Mark McVeigh suspended by club

[Big Blow Hard]

Matty Knights just announced McVeigh was out socialising on Sunday and missed a training session. He WILL NOT return to the side on Friday night to play the Pies.

Very dissapointing Mark. Especially in light of having let the club down the week before. Kiss the captaincy goodbye.

[Optimax]

What?

Is McVeigh an idiot? its better for us but gee thats a stupid move by mark

[bombre-boy]

Tough call considering what is at stake this week, but i suppose they have to be consistant.....
still beating the pies is important regardless of what is at stake..

[Houli to Neagle]

Matty Knights just announced McVeigh was out socialising on Sunday and missed a training session. He WILL NOT return to the side on Friday night to play the Pies.

Very dissapointing Mark. Especially in light of having let the club down the week before. Kiss the captaincy goodbye.

AAAAHHHHhhhhh :mad:

Absolutely shattered!!!

[KR37]

There goes his chances for the next captaincy. What a shame.

[DapperDon]

Shattered.

After his speech last year then to do his shitty suspension now this i'm so bloody angry with him. Good on Knights for not showing favourites and suspending him.

Can kiss the captaincy goodbye Mark, you just lost my respect.:thumbsd:

[Houli to Neagle]

Tough call considering what is at stake this week, but i suppose they have to be consistant.....
still beating the pies is important regardless of what is at stake..


Ratt's take note!

[BrunoV]

Why Mark?

Why?

Good call by the club but it would have been nice to see McVeigh go to Didak.

[EFL Boy]

You have got to be kidding...

[bomberfan101]

Well that puts a cat amongst the pigeons. Maybe Mark should appeal the decision? :p

McPhee, Zaka, Jetta, Hurley, Quinn could come into the mix for selection this week i take it..

[essendon]

what an absolute moron - would have been a straight swap for watson this week and played an important role in the midfiled and instead is playing with Bendigo what an idiot - enjoy ur punishment....:mad:

[Deeksy]

Very disappointing, but exactly the type of action that makes us a strong club. Love that side of it, hate that he's gonna miss the big clash. Probably Houli in for Watson, I suppose.

[bombers2011]

Oh ****. We are now officially screwed on Friday. CMON McVegh I thought you loved the club??! I hope it was a good party...

[Pevers-Legend]

Oh ****. We are now officially screwed on Friday. CMON McVegh I thought you loved the club??! I hope it was a good party...

Idiotic statement :rolleyes:. One player does make the difference between wining and losing.

As it stands, McVeigh was no more than serviceable this year. He should come back through Bendigo for this if his attitude isn't right. First the AFL suspension and now an Essendon suspension.

Good on Knights for taking a stand, there should be no compromise for failiing to adhere to team rules, especially becasue of socialising.

[WatchWatson]

Knights is showing a ZERO TOLERANCE policy and that could only benefit us in the long run. Also gives someone else a chance, someone who wants to be there and put in the hard yards week in week out. Hopefully Mark will learn his lesson and be better for it also. Great to hear the leadership group agreed as well, just shows the understanding the players have about Knights vision and shows that they have a great deal of respect for him. I think its safe to say that Mark is well and truly out of the running for the captaincy and i should now go to Watson or Welsh.

[kelvin_sheedy]

Senior player, bleeds for the club, no prior history of any of this type of behaviour, must win game.... so what do we do?

Suspend him.

FFS!!!

There are better ways to deal with this than punishing the whole team and the fans that ****ing buy memberships and want us to see our club play finals.

Bullshit decision.

[Sam the RAMA fan]

Very disappointed with Mark.
He has always come across has being so passionate and he bleeds the red for black for Essendon no doubt about it, but he cant be missing training sessions because he is out socialising. Just a careless act. He hasn't let only fans down, but the playing group, staff etc, who in turn might over look his position has next captain.

Knights is doing the right thing in suspending him,
It's not like our season is over, we have a few good clashes coming up and are sitting in 7th spot.
Mark isn't the first player to be suspended from missing a training session for socialising.

I was really looking forward to having Mark back this week to fill Jobe's spot...

Silly silly man. :(

Look forward to seeing him out there against Sydney...

[daffo]

I wish he didn't do it but I am proud of the way that Essendon has responded to it. McVeigh deserved the week off for missing a training session. Considering that we are also missing Watson, it's a huge loss.

[mark1881]

Terrible, but I agree with them...how would Andrew Lovett feel if McVeigh got away with it...it's the right move IMO.

As for this first offence nonsense mentioned above, sorry but I think you're wrong. Nip things in the butt early and your less likely to pay for it later dwon the track.

I don't think this hurts McVeigh's chances of becoming Captain. By the time the captaincy is up for grabs, he'll be back playing great football and these past few weeks will be all but forgotten.

[essendon2008]

Mark is probably my favourite player at Essendon. Very disappointing but well done to Knights and the leadership group.

I still think he will get the captaincy. This incident will be a wake up call and watchout when he plays in two weeks.

[Grey Smith Bar]

The club has made the right move.

Just a hypothetical - if you were in the same pub and saw him getting on it, would you tell him you would be disappointed if he were suspended by the club?

