Media articles about Connors and Martin - Thurs July 5

[one-eyed]

Dozy Tigers Daniel Connors and Dustin Martin fall asleep at the wheel

    Mark Robinson, Jon Ralph
    From: Herald Sun
    July 05, 2012 12:00AM

SLEEPING tablets have ended the career of Richmond forward Daniel Connors and forced the Tigers to deny star Dustin Martin is using illicit drugs.

Martin, who yesterday was suspended for two weeks, has undergone two days of drug testing.

Connors and Martin slept through a compulsory training session on Tuesday morning, with the club seeing it as the perfect opportunity to crack down on 21-year-old "larrikin" Martin.

For Connors, suspended twice in recent years for misbehaviour, it was the end of his career.

The decisions came after a frantic two days of discussion at Punt Rd, and with the AFL. On Monday night, Martin and Connors visited a mate's place, where they played pool.

Martin drank two bourbons, while Connors didn't drink at all. They returned to Connors' place in Thornbury about 10pm, they told the club, before going to bed "late".

What is known is Martin took sleeping tablets, given to him by a mate. And so did Connors, who had prescribed sleeping tablets, of which the Tigers were aware.

They worked. Their alarms did not wake either of them.

The pair had trained as usual on Monday night, with no sign of any problems.

On the Tuesday morning, however, Martin was to train with a group in Glen Eira at 10am, while Connors was expected at Victoria Park to train. An assistant coach called to alert the football department that Martin did not front.

No one was overly concerned until minutes later a call was taken from Victoria Park, where Connors was absent too.

Players just don't miss training sessions. Period. And if they are running late, they call.

Yet on the Tuesday morning neither player could be roused.

Finally, at 10.15am, they called from Connors' Thornbury home.

To ascertain what happened, the club stressed the two players be driven to the club in separate cars so they didn't have an opportunity to concoct a story.

As it was, both players told the same story.

Back at the club, Martin was a wreck. He shed tears and his manager, Ralph Carr, said yesterday: "He was shattered on Tuesday and he's still shattered today."

About 6.30pm on Tuesday, a remorseful and fragile Martin fronted the leadership group, headed by captain Chris Newman.

The meeting lasted about an hour and the decision to suspend him was ratified.

Martin's penalty means he is not allowed at the club for two weeks.

Connors, who was on his last chance after a tumultuous career at Punt Rd, was remorseful but his brownie points had run out long ago.

Connors, the more combative of the two, got on the front foot.

"I know I am gone," he said.

No one tried to convince him otherwise. He might have only slept in, but once again he had broken the trust of the playing group.

Tigers chief executive Brendon Gale and general manager of media and stakeholders Simon Matthews arrived at AFL headquarters yesterday morning to discuss the penalties.

The AFL agreed. The AFL Players' Association agreed.

Martin was suspended. Connors was gone.

For Connors, it is an inglorious end.

He told the Herald Sun in January, after returning from a 12-week suspension: "If I get banned again, I get banned forever."

At 23, he had written his own football obituary, and now his career is over before it really started.


Timeline:
 
July 2006: Named to All-Australian under-18 team. While celebrating with mates, was on hand when friend put 45-year-old man into coma after street fight after night out in Echuca. Connors was not charged or blamed.

November 2006: Taken by Richmond at pick 58 in the 2006 national draft. Football director Greg Miller: "Daniel was an All-Australian and is a nice size.''

July 2007: Connors makes debut with 13 disposals and six marks against Sydney in Round 17. One week later, Tiger fans find great hope in big loss to Geelong when Connors has 25 disposals in his second game and takes a screamer over Travis Varcoe.

September 2007: Starred through VFL finals for Coburg, but lost grand final to Geelong. Awarded mark of the year for screamer against North Ballarat earlier in season.

October 2008: Contract extended at Richmond, despite playing just 18 games in two seasons. Football operations manager Craig Cameron: "We are investing long-term in some sound talent.''

