Whilst I understand what you guys are getting at, and would hate to have anything at all go against Liam, isn't Guy Jalland meant to be some sort of hotshot lawyer? If so, even before seeking outside input from other legal minds, we already have someone who is supposed to be a sparkling legal mind in-house. As I said, I understand where you guys are coming from, but am willing to accept that the best in the business are probably being consulted before making any decisions regarding such a sensitive issue.

Doesn't look to me like Guy Jalland has done much criminal law in his time, but I stand to be corrected on that. Until I hear that Robert Richter QC or someone of similar experience is on board I will have doubts about the adequacy of the advice received to date (unless of course Liam was told not to participate and insisted on doing so, which seems unlikely).

i don't like Liam Jurrah talking into a camera right now....say nothing...keep your ears open...

Not Happy Jan.

..... and how when Dean Bailey and Jim Stynes moved away from the Club, some of Liam's support structure disappeared.

They basically said that perhaps that was a sign that Liam needed a little more support from those members of his support team that remained.

That's a pretty strong message to Craig and Neeld and Co

Neeld has made it very clear that no players will get special favours. In principle that is fine .... but no two people are the same - and coaches must retain a measure of flexibility if they are going to get the best out of every individual. There is a lot at stake for the club here and the new Football Department needs to close whatever gaps in its support network have emerged

Doesn't look to me like Guy Jalland has done much criminal law in his time, but I stand to be corrected on that. Until I hear that Robert Richter QC or someone of similar experience is on board I will have doubts about the adequacy of the advice received to date (unless of course Liam was told not to participate and insisted on doing so, which seems unlikely).

You've given advice that on the surface seems completely logical. And for free ! WellFM.

There should be no more contact with any media whatsoever.

That's a pretty strong message to Craig and Neeld and Co

Neeld has made it very clear that no players will get special favours. In principle that is fine .... but no two people are the same - and coaches must retain a measure of flexibility if they are going to get the best out of every individual. There is a lot at stake for the club here and the new Football Department needs to close whatever gaps in its support network have emerged

Talk about taking something completely out of context..........

You understand there's a vast difference between what is expected of players onfield, and what support networks would be made available to them?

I am a lawyer. Mono you are right to mention the 'sub judice' concept (simply Latin for 'under judgment') as a reason why any media reporting of a pending case needs to be done with caution. Basically the rule is that anyone responsible for a publication which tends to prejudice a pending case could be prosecuted for contempt of court. An example would be suggesting someone is guilty, or publishing the prior crimnial history of an accused.

More concerning from Liam's perspective though would be the danger of making an admission. Anything he said at all on camera concnerning the case could be used against him later. Even denying doing something or other might still involve an implied admission to being in the vicinty of the incident, for example. Jack Thomas was re-tried for terrorism offences soley on the strength of what he had told journalists (most notably, what he had said to Sally Neighbour in a Four Corners interview). I didn't see this 'interview' with Eddie but having Liam anywhere near a camera would make me nervous, and is probably unwise.

I understand the trepidation but, having watched the interview, one would have to say that Liam was well briefed (and not just by a commercial lawyer) as to what he could say before appearing on the programme.

I really wonder however, whether the Murdoch press will be taken to task over the stories that appeared in the Herald Sun and NT News on Saturday. I doubt whether Basil Jurrah and his wife were aware of the implications of sub judice when they were interviewed or that the prosecution would be particularly pleased about the fact that comments were publicly made by key witnesses on events that are the subject matter of their case.

I just wish there was some way we could show Liam that we all support him and our 100 percent behind him whilst he is going through all of this.

hope what they were talking about in their native tongue was clean because you can bet that it will be dissected and translated by someone at some stage...hopefully it was the jam and marmalade joke

would hope that there was a MFC representitive in the room whilst the EMT interview was being conducted

at the very least neeld can be happy he's put a "harder edge" on the playing group, it's certainly one way to change the "bruise free" image of the club

hope what they were talking about in their native tongue was clean because you can bet that it will be dissected and translated by someone at some stage...

You do realise that he was sitting there with his Mother and Grand Mother ?

I just wish there was some way we could show Liam that we all support him and our 100 percent behind him whilst he is going through all of this.

Are we all?

It is only the 5th day and I am starting to tire of it.

like TS last year it will be a big distraction for at min. of the next 4 months. Our season will be sealed by then.

It could again drain the club as in 2011.

During that period He will probably not play through injury.

So we have no input from him on the field and all the distraction of the off field stuff.

Is the value there.

Having said that we bought him to the outside world and we should support him.

But there is going to be a high cost to that i fear.

Are we all?

It is only the 5th day and I am starting to tire of it.

like TS last year it will be a big distraction for at min. of the next 4 months. Our season will be sealed by then.

It could again drain the club as in 2011.

During that period He will probably not play through injury.