[Andre 2000]

That's 2 weeks in a row he's let us down. With huge games coming up too.

Good decision by Knighta and the leadership group.

Knighta has not waivered in his efforts to build a completely professional environment at the EFC. I applaud him for it.

As soon as you become soft or inconsistent in theses types of decisions, the club becomes a joke. Players will realise they can maybe get away with a few indiscretions and start to stretch the boundaries. The situation then snowballs into a club with an undesirable culture.

[stay true]

Senior player, bleeds for the club, no prior history of any of this type of behaviour, must win game.... so what do we do?

Suspend him.

FFS!!!

There are better ways to deal with this than punishing the whole team and the fans that ****ing buy memberships and want us to see our club play finals.

Bullshit decision.
What other ways do you suggest?

I think the correct decision was made, and quite frankly I believe it was a very easy one aswell. Yes Mark is one of our best but just because that's the case he should be exempt from what is the standard punishment because we've got a massive game coming up.

We should be angry with McVeigh, not the coach and the leadership group. Kudos to Knights for his no tolerance policy.:thumbsu:

[fishguts]

Stupid, absolutely mother ****ing stupid.

[DapperDon]

Senior player, bleeds for the club, no prior history of any of this type of behaviour, must win game.... so what do we do?

Suspend him.

FFS!!!

There are better ways to deal with this than punishing the whole team and the fans that ****ing buy memberships and want us to see our club play finals.

Bullshit decision.

After everything Lovett went through to get himself back on track it's only fair to treat others the same way. What would he think if McVeigh got no punishment?

Nobody is bigger than the club from Matthew Lloyd to Kade Klemke. McVeigh can sit in the stands and feel aweful, work his arse off on the track and hope there is a spot for him in the team when he returns.

[Ludwig van Bertstare]

Senior player, bleeds for the club, no prior history of any of this type of behaviour, must win game.... so what do we do?

Suspend him.

FFS!!!

There are better ways to deal with this than punishing the whole team and the fans that ****ing buy memberships and want us to see our club play finals.

Bullshit decision.

And then he's stupid enough to go and do this...

[kelvin_sheedy]

What other ways do you suggest?

I think the correct decision was made, and quite frankly I believe it was a very easy one aswell. Yes Mark is one of our best but just because that's the case he should be exempt from what is the standard punishment because we've got a massive game coming up.

We should be angry with McVeigh, not the coach and the leadership group. Kudos to Knights for his no tolerance policy.:thumbsu:

So if he has no history whatsoever why should he and the whole club be dealt so harshly.

I reckon you keep it in house, you give him some sort of reprimand with strict clauses, apologise to the team, etc, etc.

There are so many players that go out the night before but make it to training not at %100. Do we punish those guys too? I've seen plenty of our players out of late. The way we're headed is we'll get ourselves into a serious hole if we aren't careful.

Since when did every tom, dick and harry become psychologists? To many leaders, too many leadership groups and not enough focus on winning.

[mark1881]

...McVeigh can sit in the stands and feel aweful, work his arse off on the track and hope there is a spot for him in the team when he returns.

Should make him sit in the cheer squad!!!!!!!! Now that would win him some browny points!!!!!

[Ben the Gooner]

You'd think missing last week through absolute stupidity would have taught him something.

Absolutely ****ing moronic from a member of the leadership group.

[DapperDon]

So if he has no history whatsoever why should he and the whole club be dealt so harshly.

I reckon you keep it in house, you give him some sort of reprimand with strict clauses, apologise to the team, etc, etc.

There are so many players that go out the night before but make it to training not at %100. Do we punish those guys too? I've seen plenty of our players out of late. The way we're headed is we'll get ourselves into a serious hole if we aren't careful.

Since when did every tom, dick and harry become psychologists? To many leaders, too many leadership groups and not enough focus on winning.

So because he is a good player he gets better treatment? that's bullshit Kelvin and you know it. I'd hate to think what you'd be saying if Myers was the one in trouble.

[bombers2011]

Quote from The Age website:

'The Age has been told McVeigh was drinking heavily at a South Melbourne hotel until at least 3am. He notified the club later that morning he would not be attending the training session'

[bombers2011]

I don't think this hurts McVeigh's chances of becoming Captain. By the time the captaincy is up for grabs, he'll be back playing great football and these past few weeks will be all but forgotten.

I totally disagree with you on this, people around the club don't forget this kind of stuff. Jobe will be the next captain for sure.

[Colin D'Cops]

Not overly good news at all.

McVeigh can kiss that captaincy opportunity goodbye now.

[Valve Bounce]

Knights is showing a ZERO TOLERANCE policy and that could only benefit us in the long run.

Actually, this will benefit the team greatly in the short term. Just think about this: Hille injured in the first few minutes and the team picks up with Ryder playing a blinder.
Jobe injured in second quarter and team picks up and Welsh plays a blinder.

Suddenly, Essendon have discovered we have a great team with every member chipping in to meet any adversity.

So Mark McVeigh wants to be a Genital Cranium, let the team pick up the slack. One of the younger players will come in and the team will lift.

