Sydney AFL star Dan Hannebery says Swans teammate Lance Franklin doesn’t want to take the alleged Shane Mumford mental heath sledge of him any further.
Greater Western Sydney ruckman and former Swan Mumford allegedly told Franklin “good to see you’re not on holidays this year” during Saturday’s qualifying final.
It was believed to be a reference to Franklin missing the 2015 finals series because of a serious mental health issue.
“I’ve spoken to Buddy briefly. He doesn’t want to take it any further. He sort of wants it to be done with, ” Hannebery said.
“You encourage people to come out and speak of mental health. It’s a serious issue and is something as a footy club, and that the AFL, want to encourage people (to) get help.
“It hasn’t really been spoken too much amongst the playing group, but personally I wouldn’t go there.”
Asked if his old teammate Mumford had crossed a line with his alleged sledge of Franklin, Hannebery said: “I wouldn’t do it, I’m not going to say whether he crossed the line.
“It’s not something I believe is the right thing to do especially when someone shows the courage to speak up about an issue, something that is very serious so therefore I wouldn’t go there.”
Hannebery’s teammate and midfield colleague Josh Kennedy was recently reported as saying sledging the Giants’ Lachie Whitfield, over an AFL investigation into an allegation he evaded a drug test, wasn’t off limits.
“There’s too much stuff going on to worry about sledging Lachie,” Hannebery said.
He was able to shed some humorous light on sledging, a practice he doesn’t find time to indulge in during a game.
“There’s so much going on around you, you’ve got so many other things to focus on in terms of the way we’re playing, the way the opposition are playing,” Hannebery said.
“Me personally, I haven’t got any time. I haven’t got the IQ to start sledging blokes but certainly there’s a lot of guys out there, (doing it)” he said.
“(Giants back) Heath Shaw is actually one of the best. He’s actually quite amusing to listen to out there.
“He said a few funny things on the weekend, but everyone is different.
“My thing is to worry about what we’re doing.”
dave
Guest
OK It took me a while but i slept with everyone who commented on this thread mums.
Oingo Boingo
Guest
Pathetic little self obsessed , entitled , lazy tuurds , the majority of them in my opinion, just the way the UN and the lefty globalist have moulded them .
Rnr
Guest
Too right, generation next seem a precious lot of borderline narcissists.
me too
Guest
never sledged on the field, but received some - some good and some moronic. The good ones you laugh with, the moronic you laugh at. to let a sledge affect you is a bit weak. it means absolutely nothing except that they think you need to be put off your game. i always took it as a sign i was on top that day. i worry about the resilience of the modern generation if they swallow the media sensationalist headlines and bottom of the barrel scraping.
clipper
Guest
Pretty acceptable if you're a rapper, but accept the point.
Aransan
Guest
Mumford's statement was a non-apology (sorry if you were offended) but apparently Buddy started it.
Gecko
Guest
Mumford’s comments were borderline but his overall aggression is just what GWS have needed to help them compete against the best. Maybe that’s why Swans supporters are so down on him.
Gecko
Guest
Buddy was throwing his weight around in the GWS game so somebody from GWS needed to get into him. Mumford's comments don't seem specifically about mental health but about Buddy's absence, for whatever reason, from last year's finals.
Momentbymoment
Guest
My respect for Mumford and the Giants crashed in that game. Giants take a very similar (take no prisoners) approach to the Hawks and it is pretty ordinary to watch. What happens if every team decides it's ok to sucker punch the oppositions key players or sledge from the gutter?
Axle an the Guru
Guest
Who really cares why he did it, it's Franklins business, not ours.
RnR
Guest
I found the explanation for the Buddy withdrawal from the finals odd. Depression has often been cited by players, so commonly in fact that it's been assumed to be the case here too. But Buddy didn't cite it, which suggests his mental issue is something else - possibly something less socially accepted.
Boomeranga
Guest
I thought it was pretty tame to be honest.
david graham
Guest
Mumfor.... I saw him shun several died in the wool swans supporters at the 2012 party at the Lakeside oval. Says it all. Wasn't sad to see him leave us after that. Not a true Bloods player. THe slur on Buddy was utterly disgusting. Pressure can and does get to all of us. How many mates have you git who have high paid jobs which have eventually worn them down? I have plenty. SHAME ON YOU SHANE. THERE IS NO PLACE FOR YOU IN SPORT.
Doc79
Guest
Tears much? It's not like I was suggesting he'd hidden from a drug tester.
Darren L
Roar Rookie
You're a conspiracy theorist not a sceptic. Do you know anything or just putting out rubbish?
Dan79
Guest
Call me a sceptic, there's more as to why Buddy was on 'holidays' last finals.
Cat
Roar Guru
Just because something was okay in the past doesn't make it okay now. At one time throwing around the N word was acceptable, it most definitely isn't now and never will be again, good riddance. At one time it was acceptable to bash people because they were not straight, it isn't now and again good riddance.
Maggie
Guest
I agree with both your points. The media concentration on the Mumford sledge has conveniently distracted attention away from his escape from charge on the sling tackle. Funnily enough in the article on the AFL website about Mumford's 'apology' to Franklin re the sledge, it also refers to Mumford's tackle and says the following: "Mumford also came under Match Review Panel attention for a tackle that saw Swans ruckman Kurt Tippett's head strike the turf, but he was cleared of an illegal sling." Someone forgot that the offical line was that Tippett's head didn't hit the ground and therefore no charge was warranted!
Maggie
Guest
Lauded by you perhaps. Many of us were disgusted.
Vocans
Guest
No matter how tough you are, you will also have vulnerability. They are not mutually exclusive. Respect for both human qualities seems the way to go. For a few years now it has become plain that sportsmen are no different, and it's becoming accepted. We know the same is true for our armd services, firemen, police and ambos. It's healthy.