So we have no input from him on the field and all the distraction of the off field stuff.

Is the value there.

Having said that we bought him to the outside world and we should support him.

But there is going to be a high cost to that i fear.

Well that is going to be task number one isn't it, if it is in fact a problem.

The MFC went and got LJ from the Alice & bought him back to Melbourne...

They supported him as best as they could thus far...

This cannot be another "Black Cloud" over the playing group.

Sure they can talk about it, read about it...but why should it hinder their ability to play Football?

It may well harm Liam's game...but he said yesterday that he wants to play...

So that is a green light for the entire list to play hard footy...

IMO anything less is an excuse which is unfounded..

Talk about taking something completely out of context..........

You understand there's a vast difference between what is expected of players onfield, and what support networks would be made available to them?

Yes ..... of course I understand that. But equally there's a difference between walking away from a player after training after telling him you're not interested in his off-field problems ....and approaching him and asking him how he is going and whether or not there is anything you can do to help...........

Well that is going to be task number one isn't it, if it is in fact a problem.

The MFC went and got LJ from the Alice & bought him back to Melbourne...

They supported him as best as they could thus far...

This cannot be another "Black Cloud" over the playing group.

Sure they can talk about it, read about it...but why should it hinder their ability to play Football?

It may well harm Liam's game...but he said yesterday that he wants to play...

So that is a green light for the entire list to play hard footy...

IMO anything less is an excuse which is unfounded..

WYL i was not just meaning the effect it has on the playing group

More the club as a whole.

From this one member I am close to over it all ready and it has hardly started.

I can only imagine what the constant will TS stay or go did to the club during 2011 now we have the is he guilty or not plus will he ever take the field again factors in 2012.

I hope it goes away quickly but I know it won't.

WYL i was not just meaning the effect it has on the playing group

More the club as a whole.

From this one member I am close to over it all ready and it has hardly started.

I can only imagine what the constant will TS stay or go did to the club during 2011 now we have the is he guilty or not plus will he ever take the field again factors in 2012.

I hope it goes away quickly but I know it won't.

Are you not giving Mark Neeld and the football department any credit for being able to work out a way to deal with the situation?

Are you not giving Mark Neeld and the football department any credit for being able to work out a way to deal with the situation?

WJ it appears to me that these situations are extremely hard to control / resolve.

Look at the saints and the school girl problems.

That clearly had an impact on the saints in spite of all they said and did.

Are Neeld and company that much better ?

I have no idea.

Our collective club never seemed to get on top of the TS situation.

I do not have a lot of confidence the addition of Neeld will make much of a difference to the current problem.

I hope they do / can.

Neeld has enough to fix in 2012 he does not need this problem.

Whatever everyone's talents we are stuck with the problem and time will tell how it impacts.

WJ it appears to me that these situations are extremely hard to control / resolve.

Look at the saints and the school girl problems.

That clearly had an impact on the saints in spite of all they said and did.

Are Neeld and company that much better ?

I have no idea.

Our collective club never seemed to get on top of the TS situation.

I for one have some difficulty seeing this as a problem in the same vein as some that you referred to above. But for me, I feel that we handled the difficulties of the TS situation as well as possible, and so far, the same goes for LJ.

I wouldn't say the same for St Kilda with the successive schoolgirl/Lovett scenarios, or even North's cack-handed mismanagement of the Majak Daw situation of a couple of weeks back.

Also, unlike these various other scenarios, there's a very clear timeframe here, and things will sort themselves out around the court case in May. Actions and responses will naturally flow on from that I would have thought, and in the meantime, everyone will just keep their heads down and get on with things. Really hard to see how Liam would be considered for selection in the AFL before then, for a variety of reasons.

Every club has player management issues ... it's a long long list, and includes our very own Moloney, Sylvia, Blease etc., and while the scale of the LJ situation might be different, it comes with the job I would have thought.

I for one have some difficulty seeing this as a problem in the same vein as some that you referred to above. But for me, I feel that we handled the difficulties of the TS situation as well as possible, and so far, the same goes for LJ.

I wouldn't say the same for St Kilda with the successive schoolgirl/Lovett scenarios, or even North's cack-handed mismanagement of the Majak Daw situation of a couple of weeks back.

Also, unlike these various other scenarios, there's a very clear timeframe here, and things will sort themselves out around the court case in May. Actions and responses will naturally flow on from that I would have thought, and in the meantime, everyone will just keep their heads down and get on with things. Really hard to see how Liam would be considered for selection in the AFL before then, for a variety of reasons.

Every club has player management issues ... it's a long long list, and includes our very own Moloney, Sylvia, Blease etc., and while the scale of the LJ situation might be different, it comes with the job I would have thought.

You maybe correct in some of the things you say bing

But none of the ones you name went for more than a few days.

