Enough is enough

[errant bounce]

They have a lot of support in place.

Predominantly upper middle to richer privately educated men with traditional family dynamics who are incredibly popular with men and women who have hundreds of thousands of dollars a year and can have uni, apprenticeships paid for by the AFLPA during and after their careers. plenty of guys who barely crack a game have a lot more options when delisted at 21 than other men their age who are pouring pints or support workers or in retail and don't have a a hundred grand sitting in the bank.

Feel like a main issue is they're unable to deal with the normality of life and can't understand things going wrong.

All that money, chicks, free shit, people coming up to you and telling you how amazing you are, 15 medical staff you can consult whenever you want, living in a nice suburb, trips overseas every year...

Then you're arseholed and can't believe this is all there is. you're waking up at 7am to sit behind a desk or up at 5 to be on a work site and realise you get two days a week to relax.

You're not running 15 kilometres a day and you're allowed to eat whatever you want and you can get pissed every night, so you're no longer fit but becoming a fat ****er.

Money's drying out.

You're not having the incredible build up and then crescendo rush of a weekend playing in front of 40,000 people and all that testosterone going through you and your teammates and that incredible camaraderie and singular objective.

And you've married a woman who was conveniently decided she has a few issues with you now that you're not a 27 year old alpha male pulling 10 grand a week.

Of course life is going to be ****in shit, feel depressing and hopeless.

Those 'moiiites for loifffeee' you spoke about in your retirement speech are guys you seen once a year if you were lucky enough to win a flag. otherwise it's just another dude you used to know from your 20s.

I can see how an average, dull depressing life can get to these guys but for most of us, it's all we've ever known.

I don't quite buy that it's all CTE, the game was far harder 40 years ago and those guys just ended up ****ing fruitloops like Sam Newman, Kevin Sheedy, Leigh Matthews.

I just think it's the era of the billion dollar broadcast deal and the absolute adoration these exceptionally average men got through being very good at a sport. this level of ego and rockstar really didn't exist when blokes owned a sports shop or installed pools or studied (back when university meant something).

 

[FlowersByIrene]

Dangerfield should be advocating for that instead of a crusade to shorten quarter length.

Dangerfield only cares about himself.

 

[Jim Prideaux]

Dangerfield needs to worry less about trying to extend his own career with shorter quarters and more about looking after players post career.

Is AFL unique with having so many issues with mental health post career, so many players come out of the game with no understanding how to manage life out of the bubble.. Perhaps in US sport they dont become pro until after college so have lived a bit and more able to manage, although in Euro Soccer many players are pro at 16.

US sport has plenty of awful stories, soccer too

 

[PhatBoy]

Rugby league alot less weirdly enough. I looked and it’s 8 since 2008 that’s been reported on (not a real number though). Not at the level of AFL

Rugby league does have a tonne of problems but it has some good post-career initiatives like the Men of League foundation that try and help guys that struggle after their life in the game whether that be with their employment or mental health or whatever it may be.

Having never been part of an Australian rules club I can’t speak for the culture of them in any way but as bad as some of the behaviour of league guys tends to be, they do have a very brotherly atmosphere where once you are a part of it, you are looked after to some degree for life (at the lower levels anyway - the higher levels are so transient now it’s hard to keep tabs on who has played for who now) so there are lots of good support networks for people to lean on when they do it tough.

That isn’t always enough though.

 

[PhatBoy]

Dangerfield only cares about himself.

Grow up mate. Yeah I’m sure after pulling on the jersey next to Joel Selwood 150 times this whole thing hasn’t impacted him at all

 

[Feerits Elf]

the game was far harder 40 years ago

The game was far slower 40 years ago.

 

[Corkintheocean]

They have a lot of support in place.

Predominantly upper middle to richer privately educated men with traditional family dynamics who are incredibly popular with men and women who have hundreds of thousands of dollars a year and can have uni, apprenticeships paid for by the AFLPA during and after their careers. plenty of guys who barely crack a game have a lot more options when delisted at 21 than other men their age who are pouring pints or support workers or in retail and don't have a a hundred grand sitting in the bank.

Feel like a main issue is they're unable to deal with the normality of life and can't understand things going wrong.

All that money, chicks, free shit, people coming up to you and telling you how amazing you are, 15 medical staff you can consult whenever you want, living in a nice suburb, trips overseas every year...

Then you're arseholed and can't believe this is all there is. you're waking up at 7am to sit behind a desk or up at 5 to be on a work site and realise you get two days a week to relax.

You're not running 15 kilometres a day and you're allowed to eat whatever you want and you can get pissed every night, so you're no longer fit but becoming a fat ****er.

Money's drying out.

You're not having the incredible build up and then crescendo rush of a weekend playing in front of 40,000 people and all that testosterone going through you and your teammates and that incredible camaraderie and singular objective.

And you've married a woman who was conveniently decided she has a few issues with you now that you're not a 27 year old alpha male pulling 10 grand a week.

Of course life is going to be ****in shit, feel depressing and hopeless.