August 2009: Began season with broken hand, but after playing just two games - one as a late replacement - spent 10 games in VFL and two in the VFL reserves to end season. This despite caretaker coach Jade Rawlings' youth push late in a tumultuous year.

March 2010: Under new coach Damien Hardwick, finds new home across half-back. Shines in first three games of season, averaging 21 touches.

April 2010: Richmond bans him for eight weeks after boozy fracas at Sydney hotel in which teammate Ben Cousins punched him in the face to subdue him. Cousins, Dean Polo and Luke McGuane all banned for one week.

July 2010: Fourth week back from his ban, Connors played what would be his best game for Richmond in Round 15. His 35 touches in the Tigers' comeback win over Fremantle earned him three Brownlow votes. In the final 11 rounds, he averaged 24.5 disposals.

August 2010: Umpire Stuart Wenn apologises for sledging Connors during Tigers' match with St Kilda. As Connors manned up on Andrew McQualter, Wenn said: ``You're batting out of your league, pal. You're batting so far out of your league.''

August 2010: Signs for two more years to much fanfare. Connors talks up his commitment: ``We were struggling anyway, and it rubbed salt into the wounds ... so I am looking forward to paying it back.''

May 2011: Played opening three matches, including one as a sub, but didn't fire. Officially succumbed to quad injury by Round 7 and missed the rest of the season.

October 2011: Richmond suspends Connors for 12 weeks, telling him to amend his ``socially unacceptable behaviour'' after alcohol-related problems.

January 2012: Connors returns to the club and publicly addresses his drinking issues: ``If I get banned again, I get banned forever,'' he tells the Herald Sun.

June 2012:  Boots vital late goal in first senior game in more than a year against GWS, prompting Hardwick to offer: "He had to earn the trust of the playing group and coaching staff again and he's done that.'' Connors himself added: "I just want to be out here with the boys ... I'll be a hermit for the rest of my career.''

July 2012: Misses training after both he and young gun Dustin Martin take sleeping pills. The last straw for Richmond. "As a result, (Connors) has decided to walk away from the club and focus on the next phase of his life,'' the club says in a statement yesterday.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/afl/more-news/dozy-tigers-daniel-connors-and-dustin-martin-fall-asleep-at-the-wheel/story-e6frf9jf-1226417253999

[Ox]

Prisoner 1 -""What r u in for,sexy?"

Prisoner 2 "Sleeping Tablets,bitch"

[one-eyed]

Drug tests as Tigers ban Dustin Martin, sack Daniel Connors

    Jon Ralph, Mark Robinson
    From: Herald Sun
    July 05, 2012

AFL star Dustin Martin has been subjected to multiple drug tests after his suspension for abusing sleeping pills.

Martin was yesterday target-tested by the AFL, having already passed an independent test on Tuesday to prove he was free of illicit drugs.

It came on a day of high drama in which bad boy Daniel Connors was sacked and Martin suspended for two weeks, after both missed training on Tuesday morning when they slept in.

Richmond said Connors took his own prescription pills but had not been drinking, or taking other drugs.

The 23-year-old had been suspended by the club twice before with former coach Terry Wallace once estimating he was given eight warnings for improper behaviour in his first three years.

Martin told Richmond he had drunk "a couple" of bourbon and cokes, then took prescription sleeping pills he obtained from a friend before missing training.

The Tigers and Connors' manager, Anthony McConville, yesterday said neither player had a problem with illicit drugs.

But the Tigers drama again puts sleeping pill use in the spotlight in a week in which the Australian Olympic Committee has banned its competitors from using Stilnox at the London Olympics.

Richmond denied there was a culture of abusing prescription pills at the club, but said players would be counselled again on their use.

The AFL would not comment on any of Martin's tests.

"We do not comment on the testing of individual players under the AFL's illicit drugs policy. All players may be subject to random and targeted testing at the discretion of the AFL medical directors," the AFL said in a statement to the Herald Sun.

This week's incident was the third at Richmond involving the abuse of sleeping pills, after Ben Cousins went to hospital after mixing tablets and red wine and another drama in Sydney involving Cousins and Connors.

