Say a prayer for Simon.

[Troy G]

Balmain player Simon Meyer was stretchered from the ground on Sunday and he is now in hospital in a very serious condition. My prayers and thoughts are with him, as I'm sure they are of all at RedandWhiteOnline.

[jude_boltons_babe]

my prayers are with simon i hope you get better soon

[Oscar]

All at East Coast Eagles recognise the gravity of the situation and we are with Simon all the way as he fights his way out of this dreadful situation.

Hang in there mate ....

[shearer]

I hope Simon gets well, noone likes to see this happen to any player in our game.

Troy i understand where you are coming from with your article but my mail is that the player involved in the incident is extremely distraught and has gone home to the country.

Also the Bulldogs captain Jason McPherson has spent some time with Simons father & brother(who were at the game) this week.

I started going to games of Sydney Footy since the late 70's and started playing late 80's and the game has cleaned itself up amazingly well since then. Who can forget the 1987 Grand Final when Campbelltown went nuts and belted St George players behind play. The first quarter went for 52 minutes, the game was shown on A Current Affair & one Campbelltwon player got 48 weeks..

Or the 91 GF between Norths & Parramatta that ended up 16 players to 14 (back in the 18 a side days) due to send offs..

Those days are long gone(thank god) and its a credit to the clubs and the league that that no longer happens.

From what i have heard of sundays "incident" it was just a terrible accident.

[Troy G]

Further to my article to clear something up.

I recieved this email earlier this week from Simon Laughton NSWAFL football Operations manager
"Re your question about the injury to Simon Meyer from Balmain. There was no report on the weekend and our priority at the moment is the welfare of the player." End of email.

So to clarify.
There was no report given by the umpires but what I wasn't told in the email at that time - and have now been informed by their Media manager this morning via the phone- was that the umpires DID SEE THE INCIDENT and deemed it a non reportable offence.

Troy Garner.

[Troy G]

This an email I've sent to the Media manager Jill Moss at NSWACTAFL Commission following a phone call this morning questioning parts of my article.

Jill,

This was the email I recieved by Simon.

"Hi Troy

Re your question about the injury to Simon Meyer from Balmain. There was no report on the weekend and our priority at the moment is the welfare of the
player.

Regards

*******************
Simon Laughton
Manager - Football Operations
AFL (NSW/ACT) Commission Ltd
(02) 9701 8255
0425 202 041"

Simon at no time mentions that the umpires saw the incident, ONLY that there was no report! I wrote my article and the second last paragraph of the article in particular with this in mind. That is, that the player was NOT known. That the NSW/ACT AFL Commission did NOT know, and that the umpires did NOT know! I did contact the clubs by email to ask if they knew who the player was, but of course their first instinct was to protect that player and I never got a response except a brief one about Simon's condition, so I had to write the article in a more "general sense" in part, as I wasn't given specifics and certainly would have written the second last paragraph -as you pointed out- differently had Simon revealed the umpires did see the incident, and the clubs responded. I certainly would have written the article with a slightly different feel. As it is, I don't back away from the article at all and my belief that irrespective of a report from the umpires or not that the controlling body needs to investigate.

Regards,
Troy Garner

[Troy G]

The NSW/ACTAFL commission have formally responded to my article.

" Troy, further to our phone conversation today I am formally asking you
to remove the inaccurate article on the Simon Meyer injury from your
website redandwhiteonline.com

It clearly lacks a number of key facts which would have been available
had you investigated thoroughly:

1. An umpire did witness the incident and did not deem it reportable.
2. The Balmain FC have the opportunity to cite any incident by 12noon on
Tuesday following the match and have not taken this course of action.
3. No-one from either club nor the AFL (NSW/ACT) officials present at
the match deemed it was a reportable offence.
4. The AFL (NSW/ACT) Commission will decide if an investigation is to
take place.

Our first priority at this time is the well being of Simon Meyer and his
family, as well as the players and officials of both clubs.

We have offered counselling to all involved and your article, and
particularly some of the references to the other player involved in the
incident, are both deplorable and incredibly upsetting to the football
community.

Once again I ask you to remove this article from your site.

regards

Jillian Moss
Media Manager
AFL (NSW/ACT) Commission
Ph: (02) 8333 8000
Mob: 0425 202 040
Fax: (02) 9360 2255

www.aflnswact.com.au

[Phil Doyle]

All of our thoughts here at the Mountain Lions go to Simon and the young Easts player in this sad incident for Sydney football

[Norris Lurker]

That's awful news.:( Get well soon Simon.