One-Eyed Richmond Forum
Football => Richmond Rant => Topic started by: one-eyed on November 21, 2012, 02:50:59 AM
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Sacked Tiger Dan Connors says he's been at fault in the past but not the night of his dismissal
Sam Edmund
From: Herald Sun
November 21, 2012
"WHAT happened?'' It's the question Daniel Connors has been asked more than any other since he was sacked by Richmond.
Four months later, the former Tiger wants to set the record straight as he mounts a bid to revive his AFL career.
According to Connors, the day and night in early July that led to his dramatic dismissal hardly warranted a forensic examination.
But he is realistic enough to acknowledge the compulsory 10am training session he and former teammate Dustin Martin missed after taking sleeping pills was enough to crack the wafer-thin ice his career was standing on at Punt Rd.
Speaking to the Herald Sun this week he almost smiles at the irony of it all.
``A lot of it is my fault from the times I have been in trouble, but it's funny that the time I actually didn't do anything wrong was the time I got the a---,'' Connors says.
The beginning of the end for Connors took place on a Tuesday night. Connors says he and Martin had gone to a mate's house to play some pool and darts.
Martin had a couple of bourbon and cokes. Connors, who hadn't touched alcohol since November the previous year, didn't drink.
Connors had lent his car to a friend who was moving house so he and Martin were given a lift back to Connors' Northcote home where they sat up until about 2am watching TV.
It's at this point that Connors took diazepam, a powerful drug used to treat, among other things, anxiety and insomnia.
``I couldn't sleep, that's why I decided to have a sleeping tablet because I knew I needed to get some hours in because we needed to train the next day,'' he says.
"They were prescribed sleeping tablets from the doctor at the club so it wasn't like I wasn't allowed to have them. People say `Why were you taking sleeping tablets that late?', but that's why I took them.
"I've tried a few other sleeping tablets and they hadn't worked so these ones were a bit stronger.''
Connors and Martin, who had taken a non-prescribed sleeping tablet, then went to sleep. Connors set his phone alarm, but it ran out of battery power in the middle of the night and failed to go off.
While their teammates started training, Connors and Martin were still in Northcote pushing up zeds.
"I woke up and me and `Dusty' looked at each other and looked at the time and we realised we'd missed a fair chunk of training,'' Connors said.
"They had tried to ring us. I got down stairs and (assistant coach) Wayne Campbell was in my house. I don't know what he was looking around for. We said we'd slept in and they said, `Get in the car we'll drive you to the club'.''
The pair were put in separate vehicles amid concerns they would use the trip to Richmond to concoct a story.
"When we got the club it was: `You're in one room, you're in the other', but there was nothing really to tell them. We'd just slept in,'' Connors said.
"I was waiting in (football manager) Craig Cameron's office and then `Dimma' (coach Damien Hardwick) came in ranting and raving.
"I pretty much picked up my bag and knew that I was gone so I started walking off. He told me to pretty much get out of there. I knew that I was on my last chance and this was the last straw.
"I just sort of sat down and let it all sink in. It wasn't a great day wondering what I was going to do.''
Connors doesn't want sympathy and doesn't want this interview interpreted as a grasp for pity. He is a man who realises his wrongs, but he rejects the accusation that the penny hadn't dropped.
"It had. I'd been training well and I got back into the side after missing most of the pre-season and I was playing some good footy,'' he says.
"It wasn't as if I went out on the pee and got drunk and belted someone or was peeed the night before training. It was as simple as I slept in and that's what cost me.
"The way that Dimma came in I just knew that there was no point (defending myself). They obviously didn't believe me and even now they still don't believe me that I just slept in. I couldn't plead my case because no one was going to believe me.''
He has been stopped in the street by strangers. Some wish him the best, some call him a d----head.
But now, four months on, Connors is a 24-year-old who simply misses footy.
"I certainly miss that environment and working as a team,'' Connors said.
"The state I was in I thought I didn't need it. I was pretty upset with the whole thing, but now I miss it and I'd definitely rather be doing three-a-day trainings than not doing anything.''
He admits regrets, but says the incident that lead to his demise isn't one of them.
"When I was a lot younger the hiccups I had then were just being young and not knowing how to be a professional,'' Connors said.
"But the last incident that happened there's not much I can really regret. I regret sleeping in and not charging my phone, but it was the earlier ones that had come before, the earlier stuff ups, I regret them.
``This one just happened to be the last one and it was probably the smallest of them all.''