But Richmond, which was not responsible for the private drugs test, yesterday confirmed it had asked if the players had used illicit drugs.

"No illicit drugs were involved," head of football Craig Cameron said.

Questioned why he asked the players about illicit drugs, he said: "I think it is important to gather as much information any time there is an incident."

Connors' manager McConville also denied any use of illicit drugs.

"No, there was nothing sinister involved. It was sleeping in and not turning up at the required time. The reality is that it came to a head. He was living on a final warning leading into the season proper, and it was the straw that broke the camel's back," he said.

"It was a mutually agreed decision and that was an outcome we are satisfied with. The club can move forward and Daniel can move forward. We are comfortable with the agreement."

The sleeping tablets involved this week were not Stilnox, the drug at the centre of the AOC storm.

Richmond said the decision for Connors to leave the club was mutual, but there was no doubt after suspensions of eight and 12 weeks, he was sacked.

Martin is adamant he was not mixing alcohol and pills for a chemical high, but simply took them from a mate because he could not sleep.

Richmond has been concerned about his behaviour away from the club for some time, which explains its decision to suspend him.

Connors will be paid out for the final months of his contract, and might play park football with friends for the rest of the season.

Coburg general manager Jake McCauley said he believed Connors would be barred from playing with the Tigers' VFL affiliate.

"To be honest I haven't spoken to Craig Cameron yet, but I presume he won't be playing for us," he said.

"We'd take direction from Richmond but he's not a Coburg-listed player and he was a Richmond-listed player.

"I think for all parties he probably just needs a clean break."

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/afl/more-news/richmond-stars-daniel-connors-and-dustin-martin-face-sanctions/story-e6frf9jf-1226417250383

[one-eyed]

Tiger's drama: Richmond's medicine hard to swallow

    Mike Sheahan
    From: Herald Sun
    July 05, 2012

I MUST be gone from newspapers, from the news beat, longer than I thought.

Two blokes miss a routine morning training session at Richmond after sleeping in and they're hung out to dry, publicly vilified, heavily sanctioned.

One - Daniel Connors - is summarily dismissed from Punt Road. The other - Dustin Martin - is suspended from the club's next two games.

For the first time in memory, I'm thinking an AFL club has over-reacted to player indiscretions. Fancy having to criticise a club for going too hard on players who mess up.

Connors and Martin arrived an hour late for training on Tuesday after staying up late Monday night at a friend's house then taking prescription medication in search of a good night's sleep.

The sleeping pills had been prescribed for Connors. Martin obtained his issue from a friend - not Connors. No grog involved for Connors, a small amount for Martin. No police involvement, no suggestion of anti-social behaviour.

There must be more to it than meets the eye . . . and there is.

They say Connors is a good kid from solid Echuca stock, yet he has a history of finding trouble as often as Trent Cotchin finds the footy.

Martin is an emerging star, but he's a headstrong kid who needs to be careful about the company he keeps, the places he frequents and any indulgences.

For Connors, it was three strikes and you're out; for Martin, it is a timely reminder of the discipline demanded of athletes at the elite level.

Connors will wake up one day, perhaps as soon as today, and realise he has wasted a ticket to the good life. He's 23, playing a game he loves in an industry where you can earn $200,000 a year for little more than getting a regular game at AFL level. Now he's damaged goods with little or no hope of another chance in the big league.

He simply wore out his welcome at Richmond, where he had been since the 2006 national draft.

The AFL Record guide to 2007 said of him: "The skilful left-footer can play a variety of positions. Connors was All-Australian (Under-18 level) in 2006. Can play senior football this year."

Sadly, he played the fool more than he played football. He managed 29 games in six seasons at Richmond and injuries weren't the only reason.

The Tigers have chopped him, hopeful of reducing the distractions faced by Martin in the process.

Martin is the more interesting one. He recently turned 21 and seems to have the talent to be a star. Another Mark Ricciuto, perhaps. It's an important time in his football life.

