Weak willed?

[dominguez]

the FFC board only make the "tough decisions" when they have a soft target like Jeffrey.

When a decision is necessary that requires some guts and steel (like dropping a "big name player" like DJ Headland back to the WAFL) there is all too often a deafening silence from FFC.

Dominguez, at no stage did I suggest the Board should select the team

That implies that you think the board should drop Headland

 

[Belnakor]

So you know for a fact they have done nothing??

I don't know it for a fact, but i'm pretty confident if he had been punished, we would know about it, considering Rick Hart's propensity to use the media to stroke his own ego.

 

[Belnakor]

I'd love to have Farmer in the side this week, and if he had accepted the 4 weeks for the eye gouge instead of fighting it he would be playing his fifth game for the season this week.

Was it up to Jeffrey to contest it anyway? It was a bad decision by the club, regardless of the massive consquences that have come about.

 

[Belnakor]

his decision to not answer his phone when Rick Hart, Ben Allan and Keith Black were trying to contact him.

Sounds more like Rick Hart's ego was damaged when Jeffrey wasn't at his beck and call. Suspending a player after not even hearing their version of events is ridicilous, yet that is what happened.

 

[Cameron_K]

I don't know it for a fact, but i'm pretty confident if he had been punished, we would know about it, considering Rick Hart's propensity to use the media to stroke his own ego.

You must be a MOB member surely or you're just pulling the piss

 

[Cameron_K]

Sounds more like Rick Hart's ego was damaged when Jeffrey wasn't at his beck and call. Suspending a player after not even hearing their version of events is ridicilous, yet that is what happened.

Seriously have you ever thought not hearing from Jeffrey the saint after being arrested and having to be alerted by the media didn't piss the club off any more.

Jeffrey ****ed up, its as simple as that and I just can't see how you can blame the board which most people at the time agreed with.

Sometimes in life there are more important things than football.

 

[Belnakor]

You must be a MOB member surely or you're just pulling the piss

I just want to know how one of our star players can be suspended without the club even hearing his side of the story.

 

[Cameron_K]

I just want to know how one of our star players can be suspended without the club even hearing his side of the story.

What could he have said, he broke several rules on the night before the club played.

I can't understand what reasoning he could come up with for being drunk the night before the team played and getting into a fight and being arrested at an establishment in which the players are banned from. Also not alerting the club who pays his wages that he was arrested and them having to hear from the media.

Don't forget the club tried to contact him when they found out but he was "unreachable"

 

[dominguez]

The issue i have is, is they let him get away with minor issues for a long period of time, doing apparantly, nothing and then finally one proverbial "straw that broke the camels back" comes along, and they come down on him like a ton of bricks. And you cannot tell me if the Ben Cousins saga hadn't been going on, Jeffrey would have gotten the same punishment.

A shitload of community service, and a big fine would have done the trick, but instead they have jeapodized our season so that Rick Hart can look like a big man.

So you think that he should have been suspended in the past for what you term minor issues? He has been spoken to many times by the coaching staff, senior players, and sent to anger management.

He had already copped a big fine. Players don't get paid while suspended by the tribunal, so the 6 weeks for eye gouging would have cost him atleast $20,000. That didn't work, and he already does loads of community service because he loves working with the kids. He was out in Northbridge the weekend prior to the incident with the bouncer, and had been warned not to go out in the days leading up to the incident. The club has gone beyond the call of duty to support Farmer over the years.

 

[dominguez]

Was it up to Jeffrey to contest it anyway? It was a bad decision by the club, regardless of the massive consquences that have come about.

Farmer was adament that he didn't eye gouge, and pleaded for them to contest it. The club backed him in and failed.

 

[dominguez]

Sounds more like Rick Hart's ego was damaged when Jeffrey wasn't at his beck and call. Suspending a player after not even hearing their version of events is ridicilous, yet that is what happened.

If I didn't show up at work and wouldn't answer my phone to tell the boss why I wasn't there I'd be sacked.

