Gale rates players 9.5 out of 10
Mike Sheahan | March 29, 2008
BRENDON Gale is a players' man, and not just for the most practical of reasons. While the players pay his wages as chief executive of their association, he also is a former Richmond ruckman of note (244 games from 1990-2001), so there's a spiritual bond.
"Benny", though, says his sympathy is based on merit, not driven by money or the brotherhood.
He is not blind to the errors and omissions of the oft-maligned player group, and admits to disappointment at the seemingly frequent revelations of anti-social behaviour.
Most recently, it was a Richmond player, club captain Kane Johnson, who again had commentators and many talkback callers wondering what, if anything, occurs above the shoulders of footballers after dark.
Some of us believe it to have been an outcry of extraordinary proportions given the nature of the offence, yet the timing indisputably was poor - taking relief anywhere other than a secured bathroom always was going to be a problem after Brendan Fevola's bizarre behaviour a week earlier.
Before Fevola and Johnson, there was Steve Johnson and Colin Sylvia and Nathan Carroll among others, oh, and a couple of former players by name of Carey and Cousins, for various reasons.
Yet, for all that, Gale gives the player group almost the perfect score for behaviour.
"Out of 10? I reckon 9 1/2," he says after due deliberation.
Is he objective? "Clearly, people would argue 'no'," he concedes.
"(But) I've played the game, I've been in the workforce in the commercial world, I've worked closely and socialised closely with guys of a similar demographic, and now I'm back working for the players, so I've had a good look at the community and I think I am reasonably objective.
"I reckon I've got a pretty good appreciation of what community standards are and I think players exceed them.
"You've got to remember they're being marked according to standards that don't apply to many other people."
Gale, who turns 40 in July, says footballers are marked too hard, yet understands why.
"We're part of a game that relies on incredible levels of public support and confidence in the game and its principal performers, its players.
"Given the faith and confidence the public vests in the players emotionally and commercially, and given the players benefit from that, we think the obligation should be higher.
"We expect that our players don't break the law, we expect that our players respect people and property.
"Without wanting to sound like a tool, I have three degrees, I spent probably 10 years at university.
"I've learnt more about life, about myself, about human nature, all that sort of stuff, at Richmond footy club playing AFL than I have at university.
"The things that I believe and (my) values have been drilled into me through footy, through my teammates and coaches, and I'm proud of that."
He is loath to sound puritanical, for his playing days aren't that long ago, the memories still vivid.
"I've gone out and pinned the ears back from time to time," he says with a tell-tale smile. No, he never fell foul of the law, but the culture was different during the 1990s.
"We'd play footy Friday, Saturday nights and then get out to the Boardwalk, Tunnel, on the gas."
He didn't, though, ever take relief in the street, did he? Surely not?
"I don't know about in the street, but maybe not always in a public amenity," he says.
Tasmanian-born Gale, a lawyer, admits: "I was a bit wild when I was young.
"I was one of eight (growing up in Burnie, Tasmania) and our parents split up when I was young. I was about 12 when Dad (All-Australian Don Gale) left home.
"From 12-19, I took my eye off the ball academically, I took my eye off the ball sporting-wise."
He said his first year of university in Hobart was a "very wild time".
"No responsibility whatsoever, a lot of alcohol, not too much uni. I might have also got whacked a couple of times, probably deserved it, too.
"Coming here to play with Richmond, getting into almost military regimentation, the focus on self-improvement and development, clicked your mind back into gear."
Given that backdrop, he is asked how he thinks he might respond if and when one of his two daughters (Isla, four, Eve, three) brings home a boy who happens to be a footballer.
"No problem. I'd like to think that - in 25 years' time - the guy will espouse the sorts of values they do now."
He says young men who don't improve in a football environment have deep-rooted problems.
"What I'm saying is if you've had four to five years in a footy club and you don't come out a better person, you've got issues."
Gale says the fierce public scrutiny and inevitable examples of negative publicity "overshadows the tremendous work the blokes are doing".
"(Former Essendon player) Mark Bolton - he should be canonised - Joel Bowden, Paul Licuria, Brodie Holland, that sort of bloke, they do a sensational job."
He says they drive the city streets on Wednesday night tending the homeless, 9pm-1am, all seasons.
Glenn Archer and the recalcitrant Fevola have ridden the same bus doing the same job, too.
Bolton and Bowden are driving an ambitious project that will lead to the player movement establishing centres for the homeless in every state in the country.
"There's players who do tremendous work in the community, and it's voluntary, it's not mandated.
"They do it because they want to do it, they get a sense of satisfaction out of it; it goes unnoticed.
"People say to me, 'Do certain players reflect poorly on the group?'
"My answer is I don't think they do, they reflect poorly on themselves."
Gale says perspective is lost when people comment on fines of $10,000 for Fevola and $5000 for Johnson.
"I've got mates who are criminal lawyers in the magys (magistrates) courts every day; they just can't believe it, the double standards.
"We're talking up to $5000 for a first offence, up to $10,000 for a persistent breach or second offence, and even more if the player's misconduct results in pecuniary loss to his club (loss of sponsor).
"Ten thousand bucks, that's a substantial amount of money."
On Fevola and Johnson, he said simply: "Guys make mistakes.
"I was really disappointed for Kane. As a former Richmond player, I was aware of the personal investment he made in the leadership.
"Brendan, I don't know him that well, but, from the involvement I've had with him, I like him.
"I reckon he's a good fella, humble, humorous.
"It's just disappointing Brendan hasn't been able to learn from his previous experiences."
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/afl/story/0,26576,23448399-19742,00.html