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/afl/more-news/dan-connors-says-a-lot-of-time-he-was-at-fault-at-richmond-except-the-night-of-his-dismissal/story-e6frf9jf-1226520659228
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Its not unusual for that scenario to happen.
Been plenty of criminals that have gotten away with the most atrocious things only to be tripped up on a small misdemeanor that brings the whole house down.
History is full of it
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Connors is still not taking responsibility for his actions. If he wasn't socialising till 2 in the morning knowing that there was a compulsory training at 10 am then he wouldn't have slept in and not been sacked.
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Connors is still not taking responsibility for his actions. If he wasn't socialising till 2 in the morning knowing that there was a compulsory training at 10 am then he wouldn't have slept in and not been sacked.
Bingo.
We've all heard his bleating before.
Won't get picked up.
Good luck with life Daniel.
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Here you go Dan, could have saved your career :wallywink :shh
http://dicksmith.com.au/product/A4744/philips-big-display-clock-radio-aj3540 (http://dicksmith.com.au/product/A4744/philips-big-display-clock-radio-aj3540)
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Connors is still not taking responsibility for his actions. If he wasn't socialising till 2 in the morning knowing that there was a compulsory training at 10 am then he wouldn't have slept in and not been sacked.
He was watching TV not smashing pee with Roycey, Zanners, Cogga and Schulzy
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Connors left out the part where his super reliable mate borrowing his car came around early to give them a lift to training on time. :thumbsup
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Connors is still not taking responsibility for his actions. If he wasn't socialising till 2 in the morning knowing that there was a compulsory training at 10 am then he wouldn't have slept in and not been sacked.
Funny, I see it that he couldn't sleep and once it hit 2am he took his last resort to try and get some sleep before training which would've been the right thing had he woken up. As he said in the article.
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Saw him at the Charcoal Chicken in Northote. Good bloke :thumbsup:
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Saw him at the Charcoal Chicken in Northote. Good bloke :thumbsup:
Glad you two got on like a housefire :shh
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Saw him at the Charcoal Chicken in Northote. Good bloke :thumbsup:
Glad you two got on like a housefire :shh
:shh
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Saw him at the Charcoal Chicken in Northote. Good bloke :thumbsup:
The one on High St or at Northcote Plaza? :lol :rollin :lol
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Saw him at the Charcoal Chicken in Northote. Good bloke :thumbsup:
Didn't push in?
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What did he order?
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Saw him at the Charcoal Chicken in Northote. Good bloke :thumbsup:
The one on High St or at Northcote Plaza? :lol :rollin :lol
High st
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What did he order?
Don't know he was leaving when I entered the shop
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Saw him at the Charcoal Chicken in Northote. Good bloke :thumbsup:
The one on High St or at Northcote Plaza? :lol :rollin :lol
High st
:lol
That one on High St is in Thornbury. :ROTFL
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Saw him at the Charcoal Chicken in Northote. Good bloke :thumbsup:
The one on High St or at Northcote Plaza? :lol :rollin :lol
High st
:lol
That one on High St is in Thornbury. :ROTFL
Same poop lol
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did you take Milli and Vanilli with you? :clapping
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did you take Milli and Vanilli with you? :clapping
Yes
I've always got them in my headphones
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Saw him at the Charcoal Chicken in Northote. Good bloke :thumbsup:
The one on High St or at Northcote Plaza? :lol :rollin :lol
High st
:lol
That one on High St is in Thornbury. :ROTFL
Snap!! :lol
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Saw him at the Charcoal Chicken in Northote. Good bloke :thumbsup:
The one on High St or at Northcote Plaza? :lol :rollin :lol
High st
:lol
That one on High St is in Thornbury. :ROTFL
Snap!! :lol
What's the diff between Norfcote and Fornbury ? Purple pants turn orange?
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What's the diff between Norfcote and Fornbury ? Purple pants turn orange?
I would have thought Darebin Rd.
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Saw him at the Charcoal Chicken in Northote. Good bloke :thumbsup:
The one on High St or at Northcote Plaza? :lol :rollin :lol
High st
:lol
That one on High St is in Thornbury. :ROTFL
Snap!! :lol
What's the diff between Norfcote and Fornbury ? Purple pants turn orange?
Mrakov if you are going to make poo up you could at least have used google street view first to give yourself some cred. :lol And how do you know he is a "Good bloke" when you said he was walking out whilst you are walking in? Everybody knows that a man with an armful of takeaway only has one thing on his mind and stopping for a fan chat would not be it.
