Bombertalk

hop wrote:"Yob dickhead feral filth"

www.theage.com.au wrote:Didak and Shaw's lies 'unforgivable': Buckley

Reko Rennie, Adrian Lowe
August 5, 2008 - 10:26AM

Collingwood's Alan Didak and Heath Shaw should be suspended indefinitely for their "unforgivable" lies about their drink-driving incident at the weekend, former Magpies captain Nathan Buckley said today.

Buckley's comments came after fellow Collingwood legend Tony Shaw called for Didak to be sacked and attacked his former club over its handling of his embattled nephew Heath, who lied about the identity of the passenger in his car after he drunkenly crashed into two parked cars in Kew on Saturday night.

Shamefaced Collingwood star Heath Shaw fronts the media after his involvement in a drink drive accident at the wekend.

He initially said it was someone not linked to football but witnesses to the crash told the media the passenger was Didak.

Buckley told Radio 3AW this morning that Shaw and Didak's lies were "unforgivable".

"For those players to be out from a football perspective six days before a game, when they have had an eight-day break is just unacceptable and then to top it off by being dishonest to the people in an environment where you rely on honesty and you rely on trust is unforgivable,'' Buckley said.

Buckley said both players should be suspended.

"I'd be suspending him indefinitely, if it was me, and I'd do the same with Heath Shaw, they're both mates of mine ... Alan's made too many poor choices," Buckley said.

"There needs to be a strong stance made by the club to set the tone, not just for Alan Didak or Heath Shaw but for all young players at football clubs, so it's distinct, what's acceptable and what's not, there needs to be a clear line drawn.''

Tony Shaw earlier told Radio 3AW that by covering for Didak, his nephew had "picked the wrong person".

"I think Heath deserves everything he cops in all ways from the club but the one thing about it, the lying part, there's no doubt there's an unwritten law within footy clubs that you look after your mates and unless they do something that physically harms someone or something against the law ... maybe Heath did the right thing in one way in helping out a mate but he probably picked the wrong person to do it for,'' he said.

"I think Alan Didak should have come out straight away and said he was part of it.

"I'd sack him (Didak), no doubt.''

Tony Shaw said his nephew's family had struggled with the club's approach to the incident by putting him up in front of the media "and publicly humiliating him".

"Last year Alan Didak did his press conference (about taking a wild car ride with CBD killer Christopher Hudson days before Hudson murdered Brendan Keilar) and they shut up shop,'' he said.

"I'd be pretty dirty if I was Heath.''

The club legend said the administration had not handled things properly.

"I the (club's) just trying to make an example and they haven't set the scene prior to this - Eddie (McGuire) will tell you I've rung him a number of times about different players doing different things off the field for nearly four to five years and I think that the protectionism that Eddie's trying to give the club to save their image in fact is detrimental to the very thing that you try to build and that's the culture," Tony Shaw said.

"He loves the club, he's got passion for the club, but this has been behind the scenes and they've always said they can handle it; well this is four times in the last two years that things have happened. They aren't handling it well at all.

"I just thought it should have been nipped in the bud with Alan Didak.''

The Collingwood hierarchy is still meeting to discuss the future of Shaw and Didak.

Some players have left the Lexus Centre, refusing to comment to waiting media.

Former Kangaroo great Glenn Archer, who is involved with Shaw's management, also declined to answer questions as he left the building.

Collingwood is expected to make a statement later today.

- with Lyall Johnson