Player Watch Steele Sidebottom

[Piestration]

Steele will be hard to replace and absolutely be missed when finals pressure comes but he needs to do whats best for him and his new family.

Hopefully we get back the Candy Mayne to replace him.

 

[Somebody]

It was always going to be problematic for him to get back.

Its a shame for us, and the team, that it has worked out that way, but he has put his family first, you cant blame or criticise him for that. People need to get over themselves.

People keep saying "Put his family first"??
what does that even mean? anyone would think he loses his family forever if he went into quarantine to play finals??

How do you think he provides for his family? And what's his main job within that job?
I think even you can at least figure that out - the main goal of an AFL club???

 

[AndrewShawble]

Can’t understand why people are up in arms, some people are only happy when it rains.

He’s given 12 years of amazing service, if it wasn’t for the ridiculous rules being dictated to by state governments he would be playing.

 

[jmac70]

People keep saying "Put his family first"??
what does that even mean? anyone would think he loses his family forever if he went into quarantine to play finals??

How do you think he provides for his family? And what's his main job within that job?
I think even you can at least figure that out - the main goal of an AFL club???

He wants to stay home with his wife and baby.

 

[Doc1763]

People keep saying "Put his family first"??
what does that even mean? anyone would think he loses his family forever if he went into quarantine to play finals??

How do you think he provides for his family? And what's his main job within that job?
I think even you can at least figure that out - the main goal of an AFL club???

Shallow as a puddle

 

[Pistol Night]

People keep saying "Put his family first"??
what does that even mean? anyone would think he loses his family forever if he went into quarantine to play finals??

How do you think he provides for his family? And what's his main job within that job?
I think even you can at least figure that out - the main goal of an AFL club???

What does it mean? It means maybe his partner may need some help with their 2 week old daughter! FFS. Its not like they can have family help with all the shit going on. Im staggered this is even an issue.

 

[gappa]

He did what he feels like.

underrated post!

 

[jackcass]

People keep saying "Put his family first"??
what does that even mean? anyone would think he loses his family forever if he went into quarantine to play finals??

How do you think he provides for his family? And what's his main job within that job?
I think even you can at least figure that out - the main goal of an AFL club???

Every father is entitled to paternity leave.

 

[Markfs]

i just dont know about the current generation. his wife was the one having the baby.... he was involved 9 months earlier (i hope). Most of the time all the women are looking for is someone to complain to about the pain... and now he's staying after the birth as if he's the one breastfeeding... beyond me

 

[DerekZoolander]

Surely the WA government will let Sidey quarantine for 7 days and be allowed to play.

 

[stormskye]

Surely the WA government will let Sidey quarantine for 7 days and be allowed to play.

Coming from Victoria is just a tad different than Queensland hub. He’s done for 2020

 

[AuTo00Z]

i just dont know about the current generation. his wife was the one having the baby.... he was involved 9 months earlier (i hope). Most of the time all the women are looking for is someone to complain to about the pain... and now he's staying after the birth as if he's the one breastfeeding... beyond me

You're joking, right? First-time parents need help from their partner more than ever. With covid, it's not like the mother can rely on the grandparents (or other relatives) to help out. Family should always come first.

 

[Pistol Night]

i just dont know about the current generation. his wife was the one having the baby.... he was involved 9 months earlier (i hope). Most of the time all the women are looking for is someone to complain to about the pain... and now he's staying after the birth as if he's the one breastfeeding... beyond me

Clearly

 

[Markfs]

You're joking, right? First-time parents need help from their partner more than ever. With covid, it's not like the mother can rely on the grandparents (or other relatives) to help out. Family should always come first.

back in my day, you were lucky to get the day off work if your wife was having a kid. As for helping out, all you have to do is feed em and clean the other end... it's not rocket science.

 

[SouthernPie]

back in my day, you were lucky to get the day off work if your wife was having a kid. As for helping out, all you have to do is feed em and clean the other end... it's not rocket science.

