AFL Round 6

[carey]

North, Whilst playing very well are no locks for the top 10.

The next 5 weeks, before the Bye;

GWS Away
Geelong in Geelong
Sydney at Marvel
Adelaide in Adelaide
Gold Coast at Marvel

[Booney]

North, Whilst playing very well are no locks for the top 10.

The next 5 weeks, before the Bye;

GWS Away
Geelong in Geelong
Sydney at Marvel
Adelaide in Adelaide
Gold Coast at Marvel

Wins :

Port, Essendon, Carlton, Richmond.

First step to improving is beating the sides around you, I think they've taken a step. See how they go against some contenders.

[Spargo]

North, Whilst playing very well are no locks for the top 10.

The next 5 weeks, before the Bye;

GWS Away
Geelong in Geelong
Sydney at Marvel
Adelaide in Adelaide
Gold Coast at Marvel

Wins :

Port, Essendon, Carlton, Richmond.

Blew* a 6 goal lead against West Coast & had more than enough chances against Brisbane (still irks me). Should be 6-0. I’ll be disappointed if the they don’t take care of the Giants this week. After that, well…

[wenchbarwer]

Good to see Essendon having a real dip again, after all the early fuss about GCS, seems nothing much has changed since late last season

Hardwick making a scene over umpiring in the presser to deflect the nepo babies inability to back up expectations yet again.

Given the biggest leg-up in football yet still can't get it right.

Watched the Essendon/GC VFL game beforehand, GC have an infatuation with little Academy players, don't they? I mean, Touk Miller is a gun, but they're not all going to be like him. Sharp and Perkins looked like monsters against them in the middle, no wonder they got the win.

[carey]

North, Whilst playing very well are no locks for the top 10.

The next 5 weeks, before the Bye;

GWS Away
Geelong in Geelong
Sydney at Marvel
Adelaide in Adelaide
Gold Coast at Marvel

Wins :

Port, Essendon, Carlton, Richmond.

Blew* a 6 goal lead against West Coast & had more than enough chances against Brisbane (still irks me). Should be 6-0. I’ll be disappointed if the they don’t take care of the Giants this week. After that, well…

As a supporter I get you'd be disappointed not beating GWS this week, however as a punter surely GWS start warm favorites?

[Booney]

North, Whilst playing very well are no locks for the top 10.

The next 5 weeks, before the Bye;

GWS Away
Geelong in Geelong
Sydney at Marvel
Adelaide in Adelaide
Gold Coast at Marvel

Wins :

Port, Essendon, Carlton, Richmond.

Blew* a 6 goal lead against West Coast & had more than enough chances against Brisbane (still irks me). Should be 6-0. I’ll be disappointed if the they don’t take care of the Giants this week. After that, well…

As a supporter I get you'd be disappointed not beating GWS this week, however as a punter surely GWS start warm favorites?

GWS $1.42
North $2.89

[Lightning McQueen]

Blew* a 6 goal lead against West Coast & had more than enough chances against Brisbane (still irks me). Should be 6-0. I’ll be disappointed if the they don’t take care of the Giants this week. After that, well…

Still a "work in progress". Plenty of upside though, decent spread on every line, great ratio of youth/expeience.

you'll cop the occasional heavy loss but you'll snare a couple of unexpected wins too.

[Lightning McQueen]

I must admit that I’m disappointed with my comments that I posted about Elijah Hollands, I’ll leave them there and I’ll own my mistakes, I was too quick to pass judgement. I’m still perplexed as to how no one within the football club picked up on it.
I’m glad that he’s receiving the help that he needs and look forward to seeing him on the field again, it’s going to be tough journey for the young man.

[Dutchy]

We rightly now expect the improvement to start turning into better results on the field, been a great start and 4 wins, but we have a big few weeks coming up which Im looking forward to immensely. I don't expect wins but I expect we will be very competitive and can put any opposition under pressure now.

