Matt Rendell...

[King Elvis]

Re: Matt Rendall...

It was not a genuine apology, which was what the AFL was looking for. Did you not read the post, do I need to show you the video I have recorded.

"Well (PAUSE) I'll say sorry if I offended anyone." Say sorry. Do you need to be told by how many that you offended people? He lost his job is that not enough indication?

As the only one in this debacle with any integrity, he's not going to apologise for a comment that doesn't deserve one.

 

[SilverCrow]

Re: Matt Rendall...

Did anyone else think it was appalling the way they tried to make him sound like a racist by making the scenario of two players one white the other aboriginal.

Glad you brought this up. I thought it was definately a question aimed in the hope Rendell would trip up and provide tomorrows headline confirming his 'racist' beliefs. Disgusting question Gary and well answered Rendell.

Feel for the guy massively. He has been under a huge amount of stress these past few days and it showed.

 

[Shwab]

Re: Matt Rendall...

Matt Rendell, James Hird, Paul Roos and Eddie have all raised concerns about the challenges athletes from remote communities face when trying to pursue an AFL career. Very sad to see a good man treated this way, the AFL certainly inflamed the hysterical footy media in this case.

Happy for Matt to help the Hawks prepare for this years draft, 35 yrs experience should count for something!

Mike Sheahan mentioned On The Couch recently that he was certain that Caro was writing stories for the AFL. She certainly sided strongly with the AFL on all issues discussed tonight.

 

[UpForGrabs]

Re: Matt Rendall...

Get off your high horse for christ sakes, did you even watch the interview in full? Probably not, but I'll continue anyway. Rendell is just extremely passionate about the indigenous community as a whole, always has been, and he will always be extremely passionate discussing it. Misfud simply asked to come see him when he was in Adelaide, Rendell said that is fine, and they had a good open conversation about aboriginal recruiting. I bet you don't even know how the conversation went, so I'm gonna stop here as I'm arguing against a stupid wall.

Pretty sure you don't know how the conversation went, unless you were in the room with the guys at the time.

I don't doubt Rendell's intentions at all. He's one of the best recruiters in the game. I still stand by the fact that it was an extremely stupid comment to make, regardless of whether he was making an exaggeration to prove a point or not.

 

[BACCS]

Re: Matt Rendall...

Exactly! Good reply.


I really shouldn't be responding to you but yeah, he is well known for his yearly "We picked up player xxxxx who we think should have been top 10" type comments.

Thats about the only time we hear recruiters speak so I don't know where you got the idea he is always upfront and honest...

All recruiters say that for christ sakes, but if you have met the man, you would know how honest he is. Rendell is a regular at Crows training and is always up for a chat. He was honest about how he thought GWS wouldn't win a game this year (was the first by a long way to say this openly) and that the AFL had screwed the clubs over (again, one of the first to get on the front foot) in regards to the concessions GC and GWS received.

And don't forget, if this year wasn't a super draft, he would be at your club right now as an assistant.

 

[johnjinsf]

Re: Matt Rendall...

Once again Demetriou has been found out. His version of events on "On The Couch" have been completely refuted by Rendell's version of events.
It's about time the AFL commission took a hard look at Demetriou and dump him.

 

[Pilchard_Adams]

Re: Matt Rendall...

After watching that I think he was trying to do the right thing but is a little misguided like most people when it comes to these issues.

It's a "serious problem" that some of these kids don't really want an AFL career and that we don't fix them earlier by moving them away from their families and culture and try to make them more like us? Dunno about that.

These issues are just so much more complicated than people realize .

Its not about making them more like us... Its about preparation for what AFL life is like. Just like many people struggle from going from school to working 50 hours a week, or adjusting to shift work, a change in lifestyle can be hard and all he is saying is that he wants to make it easier. Easier would equal a higher success rate.

 

[TheGreatGrundy]

Re: Matt Rendall...

First, where are all the political correctness anti-racism folk? Do they go to bed early, because very few have made it on to this thread unlike other threads dedicated to indigenous issues. Roby who is quoted by TradeDraft and patty love above, seems to have viewed a different version of the show, because he has mis-quoted Matt Rendell about three times in his tirade.

What the incident highlighted is the lengths to which we go to eradicate anything that could be even remotely considered racist, whether it be 'Ba ba rainbow sheep' or throw away remarks between supposed mates. Once Demetriou got involved, Rendell's goose was cooked, and in the new Demetriou context, which was no context, he had to resign.