[Wahooti Fandango]

He has now confirmed himself as a knob. I would suspend him for the next few matches and not just the game against the Pies. Come on down Myers.

[bomberstomake8]

i have got to say i am really confused with this situation, it has been reported that mcveigh did let the club know beforehand that he will miss the monday session, so what was the clubs response to that? did they then say no that is not acceptible and you would miss the weekends game if that did occur or did they just say ok then suspended him..

if he let the club know and they said it was ok then i dont see why a suspension is needed however if they said no and he did it anyway then that is a different matter.

the club has to be senstive on these issues though there are events that occur that a player (especially a senior player) should be let off for.

[Mudflap]

So if he has no history whatsoever why should he and the whole club be dealt so harshly.

I reckon you keep it in house, you give him some sort of reprimand with strict clauses, apologise to the team, etc, etc.

There are so many players that go out the night before but make it to training not at %100. Do we punish those guys too? I've seen plenty of our players out of late. The way we're headed is we'll get ourselves into a serious hole if we aren't careful.

Since when did every tom, dick and harry become psychologists? To many leaders, too many leadership groups and not enough focus on winning.

Because "we may" scrape into the 8 you want to throw out all disciplinary processes, due to an overrated Mcveigh may help us win one game of Football. The standard the Football dept is trying to set has nothing to do with a 28/29 yr suppossed leader it's focussed around 19-23 year old kids that will be there to hopefully provide sustained "disciplined" success.

Great example SPIKE, well done. Next time the cameras are on you gather the team in and make up some crap that we are Essendon.

Thrilled, any chance of Captaincy... GONE.

[Kong]

There are so many players that go out the night before but make it to training not at %100. Do we punish those guys too? I've seen plenty of our players out of late. The way we're headed is we'll get ourselves into a serious hole if we aren't careful.Alternatively, the club sends a message to the playing group that this sort of thing isn't going to be tolerated, so said players turning up a little 'groggy' will know not to do so in future.

Great decision by the club; baffling one by McVeigh.

[dougthelegend]

So if he has no history whatsoever why should he and the whole club be dealt so harshly.

It shouldn't matter if you have a 'history' of misbehaviour or not - fact is - he broke team rules, and he KNEW what the punishment would be - hell, he even oversaw it being enforced with Lovett earlier...that just makes his decision all the more stupid.

I reckon you keep it in house, you give him some sort of reprimand with strict clauses, apologise to the team, etc, etc.

So you are advocating that punishments should be handed out based on the importance of the next game? Total stupidity. Knights should be applauded for the fact that he has set a level of professionalism that is expected, and anyone, no matter how important they are to the club, is expected to tow the line, and if they don't they face the consequences.

There are so many players that go out the night before but make it to training not at %100. Do we punish those guys too? I've seen plenty of our players out of late. The way we're headed is we'll get ourselves into a serious hole if we aren't careful.

How will we get ourselves in a hole?? If anything, this suspension will probably see a reduction in the number of players going out the night before training - they'll realise that they will have to face the consequences and will make smarter decisions.

Since when did every tom, dick and harry become psychologists? To many leaders, too many leadership groups and not enough focus on winning.

Who's to say we aren't focused on winning? The fact is that we need to be professional in all aspects - if we have a professional culture, winning becomes second nature. As to the comment that leadership groups are the problem - seriously, you have to be kidding. Who best to judge a player than a group of his peers.

The path that you are suggesting is one of subversion, double standards and passing the buck - not at all what EFC should stand for.

[Kong]

i have got to say i am really confused with this situation, it has been reported that mcveigh did let the club know beforehand that he will miss the monday session, so what was the clubs response to that? did they then say no that is not acceptible and you would miss the weekends game if that did occur or did they just say ok then suspended him..

if he let the club know and they said it was ok then i dont see why a suspension is needed however if they said no and he did it anyway then that is a different matter.So Lovett should've been 'let off' for all of his indiscretions because he gave the club notice he was going to play up?
If you're an AFL player, you make all compulsory training sessions and appearances. End of story.

the club has to be senstive on these issues though there are events that occur that a player (especially a senior player) should be let off for.Are you having a laugh? The same course of action would apply to Lloyd; fortunately we have a captain who leads by example both on and off the field.

[dougthelegend]

Quote from The Age website:

'The Age has been told McVeigh was drinking heavily at a South Melbourne hotel until at least 3am. He notified the club later that morning he would not be attending the training session'

That statement makes no difference whatsoever. He KNEW there was a training session, he CHOSE to go out drinking instead - he SHOULD face the consequences, regardless of whether he told the club or not.

[SDR223]

i have got to say i am really confused with this situation, it has been reported that mcveigh did let the club know beforehand that he will miss the monday session, so what was the clubs response to that? did they then say no that is not acceptible and you would miss the weekends game if that did occur or did they just say ok then suspended him..

if he let the club know and they said it was ok then i dont see why a suspension is needed however if they said no and he did it anyway then that is a different matter.

the club has to be senstive on these issues though there are events that occur that a player (especially a senior player) should be let off for.

What's confusing??? So because he rang up and let the club know that he wouldn;t be attending a training session, he's let off the hook. He's lucky he did let the club know or else he may have been suspended for a lot longer.

