EFC possibly dumped in the shit

[Jazz_84]

our very own Bev Knight has spoken out about this issue of recruiting indigenous, and beautifully dropped us in it.... im surprised she didn't tell her mate Caro about it and let her froth up at the mouth and tell the world from the rooftops

Sheedy's outrade yesterday might just come back to bite him in the arse if someone is up for calling him on it

Even at Essendon, the club with a reputation for best embracing Aboriginal players and where Knight served 17 years on the board, race-related stereotyping took place to the detriment of indigenous footballers.

''And I can think of instances, even at my own club, of players that they lost for probably the wrong reasons.''

Asked to clarify the observation, Knight said: ''Not recruited because of a perception or stereotyping.''

Knight said she tried for years at Essendon, where she stepped down as a director in 2010, to introduce a program to groom future indigenous board members.

Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/l ... z1pKDAqRzs

[BenDoolan]

Haha....Bev Knight has her good points, but IMO, she is a f****** leech. I still remember her protests while she was still at the club about the handling of Richard Cole (non selection in the team). That's right, the bloke who turned up to pre-season training with diabolical skin folds and who's attitude wreaked of "I don't give a shit". At that moment Beverley, you lost me completely.

My experience is that an indigenous player has to be absolutely sensational to get onto a list.

Richard Cole, Justin Murphy, Lachlan Ross, Shawn Lewfatt, Russell Williams, Nathan Lovett-Murray, Jarrod Atkinson, Willie Dick, Mark Williams were all "sensational" were they?

Knight said she tried for years at Essendon, where she stepped down as a director in 2010, to introduce a program to groom future indigenous board members.

''It's absolutely crucial … because that's where the decisions are made,'' she said yesterday.

''So until you have someone representing that group, you're not really serious.

Yes, and while we're at it, lets recruit an Irish board member to represent the Michael Quinn types, A Kiwi board member to represent the Daniel McAlister types, a Muslim board member to represent the Bachar Houli types, an Italian board member to represent the Mercuri, Misiti, Alessio types, a Greek board member for the David Zaharakis types, a Jewish board member to represent the Julian Kirzner and Ariel Steinberg types etc. Lets have a board with 25+ board members

You are full of shit. Piss off.

And the f****** idiot has probably set back women being on the board of any club simply because she refuses to keep her big trap SHUT.

[Mrs Mercuri]

A bit harsh to include Natrat in your list BD... He will never be a 'star' player but I think for someone who came off the rookie list he has carved out a pretty handy career in the red and black!

[Gimps]

A bit harsh to include Natrat in your list BD... He will never be a 'star' player but I think for someone who came off the rookie list he has carved out a pretty handy career in the red and black!

Agreed.

[BenDoolan]

A bit harsh to include Natrat in your list BD... He will never be a 'star' player but I think for someone who came off the rookie list he has carved out a pretty handy career in the red and black!

Wait a minute, she said they have to be "sensational" to get on a list. For someone to come through on two rookie lists to make it to senior level doesn't equate to their ability as "sensational". He's a good honest battler, but nowhere near "sensational" - which is exactly what you have said and re-inforced, and the point I'm making!

[Mrs Mercuri]

A bit harsh to include Natrat in your list BD... He will never be a 'star' player but I think for someone who came off the rookie list he has carved out a pretty handy career in the red and black!

Wait a minute, she said they have to be "sensational" to get on a list. For someone to come through on two rookie lists to make it to senior level doesn't equate to their ability as "sensational". He's a good honest battler, but nowhere near "sensational" - which is exactly what you have said and re-inforced, and the point I'm making!

Oops... apologies BD... I obviously didn't read the original post properly!

[BenDoolan]

A bit harsh to include Natrat in your list BD... He will never be a 'star' player but I think for someone who came off the rookie list he has carved out a pretty handy career in the red and black!

Wait a minute, she said they have to be "sensational" to get on a list. For someone to come through on two rookie lists to make it to senior level doesn't equate to their ability as "sensational". He's a good honest battler, but nowhere near "sensational" - which is exactly what you have said and re-inforced, and the point I'm making!

Oops... apologies BD... I obviously didn't read the original post properly!

No worries.

Thought you might have been a bit pleased with the fact I gave your man a mention

[Windy_Hill]

What is with the name Knights and the Essendon Football Club that just seems so wrong in recent years



Anyway, the real point is that I am sure young Aboriginal kids are no more a risk to a clubs recruiting plans than homesick Western Australians or South Australians drafted to Victorian teams? No doubt Aboriginal kids have much bigger social challenges to clear but then if you took some pimply faced white kid who has only ever lived on a remote cattle station in the outback playing footy with country teams hunderds of miles apart and never visited a city bigger than Alice Springs I am sure you are going to have exactly the same issues. Oh and by the way, as far as family feuds go, wasnt Lance Whitnall caught up in exactly the same issues a few years back and he was roundly named as one of the smartest footy brains in the comp??

[nomolos]

Honestly...some of them just have issues and they are best to stay from.

Its good recruiting to be honest.

[Ossie]

Honestly...some of them just have issues and they are best to stay from.

Its good recruiting to be honest.

And white guys don't? Bullshit.

Every player should be recruited based on ability and character. Nothing else.
If we want to talk about guys who come with issues (or created their own issues along the way), what about Fevola, Carey, Ablett Sr, Cousins, Chick, Mainwaring, Vince, Moloney, f*** me the list is a mile long.
Lets not pretend for one second that aboriginal guys are more difficult to deal with just because they're aboriginal.