The Tigers say they aspire to be one of the best clubs in the competition, that certain standards such as attendance at scheduled training sessions are non-negotiable.

I can't help thinking it would have been different had, say, Cotchin or Brett Deledio missed training, for they are model citizens. People sleep in. More and more footballers take medication in search of a good night's sleep. It's life in 2012.

The suspicion is those in charge at Punt Rd decided the time was right to lay down the law, specifically to Martin and, by extension, all the youngsters in the club.

They know from first-hand experience the price of standards ignored or compromised, having had Ben Cousins in the place for a couple of years; they know from a distance what might have been had Carlton not been so accommodating of Brendan Fevola's self-indulgence and lack of discipline.

It is a bold call. Richmond must beat Melbourne and Gold Coast in the next two rounds if it is to sustain hopes of playing finals this year. Then again, if the Tigers can't beat injury-ravaged Melbourne and uncompetitive Gold Coast, finals are an unrealistic aim, anyway.

Martin represents a major long-term investment. He was taken at No.3 in the 2009 national draft and no one could query that decision after an outstanding debut season in 2010 and a third in the best-and-fairest award last year.

He hasn't delivered as expected this year, yet he has done enough to suggest he will be a frontline player for the next 10 years. Provided he toes the line, pays the price, as Allan Jeans liked to tell his Hawthorn players. Reported sightings of Martin between games and out of season have prompted alarm bells several times in the past couple of years. Fact or fiction, Jack Dyer usually got it right when he said solemnly: "Where there's smoke, there's blue cod . . . if you know what I mean."

Richmond might have fined Martin, but where's the credibility in a $5000 fine for a bloke who earns that much in a quarter of footy? When does a fine ever change the habits of a 21-year-old?

No, as heavy-handed as it may appear, it's a timely message for Martin if he is to become the player Richmond hopes. His club, the senior players included, have sent him a clear message: talent is but one element of the equation in the modern game.

Mike Sheahan was chief football writer for the Herald Sun. He is now a regular contributor and appears on Fox Footy.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/opinion/tigers-drama-richmonds-medicine-hard-to-swallow/story-e6frfhqf-1226417284228

[one-eyed]

Daniel Connors awakes to bleak future

    Mark Robinson
    From: Herald Sun
    July 05, 2012

DANIEL Connors is unlucky and he's an idiot.

He is an unlucky idiot.

The 23-year-old is out of the AFL system and he has no one else to blame.

More importantly for Richmond and its fans, Dustin Martin is just an idiot.

Connors was sacked for sleeping through an alarm and missing training on Tuesday.

He had taken prescribed sleeping tablets.

Martin downed some bourbons the same night, took some sleeping tablets, and he also slept in at Connors' Thornbury house.

In essence, it was a harsh penalty for Connors - sacked for sleeping in.

No matter how trivial it seems, Connors' fluctuating history at Punt Rd meant it was Que Sera, Sera.

He is unlucky because he had corrected a wayward life that resulted in a 12-week suspension last year.

He vowed to get back on track and did - the stylish left-footer had just returned to the senior line-up.

Social media was rampant late Tuesday night with speculation two players had been caught with drugs.

Even yesterday morning, as Tigers officials were in discussions with the AFL, it was reported by this correspondent that "two Tigers face severe discipline for social behaviour".

It was wrong. It was for bad behaviour. This time "social" was unwarranted for Connors.

Friends say Connors is a good bloke and, in an interview earlier this year with the Herald Sun, he seemed sincere about rectifying the wrongs.

By all reports, he had.

His lasting memory of AFL football might be when he kicked the winner against GWS in Round 12 and teammates swamped him.

It was redemption and reclamation.

As harsh as it sounds, Connors is yesterday's headache. Martin, 21, is the immediate problem.

Jungle drums are prevalent in football and Camp Martin carries its own beat.

He moved out from living with president Gary March and bought his own home. It made the Tigers nervous.

The Tigers have heard many stories: He likes a drink, likes women, likes a party. At 21, who doesn't?