What's he doing drinking until 3am the day before a training session and 5 days before a huge game anyway. You'd think that with all the games he has missed this year, he would be concentrating on getting his fitness levels back up.

McVeigh need to pull his head in and start working hard at getting back into the team. We have a bit of depth now for the first time in a while, so nobody should be guaranteed a game, no matter what their reputation is, and missing training sessions due to a night on the town is not on.

[bomberstomake8]

So Lovett should've been 'let off' for all of his indiscretions because he gave the club notice he was going to play up?
If you're an AFL player, you make all compulsory training sessions and appearances. End of story.

Are you having a laugh? The same course of action would apply to Lloyd; fortunately we have a captain who leads by example both on and off the field.

first of all i didnt actually know at the point i wrote that that mcveigh notified the club the morning before the training session, the report seemed to imply that he let the club know earlier.
so yes stupid decision by mcveigh and he should be punished.
i obviously didnt know the whole story but imo hypothetically say mcveigh had his best mates bachelor party or something sunday night and he let the club know a few days before that he wont be able to attend the session then i would consider that fine. that was what i was getting at.

if it was just because he felt like going out for a drink the night before a training session and didnt let the club know until the morning of that training session then that isnt acceptible

[Boucks09]

I would suspend him for the next few matches and not just the game against the Pies. Come on down Myers.

That was exactly the same thing that I thought the minute I heard the news.

David Myers your time has arrived.

[Boucks09]

first of all i didnt actually know at the point i wrote that that mcveigh notified the club the morning before the training session, the report seemed to imply that he let the club know earlier.
so yes stupid decision by mcveigh and he should be punished.
i obviously didnt know the whole story but imo hypothetically say mcveigh had his best mates bachelor party or something sunday night and he let the club know a few days before that he wont be able to attend the session then i would consider that fine. that was what i was getting at.

if it was just because he felt like going out for a drink the night before a training session and didnt let the club know until the morning of that training session then that isnt acceptible

Completely disagree here. There is no room for compromise on these issues. Look at the likes of Joel Selwood. He postponed his 21st celebrations until the end of the season rather than having a drink and potentially missing a session. The fact is that you can't miss a session now for socialising; it is just a complete non negotiable..

The most amazing thing is that it comes an entire week after he had let the side down and KNEW that he would be coming in to replace Watson this week. If it had been say the day after being suspended you could put it down to sooking about the suspension, but to do it on the Sunday is just astounding.

No chance he will be Captain now. Can you imagine Lloyd, Hird or O'Donnell missing a game because of something so stupid?

[Ricky]

:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad: :mad::mad::mad:

Mark I am absolutely fuming at you atm!!

After your speech against the saints last year, I thought you were a shoe-in for the captaincy.

2 weeks in a row you've let the club down.
You are the last person I would expect to be out and about and miss a training session.

I thought you'd be one of the first at training every week because you love the club so passionately and want to be out there playing..

Mark I still have plenty of respect for you as a player but 2 weeks in a row you have let the club down and the supporters down!...

I know you probably won't but I hope you read some of these and see the disappointment in all of voices. We all think you're borderline elite in the competition.

But Mark whacking some bloke last week and not making a monday training session, what is going to achieve? NOTHING!!! I'll keep saying it...All you are doing is letting your teammates, the coaching staff, the whole club, and most importantly, us, the supporters down!!

You'd wanna make sure you come back hungrier than ever when we play the swans! I'd hate to see you drift in form and then question marks be over your head whether we play you or not!!

Please Mark, pull ya finger out and show us what you can do!!
:(

[stay true]

So if he has no history whatsoever why should he and the whole club be dealt so harshly.

I reckon you keep it in house, you give him some sort of reprimand with strict clauses, apologise to the team, etc, etc.

There are so many players that go out the night before but make it to training not at %100. Do we punish those guys too? I've seen plenty of our players out of late. The way we're headed is we'll get ourselves into a serious hole if we aren't careful.

Since when did every tom, dick and harry become psychologists? To many leaders, too many leadership groups and not enough focus on winning.
Granted it could have been kept in house, but suspension was still necessary for consistency. There can't be rules for some and rules for others.

Regarding players attending training not at 100%, that's a differently kettle of fish... Macca missed the session.

[red+black]

Like most brain-dead AFL footballers, time and time again they prove that they aren't the smartest people going around.

I think this is almost the last straw with regards to McVeigh becoming our next captain.

I wanted him to captain us last year, but now I don't care if he is overlooked.

I don't think his behaviour is becoming of a potential captain of an up and coming young side.

[kelvin_sheedy]

Granted it could have been kept in house, but suspension was still necessary for consistency. There can't be rules for some and rules for others.

Regarding players attending training not at 100%, that's a differently kettle of fish... Macca missed the session.

If this happened a week before the grand final and one or two players had a big night after a PF win and missed the next mornings recovery..

What do you do then?

[Valve Bounce]

i obviously didnt know the whole story but imo hypothetically say mcveigh had his best mates bachelor party or something sunday night and he let the club know a few days before that he wont be able to attend the session then i would consider that fine. that was what i was getting at.