These incidents can crucify blokes whose only real crime is a lack of sophistication with their choice of words, men like Rendell who has spent 35 years in football. No doubt the PC police will still say Rendell got what he deserved. Ultimately, has justice prevailed? Does Rendell's remark represent an attitude which must be eradicated from the game? Probably not. Is there still a place in football for the Dippers, the Danihers and Rendells of the football world, ordinary Aussie blokes who just like being around footy?

 

[BACCS]

Re: Matt Rendall...

Pretty sure you don't know how the conversation went, unless you were in the room with the guys at the time.

I don't doubt Rendell's intentions at all. He's one of the best recruiters in the game. I still stand by the fact that it was an extremely stupid comment to make, regardless of whether he making an exaggeration to prove a point or not.

So are you calling Rendell a liar? He explained the whole conversation in detail tonight, and if you don't believe him, which you obviously don't, he must be a liar. Can't have it two ways saying 'I don't doubt his intentions' blah blah blah.

 

[manureid]

Re: Matt Rendall...

Bigfooty never fails to deliver the trolls on any subject. Well done guys.

 

[Suspense]

Re: Matt Rendall...

OK - let's say he did only mean what he said as an example.

Who the f*** thinks that up to begin with. Doesn't the thought have to be in one's head in order to make that comment in the first place?

Surely Matt Rendell, to make that comment (no matter how off-handed it was) had to have thought to himself that all the club's troubles would go away if indigenous players had a white parent.

So, regardless of whether or not he meant what he said, he's a bloody idiot.

if aboriginal players with at least one white parent had a significantly higher retention rate in the afl than those without, then it is completely reasonable and logical to propose such a hypothetical may occur should the problem worsen (this is not to say that such a policy is reasonable).

 

[Mercurial89]

Re: Matt Rendall...

Pretty sure the issue's been out in the open for quite a while now.

And I stand by the point I made earlier - that Matt Rendell's an idiot.

You can say all you want.

That he was misunderstood (true)
That he's not a racist (true)
That the comment was an exaggeration to prove a point (probably very true)

Still doesn't take too much brains to know that in the footy world, nothing's secret, and that anything you say will probably come back to bite you on the ass. Matt Rendell's no stranger to this, what with his random comments a couple of years ago that GC and GWS will probably win 9 premierships in a row. That comment blew up and got plenty of attention.

Why wouldn't his comment now (whether or not it was used as an example) attract the same attention?

I have just done what the AFL/Media have done to Matt rendall. You now cannot defend what i have now said that you have written. This is a direct quote from you. It is now law.
I could now claim your an idiot for posting like you are for Rendall

 

[Go the Guts]

Re: Matt Rendall...

Very p'd off we have lost probably our best ever recruiter, or close to it, over this. This issue of aboriginal players can be complex, depending on where the player comes from. I think Rendell is possibly referring more to players from more remote communities to a degree, many of which can be not ready for afl life, as the cultural divide from remote aboriginal community to the multi-billion dollar melting pot of the afl is quite frankly huge. The Jurrah situation might be an example.

 

[Roby]

Re: Matt Rendall...

When he said near the end of the interview that he would be mortified if any Aborigine he had dealt with considered him racist you didn't consider that a mea culpa?

Exactly, there in lies the ignorance. He says again, that he would be as in possibly mortified ... You've worked with Aboriginals in the community and you cannot grasp that they would be? Mortified? Again he should be saying. 'I am mortified by what's happen, I can see why the would be mortified.'

As for upsetting Mifsud.
The conversation was in January.
He didn't mention it until March, again in what appears to be in a throwaway context in a presentation to Demetriou.
According to Thomas & Rendell, Mifsud remains a friend. Hardly likely if he was offended.

Again I have written multiple posts on this issue. Racial vilification happens constantly in this country. I am constantly the victim of it still 2012. Ignorance knows no bounds.

Given his interview, and the way he answered the questions, (you should rewatch the interview and forget about the emotion and look at it objectively) and realise how many times he contradicts himself, how many times he doesn't answer a question directly and you will see a person that in closed rooms would've made decsions based on race.

It's all good and well to say we need to this, we need to do that. If you actually know anything about Aboriginal communities and the AFL, you will know that ever year the AFL spend more and more money, put more resources in helping these communities and Indigenous players. They just recently opened up an Acadamey in Darwin which will help Indegenoius players.

 

[Stripple]

Re: Matt Rendall...

OK - let's say he did only mean what he said as an example.

Who the f*** thinks that up to begin with. Doesn't the thought have to be in one's head in order to make that comment in the first place?