Mixing alcohol with sleeping tablets, however, made the Tigers more than nervous. They were obliged to ask Martin - and Connors - if they had used illicit drugs in recent times. They both said no.

Martin's penalty appears fair. It is a sharp reminder of what is required to be an AFL player.

Although the Tigers are disappointed with what's eventuated, they acknowledge Martin's reaction has been raw and honest.

He cried on Tuesday and again yesterday in front of various groups and officials.

They were not fake tears because football is everything for Martin.

He is an emerging star, a Tigers poster boy, but pills and poster boys isn't a marketer's dream.

It was a bold and correct decision by the Tigers.

Like Martin, they are an emerging entity.

Football boss Craig Cameron was matter-of-fact: "In the long term we want to be a club that sets standards and sticks by them."

Connors had heard that before and tripped up.

Martin might have been hearing it for her first time, but the Tigers are hoping it will be the last.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/afl/daniel-connors-awakes-to-bleak-future/story-fn7si01d-1226417241543

[Ox]

DANIEL Connors is unlucky and he's an idiot.

He is an unlucky idiot.




Man,Robbo is the ultimate wordsmith

[dwaino]

Not changing what I think of Blobbo, but that was well written and I like how he handled it (mostly) on 360. He even admitted telling the story wrong when he first broke it. I also like how he said he is taking the club at its word, at least professionally he is. He even agreed with CC in that it was wise to not make Martin face a media frenzy. CC's presser was also firm, calculated, professional and well handled. Much like the direction of the club.

[one-eyed]

Petty training breach was the straw that broke the Tiger's back
Caroline Wilson
The Age
July 5, 2012

THE close friendship between Daniel Connors and Dustin Martin tells a tale of two very different footballers. On Monday night, when the two young men collided for the last time as teammates, they managed to transform what had loomed as the best of times for the Richmond Football Club into the worst.

Certainly in the short term. Connors was officially removed from the club yesterday after the seemingly insignificant breach of missing a 10am Tuesday training session. In truth, he was removed for one mistake too many and for being a bad influence.

The easily influenced Martin - a wild but likeable young man - was perhaps belatedly celebrating his 21st birthday with a succession of bourbon and Cokes and non-prescription medication when he crashed at Connors' Northcote home. That was his version, one backed by Connors, and whether or not it was the truth, what Richmond did in reaction was to remove from Tigerland the example it did not want Martin to follow.

Both players slept in - Connors' housemate Shane Edwards had not thought to check the closed doors - and were still bleary-eyed when they answered the door to concerned club officials, led by welfare manager Lauren Cooper.

Martin, who was suspended by Richmond, said the undisclosed sleeping drugs he took - not Stilnox - were given to him by a mate and the club said he would undergo counselling as a result of what it fears may not have been an isolated incident.

Connors, 23, attempted to blame an errant mobile telephone that failed to ring an alarm. Having only regained the qualified faith of coach Damien Hardwick and promoted to the senior side two weeks ago, the Echuca-raised footballer said he had been knocked out by medication prescribed for a series of issues. That he had not been drinking counted for little given he had been sitting by at a mate's place while Martin did - a complete no-no for a Monday night.

Connors' story has been one of constant liability even before that fateful night in Sydney two years ago when he wreaked havoc in a hotel and was given a black eye by Ben Cousins. Late last year he went on another serious bender and upset his teammates and officials by attempting to cover his tracks. Connors was almost sacked then and agreed he was on a last chance.

Martin's story has been full of promise since the club took him at No. 3 in the 2009 national draft. Tough and explosive on the field, emblazoned with tattoos and the product of a bikie father, Martin's tendency to live on the edge saw him move two years ago into the home of Richmond president Gary March.

Businessman March was in London on Olympics business when he took the dreaded call late on Tuesday night. He, too, was devastated. Coincidentally, Martin moved out of March's home yesterday and into his recently purchased first house, in bayside Melbourne, where he will live with his brother.