Are you really serious? This is Essendon's tough game, possibly the chance to make or lose playing in the finals. You say it's OK for McVeigh to go to a piss up if it was his best mate's bachelor party?

Let me tell you this: Nothing, nothing is more important to any player than the team, with the exception of a death in the family.

I have read the posts by WHOMB above and I can only say that I totally agree with his attitude, and all his arguments.

I really don't want to go into detail about the stupid arguments thrown up by Kelvin Sheedy - perhaps he should change his name to something like IlikeTuddy or whatever.

If a senior player of McVeigh's position in the team cannot respect his team and his team mates, then he deserves the suspension. End of story!!

[daffo]

They wouldn't of dropped anyone for a Grand Final.

[Valve Bounce]

If this happened a week before the grand final and one or two players had a big night after a PF win and missed the next mornings recovery..

What do you do then?

Put them up for trade. Because if that is their attitude, that team is going to get pasted in the Grand Final.

God!! does the word Team mean anything to you? If one or two players go on the piss, why not the entire team? then what do you do? telephone Demetriou and ask him to postpone the Grand Final for a week?

[Valve Bounce]

They wouldn't of dropped anyone for a Grand Final.

Did you know that Collingwood suspended two vital players before last year's finals, and just missed out on playing in the Grand Final? Do you think we have a better ethic at Essendon than Collingwood?

[Valve Bounce]

Like most brain-dead AFL footballers, time and time again they prove that they aren't the smartest people going around.

I think this is almost the last straw with regards to McVeigh becoming our next captain.

I wanted him to captain us last year, but now I don't care if he is overlooked.

I don't think his behaviour is becoming of a potential captain of an up and coming young side.

Look through our list again - we have better players and better potential leaders st Essendon.

[stay true]

If this happened a week before the grand final and one or two players had a big night after a PF win and missed the next mornings recovery..

What do you do then?
Wow, that is a massive hypothetical that you've conveniently constructed to prove your argument correct.

Can't compare a grand final with round 14.

[Tre Bones]

The club has made the right move.

Just a hypothetical - if you were in the same pub and saw him getting on it, would you tell him you would be disappointed if he were suspended by the club?

Awesome question, deserves it's own thread.

TBH, since I don't live in Melbourne I'd just be stoked to see a player in the flesh off the footy field!

[Margim]

I think there are a few short memories in this thread to be honest. Those claiming that he's compromised any chance of captaincy, look at his record over his career -

2008 R3 Striking (1) Brendan Fevola Early plea Reprimand
2007 R14 Striking Gary Ablett jnr Won at tribunal 1 match
2006 R9 Misconduct Accepted fine $2400 fine
2005 R18 Melee Accepted fine $2400 fine
2005 R18 Striking (2) Steve Johnson Early plea 1 match
2005 R15 Wrestling Chris Hyde Accepted fine $1800 fine
2005 R1 Wrestling Accepted fine $900 fine
2004 R11 Melee Accepted fine $4000 fine
2003 R8 Striking Michael Osborne Won at tribunal Not guilty
2001 R3 Wrestling Scott Camporeale Accepted fine $1200 fine

Not to mention a large number of 50 metre penalties he used to give away a few years ago.

He's never been mister squeaky clean. McVeigh is who he is, and is either good enough to be captain or not. This incident doesn't change that, any more than any other incident in the past. If he was going to compromise his chances, he did so long before this incident.

Stop overreacting.

[KaaN10]

They wouldn't of dropped anyone for a Grand Final.

I reckon Knights would even drop a player like Lloyd before a grand final if he missed training and went out (not that Lloyd would)

[Valve Bounce]

Wow, that is a massive hypothetical that you've conveniently constructed to prove your argument correct.

Can't compare a grand final with round 14.

Ask Eddie McGuire.

[Valve Bounce]

Awesome question, deserves it's own thread.

TBH, since I don't live in Melbourne I'd just be stoked to see a player in the flesh off the footy field!

Ask Eddie McGuire!!

[red+black]

What's baffling is how a senior player can do two stupid things is such a short span of time that will cost him his spot in two huge successive Friday night games against Carlton and Collingwood.

There was no need for either act, especially for someone in his 11th season at the club.

Now that he has another weekend to mull things over, will he drown his sorrows on Saturday night down at some King St bar until 5am?

[Spikey]

Kelvin playing favourites again. If Myers or Skipworth did this you'd be approving the suspension and calling for their delisting.

The 3rd stupid act McVeigh has done so far this season (by my count)

[sen entertainment bloke]

Something seems a bit odd. The article says he told the club beforehand that he would miss the session.

Which points to the club also telling him beforehand the consequences of missing the session.

If that's the case he made a strange decision to miss the session. I'm sure if it was a wedding or something like that the club would have accommodated him.

Must have been frivolous reason for missing the session. Something isn't adding up.

[Ben the Gooner]

The 3rd stupid act McVeigh has done so far this season (by my count)

???

Punching Rivers, missing training and ...

[SirJimi05]

Well that puts a cat amongst the pigeons. Maybe Mark should appeal the decision? :p

McPhee, Zaka, Jetta, Hurley, Quinn could come into the mix for selection this week i take it..

