When you build sans foundations....

[slimdusty4]

But Gold Coast aren't winning, which is why it's an issue. Maybe it's a beat-up, maybe it's more than that. There can be healthy cliques and unhealthy cliques.

mark my words, this is no beat up, and I'm sure it won't all come to the surface, but there are some rough seas ahead for the suns.
bet the afl are wishing they went to tasmania now.

 

[MightyHawks]

Nothing club. Don't care. Lots of lols.

???

Gold Coast and K Hunt are almost Richmonds biggest rivals in the last few years

 

[slimdusty4]

???

Gold Coast and K Hunt are almost Richmonds biggest rivals in the last few years

come on man, you're better than that.

 

[nineteen eighty]

Do they hide behind the 2 strikes policy then ?.

Must have been thinking of Tricky Dicky Hinds when typing up that post.

 

[TheKITC]

Interesting situation up there on the Gold Coast, certainly not all seems to be right.

If there is indeed a 'party boys - religious guys' divide in the team, it is only a problem if they really have/want nothing to do with each other and cannot function as a team because of their ideological differences. One would think surely the situation hasn't been allowed to get to this point...

I'll put forward something from my own experience and in no way am I suggesting it is what IS happening at the GC, just something I'll share. I don't have any problems with Christians for the record; I think all religions are equally stupid but have no dramas with people believing in them and living their lives as they see fit, so long as it doesn't impose/impact/interfere with my life as I want to live it. I was best friends with a guy growing up who always identified himself as Christian, but he wasn't afraid to party or have fun with girls etc. This was until he started to get more serious about his beliefs and started to make different choices. He joined a History Makers/Planet Shakers, 'sing and dance' church (which I believe Ablett and a couple of others do too) and quickly became a big part of the church. He practically changed overnight. The group of guys in the church which he started spending a lot of time with, whilst decent enough guys in some ways and nice enough to me, were hyper-critical of anyone who didn't share their world views and practically shunned them. They basically preached to him that he should have nothing to do with people who didn't live like they did, AKA most of his old friends and that is basically what happened. It's not like we didn't hang out at all anymore but the sfellowing, criticisms and disapproval of the way the rest of us lived was very obvious and even relayed to me from my friend. From what I've witnessed in this situation and in my 26 years on the planet, it's not uncommon with people from let's say 'elitist' Christian churches.

Having said this, in my time living in Melbourne and getting out and about, plus what I know from the boys that play in the AFL from back home, a lot go pretty hard on the grog and drugs. You hear it but wouldn't believe how common it is or how hard these professional players go unless you've seen a bit of it. Some clubs definitely have more problems than others, cannot comment on the GC boys though. If they do have a big culture of partying/booze/drugs I can definitely see how it wouldn't co-exist well with players who aren't into that kind of thing, particularly devout Christians.

Just my experience(s) though...

 

[Borderline]

If a group of Jewish footballers liked to pray and attend religious events together do you think people would say that's a culture problem? I doubt it, and if they did they'd be labelled racist.

 

[melbournemartin]

I agree Christianity does it very tough in Australian society.

Yeah, with all those church tax exemptions and almost unlimited access to primary school RE teaching

Tough indeed.*

*It's possible that I misread sarcasm on your part.

 

[Scary_Foot_9]

Yeah, with all those church tax exemptions and almost unlimited access to primary school RE teaching

Tough indeed.*

*It's possible that I misread sarcasm on your part.

* its okay.

 

[Mervyn Beasley]

See I don't think so. I don't think everyone at a club needs to be ideologically aligned. A "clique" of gays in a footy club who were separated themselves a bit from the rest of "the boys" would undoutbly not be a "cultural problem", nor would a "clique" in the team who got together to practice buddhism and the rest of the team didn't care for it. The hard truth is that people on't like it because it's Christianity. Read a couple of comments and you hear "God Squad", "Jesus Freaks", God Botherers" etc

There are "Christians" and there are "god botherers".
There's a difference and if you are not religiously inclined the latter are no fun to be around. If anything - some would say they can be creepy.
God botherers generally push the envelope.
Everyday Christians, Muslims etc generally don't.

