Ox.
It IS totally unacceptable to be up drinking at 3am. They had a recovery session the night before. You could be sympathetic if it was someones birthday celebrations or engagement or 300th game even. What were they celebrating. You don't need to get on the pee at 3am to have a good time. Your an AFL footballer you sacrifice some of the simple pleasures of life, and one of them is the ability to get on the pee at 3am and act like a goose. Can't handle it, well then get out. Go play for a local league club for 50k a year and get sloshed after every game if it's that important. What do I expect players to do if they can't sleep? Ge anything but get on the pee. Watch TV, listen to some tunes there are other forms of entertainment other than getting on the pee cause I'm not tired. Weak as pi$$ excuse Ox.
8 weeks may be strong but ge he if anyone was having doubts about whether getting on the gas and having a bender during the season was a good idea. Well that's completely gone now. That is a good thing.
Crucified as Individuals... That isn't even remotely true. For a start they were punished as a group for not policing Connors. They each made a decision to not act. Surely all us guys that enjoy a drink have been in a situation like this before where a mate that likes a drink is well in front of the rest of us. It is funny seeing a mate ride himself off. As professional footballers in a hotel, interstate, representing the RFC it's not good enough to have not acted. To sit there and think, hmm not my problem he'll embarrass himself and the club but not me - Is not good enough. No leadership was shown as friends and a lesser extent team mates.
If it were me that didn't act and help a mate out that is in the public eye and representing my footy club, I'd cop the 1 week ban on the chin and make sure next time my team mates were enjoying a quiet drink that it stays that way and as professional athletes if anything the healthy amount of alcohol is consumed.
They shouldn't even be drinking during the season anyway.
Ok.
I agree on some points regarding Connors now that i have found out the kid is a A1 alcoholic.
8 Weeks is justified,perhaps but 6 weeks of no training is not only riduculous but plain stupidity especially when the kid was moving forward.
Under the current plan w,he will be lucky to be match fit in 12 weeks.Lucky.-Rd 17 ?
How do you police an alcoholic?
Once it's going down there's no stopping them...and they drink the first 6 as though they were water.
Bang -all of a sudden he's acting like an arshole.
Good luck Popey.
How do we know Cousns didnt stay around to keep an eye on things...i thionk he did.
It's the clubs position to send Minders along when there is a pre existing condition in regards to somebodies "illnes" OR provide counselling.
You say they shouldn't have been drinking during the season - i used to support this view but have since accepted that such a statement is ludicrous.
Every club in the comp has players who soup on and the list increases as the season goes on.
It's the part of the games culture that is and will remain unchanged.Silenced but unchanged.
You're a smart fella Popey.Surely you know this deep down.
Cousins wasn't even peeed....
Yeah agreed. 6 weeks away from the club may be extreme but could really be the making of him. It could make him more hungry and gain respect for the place which clearly he's let down. I haven't got the right answer as how the 3 should have handled the situation as who knows what really happened. All i know is that being true to the word team mate is that not only on field but off field you look after them. Connors clearly has a problem and wouldn't have made many trips interstate and 2 or 3 drinks would have been enough, cut him off and if he keeps going maybe ring a club official alarming them of the situation then its in there hands. You sit back and do nothing and hope he is OK is just negligent and not good enough from a team mate point of view.
Punishments may be harsh but at the end of the day we have Dea, Taylor and Astbury possibly debuting for us which is fantastic and quiet possibly maybe bring in more tiger supporters then it would have previously. Opportunities are available from many different ways. Hope the kids take it.