The improvement comes with the maturity of good draftee's who now have the experience to perform at the level -

Powell 97
Curtis 84
Sheezel 73
Wardlaw 43
McCercher 45
Comden 54

then the next layer coming through who are on the journey -

O'Sullivan 26
Archer 26
Duursma 29
Trembath 8
Blamires 6

Its been a long road but we can not only see some joy this year but we are now set up for a good 5-8 years imo

[dedja]

I must admit that I’m disappointed with my comments that I posted about Elijah Hollands, I’ll leave them there and I’ll own my mistakes, I was too quick to pass judgement. I’m still perplexed as to how no one within the football club picked up on it.
I’m glad that he’s receiving the help that he needs and look forward to seeing him on the field again, it’s going to be tough journey for the young man.

Not necessary, no-one really knew at the time WTF was going on.

Some details have come out since, probably a lot more to come.

Hindsight always comes with 20/20 vision, but agree 100% it is inconceivable that he was still out on the ground early in the 4th.

I wish him all the best in dealing with his challenges, and hope that there’s a good place he can land in the future, whatever that may be.

Hopefully Carlton are fully transparent about everything that happened without fear of retribution. The last thing anyone needs is for them to hide stuff in an attempt to save their own arses. Not suggesting for one minute that they would, but it would be monumentally dumb if they tried.

[whufc]

I must admit that I’m disappointed with my comments that I posted about Elijah Hollands, I’ll leave them there and I’ll own my mistakes, I was too quick to pass judgement. I’m still perplexed as to how no one within the football club picked up on it.
I’m glad that he’s receiving the help that he needs and look forward to seeing him on the field again, it’s going to be tough journey for the young man.

You were fine.....

There is two parts to it...Carlton have seriously let down Elijah Hollands but lets also not lose complete sight that Elijah has seriously let himself down. Clearly his not in a great head space but given the Collingwood players evidence that he was telling them he had been drinking his also not completely innocent. Many others out there who are doing it extremely tough would kill to have access to the networks/ $$$/ resources he would have available. Clearly not a professional but Thursday night seemed a 'massive cry for help' from Hollands.

I'm extremely sympathetic towards Hollands, a lot of shit has gone wrong to go from a kid to what is happening now.......its bloody so sad. I could completely understand the chicken/egg scenario that maybe the mental stress and pressure of being an AFL footballer was not for him and that was what has led to his mental health issues and addictions (officially alcohol). He has been let down by his football club on Thursday however he is also an adult who (if you believe the Collingwood players) knows well enough that drinking before playing football is not on, his had more education than the average person.

I think the best thing that can happen is Elijah forgets football, go and receive all the help and resources needed, then see where life is without footy in a couple of years.

Its such a fine balance when it comes to mental health between removing responsibility and taking ownership..........who bloody knows where that line is...not me.

[DOC]

Carlton have told the media ;

“ Hollands told the club his erratic behaviour was not the result of any substances consumed on the night including drugs or alcohol.”

This leads , at least me, to conclude that he is continuing to use “substances”.

He can test positive but a claim of “mental health” means effectively it is treated differently, this being the AFLs drug policy as amended. You build a system with a deliberately crafted loop hole then expect it to be abused. Far too many lawyers involved in running the league.

Like the Butters tribunal, and the continuing saga of it being the worst umpired professional sport in the world, the AFL leaves itself wide open to criticism. Jay Clark has lead the charge to use the Ken Hinkley fine over a plane jibe as a marker for a sanction against Carlton. Would anyone have any confidence that they will handle the matter properly?

I expect Hollands to be moved to the injury list. He has played his last game at this level.

[whufc]

To a point i can kind of understand the mental health angle. If you think taking drugs/alcohol the day of an AFL game as a professional footballer is ok you probably do have some mental health issues. A person with clear thinking and clarity would never do that.

[gadj1976]

Carlton have told the media ;

“ Hollands told the club his erratic behaviour was not the result of any substances consumed on the night including drugs or alcohol.”

This leads , at least me, to conclude that he is continuing to use “substances”.

He can test positive but a claim of “mental health” means effectively it is treated differently, this being the AFLs drug policy as amended. You build a system with a deliberately crafted loop hole then expect it to be abused. Far too many lawyers involved in running the league.