[robrulz5]

It's as if The Age is trying to paint us as being like Hawthorn or Collingwood who never used to recruit indigenous players at all.

[Megan]

I think it's safe to say that the indigenous boys aren't more difficult to handle... Just different to handle.

Everyone has their battles. Colour, religion, height, weight, sexuality, ability, heritage, attitude, whatever. It happens. I think the problem - if there is one, I dunno - isn't with the indigenous boys alleged 'issues', but with how their introduced to the different culture as easily influenced kids, and helped to learn to deal with it. I think this appiles to a lot more than just them too. I know there's been problems in the past with some Tassie boys leaving small, borderline rural communities down here and shifting up to a vastly populated (compared to us) city. It's a big shock. Would be interested to hear how Johnathon Brown would've gone had he been drafted from the sticks to Collingwood? But he's fairly levelheaded it seems. Literally if he keeps getting his faced smacked in

[nomolos]

Honestly...some of them just have issues and they are best to stay from.

Its good recruiting to be honest.

And white guys don't? Bullshit.

Every player should be recruited based on ability and character. Nothing else.
If we want to talk about guys who come with issues (or created their own issues along the way), what about Fevola, Carey, Ablett Sr, Cousins, Chick, Mainwaring, Vince, Moloney, f*** me the list is a mile long.
Lets not pretend for one second that aboriginal guys are more difficult to deal with just because they're aboriginal.

The recruiters wouldn't do psychological and personality tests nor would they go to recruits homes and meet the families if they solely based it on ability. Even white players.

And yes they are more difficult in some circumstances, lets not pretend that the white players have had any where near the amount of trouble growing up (ie Tribal, poverty, drugs, alcohol, abuse) that the aboriginal players do.

[BenDoolan]

BTW, thank f*** Bev Knight and Ray Horsburgh are off the board.

[Ossie]

Honestly...some of them just have issues and they are best to stay from.

Its good recruiting to be honest.

And white guys don't? Bullshit.

Every player should be recruited based on ability and character. Nothing else.
If we want to talk about guys who come with issues (or created their own issues along the way), what about Fevola, Carey, Ablett Sr, Cousins, Chick, Mainwaring, Vince, Moloney, f*** me the list is a mile long.
Lets not pretend for one second that aboriginal guys are more difficult to deal with just because they're aboriginal.

The recruiters wouldn't do psychological and personality tests nor would they go to recruits homes and meet the families if they solely based it on ability. Even white players.

And quite rightly, they do. I'm not even sure what Matt Rendell was talking about - they have a heap of indigenous players.

And yes they are more difficult in some circumstances, lets not pretend that the white players have had any where near the amount of trouble growing up (ie Tribal, poverty, drugs, alcohol, abuse) that the aboriginal players do.

In SOME circumstances, yeah, sure. But some white guys are more difficult, in SOME circumstances.
As Megan said above : "indigenous boys aren't more difficult to handle... Just different to handle."

[Gimps]

Honestly...some of them just have issues and they are best to stay from.

Its good recruiting to be honest.

And white guys don't? Bullshit.

Every player should be recruited based on ability and character. Nothing else.
If we want to talk about guys who come with issues (or created their own issues along the way), what about Fevola, Carey, Ablett Sr, Cousins, Chick, Mainwaring, Vince, Moloney, f*** me the list is a mile long.
Lets not pretend for one second that aboriginal guys are more difficult to deal with just because they're aboriginal.

Rubbish.

Don't for a minute think I am making "racist" comments here.

The density of Aboriginal players having "problems" far outweigh "white" players. Think of how many Aboriginal players there have been over the years, and how many of them have gone walkabout, committed a crime, or just given up because they can't hack the lifestyle.

Most of them have a "harder" upbringing than your average "white" person. Generalization I know, but it's true. So it's understandable that these "problems" may occur. Therefore, recruiting an aboriginal player provides a greater risk.

[Ossie]

Honestly...some of them just have issues and they are best to stay from.

Its good recruiting to be honest.

And white guys don't? Bullshit.

Every player should be recruited based on ability and character. Nothing else.
If we want to talk about guys who come with issues (or created their own issues along the way), what about Fevola, Carey, Ablett Sr, Cousins, Chick, Mainwaring, Vince, Moloney, f*** me the list is a mile long.
Lets not pretend for one second that aboriginal guys are more difficult to deal with just because they're aboriginal.

Rubbish.

Don't for a minute think I am making "racist" comments here.

The density of Aboriginal players having "problems" far outweigh "white" players. Think of how many Aboriginal players there have been over the years, and how many of them have gone walkabout, committed a crime, or just given up because they can't hack the lifestyle.

Most of them have a "harder" upbringing than your average "white" person. Generalization I know, but it's true. So it's understandable that these "problems" may occur. Therefore, recruiting an aboriginal player provides a greater risk.

So should we be harder on white guys who by that measure have no excuses for poor behaviour? How many chances did Fev/Cousins etc get?

[Gimps]

I understand what you are saying above. You viewpoint has merit, but if you can't see that there is higher risk when taking on Aboriginal players, I think you may need to open your eyes a bit wider..

[Windy_Hill]

I understand what you are saying above. You viewpoint has merit, but if you can't see that there is higher risk when taking on Aboriginal players, I think you may need to open your eyes a bit wider..

This is true. Same applies to South American footballers being recruited into the Premier League. Pound for pound, far more problematic than western, European players. Is the risk worth it? Ask Roberto Mancini .

[boncer34]

Having met old Bev a few times around the traps I can tell you there is no more deluded former board member then she is.