Jetta has enough trouble with not fumbling the ball in perfect conditions. I wouldn't be bringing him back for a game which in all likliehood will be pissing down rain.

We desperately need Watson to get up now.

[kelvin_sheedy]

Put them up for trade. Because if that is their attitude, that team is going to get pasted in the Grand Final.

God!! does the word Team mean anything to you? If one or two players go on the piss, why not the entire team? then what do you do? telephone Demetriou and ask him to postpone the Grand Final for a week?

Excellent :thumbsu:

The Gary Lyon attitude. He got quizzed about Barry Hall by Thomas on Monday and Lyon said he'd retire him and drop him because he could not trust him. Thomas then pointed out how it related to Lyon's playing days and maybe that type of attitude was why Melbourne never won anything.

It's similar to your attitude. Trade or drop anyone that doesn't fit the mould or makes a mistake.

The team is a balancing act between individuals with different personalities. One blanket rule at times does not make sense.

For christ sake this is not the Ned Flanders Essendon Football Club.

As for the Collingwood analogy, that's a whole different't ballpark. There were multiple incidents over the year and they lied to all on national tv.

[Longy413]

McVeigh does have form.

I stand to be corrected, but he was suspended from a NAB Cup game with Solly and Rama a few years back because he missed a session after being out on the juice.



I was laughed at last year for calling McVeigh a selfish footballer and denouncing him as captain. The last two weeks have added a lot of fuel to that fire.

[JimmyHird]

Disappointing, really disappointing.

[Spikey]

???

Punching Rivers, missing training and ...

Coming back too soon from his ankle injury

[SirJimi05]

i have got to say i am really confused with this situation, it has been reported that mcveigh did let the club know beforehand that he will miss the monday session, so what was the clubs response to that? did they then say no that is not acceptible and you would miss the weekends game if that did occur or did they just say ok then suspended him..



I don't know what is so confusing about it. He was out on the piss and got off his nutter, realised he was gonna be way too ****ed to train the next morning so thought he had better call the club and let them know.

1. Told them there and then that he was too smashed and wouldnt make it to training. Told on the spot he is gaawwn. Wouldn't have made a difference to Spike because he was not going to rock up to training pissed.

2. Tried to lie about it and make up some bs excuse. Club found out he was lying. Gaawwwn.

[warney7]

I've gotta admit, I didn't think he had it in him.

I thought he had a good head on his shoulders.....it was a nice idea though!

Watson and Hille firming as the most likely candidates for the next captaincy whether that be next year or the year after.

[Longy413]

Welsh?

[Valve Bounce]

Excellent :thumbsu:

The Gary Lyon attitude.
For christ sake this is not the Ned Flanders Essendon Football Club.

.
Wrong again. This is the Mathew Knights attitude. Knightsy is leading the team to the flag, and if one of the leadership group goes out on the piss and misses training, suspend him. We have a team, not a bunch of individuals.

You want to pander to McVeigh just because he is a senior player? That sets an excellent example for the younger guys, doesn't it?

[SirJimi05]

If this happened a week before the grand final and one or two players had a big night after a PF win and missed the next mornings recovery..

What do you do then?


Sack them on the spot! If any player went out and did this a week before the grand final they should not be allowed to wear the red and black ever again.

I found it quite funny that you would advocate double standards at our club. We are not Collingwood you know.

No idividual should be bigger than the team. Spike obviously hasn't learnt from his past idiscretions but maybe if we lose by 5 points this week he will learn from it.

[Valve Bounce]

Welsh?

:thumbsu:

[Ben the Gooner]

Coming back too soon from his ankle injury

That was just bad luck with someone standing on his foot.

[Kong]

Welsh?:thumbsu:

[shalvross]

He broke team rules, he suffers the consequences. Easy.
He's only played a few games this year and we've been going alright, and I reckon we'll go alright again this week without him.

[AndyLesPaul]

Is this like the first year in a while that McVeigh has not played against Carlton and/or Collingwood?

[kelvin_sheedy]

Wrong again. This is the Mathew Knights attitude. Knightsy is leading the team to the flag, and if one of the leadership group goes out on the piss and misses training, suspend him. We have a team, not a bunch of individuals.

You want to pander to McVeigh just because he is a senior player? That sets an excellent example for the younger guys, doesn't it?

Lovett's incident this year is a great example?

Who was McVeigh with? Surely it would have been a few Essendon blokes. Were they out drinking also? Do we need to look at them and suspend them aswell. Do we need a royal commission?

[flight23]

Like most brain-dead AFL footballers, time and time again they prove that they aren't the smartest people going around.


wouldn't you just go out on a friday, get absolutely hammered, love the fact that you did an idiotic thing to get suspended with in the first place, got away with it (in regards to the teams result) and then take it easy for the weekend and be back ready on the monday

[SirJimi05]

Lovett's incident this year is a great example?

Who was McVeigh with? Surely it would have been a few Essendon blokes. Were they out drinking also? Do we need to look at them and suspend them aswell. Do we need a royal commission?


What part of 'team rules' don't you understand, Kelvin?

What team rules has Lovett broken this season?