Suspended players aren't allowed to drink. It's an obvious rule, because otherwise Farmer's six week PUNISHMENT from the tribunal becomes a holiday to go out on the piss and have a laugh while the guys who behave themselves have to be up early to go to work. If the club had found out that he was out drinking, and then was too hungover to answer his phone at 10am, he would have probably been suspended anyway.

He was so upset about assaulting the bouncer that instead of going to bed after getting bailed out so that he could plead his case in the morning he kicked on to the casino. Farmer has some serious issues and hopefully the six week suspension sorts him out. If it doesn't he won't be playing for Fremantle next season.

 

[dominguez]

I just want to know how one of our star players can be suspended without the club even hearing his side of the story.

He had the option to give his side of the story and chose not to.

 

[theGav56]

The problem with the punishment, is while it punished Jeffrey, it has punished the entire team by removing an intregral cog in the team's make up.

Unbelieveable. The punishment doesn't punish the team. Farmer's behaviour does. same with the eye gouging. the suspension doesn't damage the team. Doing the eye gouge does because it is a reportable and unnecessary (not to mention cowardly) act.

 

[theGav56]

The issue i have is, is they let him get away with minor issues for a long period of time, doing apparantly, nothing and then finally one proverbial "straw that broke the camels back" comes along, and they come down on him like a ton of bricks.

Are you serious??? He broke the team rules after he had been suspended for 6 weeks. That is, he was already suspended for his poor behaviour.

 

[royalist]

I don't think Dockers fans are weak willed. They picked their side to follow and wont give up. It's only johnnie come latelys that go along for the good ride are weak willed.Stay with it through thick and thin.

 

[Belnakor]

What could he have said, he broke several rules on the night before the club played.

perhaps he could have said the bouncer may or may not have insulted his daughter. That seems to be the easiest way to get out of a 6 week suspension.

 

[dugrene]

Dunno when this thread got onto Jeff and am not going to back track all the posts.

I think the Club should act much the same as any normal person would expect from our basic community standards.

That if someone offends and is penalized by some sought of sentence, penalty or punishment and that person shows remorse and fulfills all that is required of them during the time of the punishment then unless otherwise stated during the details of the punishment being made most community standards allow for some sought of remission.

As I see it if Jeff does all that is required of him he should get some some sought of penalty remission.

It is one thing being seen to be tough but being gracious can give a whole different light on how organisations are perceived.
I'd be saying the same thing about anybody who might have had the same punishment.

 

[theGav56]

As I see it if Jeff does all that is required of him he should get some some sought of penalty remission.

I think the best thing for Farmer is for him to do the full suspension. Hopefully he will realise that he got off lightly because he is a valued football player. If he does, then at the end of the year, if he has kept it together, he may still have a career at Fremantle. It will be a far less lucrative one as he carries a truckload of penalty points, and any suspension will put him out for a very long time. That is a massive risk for a club to take when contracting any player, let alone a habitual hot head such as Farmer.

 

[Cameron_K]

Unfourtunately, I agree with thegav56 on this one.

I dont think that Jeff should have been suspended at all by FFC. The alleged assault was a matter for the Courts to deal with, and if found guilty for the Courts to punish Jeffrey. Jeffrey is now in a position where he will be punished by both the Court and the FFC - in many ways the Wiz is the victim of an unjust system.

Having said that, now that Rick "have ago hero" Hart has banished Jeffrey until round 13, I think the club has no choice but to enforce the penalty. The club would lose too much credibility if it backed out of the punishment now. They need to see it through - no matter how misconceived the original decision by the FFC board was.

Farmer was not suspended because of the assualt that is the point in which we are trying to make though. He was suspended for breaking team rules and visiting a night spot in which the club had banned the players from and then not letting the club know once he had been arrested.

The club did not suspend him for assualting a bouncer.

You understand now??

 

[The Night Shift]

Just wondering, does anyone know how long it took Nth Melbourne (you know the shinboner spirit and all that) to win their first flag in the VFL?

Also, If you knew it would take that long for Freo to win one would you stick around? Be honest now.

