Richmond seeking to get troubled Sydney Stack back into Tigers’ support structureRichmond is holding out hope it can steer Sydney Stack’s career back on the right path after a horror year that ended with him being jailed.
Jon Ralph
HeraldSun
9 FebruaryRichmond is desperate to get Sydney Stack back into its Melbourne support structure to reignite his career.
Stack is still stranded in Western Australia awaiting a March 25 court date after a troubled summer that led him to spend Christmas in jail.
But the Tigers are standing by the young Indigenous talent and are determined to give him another chance to re-establish his AFL career.
Stack was granted bail after a Supreme Court judge said it was unlikely he would receive a jail term if convicted of breaching West Australia’s coronavirus conditions.
He pleaded guilty to a charge of failing to comply with a direction after being found in the party district of Northbridge on December 19 instead of staying at his nominated quarantine address in Northam.
He was back in WA for the funeral of his grandfather, with Stack already battling by that stage after a year that saw him booted from Queensland and banned for 10 matches by the AFL for his first COVID breach.
He is being supported and being offered help by the Tigers, the AFLPA and his manager Paul Peos as he awaits that court date.
Stack has been given training programs by Richmond to fulfil and is now back in Northam staying with relatives.
Stack is unable to play AFL until Round 5 as he serves the remainder of his AFL ban but can play VFL football during that time.
But his long-term future in the AFL and development as a person would be his first priority rather than a quick football return as a player contracted to the end of the 2021 season.
Richmond took on the sizeable challenge of turning Stack into an AFL player aware of his determination to overcome a childhood confronted by violence that saw him moved from home to home.
It is prepared to commit to him but will also need to ensure he is ready to again commit to the professionalism and fitness needed as an AFL footballer.
Richmond and those close to Stack were aware he was already struggling in the aftermath of the 2020 season as they attempted to bolster his support structures.
Now, after a fortnight in jail and the uncertainty of waiting for his court case, no one underestimates how challenging his circumstances are as he tries to fight for his career.
But all parties are banding together to ensure they give Stack the best possible chance to rebound from his latest setback."
https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/richmond-clears-premiership-defender-liam-baker-over-nightclub-capsicum-spray-incident/news-story/7c88470aa646ff4b4c26a003f44b1978