Geez, when was 'back in my day"? The 1800's

 

[Markfs]

Geez, when was 'back in my day"? The 1800's

The last millenium

 

[unplugged]

I just hope he's staying fit in case we somehow make the grand final and something changes with regards to quarantine... Unlikely I know.

 

[AuTo00Z]

back in my day, you were lucky to get the day off work if your wife was having a kid. As for helping out, all you have to do is feed em and clean the other end... it's not rocket science.

Except when a normal person goes to work, they go home. Steele wouldn't be going home to his wife and kids if he left on his on. He would be there 0% of the time for probably at least a month (when factoring quarantining time). You can't expect a first-time mother to have zero help for over a month (given the covid situation). And travelling with the family is just way too difficult, especially when you consider the pies will have to play in multiple states in consecutive weeks if they win. At the end of the day, it's just not worth it.

 

[Markfs]

Except when a normal person goes to work, they go home. Steele wouldn't be going home to his wife and kids if he left on his on. He would be there 0% of the time for probably at least a month (when factoring quarantining time). You can't expect a first-time mother to have zero help for over a month (given the covid situation). And travelling with the family is just way too difficult, especially when you consider the pies will have to play in multiple states in consecutive weeks if they win. At the end of the day, it's just not worth it.

i'm not sure what situation you were describing. However a lot of men work fly in fly out and take trips across the country as part of their work, and i'm sure a lot dont get a free pass to stay home for a month or more to support their wives. There are a lot of jobs that are lucky to give a man a week off work for the birth and many men feel compromised even taking that amount. These boys are on a good wicket

 

[sr36]

I support his decision to stay home, he owes Collingwood nothing.

I agree that he owes Collingwood nothing and good luck to him for making the decision he's made. I'd make the same decision. But I don't think the Pies owe him full time pay. It's a big chunk of a year he's missing for paternity leave, should be leave without pay.

 

[AuTo00Z]

i'm not sure what situation you were describing. However a lot of men work fly in fly out and take trips across the country as part of their work, and i'm sure a lot dont get a free pass to stay home for a month or more to support their wives. There are a lot of jobs that are lucky to give a man a week off work for the birth and many men feel compromised even taking that amount. These boys are on a good wicket

Well this is different because we are in a global pandemic, with the state basically in full lockdown. In normal circumstances, the mother would be able to get help from the grandparents and other relatives, but not now. Not only that, but they she can't go out and buy essential needs either. Let's make one thing clear here; this lockdown is a unique period, where any couple having their first child would definitely need their partner not leaving them for a minimum of one month. Also, I don't see how money plays into this at all. The costs of flying them multiple times, suitable accomodation so they quarantine with a newborn child, stocked with essentials for looking for said newborn will only add more costs. And if the team doesn't win the first final, then all that money and time spent setting it all up would be a waste. It's not so much they're letting him stay home cause his wife needs him, but more so how impracticable travelling with a newborn would be. We are a family first football club, and they will do what's right to support him.

 

[Markfs]

Well this is different because we are in a global pandemic, with the state basically in full lockdown. In normal circumstances, the mother would be able to get help from the grandparents and other relatives, but not now. Not only that, but they she can't go out and buy essential needs either. Let's make one thing clear here; this lockdown is a unique period, where any couple having their first child would definitely need their partner not leaving them for a minimum of one month. Also, I don't see how money plays into this at all. The costs of flying them multiple times, suitable accomodation so they quarantine with a newborn child, stocked with essentials for looking for said newborn will only add more costs. And if the team doesn't win the first final, then all that money and time spent setting it all up would be a waste. It's not so much they're letting him stay home cause his wife needs him, but more so how impracticable travelling with a newborn would be. We are a family first football club, and they will do what's right to support him.

Everyone agrees that Steele should be able to take time away from the club if he feels it's necessary. It's just this modern concept of entitlement that gets to me. It's true in the Dayne Beams situation too. They are both lucky to continue to be paid when they aren't playing. It's reasonable for the club to pay them if they are injured because of playing - that's common sense. However, the club isn't responsible for Dayne losing his marbles or Steele's wife getting pregnant. There are probably thousands of single mothers doing it tough in the lockdown in Melbourne and they dont have access to grandparents and they are finding it hard to get access to essential needs. Steele is in a privileged position.

