The tragic downfall of Liam Jurrah

[Matt Demon 1,482]

IMO he'll play AFL again for either Port, Collingwood or The MFC. For the romance & feel good story I'd love to have him back.

[old dee 23,870]

IMO he'll play AFL again for either Port, Collingwood or The MFC. For the romance & feel good story I'd love to have him back.

Pass

[DEE fence 5,039]

Its far from perfect but the best legal system by far, whether it should have been dismissed at the committal stage, yes witnesses were affected by alcohol, but it is far more appropriate for a jury to make up their mind about the weight of their evidence when there is five of them. Well done to the NT legal system getting this resolved, and I feel sorry for the cops that had to deal with this drunken mess in the first place and best wishes to LJ to finding some football happiness, how I wish it had been with us.

[Straight Sets Simon 23,113]

Great news, I just hope he and his family can get their lives back in order.

A truly once in a generation player.

[PJ_12345 1,098]

IMO he'll play AFL again for either Port, Collingwood or The MFC. For the romance & feel good story I'd love to have him back.

He will never play footy at an AFL level again. Not even Port's VFL team wanted him after he didnt turn up to trainings.

The only hope is that he adopts the Fev model - try and find a VFL team who will take him, only play home games, and get paid by the opposition to play in his teams aways so they can get greater ticket revenue.

Sad.

[old dee 23,870]

Great news, I just hope he and his family can get their lives back in order.

A truly once in a generation player.

Me too CB but the odds are against it unfortunately

[waynewussell 6,237]

316, If I were to judge you from your avatar I would say you enjoy watching one man beat another man's brains out... but that would be a judgement formed on one flimsy piece of evidence. I prefer to judge people over a long period with the knowledge that most of us trip up at some stage in our life. I'm not prepared to condemn as swiftly as you... but I totally reject the notion that your professed purity makes you a better person than Liam!

[bing181 9,328]

Me too CB but the odds are against it unfortunately

Maybe I'm too much of a glass half full guy, but I'd be hoping. There are plenty of good solid citizens ready to go into bat for Liam, including a number at our club both on and off the field, and hopefully that can have some kind of positive effect. Think the global picture here will have a lot to do with it, whether or not his people can find some kind of resolution to their communal issues.

[old dee 23,870]

Maybe I'm too much of a glass half full guy, but I'd be hoping. There are plenty of good solid citizens ready to go into bat for Liam, including a number at our club both on and off the field, and hopefully that can have some kind of positive effect. Think the global picture here will have a lot to do with it, whether or not his people can find some kind of resolution to their communal issues.

You may well be right bing.

But all the evidence shows that people from poor backgrounds with alcohol problems seldom escape the mincer.

[Megzie666 1]

It is a shame because the talent that Jarrah had is being wasted. I am not ashamed to admit that I loved watching him play for MCC. Liam certainly was an exciting player to watch and always had a Red Hot Go. I wish him well

[Curry & Beer 5,444]

awesome, there is still a chance we will get to suffer the pain of him kicking ass for someone else

[Whispering_Jack 30,580]

So if Jurrah didn't do it the Police will have to go out and find who put a machette in the guy's head then?

I think you might find that a couple of others also accused have been found guilty of the crime and are awaiting sentencing.

[Muvver Jones 64]

I think you might find that a couple of others also accused have been found guilty of the crime and are awaiting sentencing.

Unfortunately for those guys, they got traditional blackfella justice unlike their mate who got celebrity justice.

[Whispering_Jack 30,580]

You did not seem to think inevitable a couple of days back when I called it Jack, but yes, you're right about the lack of justice. It should never have gone this far. The flaws in the evidence were clear at the committal stage.

Having said all that, it is a victory for the jury system.

My one nagging doubt was that an element of racism might prevail in an Alice Springs jury. That clearly has not been the case and the jury did their job and should be recognised for that.

pitmaster. I've been constant in my belief all along that Liam would be aquitted and I did say I agreed with you when you said you "can't see a 'beyond reasonable doubt guilty' finding here", but such agreement was based on what I'd read about the evidence. None of us sat through the 7 or 8 days of the trial so we couldn't see how the jury reacted etc. The evidence as reported both at this trial and the earlier committal hearing were however, compelling for an aquittal.