Those 'moiiites for loifffeee' you spoke about in your retirement speech are guys you seen once a year if you were lucky enough to win a flag. otherwise it's just another dude you used to know from your 20s.

I can see how an average, dull depressing life can get to these guys but for most of us, it's all we've ever known.

I don't quite buy that it's all CTE, the game was far harder 40 years ago and those guys just ended up ****ing fruitloops like Sam Newman, Kevin Sheedy, Leigh Matthews.

I just think it's the era of the billion dollar broadcast deal and the absolute adoration these exceptionally average men got through being very good at a sport. this level of ego and rockstar really didn't exist when blokes owned a sports shop or installed pools or studied (back when university meant something).

You forgot to mention anonymous d*ckheads potting you unprovoked in online forums while you try to do you best to get on with your life.

Probably best to give your pseudo psychology a miss, you're not remotely as talented as the people you're puporting to analyse.

 

[GoEaglesGoSGIO]

Rugby league does have a tonne of problems but it has some good post-career initiatives like the Men of League foundation that try and help guys that struggle after their life in the game whether that be with their employment or mental health or whatever it may be.

Having never been part of an Australian rules club I can’t speak for the culture of them in any way but as bad as some of the behaviour of league guys tends to be, they do have a very brotherly atmosphere where once you are a part of it, you are looked after to some degree for life (at the lower levels anyway - the higher levels are so transient now it’s hard to keep tabs on who has played for who now) so there are lots of good support networks for people to lean on when they do it tough.

That isn’t always enough though.

It isnt always enough but we kind of know they arnt even close to being near enough

The lawsuits speak for themselves. Perhaps on the evidence and the words of actual AFL players today we can just admit the big wigs are not doing enough? Why people want to pretend otherwise is beyond me

 

[GoEaglesGoSGIO]

A dodged question so far

How many parents would pull their kids out of the game given the concussion issues over the past 12 months coming to light?

Its enough to prevent the so called growth of the game they aiming for...

 

[Hu$tler]

Welcome to Country more important.

A national disgrace.

 

[demondavey]

Dangerfield needs to worry less about trying to extend his own career with shorter quarters and more about looking after players post career.

Is AFL unique with having so many issues with mental health post career, so many players come out of the game with no understanding how to manage life out of the bubble.. Perhaps in US sport they dont become pro until after college so have lived a bit and more able to manage, although in Euro Soccer many players are pro at 16.

It’s not really up to Dangerfield.

 

[iameviljez]

A dodged question so far

How many parents would pull their kids out of the game given the concussion issues over the past 12 months coming to light?

Its enough to prevent the so called growth of the game they aiming for...

This is a massive issue and has been for a few years now. The four major contact sports around the world (AFL, Rugby, American Football and Ice Hockey) are all really, really struggling with how to deal with it without effectively destroying the game.

 

[iameviljez]

I don't quite buy that it's all CTE, the game was far harder 40 years ago and those guys just ended up ****ing fruitloops like Sam Newman, Kevin Sheedy, Leigh Matthews.

This is a bit of a fallacy - CTE isn't often from being punched in the head so much as it is from constant "sub-concussive" hits. Today's players are heavier, faster, and there are vastly more bumps and tackles than before.

 

[Carn The Berries]

Its a corporate EAP thats ran internally. Pretending its otherwise wont make it true

Corporate EAP programs are excellent and incorporate face to face counselling sessions. It seems like the AFLPA one fits that category perfectly.

 

[demondavey]

A dodged question so far

How many parents would pull their kids out of the game given the concussion issues over the past 12 months coming to light?

Its enough to prevent the so called growth of the game they aiming for...

It’ll bury the game if a report is conducted that shows the impact of CTE contributing to suicide. If and when it comes out there will be a drop off in kids participating until the AFL totally reinvents the game to minimise head contact. It’ll literally take the AFL losing commercial benefit for them to change it. In 10 years there’ll be more players that have passed away, CTE should be front and centre of the game, and prevention should be prioritised at all costs. This could mean;

Backing into a pack - gone
Speccie / Hanger - gone
Bumping - gone

Absolutely riveted to see where this goes.

 

[ep2018]

We might have jumped the gun on Hunter, apparently was having chest pains last night, could be heart attack.

 

[demondavey]

They have a lot of support in place.

Predominantly upper middle to richer privately educated men with traditional family dynamics who are incredibly popular with men and women who have hundreds of thousands of dollars a year and can have uni, apprenticeships paid for by the AFLPA during and after their careers. plenty of guys who barely crack a game have a lot more options when delisted at 21 than other men their age who are pouring pints or support workers or in retail and don't have a a hundred grand sitting in the bank.

Feel like a main issue is they're unable to deal with the normality of life and can't understand things going wrong.

All that money, chicks, free shit, people coming up to you and telling you how amazing you are, 15 medical staff you can consult whenever you want, living in a nice suburb, trips overseas every year...

Then you're arseholed and can't believe this is all there is. you're waking up at 7am to sit behind a desk or up at 5 to be on a work site and realise you get two days a week to relax.

