Schools are a festering cesspool for Covid and a probably leading cause for the spread of Covid and the increase incidence of close contacts. That’s a different “sporting team environment” than an elite AFL clubOriginally Posted by Bangalore Swans
Schools are a festering cesspool for Covid and a probably leading cause for the spread of Covid and the increase incidence of close contacts. That’s a different “sporting team environment” than an elite AFL club
Swans on COVID alert, a few players unavailable for R1
Confirmation of the COVID challenges the club is currently having to manage, though with no names provided of those unavailable.
I've heard Chad Warner
We should play Jmac inside
My point remains that players should not be house mates in these times. One gets Covid and the rest of the house are close contacts.
Does anyone who follows social media know if there are many Swans whom are housemates of each other?
Do people support my call for the Swans to ban house sharing between players?
Maybe the AFL can give Swans their COLA back so players can afford not to have to share a house.
Hi Bangalore,
Most of the young Swans live together.
- Gus, Campbell & Sheather
- Juzzy & McLean
- Blakey, Rowbottom & Tom McCartin
- Roberts, Rankin & McAndrew
- Hayward & Amartey
- Stephens, McDonald & the Warners
Though i understand your apprehension about them sharing confines in the time of COVID, its important to remember two things..
1. This process of sharing accommodation is vital in helping the majority of our players who are from interstate settle in in Sydney. Homesickness is already a challenge we have to contend with, that challenge would be brought forward by a year or two if you were forcing 18 & 19 year olds to live by themselves in a city that's foreign to them.
2. It is not financially feasible to have 40 odd players living by themselves and paying for their own accommodation. Have you seen the prices of real estate in Sydney?? Astronomical!! I have seen some of the places these boys are staying in.. dog boxes.. and that's what 3 of their $ worth of rent COMBINED affords them!!
There is no viable alternative and all we can do is limit the damage of potential COVID exposure. I know of a case over the summer where one of our players was forced into COVID, and his two housemates spent that week at another teammates place and also an assistant coach's house. This is the new normal. We are dealing with it as best we can, as all clubs are. Until it gets better, and it will. It will take time.
CHEER CHEER
That’s the same for every person on the planet and am I to assume that you’re suggesting that a football club is more important than two ambos, nurses, doctors or allied health who work COVID front line and live together?
I shun social media but from the many books I’ve read it’s pretty common practice for young/new Swans to be housed together (for cost, bonding, ability to manage nutritional requirements etc). Young players are also billeted with more senior players who have families.
I, for one, do not.
1) Covid is here to stay for the foreseeable future. As a more global community, we (Australia & the world) needs to learn how to adapt. What you’re proposing is not moving our management strategy forward.
2) where are you proposing you put them? Separate houses? They would essentially be living in isolation (if they are single young males)
3) while there is certainly a risk of contagion between housemates, if they limit beyond-club exposure risk, it considerably reduces the within dwelling risk (ie. if they don’t have COVID they can’t spread it to people in their house.
4) the demographic of spread seems to escalate among particular populations (eg those that attend mass social events, school children). You’d be better to tell any player with young children that they should pull their kids from school to prevent the risk of the child contracting COVID from their peers and bringing home to the player. That’s a stupid idea too.
5) the spread can be mitigated with good practice: vaccination (which is mandatory for them), daily RATs - which they do), diligent hand hygiene (alcohol gel in dispensers with them and around the house), strict social distancing (no interacting with fans and limit in-season gatherings, ensure non-immediate family/friends contact at negative on RAT), wear better masks (N95 rather than the less effective ones), wear masks properly (the number of times I see a mask worn below the nose or not at all is staggering - sure they are a pain to wear but I’m in a N95 about 1/3 of the day, almost every day, it’s not that bad), protective eyewear (not just common glasses) as COVID is droplet spread (and few people take this precautions)
6) if what you’re suggesting is reasonable, then goswannette and I should live in separate houses. If one of us contracts COVID, up to about 20% of the Physio department at our hospital is taken out. Mitigating risk is a far more reasonable and sensible approach. Hence we adhere to the safeguards of point 5
Where are you storing your leprechaun with his magical pot of money for the club to fund this (because the COLA is a club expense, I believe, and football department spending was reduced, not increased, as was COVID impacted club revenue.
- - - Updated - - -
Beat me to it
This is what I’m talking about. Imagine Blakey, McCartin and Rowbottom being rubbed out because one got Covid. Or Stephens, MCDonald or the Warner’s. One case and up to three are rubbed out.
Maybe the players can share houses with other young people outside the football industry. It may help them get out of the football bubble. Sharing houses with nurses or young doctors would be perfect. They’re tested every day, work hard and can be a lot of fun.
Stephens not JMac. JMac is too valuable in the role he already plays. If we lose a few maybe Roberts to debut. He was a little off the pace in the GWS game when he came on at the end of the third. But will pick it up.
Bell can also come in. He is a decent replacement.
Sent from my JAT-L29 using Tapatalk
When one looks around the world - senseless bombing in Ukraine, ongoing civil war in Yemen, totalitarian rule in Myanmar, millions of people having died with/from Covid, thousands of people in parts of NSW and Queensland homeless due to floods etc etc - the possibility of the Swans losing a few players for a footy match, or even of losing a footy match because a few players are missing, doesn't really seem that significant.
Both, at times. I've been extremely vocal about JMac's endless potential as a winger and want him starting there, but also spoken about his potential inside - as we saw in the Essendon thriller last year when his move into the middle was essential in stemming the slaughter we were copping in there from Parish and Merrett. Ideally, with our emphasis on player flexibility, he can play predominantly as a winger, but roll through some centre clearances now and then.
I suspect Stephens has the same potential - we just didn't get the chance to witness it last year.
'Delicious' is a fun word to say
OK here we go:
1. Some players have school age kids. Do you isolate them from their kids for the season? If we do we won't have any of them playing. They will refuse to do that.
2. You are talking about the younger players obviously. But one thing you must understand is that even hotel employees get COVID, especially these newer strains. So the environment would be no better than their share home. What's more the psychological effect of isolating young men in a hotel for 6 months would be disastrous. Most of them have girlfriends or partners. I don't think separating the from all contact with humanity, especially people close to them is at all healthy. You might stop COVID but other problems will manifest. Depression is not just a psychological condition caused by brain chemistry, it can be caused situations such as this. Isolation is a key factor in situational depression.
3. To stop Omicron variants you would have to isolate the completely. No contact with anyone except at the club. That becomes problematic too. Because the staff at the club would not be isolated. They would still be going home to partners, girlfriends/boyfriends etc. Picking the kids up from school. Socialising.
So, as far as isolating the players goes I think it not only problematic, it is impossible to do. There are too many factors that can impact. My friend's who work in hospitality all tell me they have had Omicron or Delta. This is why hotels are desperately on need of casual staff. Hotels run on Aircon. This is not a healthy environment for players in the long term. The air is recycles through water cooling systems. If not cleaned regularly disease spreads.
There are risks no matter what they do. My position is to keep the protocols the way they are. Isolate those with close contact or those with a positive RAT and continue on. After 2-5 days those with close contact can rejoin the group. After 5-7 days those who contract Omicron can join the main group as they are no longer infectious. It is a sensible protocol.
Sent from my JAT-L29 using Tapatalk
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks