Will micky be 100% by round 1!!!!!

[Ten Ton Hammer]

Just wondering if you guys know if he'll be 100% by round 1!!!!

We need micky'o firing by round 1!!!!

 

[thommoone]

he wont be 100% by round one, but thats ok. Probably be around 80%. The thing bout magic is he can still tear u appart sitting in the square injured, he is that gifted.

 

[ZimZum]

Originally posted by thommoone
he wont be 100% by round one, but thats ok. Probably be around 80%. The thing bout magic is he can still tear u appart sitting in the square injured, he is that gifted.

AMEN BROTHER

 

[thommoone]

i am so exited, just over 1 week to go

 

[Schneiderman]

The question is will he play at all, this year or next?

http://www.realfooty.theage.com.au/realfooty/articles/2004/03/19/1079199424159.html

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/03/19/1079199431279.html

Edit: I cant get to either link or even website now. They alleged Mick was the third player involved in the alleged rape of the 23 yr old woman in Adelaide. Can anyone else get to these links?

 

[thommoone]

O'Loughlin linked to payment
By Peter Ker, Penelope Debelle
March 20, 2004




Michael O'Loughlin at training yesterday.
Picture: Jon Reid


Sydney Swans star Michael O'Loughlin is the third footballer involved in the payment of about $200,000 to an Adelaide woman.

The payment was made after the woman sent a letter of demand to three footballers following an alleged incident in an Adelaide park in August 2000.

O'Loughlin is believed to have been present before or during the incident, but not directly involved in it. He was never charged and it is believed he was not even interviewed by police.

The Swans yesterday issued a statement that did not name O'Loughlin, but said: "The player has steadfastly denied any wrongdoing from the beginning and continues to do so."

The Age is not suggesting O'Loughlin at any stage acted unlawfully.



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Neither O'Loughlin, nor his manager Ron Joseph, could be contacted yesterday despite repeated attempts. The club denied a request from The Age to interview O'Loughlin.

The other two players involved in the payment were current Port Adelaide player Peter Burgoyne and former Sydney, Port and Brisbane Lions player Adam Heuskes.

Burgoyne and Heuskes faced rape charges in the Adelaide Magistrates Court, but they were dropped by the South Australian Director of Public Prosecutions, who determined there was "no reasonable prospect of conviction on any criminal charge".

The woman subsequently took civil action against the players and sought a financial settlement.

Sydney chairman Richard Colless said in a statement that a Swans player made a payment to the woman. "The club is aware that, as reported, a payment was made and accepted without any admission of liability," he said.

"The Sydney Swans did not contribute to any such payment - and nor would it in any circumstances," he said.

"The incident was fully investigated by the police. The Swans player concerned was never even interviewed, let alone charged," Colless said.

AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou moved to distance the league from any settlement. "The AFL was not a party to this settlement and is unaware of the full details," he said.

Port yesterday said that Burgoyne was fined about $5000 and counselled over the late-night incident.

Port has denied contributing to the payment or to Burgoyne's legal fees. It said the payment was arranged through the legal representatives of the players.

Heuskes was not an AFL player at the time of the incident, having quit Brisbane earlier that season.

Port chief executive Brian Cunningham said Burgoyne was distressed by the renewed publicity.

The revelations come as police continue investigations into rape allegations against St Kilda players Stephen Milne and Leigh Montagna.

 

[thommoone]

The Swans' secret is out. Jessica Halloran, Richard Hinds, Peter Ker and Penelope Debelle report.

The skeleton in the Sydney Swans' closet finally fell out on Thursday night. With all the fizz and bravado of the official AFL launch in Melbourne lingering in the air, daily newspapers in Sydney and Melbourne were furiously printing front pages detailing a payment of $200,000 by two AFL players to a woman following an incident in August 2000.

One of the players is Sydney Swans star Michael O'Loughlin.

In the autumn sunshine yesterday, O'Loughlin ran and stretched through training - nothing unusual. The only difference yesterday was that he was running around the Moore Park turf with more than football troubling his mind.

It is understood he made the payment on the advice of his manager, and that the sum was modest. He was not charged or interviewed by the police, and the Herald does not suggest he acted unlawfully.

The player or his manager did not returns calls made by the Herald.

In this current climate, a footballer's murky past is dredged up with seemingly more ease than ever before.

The sexual misconduct allegations against two St Kilda players, Stephen Milne and Lee Montagna, earlier this week stirred up history and football players' and officials' nerves.


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There were murmurs around the Swans during the week that maybe the incident, which occurred in Adelaide, could raise its terrible head - but, of course, there was strong hope it would not.

It happened four years ago - on a late winter Saturday night, the football season was over and there was no need for a player to be concerned about skinfolds or staying out too late. O'Loughlin went out with two other footballers, Port Adelaide's Peter Burgoyne, then 22, and former Swans and Brisbane player Adam Heuskes, then 24.

Heuskes, a flamboyant character, had quit football a month earlier on the eve of the finals series in July 2000, winding up 125 games of AFL football since his debut in 1994. Burgoyne's team had finished 14th on the ladder and there was not much to celebrate.

The trio met the woman at a nightspot and the incident was said to have occurred in Adelaide's west parklands in the early hours of August 17. O'Loughlin is believed to have been near the incident but did not take part.

Burgoyne and Heuskes were charged with rape but the charges were not proceeded with and there were no convictions. All three players have denied any wrongdoing.

The Swans state that their player was never interviewed about the incident, let alone charged. It is understood that O'Loughlin was later counselled by the Swans and the club also conducted its own investigation into the incident. But now it has been claimed that Burgoyne and O'Loughlin - unlike Heuskes still contracted to football clubs - reached an out-of-court settlement with the woman who had made the allegations against Burgoyne and Heuskes. The woman had commenced a civil action after criminal proceedings ceased.

The settlement was made on the basis that the players made no admissions of liability over the allegations. The Swans said the football club did not contribute to the payment.

The club yesterday afternoon released a written statement by its chairman Richard Colless.

"Far from being hushed up, the events and investigation were in fact a matter of public record at the time," it said. "The club is aware that, as reported, a payment was made and accepted without any admission of liability. The Sydney Swans did not contribute to any such payment and nor would it in any circumstances.

"The player has steadfastly denied any wrongdoing from the beginning and continues to do so. Accordingly, the club believes that in the circumstances, including the fact that the police chose not to interview him, that the player's wishes not to be named ought to be respected."

Port Adelaide yesterday said Burgoyne, who was not named in the South Australian press, was fined about $5000 and counselled over the incident. The club said it abhorred sexual harassment or violence against women. However, Burgoyne's standing with the club was guaranteed after charges against him and Heuskes were dropped on the advice of South Australian Director of Public Prosecutions.

"No finding was made against him and therefore the club stood by and continues to stand by our player," Port Adelaide president Greg Boulton read from a prepared statement.

Boulton said the club advised the player to obtain a lawyer and attended his legal meetings.

Like all AFL clubs, the Swans pride themselves on player welfare and education on issues like racial vilification and sexual harassment. Showing initiative, the players themselves moved with swift action when sexual assault allegations emerged against the Bulldogs NRL team last month.

Led by the Swans captain Stuart Maxfield, the leadership group met about two weeks ago. "The leadership got the group together and had a bit of a chat about someone else to get in . . . a guy that spoke to us a few years back, just in terms, on how we handle ourselves around the footy club in society in general. . . He's going to come and speak to us again next Tuesday and address the group," Maxfield said.

"If the guys have got any questions, they can ask how to handle certain situations and make sure they don't get themselves in an awkward situation."

Following the allegations against the St Kilda players, Maxfield was asked whether curfews would be imposed on players. He believed it was not necessary. "No, certainly not, our guys work hard, they are professional players, quality people, right throughout the whole organisation. It's not really an issue we need to address," Maxfield said.

Yesterday, training wasn't much different from every other day. Footballs littered the ground, midfielders sprinted, the club doctor appeared, the physio checked out aching muscles and coaches chatted. But for a Friday, with round one a week away, the media presence was over-the-top for this training session - two television crews, a bunch of reporters and a cameraman sleeping in the cool shade while waiting for the interviews to begin.

Sydney play premiers Brisbane next weekend. But it seems now the talk will not be solely about duelling full-backs and full-forwards, stunning midfielders and Brownlow medallists. Talk has now shifted to a very serious, and potentially damaging, issue.