All manner of rumours have dogged Martin but this was his first official strike in behavioural terms. It is understood both players have been drug tested by the AFL under the competition's illicit drugs program since failing to attend training two days ago. Both were grilled by club officials - football boss Craig Cameron interrogated them separately and remained convinced that neither lied about what took place. He yesterday denied suggestions Martin had a history of dabbling in non-prescription drugs.

Yesterday's suspension left Martin shattered and regretful and put the Tigers at least six men down for this Saturday's MCG match against Melbourne - where a win would catapult the club into the eight.

The struggling Demons yesterday wondered whether dropping one of the club's best players meant that Richmond viewed Melbourne as easybeats. In truth Martin's suspension - he will be banned from all football for two weeks - was taken in the interest of short-term pain for long-term gain.

Both penalties looked harsh given the club's insistence that nothing more sinister had taken place than what was revealed by Craig Cameron. And yet both penalties were in consultation with and were not challenged by either the AFL players union or the managers of the two young men.

Late last Saturday, Richmond - after just two finals appearances in three decades - looked bound for September, leading premiership contender Adelaide at three-quarter time. The Tigers lost the game, two star players for at least a month, another since then for the remainder of the season and another in midfield leader Daniel Jackson who was suspended for yet another on-field transgression.

And then on Monday night two more Tigers knocked themselves out - one of them crucial to the club's next decade. Five days can be a long time in football.

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/petty-training-breach-was-the-straw-that-broke-the-tigers-back-20120704-21hnd.html#ixzz1zfWkQkxp

[one-eyed]

Wake-up call
By Peter Hanlon
The Age
July 5, 2012

The ''football world'' is not for everyone, writes Peter Hanlon.

THE picture being sketched of Daniel Connors yesterday was of a likeable young man who can be mischievous, funny and good company - but not when he drinks. That he was sober through the misdemeanour that has ended his career will have left him with a hangover like no other.

Yet as perverse as it may seem, returning to the ''real world'' might be the best thing for him. Connors might simply be someone who was meant to live a more normal existence than contemporary AFL allows; his biggest fall presents the chance to get up and start anew, without the ''football world'' watching and waiting for him to stumble again.

From all reports the 23-year-old had been trying - really trying - to meet the demands of his profession. Described yesterday as ''one of those blokes who should never drink'', he hadn't done so since coach Damien Hardwick and football manager Craig Cameron visited him at home last October.
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The clear ultimatum they delivered, while suspending him for 12 weeks after an over-indulgent start to the off-season, was duly backed up by Richmond's leadership group: Connors could not be a footballer and a drinker, not even in moderation, because temperance was not in his armoury.

He tried going out and not drinking, but found it hard work. ''He tried really, really hard,'' one observer said yesterday. ''He hasn't had a drink since last year. He's made a real effort.''

An elite football environment was good and bad for Connors. The acquaintance wondered how different things would be if he was a bricklayer, had a few beers two or three times a week, perhaps even turned up late to work because he'd slept through the alarm.

''Footy's a fairly high-pressure environment, and a lot of blokes when they do drink go a bit harder than they might if they had a different lifestyle. Maybe in everyday life, he might be having four beers on a Tuesday night instead of bingeing once in a while.

''The standards are just ridiculously high, and the exposure's out of control. Maybe he's just one who'd be better off without it.''

Several people The Age spoke to declined to comment; some said they remained close to Connors or his family. All felt for him. But there was a common thread - once the pain of losing his dream job subsides, he might conclude that it simply wasn't for him.

Like any kid with talent, it was once all he wanted. Glenn Roberts, president of Echuca Football Club, remembers Connors having the sort of talent that sets a kid apart, even in a landscape where junior numbers are in the several hundreds. ''He was always confident, always seemed determined in what he wanted to achieve,'' Roberts said.

He remembers Connors being ''high-spirited'', a kid who would never be far away if there was a prank unfolding, but not someone who you'd call trouble. ''He wasn't a bad kid, just a high-spirited young fella who pushed himself. If you'd said from a teenager that his career would end like this, you wouldn't have thought so.''