Surely Matt Rendell, to make that comment (no matter how off-handed it was) had to have thought to himself that all the club's troubles would go away if indigenous players had a white parent.

So, regardless of whether or not he meant what he said, he's a bloody idiot.

Would you say writers of fiction who describe murder in brutal detail are murders? It was an extreme example. He most likely pick the most outrageous thing he could think of to get the point across have you never exaggerated to make a point?

 

[UpForGrabs]

Re: Matt Rendall...

So are you calling Rendell a liar? He explained the whole conversation in detail tonight, and if you don't believe him, which you obviously don't, he must be a liar. Can't have it two ways saying 'I don't doubt his intentions' blah blah blah.

No, all I'm saying is that even if his intentions were as he says they were, he still chose a bloody stupid way to get his concerns across.

Not sure why that's hard to believe.

 

[King Elvis]

Re: Matt Rendall...

When he said near the end of the interview that he would be mortified if any Aborigine he had dealt with considered him racist you didn't consider that a mea culpa?

As for upsetting Mifsud.
The conversation was in January.
He didn't mention it until March, again in what appears to be in a throwaway context in a presentation to Demetriou.
According to Thomas & Rendell, Mifsud remains a friend. Hardly likely if he was offended.

Caro also got confused - it was Misfud who laughed the comment off, TO THOMAS, not to Rendell..

He must've really been shocked and chagrined.

 

[EagleMan87]

Re: Matt Rendall...

Err... yes it is.

He's directly saying that 'white people' make better parents than Aborginal people.

Like it or not, thats a racist comment.

Example:

If I (as HR manager) say to my employer, "If the State doesnt do somthing soon, its going to get to the point where I will only hire people with one white parent" then what am I saying about black parents?

Of course, I think we all know what he was trying to get at re the socio economic divide, problems with some members of remote Indigenous communities adapting to the big smoke etc

He probably could have said it better and without the racial implications.

Which is kinda what I was hoping he was gonna say.

I took it to mean that football departments would start preferring aboriginals with a white parent as opposed to two aborignal parents, not that Rendell himself would do so.

 

[neroblack]

Re: Matt Rendall...

Pretty sure the issue's been out in the open for quite a while now.

And I stand by the point I made earlier - that Matt Rendell's an idiot.

You can say all you want.

That he was misunderstood (true)
That he's not a racist (true)
That the comment was an exaggeration to prove a point (probably very true)

Still doesn't take too much brains to know that in the footy world, nothing's secret, and that anything you say will probably come back to bite you on the ass. Matt Rendell's no stranger to this, what with his random comments a couple of years ago that GC and GWS will probably win 9 premierships in a row. That comment blew up and got plenty of attention.

Why wouldn't his comment now (whether or not it was used as an example) attract the same attention?

So, by other people not being smart enough to understand the point he was making, he's the idiot? In saying that, I don't really understand the point you're trying to make now either......

 

[dipper86]

Re: Matt Rendall...

Seriously you people are buying his sob story even though he continually contraticed himself during the whole interview? When asked if he would recruit an indegenious player over a white player both of equal ability he said they cannot be equal. Muhaha, more racism!

Really.....another statement taken out of context.....I suggest you re- think about what he was implying!

 

[Roby]

Re: Matt Rendall...

Firstly, he says he wasn't given that opportunity.

His story is the only one that makes sense. Seriously, with all of his experience in recruiting, and with all of the supporting being offered to him from former indigenous players, you cannot actually think he floated this as an option to the crows?

Yes he was given the oppurtunity. So everyone else is a liar except Rendell?

And, he was given it tonight as well. No wonder he was told to stand down.

 

[King Elvis]

Re: Matt Rendall...

Err... yes it is.

He's directly implying that in his view 'white people' make better parents than Aborginal people.

No, he said that aboriginals from isolated/remote communities often struggle with the structure and demand of the AFL system, due to generally coming from a more relaxed, less structured society - comments which Misfud agreed with.

 

[LeverPuller]

Re: Matt Rendall...

What pisses me off the most is that Rendell's idea regarding bringing in disadvantaged youth, giving them an education as part of their AFL prep and giving them a shot isn't going to get off the ground at all because of this.

 

[Quinz]

Re: Matt Rendall...

you should rewatch the interview and forget about the emotion and look at it objectively

That's a good idea Roby.

 

[aneale]

Re: Matt Rendall...

They just recently opened up an Acadamey in Darwin which will help Indegenoius players.

erm ...