What other players broke team rules on Sunday?

[Valve Bounce]

Lovett's incident this year is a great example?

Who was McVeigh with? Surely it would have been a few Essendon blokes. Were they out drinking also? Do we need to look at them and suspend them aswell. Do we need a royal commission?

You tell me; I wasn't there.

But I reckon a Senior player in the leadership group should lead by example, not exception.

Just to get things straight here: are you saying that Mark McVeigh should be exempt from team rules if he wants to go on a piss up and miss training the next day because he is a valued senior player? I am not putting words in your mouth, just trying to get a clearer understanding of what your stance is here.

[daffo]

He has other friends, if another younger player missed training also i'm sure they would of been suspended as well.

[SirJimi05]

He has other friends, if another younger player missed training also i'm sure they would of been suspended as well.


Yes because attending training is a team rule.

I don't think there is a team rule against having a few drinks. If any players were out with Spike they obviously used common sense by going home, getting some sleep and then attending training.

I'm pretty certain driving whilst suspended is not covered in the team rules either because it has nothing to do with the team.

Team rules are there for everybody in the team and they give the team the best chance possible of being the best they can be.

Can someone please explain this very simple concept to Kelvin?

[kelvin_sheedy]

You tell me; I wasn't there.

But I reckon a Senior player in the leadership group should lead by example, not exception.

Just to get things straight here: are you saying that Mark McVeigh should be exempt from team rules if he wants to go on a piss up and miss training the next day because he is a valued senior player? I am not putting words in your mouth, just trying to get a clearer understanding of what your stance is here.

No he should be not exempt from team rules. The team rules are too strict at the moment. I have no issue with the club sitting him down and saying 'look Mark, you've made a huge mistake and let this club down. Do you want to play on Friday? You'll need to plea your case to the playing list and we'll make a judgment later in the week'. .... all behind closed doors.

Why are we so quick to alert the media and everyone to it. It's bullshit. We are supposed to be celebrating Pears rising star nomination but that's all forgotten about because we want the world to know we are punishing our own. :thumbsd:

When you start treating adults as kids then the organisation will start losing the respect it is trying so hard to instill by pushing bullshit rules.

[kelvin_sheedy]

Yes because attending training is a team rule.

I don't think there is a team rule against having a few drinks. If any players were out with Spike they obviously used common sense by going home, getting some sleep and then attending training.

I'm pretty certain driving whilst suspended is not covered in the team rules either because it has nothing to do with the team.

Team rules are there for everybody in the team and they give the team the best chance possible of being the best they can be.

Can someone please explain this very simple concept to Kelvin?

So what illegal activities can a player get away with without being suspended by the club for not breaking team rules?

Is it ok for a player to have drinks on a Sunday night and hang out with gangster types selling cocaine to all the coke girls?

Where do you draw the line between team rules, club rules, life rules?

[Boucks09]

No he should be not exempt from team rules. The team rules are too strict at the moment. I have no issue with the club sitting him down and saying 'look Mark, you've made a huge mistake and let this club down. Do you want to play on Friday? You'll need to plea your case to the playing list and we'll make a judgment later in the week'. .... all behind closed doors.

Why are we so quick to alert the media and everyone to it. It's bullshit. We are supposed to be celebrating Pears rising star nomination but that's all forgotten about because we want the world to know we are punishing our own. :thumbsd:

When you start treating adults as kids then the organisation will start losing the respect it is trying so hard to instill by pushing bullshit rules.

I actually watched the press conference in its entirety. It went for 15 minutes and the McVeigh thing was raised like this at the 12 minute mark of the conference:

- Journalist to Knights: "So it must be pleasing to have a ready made replacement in McVeigh come into the side this week to replace Watson?"

-Knights: "McVeigh won't play in the seniors this week......."

I think that Knights is an honest coach and likes having that relationship with the media. If the question wasn't asked then there is every chance he wouldn't of announced it there and then.

[SirJimi05]

No he should be not exempt from team rules. The team rules are too strict at the moment. I have no issue with the club sitting him down and saying 'look Mark, you've made a huge mistake and let this club down. Do you want to play on Friday? You'll need to plea your case to the playing list and we'll make a judgment later in the week'. .... all behind closed doors.

Why are we so quick to alert the media and everyone to it. It's bullshit. We are supposed to be celebrating Pears rising star nomination but that's all forgotten about because we want the world to know we are punishing our own. :thumbsd:

When you start treating adults as kids then the organisation will start losing the respect it is trying so hard to instill by pushing bullshit rules.


Too strict? How hard is it to show up to training ffs??!! If he had a legitimate excuse it would not have been a problem but he went out and got himself shit faced and was too fuked to front up.

I bet you were one of those people that were calling for Lovett to be reinstated last season just because we had injury concerns and needed to win badly? How is Lovett going this season? Do you think he may have lear't some hard lessons last season?

You are missing the big picture Kelvin. All you care about is this week. What sort of message would it send to Lovett if they took a completely different approach with Spike just because he is better and a more senior player?