There was a problem, a collection of evidence and the decision metered out all in less than a week.

This one is going to be in the news constantly for at minium the next 2 months.

There will be 60 minutes segments if not before the court case than imediately after it.

The sore will be constantly picked ever week until there is a resolution later in 2012.

This is far from the normal player management issue.

one g healy's comment about all this is made on opening his"sports tonight show"

that all the media hype on this STINKS of false accusations.

without facts.

seems to me something was NOT right in all the articles from the outset.

as it is not in his nature ! & as such something did not sit right & a trial by media..

who want nothing more than a soap opera

again

the absurd bedside questioning of uncle and alike.

jumping to conclusions & not listening to liam that he is innocent !!

healy mentions that in his culture he is automatically responsible as an elder of his people

but that he did NOT have any weapon in his hands nor was he drunk "AS HE DOES NOT DRINK".

he actually pulled a 13 year old inside a house to be safe away from all the mess going on outside..

healy mentioned this as a probable fact !

so his take will almost assuredly be on the coach..

There was nothing sinister in it.

It was simply Eddie asking Jurrah if he still wanted to play footy, to which he replied that besides family, footy is the most important thing and that he wants to continue living his dream. His grandma then spoke of the importance of Liam playing footy and what it means to his community and other indigenous kids living in remote communities.

They mentioned nothing of the case at all.

Had to turn it off as soon as Scully's face appeared on my screen. Kid makes me want to projectile vomit while throwing sharp objects at the TV.

A lying, manipulative, heartless [censored].

+1

WJ it appears to me that these situations are extremely hard to control / resolve.

Look at the saints and the school girl problems.

That clearly had an impact on the saints in spite of all they said and did.

Are Neeld and company that much better ?

I have no idea.

Our collective club never seemed to get on top of the TS situation.

I do not have a lot of confidence the addition of Neeld will make much of a difference to the current problem.

I hope they do / can.

Neeld has enough to fix in 2012 he does not need this problem.

Whatever everyone's talents we are stuck with the problem and time will tell how it impacts.

Not needing a problem and not knowing how to deal with one are two altogether different things. I've already mentioned elsewhere that I felt it plausible that the events happening in the NT had some effect on the team's preparation. How much effect would be impossible to assess. Certainly, Hawthorn was the better team on the day and the distractions would not have affected the outcome but it was clear that we were not focussed at the start and the game got away from us early. While the case, the procedures and possible revelations in the future will keep the issue simmering, I think things will settle down and the team dynamics will quickly return to normality. Over that time, I'm sure Neeld and the football department will be aware of the need to ensure that the case doesn't adversely affect the team effort. Like any problem affecting people in a team environment, it just needs some working on and good advice from professionals.

Doesn't look to me like Guy Jalland has done much criminal law in his time, but I stand to be corrected on that. Until I hear that Robert Richter QC or someone of similar experience is on board I will have doubts about the adequacy of the advice received to date (unless of course Liam was told not to participate and insisted on doing so, which seems unlikely).

Fair enough. I am not privvy to the area of Law which GJ specialises in, but have been told a few times that he is a legal star. I assume that despite a lack of criminal law experience, he would still have some grasp of this situation, and also know who to speak to in the event that he is out of his depth. I am no expert, but I can't see how his skills and experience don't count.

Are we all?

It is only the 5th day and I am starting to tire of it.

like TS last year it will be a big distraction for at min. of the next 4 months. Our season will be sealed by then.

It could again drain the club as in 2011.

During that period He will probably not play through injury.

So we have no input from him on the field and all the distraction of the off field stuff.

Is the value there.

Having said that we bought him to the outside world and we should support him.

But there is going to be a high cost to that i fear.

Understand where you are coming from OD, but personally I'm (for the first time) more concerned about Liam than season 2012. Don't know why, just the way it is. It probably will get wearing, but having met Liam twice before, I just can't see him doing this and am willing to back him in all the way.

According to Mark Robinson on AFL360 tonight, MFC had no knowledge of the Jurrah interview with McGuire until there were sms's getting around that Jurrah would be on the show, and the MFC are apparently not too happy about it.

How does that even happen?

According to Mark Robinson on AFL360 tonight, MFC had no knowledge of the Jurrah interview with McGuire until there were sms's getting around that Jurrah would be on the show, and the MFC are apparently not too happy about it.

How does that even happen?

You're talking about McGuire... Don't remember what he was like when he was a "reporter?"

All these mugs are acolytes of his...

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/mcguires-jurrah-scoop-angers-demons-20120312-1uwi5.html

more info on the club not knowing about the interview here... club not happy, apparently Rupert Betheras and Bruce Hearn McKinnon teed it up without the club's knowledge...

Not suprised about this

After going all the way to the Alice to bring him back i was staggered he was on TV straight away.

Eddie @ his ongoing agenda.