Article here.

Interesting decision - good on him for pursuing what he really wants.

I suppose it's funny, you assume that every young player who gets drafted loves playing and would want to play for as long as possible. Though, being a Melbourne supporter, we've probably seen a few who don't put in the amount of work that players at other clubs do.

Good luck to him.

Im with you HG. Good luck to the lad. The only problem i have is that afl is a young mans game and medicine can wait until one is 35...BUT if his heart is in it and he wont regret it when he is old, then it is the right thing to do.

Im with you HG. Good luck to the lad. The only problem i have is that afl is a young mans game and medicine can wait until one is 35...BUT if his heart is in it and he wont regret it when he is old, then it is the right thing to do.

It would be great if he could wait till he was 35, and still have his career, but there is no way he could. My sister is 31 and is a doctor, and she is still studying. If Tom was to start when he was 35, he wouldn't be qualified until his early 40's, and then if he wanted to specialise, there is years more study. There is no way you could have an AFL career and do the amount of work required to become a doctor. As you and HG said, good on him, wouldn't be easy to give up football.

It would be great if he could wait till he was 35, and still have his career, but there is no way he could. My sister is 31 and is a doctor, and she is still studying. If Tom was to start when he was 35, he wouldn't be qualified until his early 40's, and then if he wanted to specialise, there is years more study. There is no way you could have an AFL career and do the amount of work required to become a doctor. As you and HG said, good on him, wouldn't be easy to give up football.

What about Dr Dennis Cordner?

If I recall correctly, I was keen for the Dees to get him with the pick we took blease with... Let alone Strauss, and the eagles pounced and took him with the next selection.... Would seem to be the right call, 1+ for BP

Anyone know who the last doctor or medical student was who played AFL at the top level? It's interesting that footballers today can study law (Stef Martin, Luke Ball, Chris Dawes and I presume others) but apparently not medicine...unless I'm mistaken and there is one on a list somewhere.

What about Dr Dennis Cordner?

Are you confusing Don or Ted Cordner with Denis?

Matthew Liptak from the Adelaide Crows

I met him at the time he was a senior registrar at Queen Elizabeth, SA

A smart young man who successfully combined top tier football with his desire to become a doctor

He is now an Orthopaedic Surgeon if I am not mistaken

A great young man too

Matthew Liptak from the Adelaide Crows

I met him at the time he was a senior registrar at Queen Elizabeth, SA

A smart young man who successfully combined top tier football with his desire to become a doctor

He is now an Orthopaedic Surgeon if I am not mistaken

A great young man too

Thanks. And if I recall correctly he retired from football early to concentrate on his medical career.

Medicine is a more "hands on"study than law or commerce.

One must cut things up in medical school !!! Whereas in commerce one just adds them up.

I think Brian Roet was our last doctor (and what a good player he was).

What ever happened to Brian Roet?

Someone called "Tom Swift" should be leaving football to invent a robot doctor.

If I recall correctly, I was keen for the Dees to get him with the pick we took blease with... Let alone Strauss, and the eagles pounced and took him with the next selection.... Would seem to be the right call, 1+ for BP

Even though I feel aggrieved by several recruiting blunders during BP's time, I have to say I agree with this. I had thought the club would pick Swift, Zaharakis or Shuey with picks 17 and 19 in that draft - perhaps with Swift topping the list.

Would've been a mistake.

Doc Roet and Cordner were products of a different era......One where every footballer had primary employment,which was not football...I imagine it would be impossible to combine both in this day and age....Good luck to him...

Nice way to spin it getting in first before the chemist kciked him to the kerb. Pulled a Swift-y there.

If I recall correctly, I was keen for the Dees to get him with the pick we took blease with... Let alone Strauss, and the eagles pounced and took him with the next selection.... Would seem to be the right call, 1+ for BP

West Coast stuffing their pick doesn't mean we got ours right, it just means they stuffed theirs. (I'm also not saying we did stuff our pick, just saying that the two things are independent.)

Doc Roet and Cordner were products of a different era......One where every footballer had primary employment,which was not football...I imagine it would be impossible to combine both in this day and age....Good luck to him...

I agree BD. I have a few friends who have been down the medical degree and the workload is insane. Someone made the comparison with Martin et al doing Law degrees, but Law is in a different league for workload.

As far as juggling medicine with full time football goes, the odd person in the professional era may have pulled it off - Ben Holland was a podiatrist IIRC and someone above mentioned Liptak - but I sure as hell wouldn't want to be juggling both.

Good luck to the guy.

FWIW, Chris Dawes' dad was a Melb Uni lecturer and now owns an antique bookstore and I believe his grandfather was one of Victoria's first Supreme Court (?) judges.

And here I was thinking Neeld was chasing a dumb gorilla from the Pies!

FWIW, Chris Dawes' dad was a Melb Uni lecturer and now owns an antique bookstore and I believe his grandfather was one of Victoria's first Supreme Court (?) judges.

And here I was thinking Neeld was chasing a dumb gorilla from the Pies!

Nobody ever said Dawes was Dumb. One of the reasons he wants to stay in Melbourne is to finish his Law Degree.

Farewell to one of the great AFL haircuts.

Nobody ever said Dawes was Dumb. One of the reasons he wants to stay in Melbourne is to finish his Law Degree.

Bookworm Magpie Chris Dawes rises above game's blue-collar stereotype

isnt Ben Holland in the medical business?

Are you confusing Don or Ted Cordner with Denis?

Probably.

Yes, it was Dr Ted I was thinking of.

That's 2 today Miles.

Not stalking by any chance?

Nobody ever said Dawes was Dumb. One of the reasons he wants to stay in Melbourne is to finish his Law Degree.

Was a tounge in cheek comment RM...... thought the exclamation mark made it obvious. I'll put 2 or 3 next time or a smiley face

Here's another article:

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/afl/more-news/the-dawes-split-family-loyalities-for-afl-grand-final/story-e6frf9jf-1226152128016

FWIW, Chris Dawes' dad was a Melb Uni lecturer and now owns an antique bookstore and I believe his grandfather was one of Victoria's first Supreme Court (?) judges.

And here I was thinking Neeld was chasing a dumb gorilla from the Pies!

Well he looks like one. Proof one can't judge a book by its cover. And Ben Cousins looked so much like Prince Charming.