Its a tough one. Can understand Gary's frustration, but at the end of the day, he was not far off being a fringe player over his last couple of seasons with us (Despite some good individual moments), and I certainly don't think the club got anywhere near the return they would have hoped to get from a #6 draft pick. No small part of that was his injuries of course however.
Seems to have settled well at Geelong - but will be interesting to see how he goes when they are not playing so well.
"You get the feeling that like Monty Python's Black Knight, the Swans would regard amputation as merely a flesh wound."
It's not a long bow at all, how else would you read it?Originally Posted by stevoswan
Some things are bigger than the game, and if the club acted as per your post (if you're available, you're personal circumstances are irrelevant) then I'd be really disappointed
One also has to remember that out of this tragedy also came joy and life with the surviving twin. I have not been through the same sort of thing (however I have experienced differing tragedy) but the joy of the surviving life in the aftermath of such a tragedy should have had him playing out of his skin....even at his new club, he is hardly playing out of his skin but is contributing with a couple of goals a week in his usual quiet fashion. Lets see how his career at the Cats unfolds over time before we judge our clubs actions.....
If you are making yourself available to play, you are saying you are emotionally ok to play. You can't read it any other way. The club would be asking him "are you ready to play?' meaning they ARE taking his emotional circumstances into consideration.....by saying he is ready, they have ticked that box. It is drawing a long bow to imply that our club didn't care about his personal circumstances....and frankly, irresponsible. Do you do twitter? Do you enjoy 'outrage'? Take a chill pill and settle down.
Is there any evidence to suggest the club didn't support him after the death of his baby? I'd suggest the club did everything within reason to provide as much support as they could - there are plenty of examples throughout recent years of the club going above and beyond to help the broader 'wellness' of their players, so I can't see that somehow Rohan was treated different.
I really feel the 'walking on eggshells' comment was more to do with his place in the 22, and perhaps a little to do with his long term future at the club than anything.
And to be honest, that come down to as much as he was a fringe 22 player by the end with us, and not delivering anywhere near the outcomes expected of someone of his percieved quality across almost a decade since being drafted.
Yes one can argue he should have been given greater leeway perhaps for the personal tragedy off the field, but in that case, one could also alternatively mount an argument about whether he should have been selected at all?
"You get the feeling that like Monty Python's Black Knight, the Swans would regard amputation as merely a flesh wound."
I stand by my view that its not great feedback for the club. I'd have much preferred to hear that he was really happy with the support he received in that situation. That's my opinion and I stand by it.
You're entitled to your opinion, but I don't have to agree with it
I think you've nailed it on this one, barry. I was one of those with endless patience, just waiting for him to finally deliver.
He didn't play a game for us after June last year. He had, in fact, become a fringe player.
Rohan and Menzel both needed a change in scenery. Gary seems the same old Gary at Geelong. And so does Menzel so far. We'll revisit this at the end of the season.
I wouldn't be disappointed at all. If there are broader issues impacting on your footy and your not 100% right to go, then you shouldn't be putting your hand up for selection, and/or the club should recognise that and not consider you for selection.
While we love all the other things that our footy club stands for etc etc, at the end of the day professional sport is about winning games, and for AFL ultimately its about trying to win the Flag. And to do that, sentimentality should never come into the selection process. If your putting your hand up saying your right to play, the club should either say 'no your not' if there are outstanding issues, or alternatively accept you are 'good to go' and be treated accordingly - i.e. if your form is crap, then you should be walking on eggshells. And ultimately, he was at best a fringe player at the end for us.
There may well be a failure on the part of the club here - but its not the one that Wilson is inferring. More likely, it appears they may well have accepted Rohan's word that he was 'right to go', rather then saying 'no we don't think you are'.
"You get the feeling that like Monty Python's Black Knight, the Swans would regard amputation as merely a flesh wound."
I'd forgotten about this, and I agree with barry's reading of the situation. I don't think the "eggshells" refer to the death of their baby, and in any case the Swans were well and truly able to meet any need in that area - a psychologist, the experience of Jarrad McVeigh, etc. Of course Gary would jump at the offer of guaranteed game time, as would anyone in his shoes.
And I'd be ready and eager to watch his highlights reel. If only there had been a few more examples ...
He reminds him of the guys, close-set, slow, and never rattled, who were play-makers on the team. (John Updike, seeing Josh Kennedy in a crystal ball)
Stevoswan
With regards to the broken leg, he has returned to play, but few bar Gary and his closest likely really know if he’s fully recovered. Nathan Brown “recovered” from his broken leg but was never the same player. I broke my leg some 15 years ago. I turn up to work like I always have. I occasionally play sport. It’s still not the same and never has been, the pain is always there to a degree and that’s not exposing it to physical rigours or elite AFL football.
With regards to the loss of his child. NO ONE will ever know how it has affected him and those close to him. To suggest that survival of one (and any joy associated with that) will necessarily mitigate the loss of the other is both somewhat insensitive and ignorant. It may, but it simply may not. Everyone grieves differently and for different durations. At work I encounter people who grieve (to the point of breaking down in tears) the loss of a family member years after the persons passing.
Gary putting his hand up to play doesn’t mean he is 100%. Most, if not all, of us turn up to work when we’re not 100% (physically, mentally, emotionally) sometimes. It doesn’t mean we don’t need support in some way. If he waited until he was perfectly recovered, he might not ever have played again.
Stevo, please don’t interpret my post as “having a go at you” - it’s just I feel that too often people’s circumstances aren’t black and white and Gary has as many reasons as most to struggle and feel the need of support. I’m not saying the club didn’t or did support him (though I personally hope & believe the club I love would have in every way). But even that support has an element of perception. The club and Gary’s Swans team mates might have felt they gave him all the support he needed. Gary might have perceived the exact same circumstances differently.
I still like Gary as an individual, but as an opposition player I wish him no more onfield success than I would any other opposition player (which is to say, none). But as a person and a former Swan, I will always wish Gary and his loved ones well.
We showed enormous patience with him after his broken leg in 2012. We showed endless patience with AJ after his first injury in 2013. Rohan probably picked up the feeling that the patience was starting to wear thin. Totally understandable. Young guys like Gary and AJ will always be hurt after delisting or trading. Doesn't mean the club acted improperly. Caroline Wilson also doesn't mind starting a bit of gossip that in most cases is crap. That's what Melbourne footy media trades in.
I would be very surprised if the swans didn't provide support to Rohan. There have been numerous examples over the years...Goodes, McVeigh, AJ, Buddy, Grundy. This is one of the things that I love about our club.
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