The flipside of life inside the AFL bubble has been exposure to benefits that aren't always so readily accessed in ''normal'' life. Connors progressed from Echuca to the Bendigo Pioneers, and has spoken of the guilt he carried following an incident in Echuca shortly before he was drafted in 2006, when a pub altercation ended in a punch being thrown by a mate of his (later, away from the hotel) and a man ending up in a coma.

Many who know Connors have joined the dots between the trauma of the event and his relationship with alcohol. He told the Herald Sun in January that it affected him deeply, left him wondering if he deserved the success being an AFL footballer represented.

Being in the AFL system gave him access to help; Connors undertook extensive counselling, the Tigers no doubt conscious that improving him could improve them too. He became involved in an initiative around drinking and violence, telling his story in schools.

Ultimately, the straw that broke the camel's back was missing training, having taken a sleeping tablet after a night out with his mate Dustin Martin, a night when Connors apparently held fast to his vow of abstinence.

Right now, he might consider himself hard done by. Many hope acceptance will come, and a realisation that AFL football isn't the life for everyone.

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/wakeup-call-20120704-21hly.html#ixzz1zfXGiaY3

[one-eyed]

Penalties put Tigers to the test

   Jon Ralph
    From: Herald Sun
    July 05, 2012

RICHMOND has subjected itself to some mighty short-term pain, but of the type that comes when you extract a splinter buried deep under your skin.

It might make you scream for a second, but from then on you begin to heal.

The Tigers believe there are two-fold benefits from the suspension of Dustin Martin and removal of Daniel Connors.

Not only does Martin get taught a rude lesson about the standards for elite football, it placates a list that felt Connors had burned it too often.

The club hopes it will eventually look back on this sanction as Martin's Stevie J moment.

The judgment on whether it has hampered the club's bid for its first finals campaign since 2001 will come on Saturday.

At first glance the Richmond side that played against Adelaide last Saturday is five players down.

No Martin (club suspension), no Dan Jackson (suspended), no Jake King (knee), no Dylan Grimes (hamstring) and no Connors (sacked).

Martin was a three-goal star against Adelaide, and it isn't an exaggeration to say that Connors won the game for the Tigers against GWS Giants in Round 12.

He kicked three goals and nailed the sealer from a set shot in slippery, rain-drenched conditions. But it is clear the players had lost trust in him, as shown by the leadership group's ratification of the decision.

And if the Tigers can get over Melbourne at the MCG on Saturday, the decision could have only upside from a football perspective.

Martin is not a serial ratbag, just a bloke easily led when the clock ticks past 6pm.

Richmond's injury list has been mercilessly short all year, so finally its depth is about to be tested.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/afl/penalties-put-tigers-to-the-test/story-fn7si0bn-1226417222657

[one-eyed]

Richmond Tigers made to swallow bitter pill

    by: Greg Denham
    From: The Australian
    July 05, 2012

RICHMOND yesterday conceded enforcement of strict team rules could jeopardise its bid to play finals for the first time since 2001 after two players found themselves at the centre of yet another sleeping pill controversy.
...
AFL medical director Peter Harcourt said the misuse of prescribed medication was potentially a health risk but "there is no evidence to suggest that misuse is a particular issue in the competition". "This incident is a regrettable but isolated one. ... The administering of prescription drugs is done under a structured framework via the strict supervision and monitoring from club doctors."

Richmond sought feedback from its player leadership group before applying the sanctions that could leave the club vulnerable.
...
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/afl/richmond-tigers-made-to-swallow-bitter-pill/story-fnca0u4y-1226417192144

[tigs2011]

stuffing hell Robbo and Ralph have written 2 articles each. Also sick of Robbo calling Connors an idiot even if it is true. Can Connors call Robbo a fat slob and get away with it...?

[Owl]

I do.  Whenever he used to a live thing I would take my opportunities lol.

[gerkin greg]

I do.  Whenever he used to a live thing I would take my opportunities lol.

Through the drive thru window at KFC?

[Dubstep Dookie]

Would love to meet Robbo face to face