News Mark O'Connor apologises for playing secret Gaelic match

Mr Blicavs

Basking in Premiership glory!
Aug 12, 2015
17,046
30,297
AFL Club
Geelong
Other Teams
Toronto Raptors - Maple Leafs

CatsDoItBetter

Norm Smith Medallist
Apr 9, 2015
5,622
9,508
AFL Club
Geelong
Other Teams
Melbourne Renegades
Strange that he wanted to and the club let him miss the BnF. I’m sure he’s be keen to go home but he could’ve waited the extra time.
 

Grimoz

Brownlow Medallist
Feb 28, 2011
12,052
19,492
Shhh...its a secret!!!
AFL Club
Geelong
Other Teams
Manchester Utd, New York Rangers
Strange that he wanted to and the club let him miss the BnF. I’m sure he’s be keen to go home but he could’ve waited the extra time.

Im assuming he wanted to leave early because of the match but he didn't tell the club that, he should have been at the BnF and could have waited a couple of days to Jet off back home, he was playing in the senior squad at the time, needs to get his priorities right and bloody lucky he didn't do a knee or something of the sort.
 

Grimoz

Brownlow Medallist
Feb 28, 2011
12,052
19,492
Shhh...its a secret!!!
AFL Club
Geelong
Other Teams
Manchester Utd, New York Rangers
I say, why not? Let the guy do it. Just say if he injures himself then have some sort of clause in his contract that cats will not compensate him.

AFL is a professional sport and they pay big money for players welfare so they dont take any risks, its like when Nic Nat was under fire from dunking a basketball but this has much more risk involved. The big issue is that he would have known he wasn't aloud to play any matches and he still did it, thats the frustrating thing.
 
Read it a little earlier and couldn't muster anything more than meh.
He did something minorly wrong, got told off by the club. Nothing more to see really.
 
Nov 7, 2010
26,768
35,280
308 Negra Arroyo Lane Albuquerque New Mexico
AFL Club
Geelong
Other Teams
WADA
I read this weeks ago in the Irish press and thought “gee that’s strange that Geelong let him do that”. Makes more sense now.

Obviously would have been a shitstorm had he broken his leg or something but I’m not too fussed otherwise.
 

CatsDoItBetter

Norm Smith Medallist
Apr 9, 2015
5,622
9,508
AFL Club
Geelong
Other Teams
Melbourne Renegades
Partly I’m not that concerned because he’s a fringe player. If it was Tuohy it would be a bigger deal. It doesn’t reflect well on O’Connor though.
 
Sep 29, 2009
15,156
15,151
Belgrave
AFL Club
Geelong
Unless O'Connor was drunk the whole time (buying the ticket, on the plane, playing), I'd say its much much worse than the SJ incident.

Yeah, I know, alcohol is no excuse in one way.
But why shouldn't he go. He got so many undeserving games, I'm surprised he didn't take Murdoch along with him.:D

This is what giving games to people who haven't earned them looks like. You reckon H-S would have done anything like this?
 

Lager

Team Captain
Jan 30, 2007
590
568
AFL Club
Geelong
Really, who cares? It's a bit silly to breach contract, but he's young and he'll learn from it.
In fact walking into a semi final side is impressive and getting into a fight... probably good for the skills and aggro.
Expecting big things from Mark this year.
 

bulletproof

Norm Smith Medallist
Oct 3, 2003
8,418
19,838
Melbourne
AFL Club
Geelong
Other Teams
Geelong
Read the room. Clearly there’s a few that aren’t too fussed.

Meh

‘He missed the BnF’ lucky he didn’t win it...... Would have ruined the night. Heinous crime.

In the week Carlton lost a reasonably talented Irishmen to homesickness, you would think we could cut a 21yo some slack.

But, no. Outrage.

And let’s not forget Dangerfield was over there on a state sanctioned trip last year playing Gaelic and injuries can happen anywhere.
 
He is still young and pier group pressure .. luckily there is no SJ wall type situation here... just a learning experience.

Im glad their was no Pier involved.... that tends to not end well :cool:

GO Catters
 

FurTheWin

Norm Smith Medallist
May 25, 2017
6,103
7,669
Amongst the pigeons
AFL Club
Geelong
Other Teams
Banshees
So..
It was a 1/4 final, O'Connor did a great job shutting down the opposition in a game his club were expected to lose
They made the semi which they then drew
Can't blame the boy for having a kick with his mates
 
Didnt Libba play a local footy game in Thailand for the same result..

No injury but got the naughty corner at the Dogs.

Its a multi million dollar business. I get the management. Same reason Tom Cruise cant go sky diving/waterskiing/paintballing/skiing et al during a movie.

Too much at stake. I get it. And the same rules apply for player #1 on the list and player #46. Maybe Gaelic football isnt the same business entity that the AFL is - and thats probably a good thing. Its not a hanging offence however IMO.

GO Catters
 
Back