Ultimately, it was a win for the jury system but IMO not for the justice system in this country. Justice was carried out poorly in this case and in that respect, I'm referring to the overall result for the people of Alice Springs and Yuendumu. The court system dispensed the law in a clumsy manner but the government authorities, who surely have a role to play in helping clean up this mess, seem to be sitting on their hands unable to do anything for those people while the people themselves seem incapable of doing anything to resolve it themselves.

[Barney Rubble 1,576]

Good Luck LJ, I hope you can get your life back together.

Whether that be in Yuendumu, Port Adelaide or Melbourne.

[La Dee-vina Comedia 16,906]

IF he wants to play AFL again, IF he wants to play for MFC, IF he's prepared to relocate back to Melbourne (city) and IF he's prepared to commit to the requirements of Neeld, Misson and Co, I'd have him back in a heartbeat.

But that's four very big IFs.

[hardtack 10,612]

You may well be right bing.

But all the evidence shows that people from poor backgrounds with alcohol problems seldom escape the mincer.

I find it interesting that there are a number of posters referring to LJ's "alchohol problems". To the best of my knowledge (which isn't particularly extensive), I thought LJ did not have a history of drinking until the Alice Springs incident blew up; in fact, I was of the impression that he was close to being a non-drinker. If that is true, I would say that LJ's problems stemmed from having little or no experience of being in an alchohol induced state.

This is not intended to excuse his drink driving, but just to question this idea that he has a "drinking problem" per ce.

[Mr Steve 3,820]

Love to see him back. Don't think we will.

[P-man 13,366]

In the remote possibility that he plays at the top level again, he has a very long road back, and I have doubts about his application to get there. Really sad, was one of my favourites no doubt.

[7-UP 107]

http://www.afl.com.au/news/2013-03-04/jurrah-and-the-demon-drink

If this article is true, I am furious it's our club's binge drinking culture, that caused his alcohol problems.

[ThreeOneSix 954]

http://www.afl.com.au/news/2013-03-04/jurrah-and-the-demon-drink

If this article is true, I am furious it's our club's binge drinking culture, that caused his alcohol problems.

Every individual has choices and are accountable for their on actions and behavior.

It's too easy to blame the culture of the MFC.. Ultimately it is up to the individual.

I am sure Jurrah would not lay blame on the MFC for his problems, so I don't know why you would be?

[Biffen 12,944]

http://www.afl.com.au/news/2013-03-04/jurrah-and-the-demon-drink

If this article is true, I am furious it's our club's binge drinking culture, that caused his alcohol problems.

An off season trip in which grown men drank alcohol?

Do you live under a rock ?

Do you think alcohol hasn't surrounded Liam Jurrahs' life?

It is nearly impossible to avoid alcohol in China, NT, or an end of year football trip.

The article is garbage 7-up.

People got drunk and Max Gawn spewed on Tom Scully or his bed. Big deal.

When do we get articles about the miracle of Scully becoming a footballer despite a childhood surrounded by fast food and soft drinks?

Maybe when it's as fashionable a sinking the boots into the Demons was in 2012.

[Guest]

I'm glad that this segment of Liam's life is over. I really hope he can get start to get back on his feet first and then if possible, I hope he can get back to AFL football again. Good luck LJ.

[La Dee-vina Comedia 16,906]

http://www.afl.com.au/news/2013-03-04/jurrah-and-the-demon-drink

If this article is true, I am furious it's our club's binge drinking culture, that caused his alcohol problems.

It's a poorly written beat-up article with no substantive quotes. A couple of references to rumours which may or may not be true. Or let's put it this way...why are the supposed drinking stories still suggested to be rumours and not confirmed as facts? AFL clubs have shown over the years an inability to keep secrets. So I'd take everything which is an unproven allegation in that particular article with a very large grain of salt.

[Mac7 309]

Are charges still pending for the aggravated assault, breach of bail and drink-driving from last month?