 

[The 747]

Why haven't GWS had the same problems? Early last year everyone was saying they screwed up and GC got the development process right.

GWS got experienced, tough football people into the club and recruited for competitiveness. GCS used a bunch of people who were new to the caper and recruited for skill.

 

[Viceregal]

You've got 8 out....That's not horrific, indeed it's probably about average.

GC has 11, but 6 of those are listed as 'test'

Brisbane has 14...I'll concede that's high, but it's hardly unique.

Brisbane may have 14 on their injury list now but earlier in the season it was iirc 20/21 at one point...

 

[ShanDog]

Interesting situation up there on the Gold Coast, certainly not all seems to be right.

If there is indeed a 'party boys - religious guys' divide in the team, it is only a problem if they really have/want nothing to do with each other and cannot function as a team because of their ideological differences. One would think surely the situation hasn't been allowed to get to this point...

I'll put forward something from my own experience and in no way am I suggesting it is what IS happening at the GC, just something I'll share. I don't have any problems with Christians for the record; I think all religions are equally stupid but have no dramas with people believing in them and living their lives as they see fit, so long as it doesn't impose/impact/interfere with my life as I want to live it. I was best friends with a guy growing up who always identified himself as Christian, but he wasn't afraid to party or have fun with girls etc. This was until he started to get more serious about his beliefs and started to make different choices. He joined a History Makers/Planet Shakers, 'sing and dance' church (which I believe Ablett and a couple of others do too) and quickly became a big part of the church. He practically changed overnight. The group of guys in the church which he started spending a lot of time with, whilst decent enough guys in some ways and nice enough to me, were hyper-critical of anyone who didn't share their world views and practically shunned them. They basically preached to him that he should have nothing to do with people who didn't live like they did, AKA most of his old friends and that is basically what happened. It's not like we didn't hang out at all anymore but the sfellowing, criticisms and disapproval of the way the rest of us lived was very obvious and even relayed to me from my friend. From what I've witnessed in this situation and in my 26 years on the planet, it's not uncommon with people from let's say 'elitist' Christian churches.

Having said this, in my time living in Melbourne and getting out and about, plus what I know from the boys that play in the AFL from back home, a lot go pretty hard on the grog and drugs. You hear it but wouldn't believe how common it is or how hard these professional players go unless you've seen a bit of it. Some clubs definitely have more problems than others, cannot comment on the GC boys though. If they do have a big culture of partying/booze/drugs I can definitely see how it wouldn't co-exist well with players who aren't into that kind of thing, particularly devout Christians.

Just my experience(s) though...

If they are 'doing it right', the Christian blokes should be hanging out with the non-Christians MORE. Sounds like your mates didn't get it.

 

[wowlace]

Interesting situation up there on the Gold Coast, certainly not all seems to be right.

If there is indeed a 'party boys - religious guys' divide in the team, it is only a problem if they really have/want nothing to do with each other and cannot function as a team because of their ideological differences. One would think surely the situation hasn't been allowed to get to this point...

I'll put forward something from my own experience and in no way am I suggesting it is what IS happening at the GC, just something I'll share. I don't have any problems with Christians for the record; I think all religions are equally stupid but have no dramas with people believing in them and living their lives as they see fit, so long as it doesn't impose/impact/interfere with my life as I want to live it. I was best friends with a guy growing up who always identified himself as Christian, but he wasn't afraid to party or have fun with girls etc. This was until he started to get more serious about his beliefs and started to make different choices. He joined a History Makers/Planet Shakers, 'sing and dance' church (which I believe Ablett and a couple of others do too) and quickly became a big part of the church. He practically changed overnight. The group of guys in the church which he started spending a lot of time with, whilst decent enough guys in some ways and nice enough to me, were hyper-critical of anyone who didn't share their world views and practically shunned them. They basically preached to him that he should have nothing to do with people who didn't live like they did, AKA most of his old friends and that is basically what happened. It's not like we didn't hang out at all anymore but the sfellowing, criticisms and disapproval of the way the rest of us lived was very obvious and even relayed to me from my friend. From what I've witnessed in this situation and in my 26 years on the planet, it's not uncommon with people from let's say 'elitist' Christian churches.

