onehammer
Guest
Amazing that blokes like fevola, andy Lovett and co find out after 10 years in the game , after a million chances and millions of dollars that they will now toe the line. Do they think all the last chances they were given we're only words meant for others. Now they realize that the money and fame that they took for granted for years has dried up and of course they are now prepared to change their ways. There is NOT A HOPE IN HELL that any club will take the chance on these two ego maniacs will get on anyone's books. Memo young kids conning into the system, we all make mistakes but we don't always repeat those mistakes for 10 years. How not to conduct an afl life is what these blokes will be known for and rightly so. Sick of hearing about fevola , too little too late now work for a quid like the rest of us. -- Comment left via The Roar's iPhone app. Download The Roar's iPhone App in the App Store here.