Like the Butters tribunal, and the continuing saga of it being the worst umpired professional sport in the world, the AFL leaves itself wide open to criticism. Jay Clark has lead the charge to use the Ken Hinkley fine over a plane jibe as a marker for a sanction against Carlton. Would anyone have any confidence that they will handle the matter properly?

I expect Hollands to be moved to the injury list. He has played his last game at this level.

Yep. 1. could not be trusted to play again. 2. the scrutiny on the guy if he did get selected would be outrageous.

[Dutchy]

I suspect the pressure to make it back onto the list over the preseason and then make it back into the team, where he played some good footy, has contributed to this episode.

I find it incredible that Carlton haven't come out and apologised, it smells like their (or AFL's) lawyers are all over them to not admit any liability. It's typical AFL fashion to go into "manage mode" which might end up that they don't take this as serious as it is. How can we (and the Hollands family) have an confidence in an outcome of their review? I wish there was an over arching body that could implement an independent review.

[gadj1976]

I suspect the pressure to make it back onto the list over the preseason and then make it back into the team, where he played some good footy, has contributed to this episode.

I find it incredible that Carlton haven't come out and apologised, it smells like their (or AFL's) lawyers are all over them to not admit any liability. It's typical AFL fashion to go into "manage mode" which might end up that they don't take this as serious as it is. How can we (and the Hollands family) have an confidence in an outcome of their review? I wish there was an over arching body that could implement an independent review.

100%. As a member, I'm very disappointed in a club that keeps on finding new ways to disappoint. In the 70's and 80's the Tigers were known for 'eating their own' and I feel we've taken over that mantle with aplomb!

[RB]

I think LM has it right re 'too early to pass judgement'.

I'm not sure why people are so keen to draw conclusions, without all the relevant information.

It is very possible that the player's actions have let himself the club down bigtime, absolutely. But all we can really do it speculate.

[am Bays]

If there is one thing I've learnt having done too many critical incident reviews into suicides and attempted homicides for my liking working in health is that you never underestimate the degree of insight of a mental health consumer.

if they can deceive Consultant Psychiatrists and other experienced mental health clinicians with words AFL coaches would be an absolute doddle

I bet London to a brick that several coaches would have asked him "Are you Okay?", "Are you good to go?" several times pre game and then in game until finally they made the call to bench him. Each time he would have said he was right or that he was just super keen to get out there. Mental health consumers know all the phrases to show they are OK and to get what they want.

How the hell is a coach going to question someone's mental state with any validity? They can think there's something wrong but they dont have the skills to do a Mental State Examination

This is just a sad state of affairs all round. I'm just glad in the big scheme of things nothing serious has happened as a result of this episode.

[Booney]

I suspect the pressure to make it back onto the list over the preseason and then make it back into the team, where he played some good footy, has contributed to this episode.

I find it incredible that Carlton haven't come out and apologised, it smells like their (or AFL's) lawyers are all over them to not admit any liability. It's typical AFL fashion to go into "manage mode" which might end up that they don't take this as serious as it is. How can we (and the Hollands family) have an confidence in an outcome of their review? I wish there was an over arching body that could implement an independent review.

Whateley, rightly, used the farcical circumstances around Petracca's injury last year on 360 last night noting the findings need to really suit the AFL and their desire to be seen as doing something but not to be seen doing something wrong. ( Liable )

[wenchbarwer]

I suspect the pressure to make it back onto the list over the preseason and then make it back into the team, where he played some good footy, has contributed to this episode.

I find it incredible that Carlton haven't come out and apologised, it smells like their (or AFL's) lawyers are all over them to not admit any liability. It's typical AFL fashion to go into "manage mode" which might end up that they don't take this as serious as it is. How can we (and the Hollands family) have an confidence in an outcome of their review? I wish there was an over arching body that could implement an independent review.

Whateley, rightly, used the farcical circumstances around Petracca's injury last year on 360 last night noting the findings need to really suit the AFL and their desire to be seen as doing something but not to be seen doing something wrong. ( Liable )

Tom Edwards being ruled out by the ARC doctor after the Essendon doctors cleared him of a HIA