Having said this, in my time living in Melbourne and getting out and about, plus what I know from the boys that play in the AFL from back home, a lot go pretty hard on the grog and drugs. You hear it but wouldn't believe how common it is or how hard these professional players go unless you've seen a bit of it. Some clubs definitely have more problems than others, cannot comment on the GC boys though. If they do have a big culture of partying/booze/drugs I can definitely see how it wouldn't co-exist well with players who aren't into that kind of thing, particularly devout Christians.

Just my experience(s) though...

Sounds like a cult.

 

[Colonial]

Sounds like a cult.

Thats what all organised religion is.

 

[Rotayjay]

I would hazard a guess that the party scene is not much more active in Gold Coast as it is in the capitals. It is a 'holiday city', but Melbourne has five times the population. Surely it has five times the number of local drug dealers

 

[J_Moore]

The issue with the Gold Coast is it's the closest we've got to those sort of featureless American/British suburbs that aren't really towns/cities in their own right, but aren't "neighbourhoods" of larger metropolises either. They don't base their major sports teams in these shitholes, so i'm not sure why we try.

 

[Damon_3388]

would be interested to know if religious avoidance of treatment methods has spread through the team too - if that indeed is true of gary ablett.

I'd say that choice had zero to do with Ablett's religion.

 

[MaddAdam]

It says a lot about the contempt with which Christians are treated in much of Australian society that for a signficant group of people to be openly Christian at GC is presented as a cultural problem.

I wonder which is greater - the amount of people who do coke of a Saturday night in Australia or those who attend church on a Sunday?

 

[slimdusty4]

I wonder which is greater - the amount of people who do coke of a Saturday night in Australia or those who attend church on a Sunday?

fcuuukkkk thats a great question.

surely church is in front, but the gap is closing, ever so quickly.

 

[MaddAdam]

fcuuukkkk thats a great question.

surely church is in front, but the gap is closing, ever so quickly.

On a Saturday night? I dunno.

Put it this way, neither would get over 10 per cent.

 

[slimdusty4]

On a Saturday night? I dunno.

Put it this way, neither would get over 10 per cent.

you said coke on saturday, vs church on sunday did you not?

better post an opinions poll, i think church (23 y.o outside mid) is going to beat cocaine (19 y.o KPP). i also think its a fair comparison.

 

[Viceregal]

you said coke on saturday, vs church on sunday did you not?

better post an opinions poll, i think church (23 y.o outside mid) is going to beat cocaine (19 y.o KPP). i also think its a fair comparison.

Guess the Seventh Day Adventists aren't worthy

(or the Friday night coke heads)

 

[inamedthegiants]

Why haven't GWS had the same problems?

The Coke's been jumped on too many times by the bikies?
No bikies in Queensland thanks to Campbell Newman so the quality of gear up there is better?

 

[Augustine]

There are "Christians" and there are "god botherers".
There's a difference and if you are not religiously inclined the latter are no fun to be around. If anything - some would say they can be creepy.
God botherers generally push the envelope.
Everyday Christians, Muslims etc generally don't.

Fair enough. Which is Gaz?

 

[Augustine]

Well that's odd, most of the religious people i know actually like a drink or 2 or 3.

it is quite possible that sitting through latin masses etc etc drives people to drink.

I get the feeling that Gaz et al are the "American style" evangelical variety of Christians rather than the drunken Irish Catholic or Italian Catholic variety.