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Saw him at the Charcoal Chicken in Northote. Good bloke :thumbsup:
The one on High St or at Northcote Plaza? :lol :rollin :lol
High st
:lol
That one on High St is in Thornbury. :ROTFL
Snap!! :lol
What's the diff between Norfcote and Fornbury ? Purple pants turn orange?
Mrakov if you are going to make poo up you could at least have used google street view first to give yourself some cred. :lol And how do you know he is a "Good bloke" when you said he was walking out whilst you are walking in? Everybody knows that a man with an armful of takeaway only has one thing on his mind and stopping for a fan chat would not be it.
Was walking out of a bakery in hobart the other night and I happily had a chat to a few of my fans. Think one of them was some kid I took under my wing and protected when I was in my prime. His career didn't pan out well once I hung 'em up.
You are an interesting chap, Mrak.
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Saw him at the Charcoal Chicken in Northote. Good bloke :thumbsup:
The one on High St or at Northcote Plaza? :lol :rollin :lol
High st
:lol
That one on High St is in Thornbury. :ROTFL
Snap!! :lol
What's the diff between Norfcote and Fornbury ? Purple pants turn orange?
Mrakov if you are going to make poo up you could at least have used google street view first to give yourself some cred. :lol And how do you know he is a "Good bloke" when you said he was walking out whilst you are walking in? Everybody knows that a man with an armful of takeaway only has one thing on his mind and stopping for a fan chat would not be it.
Was walking out of a bakery in hobart the other night and I happily had a chat to a few of my fans. Think one of them was some kid I took under my wing and protected when I was in my prime. His career didn't pan out well once I hung 'em up.
You are an interesting chap, Mrak.
Which Bakery Coach? The one at Battery point or the one in Salamanca? Jackman and McRoss is a ripper. :thumbsup
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Bellerive. Although I don't like to stay in the area for too long, might run into some arrogant gimps.
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Saw him at the Charcoal Chicken in Northote. Good bloke :thumbsup:
The one on High St or at Northcote Plaza? :lol :rollin :lol
High st
:lol
That one on High St is in Thornbury. :ROTFL
Snap!! :lol
What's the diff between Norfcote and Fornbury ? Purple pants turn orange?
Mrakov if you are going to make poo up you could at least have used google street view first to give yourself some cred. :lol And how do you know he is a "Good bloke" when you said he was walking out whilst you are walking in? Everybody knows that a man with an armful of takeaway only has one thing on his mind and stopping for a fan chat would not be it.
I dropped a fiver and he gave it back to me
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I ran into Boonie at Banjo's in Launy the other week, went to water I did :-[ :-[ :-[
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who gives a ƒuck?
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I ran into myself in the mirror yesterday. What a fine looking specimen if I do say so myself :clapping
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This is not the 'where are they now ' thread folks.
Good to see Connors is still in denial. What a knob !
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I ran into myself in the mirror yesterday. What a fine looking specimen if I do say so myself :clapping
So thats where the mirrors from the Giggle Palace went. ;D
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This is not the 'where are they now ' thread folks.
Good to see Connors is still in denial. What a knob !
Where are you now ****? ;D
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SUcking SIA's saggy balls
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Forgot to mention Dan's fine lady friend.
Asian too
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poor girl, never liked that idiot, should never have been given a shot at an afl career after what he did, and lasted 4 years too long, was a lazy unfit arrogant twit from the beginning
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poor girl, never liked that idiot, should never have been given a shot at an afl career after what he did, and lasted 4 years too long, was a lazy unfit arrogant twit from the beginning
At least he's pulling in the Sheila's !
Edit: text inside quote edited
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poor girl, never liked that idiot, should never have been given a shot at an afl career after what he did, and lasted 4 years too long, was a lazy unfit arrogant twit from the beginning
At least he's pulling in the Sheila's !
he better hold onto her, bc now that his afl career is over, hes just another ugly ranger out on the town with little hope of pulling the big game down
Edit: text inside quote edited
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poor girl, never liked that idiot, should never have been given a shot at an afl career after what he did, and lasted 4 years too long, was a lazy unfit arrogant twit from the beginning
At least he's pulling in the Sheila's !
he better hold onto her, bc now that his afl career is over, hes just another ugly ranger out on the town with little hope of pulling the big game down
Gets to eat Chinese food every night
Edit: text inside quote edited