Cats show their true colours by rallying around Mitch Clark

Uh, technically a warzone is a "workplace" if you happen to be a soldier jax. So is the middle of a riot if you happen to be a police officer, or a head-on collision with bodies strewn everywhere if you happen to be an ambulance driver, or a boxing ring if you happen to be that bloke who bashed Rhinanna. The point being there are plenty of workplaces out there NOT suitable for people coping with Depression and an AFL football field is probably one of them. There's lots of other *more appropriate* work out there for someone with the high profile and connections Mitch Clark has.

See and this is the issue Gene and Pizza. The fact that you may disagree with the players doing, you still think that it is in the same ballpark as a player targeting an injury. If someone had cancer and they were still playing can you imagine the response if a player was sledged for it they would be lynched. You think it is on the onus of Clark and Geelong, I think it is on the onus of other players not to do it. If a child is teased or bullied for depression at school the onus isn't on the child to leave the school to deal with it. No the onus is on the bully, it is no different on the football field, and they should be punished accordingly.

A footy club and footy field is a workplace and my understanding is that most workplaces would not allow 'sledging'. Each case is different but the experts will often say that maintaining your usual routine which includes work is a cornerstone to managing the disease.

Why do you think it is BS?

Exactly pizzachief. Players will sledge any perceived weakness. Yes its wrong, we can all have a good cry about it and wish the world wasn't such a nasty place where meanies call each other nasty names but at the end of the day the world's full of ars#holes who run red lights, drink & drive, download game of thrones illegally, vote for tony abbott, cheat their tax returns and deliberately hurt others' feelings. Mitch Clark isn't a fresh face to the game, he knows what goes on out there and knew what to expect when he made his comeback. If being a professional footballer isn't a job he can handle anymore there are tons of others out there where he'll have to put up with far less confrontation and aggression. Imagine if a friend was a 000 call operator, had a loved one die suddenly and was too traumatized to return to the job but insisted on doing so anyway. You wouldn't blame the callers for triggering outpourings of grief in your friend, you'd tap them on the shoulder and suggest they take a long holiday or find a different job they could handle.

Ablettt probably wouldn't do physical harm to himself after the game while Clarke might. Quite a big difference as it's potentially life and death

I don't agree that this kind of sledging is terribly honorable either jax, but wishing it away isn't likely to make it vanish. With that in mind the onus is on Clark (or Geelong if Clark can't or won't make the call) to remove himself from the source of the trouble if it proves to be too much. I assume successful treatment for Depression involves the victim learning how to avoid situations that are likely to cause a relapse. It looks like Mitch could be doing a better job of that right now. I'm all for people of Depression receiving the help they need but they also need to be willing to help themselves. Is that what Clark is doing by voluntarily placing himself in an environment that's unbelievably stressful, competitive and brutal? You tell me jax.

andy1l12 That's the biggest load of BS i've read on the Roar and I've read soccer's taking over Australia aticles

Jax, its 2015 and this politically correct BS needs to stop. any player is going to attack any perceived weak spot in someone's elses game. Like Viney smashing Abletts shoulder all day. Theres no shame in suffering from a mental illness but if you cant cop whats being dished out (physically, mentally) on game day you shouldn't be playing. there's no shame in Ablett taking more time to get his body right, and no shame in Mitch taking time away to get his head right.

Jax, whats the difference between Jack Viney targeting Abbletts shoulder all day and having a crack at Mitch over his mental issues? its 2015 and this politically correct BS needs to stop. yes he has a mental illness and theres no shame in that, but if any player cant cop what's being dished out on game day (Physically, mentally, whatever) he shouldn't be playing.

Isolating a depressed person is worse than accommodating their ups and downs. A leave of absence is a step too far, because what is Geelong really being asked to do? Just be supportive.

Gene are you actually serious? Should we expect racism and classism and the football field too? You do realise that you are on the slipperiest of slopes right now.

I complete agree. I was disgusted by the AFL's decision to post a banner story highlighting Clark's absence from the team song after the game. The article and many that popped up around the rest of the football media only existed to orientate drama around the fact that 'seemingly' Clark's mental illness had flared. The AFL should be respecting the sensitivities around Clark's condition, not making it news, not putting his recovery at risk by shining the world's attention on something very personal. It was beneath us. It was beneath our game.

I think the story about how Geelong have looked after Clark is not complete without telling the other side- that Joel Selwood made knowledge of Clark's illness widespread through his Footy Show antics, and appeared to be using it as a distraction from the disastrous week the whole club had just been through. Making matters worse was that names were named even though the club wasn't willing to press charges, which is not what I call commendable. Just putting it out there.

Re-read what I wrote Gene. he would not be charged with MS but in my eyes he might be morally culpable depending on what he said and how far he went. I know this is professional sport but I'm a believer in 'fair play' and I don't think sledging in this manner is playing with a straight bat

Broad generalization? You're the one assuming if Clark can't play top-level football his only other choice would be to face unemployment. The football field of a hyper-competitive sport where no quarter is given physically or mentally does not strike me as a terribly appropriate workplace for someone struggling with Depression.

For the purpose of this discussion its irrelevant what we think of players targeting Clark's Depression because inevitably they WILL use it and have already, bemoaning the fact isn't going to magically throw a bubble of protection around Mitch - the only thing that will do that is him stepping away from the game if he can't hack it. Are you honestly suggesting any player who sledges Clark over his Depression would be guilty of Manslaughter if he committed suicide at a later date? Ironically you call me the cavemen when you seem incapable of logical thought. I'd suggest you put your personal feeling aside and discuss the topic rationally but judging by your tone there seems little chance of that, so by all means keep ranting.

Great response Jax. Comments like Gene's are half the problem. "It's on a football field, he should have expected it." I am all for sledging but if a member of my team said anything along those lines I would want the book thrown at him.

It was alleged by a team mate that a Hawks player (vehemently denied by the player) did just that. It wasn't substantiated and the clubs issued statements etc and the matter was dropped at Mitch's request. At the end of the day, he's the only one who can manage his condition and know when to "retire" and "un-retire" (but at a better team, this time) as you put it. A lot of people with depression are able to live normal lives and be productive as long as they have access to good treatment and support. No need to sideline him against his will if he's coping; something he and his medical support will make a call on. To be honest, I'm not all that concerned about the players ailments as long as they kick goals.

Comments like this show us how much work, education and understanding is needed in the area of mental health. Any player that uses those 'tactics' against Mitch should be named and shamed. Let's see what the public has to say about it and find out who they would support in a situation like that. The AFL and sledging club should get involved also and throw the book at them and the club should also be fined so that they take pro-active steps to rid the game of attitudes like these. What if Mitch had a disease that only gave him 6 months to live and for whatever reason he decided to play on for as long as he could. Would you support opposition players sledging him about his imminent death? Depression is a disease, just like cancer is. Depression can lead to death, usually by suicide and I have lost friends to it. Any player that uses those tactics is morally culpable of man-slaughter. The courts wouldn't charge him for MS but the public would pas judgement if it ever got out and he would be morally responsible to some degree. How much so I can't say but the players sledging just might be what tips him over the edge. It's 2015 and it's time you dropped your caveman attitudes Gene.