RIP Cam McCarthy

[MadMundy]

Last night is the one time you can give the players some slack and not hold it against them, they just lost someone a lot would consider a close friend, you had Longmuir say there were a few players that came close to not playing last night.

Goes to show that this is all bigger than football sometime.

 

[Bunk Moreland]

I’ve often said that kids just out of school aren’t ready for the pressure of expectations that are put on them through the draft. While some kids are built for it straight away and can handle the expectations, others can’t and it affects them. I’d like to see the national draft age raise to 21, and the rookie draft be for the u21s who then play VFL as part of their development.

It also makes total sense from a draft point of view - the draft is about sending the best talent to the lowliest clubs to lift them - they would be able to draft mature players who can give them the immediate boost they need, not speculate on kids who might or might not be good in 3-5 years time.

A draft age of 20 is a winner all round.

 

[Mudman85]

If that is what happened the article would have said so. News doesn't report cause of death when the cause of death is suicide.

He was found at his home. If he had a seizure and passed away it wouldn't always be obvious and can't be confirmed until an autopsy is done. I get that not suspicious in most cases means suicide but it can also be if there is a known medical condition. Regardless, I hope Cam was at peace and didn't suffer.

 

[Mudman85]

It also makes total sense from a draft point of view - the draft is about sending the best talent to the lowliest clubs to lift them - they would be able to draft mature players who can give them the immediate boost they need, not speculate on kids who might or might not be good in 3-5 years time.

A draft age of 20 is a winner all round.

So those blokes run around in the VFL, WAFL or whatever league getting paid nothing for 3 years out of school until they can be drafted?

Yeah Nah

 

[Fadge]

So those blokes run around in the VFL, WAFL or whatever league getting paid nothing for 3 years out of school until they can be drafted?

Yeah Nah

Agree.

There are some kids who would be able to handle the pressure and scrutiny of AFL at 16, and others who would never be able to handle it.

 

[Bunk Moreland]

So those blokes run around in the VFL, WAFL or whatever league getting paid nothing for 3 years out of school until they can be drafted?

Yeah Nah

Nah. 1-2 years. And they’d be getting paid the same as every other student or apprentice around. They’ll be okay. A year or two of normal life (between school and footy, both highly babied environments) wouldn’t be a bad thing.

 

[Mudman85]

Nah. 1-2 years. And they’d be getting paid the same as every other student or apprentice around. They’ll be okay. A year or two of normal life (between school and footy, both highly babied environments) wouldn’t be a bad thing.

So we hold back kids like Daicos, Sheezel because some others can't hack it.

We don't always have to cater to the lowest common denominator

 

[Pure_Ownage]

Nah. 1-2 years. And they’d be getting paid the same as every other student or apprentice around. They’ll be okay. A year or two of normal life (between school and footy, both highly babied environments) wouldn’t be a bad thing.

I dont think a lot of players would wait those extra years though they would go to other sports or other careers.

 

[Bunk Moreland]

So we hold back kids like Daicos, Sheezel because some others can't hack it.

We don't always have to cater to the lowest common denominator

And some players could play at 16 or 17 and we hold them back because others can’t hack it. Plenty of players used to debut younger.

It would best serve the league in terms of equalisation as the draft wouldn’t be such a crapshoot.

If you think it’s too young then the answer is simple - just look back at the draft. All the resources in the world and clubs go nowhere near getting it right. It’s blatantly obvious the draftees are too young and can’t be judged yet.

 

[Elmer_Judd]

In future (hopefully never again) any such tragedies like this happen, players who knew and played with (and were friends with) should be asked by the club and AFL if they are mentally and emotionally okay to play that day or weekend ?

Many of the Freo players were clearly not in the right head space to play that night, and it made for very uncomfortable and sad watching for me.

The game should have been deferred to on a later date (surely with bye rounds we have flexibility to manage it now)

Anyhow rest in peace Cam.

I would honestly like to think you are in a happier place now/at peace..

Absolutely devastated for his family and friends too. It hurts quite a lot

 

[Gough]

Worth sharing.

Remembering Cam McCarthy goes beyond black armbands and bouquets | Jonathan Horn

The former AFL player was known to mates and Dockers supporters as ‘Dardy McCrafty’ and embraced being ‘a bit of a weirdo’

www.theguardian.com

I hope the next time we call a footballer soft, or put them up for trade bait, or censor and sanction them for some trifling indiscretion, or refer to them as “player number two, one, four – zero, nine, one”, that we remember we’re talking about a person.

 

[WillHayward]

I dont think a lot of players would wait those extra years though they would go to other sports or other careers.

This is such a myth. What "other sports"?

The idea that AFL players can go and play professional soccer or basketball is the one of the funnier AFL fan fantasies out there.

Do you think Scott Pendlebuty could have made the NBA? Not even close. He wouldnt have even made college b-ball. Josh Rachelle wouldnt even make A league - let alone EPL.


A staggered approach could work. Each side gets to draft 1 x 18yo each year (Rd 1 of draft) then the next rounds are 19yo and over.

This still means Reid, Daicos, Sheezel etc etc all still get drafted and play early.

 

[Mudman85]

This is such a myth. What "other sports"?

The idea that AFL players can go and play professional soccer or basketball is the one of the funnier AFL fan fantasies out there.

Do you think Scott Pendlebuty could have made the NBA? Not even close. He wouldnt have even made college b-ball. Josh Rachelle wouldnt even make A league - let alone EPL.


A staggered approach could work. Each side gets to draft 1 x 18yo each year (Rd 1 of draft) then the next rounds are 19yo and over.

This still means Reid, Daicos, Sheezel etc etc all still get drafted and play early.

Staggered approach makes even less sense to me if you are trying to eliminate the issue. If there is an issue that is.
Nobody forces clubs to draft 18yo's. Plenty of mature age players nominate each year and are usually overlooked for the same reasons they were when they were 18.

 

[OniAu]

So we hold back kids like Daicos, Sheezel because some others can't hack it.

We don't always have to cater to the lowest common denominator

I think that’s a rough way to word it. But I agree if the kids aren’t up to it. Maybe they get held off until 19 or 20 to be drafted. Who makes that call though or is in the position to make that call


Sent from my iPhone using BigFooty.com

 

[Fyfetheknife]

Worth sharing.

Remembering Cam McCarthy goes beyond black armbands and bouquets | Jonathan Horn

The former AFL player was known to mates and Dockers supporters as ‘Dardy McCrafty’ and embraced being ‘a bit of a weirdo’

www.theguardian.com

The line before the one you've quoted is spot on too.

I hope I never see “forgotten footballer” in a headline ever again

That headline was disgusting and inexplicable.

 

[RonnieRaven]

I don’t think the afl system needs to change unfortunately 1 In every few thousand men in a lot of work forces succumb to mental illness in one way or another.