I dont change my alliegance. I've been with the Dockers from day 1 plus a Souths supporter from childhood. I don't measure my team support by time. The Dockers are a young club. Our time WILL come. Every clubs moment has it's turn to shine. Saying that - I'm planning to live a very long time

 

[pistol17]

Farmer was not suspended because of the assualt that is the point in which we are trying to make though. He was suspended for breaking team rules and visiting a night spot in which the club had banned the players from and then not letting the club know once he had been arrested.

The club did not suspend him for assualting a bouncer.

You understand now??

Rick Hart also said Jeff failed to contact the club regarding the incident, the club had to hear about it on a news report. One player received a text message a few hours before the game on the sunday and no further contact till the next morning.

The assault is a matter for the courts yes however he is a senior player of the club who was already suspended for eye gouging, he was out on the town when he should not have been, failed to inform the club at all. All this weighed into the 6 week ban and i dont think it is unjust at all. He f..ked up yet again and deserves the time off.

 

[Cameron_K]

You can't really be that dumb to believe that can you?

This guy has to be an opposition supporter pulling the piss doesn't he?

 

[pistol17]

He was suspended for breaking team rules and visiting a night spot in which the club had banned the players from and then not letting the club know once he had been arrested.

Yes but the suspension was entirely unjust.

Rick Hart and the FFC Board suspended Jeffrey without even speaking to him, and then announced there decision in the media before informing him. This was a clear breach of procedural fairness.

In many ways Jeffrey is a modern day Rubin "Hurricane" Carter.

They dont need to speak to Jeff before deciding his punishment. The punishment wasnt totally given for the assault charge, it was for breaking teams rules. The rules he broke were not informing the club of the charge, being out where he should not have been the night before a game, drinking before a game. The FFC had to find out via a news break on the radio. Pretty poor from a senior player.

Can I clarify what you mean by he is a modern day Rubin "Hurricane" Carter? I hope you not implying what I think you are!

 

[Belnakor]

They dont need to speak to Jeff before deciding his punishment. The punishment wasnt totally given for the assault charge, it was for breaking teams rules.

The problem i have, is that for all the board knew, Jeffrey was walking past the club, and a bouncer mouthed off at him from across the street about his daughter, and "gentleman" jeff went across to speak to the bouncer, and a heated confrontation took place. The bouncer then told police Jeffrey was drunk. During the fight Jeffrey's phone was unfortunately damaged, and soon after Jeffrey had to attend to a family emergency. Now thats a load of crap, but the fact is the board didn't know the circumstances. All they went on was hearsay.

The problems i have are 2 fold:

1) Why are the board dishing out punishments to players, when that should be CC and the leadership group's decisions? Does the board think they are more suited for player discipline?
2) The board did not speak to Jeffrey before announcing to the media they had suspended him for 6 weeks. I think this was simply unfair. The suspension may have been warranted, but like everything, you need to hear both sides of the story. It was a huge knee jerk reaction. If Jeffrey was uncontactable they should have either tracked him down, or said the decision was pending.

 

[pistol17]

The problem i have, is that for all the board knew, Jeffrey was walking past the club, and a bouncer mouthed off at him from across the street about his daughter, and "gentleman" jeff went across to speak to the bouncer, and a heated confrontation took place. The bouncer then told police Jeffrey was drunk. During the fight Jeffrey's phone was unfortunately damaged, and soon after Jeffrey had to attend to a famil yemergency. Now thats a load of crap, but the fact is the board didn't know the circumstances. All they went on was hearsay.

The problems i have are 2 fold:

1) Why are the board dishing out punishments to players, when that should be CC and the leadership group's decisions? Does the board think they are more suited for player discipline?
2) The board did not speak to Jeffrey before announcing to the media they had suspended him for 6 weeks. I think this was simply unfair. The suspension may have been warranted, but like everything, you need to hear both sides of the story.

1) CC was consulted by Rick Hart before the punishment was handed out, CC agreed with the punishment.
2) I dont agree with the board not informing Jeff however he was uncontactable all day. They expected him to be at the game so they could inform him there but he wasnt, he could not be contacted by a player, coaching staff or board member. Heath Black was the only guy who was in contact and all that was, was a text message. Black tried to get in contact and couldnt get through. Jeff would have been informed if he had of been where he should have.