And what has Pears got to do with anything? Do you think they sat down and said "Right guys, we have to make this decision on Spike. I know we have a set of rules and punishments in place for this kind of thing and they are set in stone but i really think we should let this slide because the fans and us should be celebrating Pears' great achievment. It might create disharmony and set the club back a fair bit but we must think of Tayte and the fans"

[wazzabp]

I love Mark McVeigh, hes a bloody fine player, but I'm absolutely fuming over this indescretion, but fully endorse the clubs stand on the issue.
We aren't like other piss weak clubs that will sweep acts like this under the carpet.
McVeigh better come away from Bendigo with a best on ground and get that hungry attitude that makes us love him back.
2 **** ups in a fort night is bordering on stupidity.

[DapperDon]

So what illegal activities can a player get away with without being suspended by the club for not breaking team rules?

Is it ok for a player to have drinks on a Sunday night and hang out with gangster types selling cocaine to all the coke girls?

Where do you draw the line between team rules, club rules, life rules?

God you're a ****wit.:rolleyes:

McVeigh broke team rules, he is not bigger than anyone else no matter how freaking talented he is, if Gary Ablett was an Essendon player I'd expect the same treatment to him also.

Get off your high horse and realise he has to be suspended, for the better of the club.

[SirJimi05]

So what illegal activities can a player get away with without being suspended by the club for not breaking team rules?

Is it ok for a player to have drinks on a Sunday night and hang out with gangster types selling cocaine to all the coke girls?

Where do you draw the line between team rules, club rules, life rules?

Geez Kelvin surely you are not this stupid?

[The Chiefton]

Can confirm that whilst i was at the Star Bar on sunday night a number of AFL players were also there on the turps. McVeigh was with Dean Solomon, Andrew Lovett and a few other guys who i didn't recognise. Looked pretty under the weather and i took off at 3 am when it closed and they were still there. I think Lovett took off a lot earlier than the other two though. Can also say that Solomon is an absolute ratbag who is very intimidating with the way he acts. I hope there are others who can back me up on this.

[AndyLesPaul]

hmm sounds accountable.
Freo played at the MCG the other day yeah?

[Mad Bomber Sean]

My first chance for a rant lads..

I am very pissed off about this. The hypocracy of the man that wants to be the captain if the Dons.. Wake up to ya self Mcveigh - your not in the running now & in serious danger of becoming trade bait if ya don't pull your head in and put Essendon first - not the drinks or the skirts or your off field party mates... Get it together or enjoy the Gold coast buddy..

No debate Watson will Captain the Dons after Lloyd..

[George Washington]

I think Lovett took off a lot earlier than the other two though. Can also say that Solomon is an absolute ratbag who is very intimidating with the way he acts. I hope there are others who can back me up on this.

Good to see Lovett has learnt his lesson...

Solomon is a very intriguing character, to be honest I never much liked the way he acted whilst at Essendon, trying to be the 'tough' guy and always giving away frees and being suspended. Yet, then you read about how Solomon is Rama's best mate, and helped him through his chemo etc. Then he goes and gets 8 weeks for breaking Ling's face. I dunno what to think about him.

I assume they were all there catching up on old times?

[The Chiefton]

I can categorically say that Lovett was all good, I wasn't spying or paying any extra special attention to what they were all doing but he was sobre as a judge and spent most of the time talking to a few of the other indigenous boys. Solomon was walking around getting in peoples faces, all argy bargy and stuff... And yes freo played at the MCG on saturday. Spike was so pissed that he walked into the female toilets near the dance floor after being told by security that the male toilets were on the other side!
Also hooking up with chicks in the middle of the dance floor is probabaly not the best way of going unnoticed! No fights or anything, the club knew he wasn't attending training on the monday so what happened? did someone lag him in?

[SirJimi05]

Can confirm that whilst i was at the Star Bar on sunday night a number of AFL players were also there on the turps. McVeigh was with Dean Solomon, Andrew Lovett and a few other guys who i didn't recognise. Looked pretty under the weather and i took off at 3 am when it closed and they were still there. I think Lovett took off a lot earlier than the other two though. Can also say that Solomon is an absolute ratbag who is very intimidating with the way he acts. I hope there are others who can back me up on this.


I wonder what Kelvin will say about this.

God on Andrew Lovett for following team rules and showing some maturity.

Oh wait....maybe Andrew Lovett has learn't something from the last time he broke team rules? Nah stuff it, just let them do as they please.

[SirJimi05]

Good to see Lovett has learnt his lesson...

Solomon is a very intriguing character, to be honest I never much liked the way he acted whilst at Essendon, trying to be the 'tough' guy and always giving away frees and being suspended. Yet, then you read about how Solomon is Rama's best mate, and helped him through his chemo etc. Then he goes and gets 8 weeks for breaking Ling's face. I dunno what to think about him.

I assume they were all there catching up on old times?

Solly is a pretty good guy off the field. I've met him a few times. He is just a typical country lad and from what i have read he is a real mates mate meaning he would do anything for his mates. I'm surprised to read that he was getting in peoples faces. The times i have met him he has been real down to earth and quite timid.

[theboxmike]

Don't worry guys mark will bounce back, he bleeds red and black but everybody makes mistakes...If lovvet can get turned around then anybody can!