You're not running 15 kilometres a day and you're allowed to eat whatever you want and you can get pissed every night, so you're no longer fit but becoming a fat ****er.

Money's drying out.

You're not having the incredible build up and then crescendo rush of a weekend playing in front of 40,000 people and all that testosterone going through you and your teammates and that incredible camaraderie and singular objective.

And you've married a woman who was conveniently decided she has a few issues with you now that you're not a 27 year old alpha male pulling 10 grand a week.

Of course life is going to be ****in shit, feel depressing and hopeless.

Those 'moiiites for loifffeee' you spoke about in your retirement speech are guys you seen once a year if you were lucky enough to win a flag. otherwise it's just another dude you used to know from your 20s.

I can see how an average, dull depressing life can get to these guys but for most of us, it's all we've ever known.

I don't quite buy that it's all CTE, the game was far harder 40 years ago and those guys just ended up ****ing fruitloops like Sam Newman, Kevin Sheedy, Leigh Matthews.

I just think it's the era of the billion dollar broadcast deal and the absolute adoration these exceptionally average men got through being very good at a sport. this level of ego and rockstar really didn't exist when blokes owned a sports shop or installed pools or studied (back when university meant something).

The game was not harder 40 years ago. This is the biggest fallacy people think of.

40 years ago players were working 3-4 days a week, training and playing on a weekend. Physical specimens they were not. Today these guys are literally so fit and strong that they’d walk over any decent team 40 years back due to absolute physical power and fitness.

I don’t think you appreciate how dangerous it would be to get smashed into by an AFL player in 2025 compared to 1985. Guys like Rhys Jones would be manhandled as a joke by guys in the VFL.

 

[demondavey]

We might have jumped the gun on Hunter, apparently was having chest pains last night, could be heart attack.

Yeah that’s what I heard.

 

[Cyclops]

A dodged question so far

How many parents would pull their kids out of the game given the concussion issues over the past 12 months coming to light?

Its enough to prevent the so called growth of the game they aiming for...

How is it a dodged question? You just asked it. I continue to encourage my son to play but he's lazy like me so not looking good.

Gotta say, not a great thread. There's plenty if uninformed bluster and theres potshots cropping up about indigenous people, rich boys etc.which stinks.

Your basic point "enough is enough" seems fair, but implying they're not supported enough seems misleading.

Very sad some ex players have died, I think in general players get looked after better than most.

I guess the families and friends would be feeling sad? It makes me sad.

 

[GoEaglesGoSGIO]

This is a massive issue and has been for a few years now. The four major contact sports around the world (AFL, Rugby, American Football and Ice Hockey) are all really, really struggling with how to deal with it without effectively destroying the game.

Struggling cos of a lack of effort across the board.

I think Ben Cousins is a good example of what money can achieve to be honest. Cleaned himself up and living a good life... and rehab played a big part in that

 

[GoEaglesGoSGIO]

How is it a dodged question? You just asked it. I continue to encourage my son to play but he's lazy like me so not looking good.

Gotta say, not a great thread. There's plenty if uninformed bluster and theres potshots cropping up about indigenous people, rich boys etc.which stinks.

Your basic point "enough is enough" seems fair, but implying they're not supported enough seems misleading.

Very sad some ex players have died, I think in general players get looked after better than most.

I guess the families and friends would be feeling sad? It makes me sad.

How is it misleading? Do we not trust those bringing lawsuits to the AFL saying not enough is being done?

Not like its my own opinion that has no support from AFL players. Ex AFL players have mentioned it plenty of times. People just keep ignoring them... Maybe we should stop and telling them they have enough support? I think they know the truth more then you and I

 

[Feerits Elf]

How is it misleading? Do we not trust those bringing lawsuits to the AFL saying not enough is being done?

If we were happy to trust them there would be no need for their claims to be tested in court.

 

[GoEaglesGoSGIO]

If we were happy to trust them there would be no need for their claims to be tested in court.

AFL just staving off the wolves. Nothing much more to it then that. They know they are wrong

 

[iameviljez]

Struggling cos of a lack of effort across the board.

I think Ben Cousins is a good example of what money can achieve to be honest. Cleaned himself up and living a good life... and rehab played a big part in that

Look, it probably doesn't hurt that 7 West has basically looked after him from go to woah.

 

[jim boy]

The game was not harder 40 years ago. This is the biggest fallacy people think of.

Harder in that you were much more likely to have a fist in the face. You only have took at Greg Williams, who played forty years ago to see what sustained battering to the head can do.

But I do get your point, shirt fonts, tackles, speed is much more forceful now, and it does tend to be those repeated small and repeated knocks that result in minor brain trauma and CTE. These are much more prevalent now.

I'm not sure how much money you can throw at it post-career. I've seen a number of people who despite having close psychiatry care, still ended up choosing the dark exit. If CTE is to blame, then we really need to look more closely at what can be done in a preventative fashion, rather than hoping for a curative result.