 

[AuTo00Z]

Everyone agrees that Steele should be able to take time away from the club if he feels it's necessary. It's just this modern concept of entitlement that gets to me. It's true in the Dayne Beams situation too. They are both lucky to continue to be paid when they aren't playing. It's reasonable for the club to pay them if they are injured because of playing - that's common sense. However, the club isn't responsible for Dayne losing his marbles or Steele's wife getting pregnant. There are probably thousands of single mothers doing it tough in the lockdown in Melbourne and they dont have access to grandparents and they are finding it hard to get access to essential needs. Steele is in a privileged position.

Well I'm talking about a couple having their first newborn here, not single mothers in general. In cases where a single mother has her first child and no access to essential needs, that can't be helped by anyone (not even their employer, even if they wanted to). But here, the employer CAN do something to help, and the club have done that. And AFL players are already in the position of privlege. Queensland's state borders are technically closed, yet they have made exemptions for footballers and celebrities. Had Steele went, he would've gotten special treatment from the AFL and multiple state governments, and have the club and/or the AFL pay for all the expenses of multiple flights, suitable accomodation for a family with a newborn, stocked with all the required essentials. So by returning, he would be using his privlege even more so than if he didn't go. But this isn't about privlege; it's about making the most sensible decision. Let's make no mistake about it; the club and Steele did everything possible to try to get him to Queensland, but it was just too much a logistical nightmare. Also, given these are contracts we're working with, I don't think the club can stop paying him even if they wanted to. He's already sacrificing match payments by not going. I'm sure Steele isn't happy about how all this turned out either, and would go if it wasn't for these unique circumstances. You can't expect Steele to be so selfish to put a burdern on his wife when he has the option not to. Steele using his privlege as an AFL player to fly interstate multiple times for at least a month, just to maybe play an AFL game would be incredibly selfish and put an unecessary burdern on his wife. There is privlege no matter what he chooses to do, so may as well make the most sensible and unselfish one, that won't put a burdern on your family.

 

[Markfs]

lets stop it here... or you can post your reply as i wont be continuing.

the players started off this by not wanting to leave home but still wanting to be paid, even though blind freddie could see that with no one could go to the footy, ( and in early stages, no games at all) and the clubs couldnt afford to pay them their money.

Fortunately, sanity prevailed but the point of my original post was to note that a lot of people in the past and a lot of people now dont get to swan around on parental leave for long periods and get paid for it. The "absolute necessity" of a father being there for the first few months wasn't something that happened in the past.

The other aspect is that there are 70,000 or so members who paid their memberships and havent taken their money back. If you want to talk about fairness or unselfishness then consider them. A number of these members probably had babies through this period and many of them might be struggling with isolation.

It's wonderful to see the whole world revolve around steele's interests but he is in a bubble - just a different type of bubble than his team mates in queensland.
There are a lot of well off people around the world who are probably on a better wicket than Steele. He's rich enough but he's small fry on the filthy rich ladder. So I have no desire to kick him, but the thing that sparked this thing off for me is the sense of entitlement that seems to surround those involved with this baby, and it's just a little much for me. My father would have been lucky to get the day off from the railways when his kids were born, and I think that I might have got a week. Things have improved a lot for some including steele, but we seem to forget those who still have to deal with living in the dark ages.

I've heard endless comments from channel 7 and fox people saying that steele has every right to do what's best for himself and his family, and not incur any financial loss. Unfortunately, only a percentage of people get similar choices.

 

[The Royal Sampler]

With regard to the above, I will only add that it does irk me to hear things like “Steele doesn’t owe the club anything”.

Yes he’s entitled to parental leave, and I hope it’s wonderful for him, Alisha and Matilda.

Would any of us think we “don’t owe our employer anything” after 12 years working for the same organisation, because we became parents? I doubt it. We love our football and our club, but there is a loss of perspective there.