Buckley getting in on the in joke with Lesie I have no problem with. I doubt many lesbians would actual care.

Buckley potentially throwing Harry O's beliefs back in his face and singling him out in front of team mates could have crossed the line. It's certainly not professional. Buckley, Neeld and Scott Watters all seem to struggle with player relations because I think they want to be Malthouse but they don't understand that they lack the experience and therefore 1. Don't have the ability to walk the fine line between demanding things from players and still respecting them and 2. Don't have the reputation that makes them unquestionable to players.

Please Nasher that's PC gone crazy. If you think that's the most derogatory nickname in the AFL. This is a sport where it's 44 blokes who need complete trust in each other. If that joke is considered fine I'm gonna turn up to footy Saturday morning and tell the fellas to be very careful in the rev up speech. This is not racism, Harry needs to understand that understanding is a two way street. Just because he's doesn't take a liking to something he doesn't need the final say. I am incredibly firm against racism but at the end of the day Football clubs whether you like it or not are glorified blokes clubs and where you let off some gas where you cannot do at work or around the family. Cannot disagree with you more mate.

I know I'm going to on my own on this, but I don't see how being a "glorified blokes club" equals "blokes can say whatever they want no matter how vulgar". If you can't say it at work or around the family - shouldn't that give you some sort of a clue as to how appropriate a comment it is, full stop? Why do we vary our standards when we're just "amongst the boys" compared to when we're in the view of our wife and kids?

I get that it's intended as a joke, but the fact that we still find this sort of crap funny is just a sad indication of how far we have to go in stamping out our ridiculous culture of harrassment and abuse. Whether real lesbians would be offended or not is immaterial, it's the derogatory tone that makes this poor form. Good on Harry for making a stand, I think it takes guts to do this from inside the "blokes club".

Please Nasher that's PC gone crazy. If you think that's the most derogatory nickname in the AFL. This is a sport where it's 44 blokes who need complete trust in each other. If that joke is considered fine I'm gonna turn up to footy Saturday morning and tell the fellas to be very careful in the rev up speech. This is not racism, Harry needs to understand that understanding is a two way street. Just because he's doesn't take a liking to something he doesn't need the final say. I am incredibly firm against racism but at the end of the day Football clubs whether you like it or not are glorified blokes clubs and where you let off some gas where you cannot do at work or around the family. Cannot disagree with you more mate.

a previous poster said harry didn't object to the nickname, but buckley singled out harry by asking if it was alright by him etc, seemingly belittling him, and it went on from there

of course i wasn't there so only going on what previous poster said

so it may not have been as simple as the nick-name

i suspect there is also some history between the two, bound to be when two knobs get together - lol

He is such an overrated player, if he was on our list most here would be bagging him for being beaten one on one, can't defend and his disposal is avergafe, he can run, so can Blease, doesn't make Blease a great player all of a sudden.

That and he is a [censored].

I think its somewhat funny.

The environment by design is that of controlled gladiatorial sporting combat, but th ePC police want a nancy kindergarten overlay.

its hilarious.

Into this you introduce highly egostistical types . Some have overly highly inflated ideas of their importance to life in general.

Please dont suggest an AFL or any top flight sporting club is a normal work place.

Would never be interested in a player who is obviously too precious about just about everything

Suffers from the Woe is Me syndrome

The tail should never wag the dog

I think its somewhat funny.

The environment by design is that of controlled gladiatorial sporting combat, but th ePC police want a nancy kindergarten overlay.

its hilarious.

Into this you introduce highly egostistical types . Some have overly highly inflated ideas of their importance to life in general.

Please dont suggest an AFL or any top flight sporting club is a normal work place.

I agree bb but lots of people think they are!

Aren't we forgetting something here...

Is he contracted? Is he a free agent? Who would you be willing to trade for him?

jamar....

The environment by design is that of controlled gladiatorial sporting combat, but the PC police want a nancy kindergarten overlay.

Why is being tough on the field and considerate off it mutually exclusive?

I don't expect an AFL club to be a 'normal' workplace, and it is certainly predominantly male, but I also don't see why it needs to be the usual enclave of overly blokey, testosterone-riddled dares, jokes and overtones. I'd hope these days we could move on to better things.

Harry O is the AFL's multicultural ambassador. I think it's entirely appropriate in that respect that he calls an ignorant coach to account on inappropriate language about sexuality.

Would I want him? Of course. He'd be a huge upgrade on half Melbourne's list.

Anyway, it seems like a minor tiff and he's back in training at Collingwood. So fat chance.

Edited July 8, 201312 yr by maurie

Sure Crompton, I know much guff gets into newspapers, but think this was discussed in all media, no denial from Harry, so seemed true. If you read the article, it's not the kind of thing that could be made up. I'm happy to hear anything extra you may know about the episode though? Cheers

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/collingwood-footballer-harry-obrien-wants-to-meet-president-obama/story-e6frf7jo-1225863362749

From what I read in that article, it sounds to me as though he does alot of good work to help other people in his spare time. I seem to remember alot of people loving that about big Jim as much as his footy exploits. The fact that not only was he a good footy player, but he was a good human as well. Does nothing to tell me that he shouldn't be at the MFC, if anything, makes him more attractive because people who do good bring alot of goodwill and exposure with them.

Please Nasher that's PC gone crazy. If you think that's the most derogatory nickname in the AFL. This is a sport where it's 44 blokes who need complete trust in each other. If that joke is considered fine I'm gonna turn up to footy Saturday morning and tell the fellas to be very careful in the rev up speech. This is not racism, Harry needs to understand that understanding is a two way street. Just because he's doesn't take a liking to something he doesn't need the final say. I am incredibly firm against racism but at the end of the day Football clubs whether you like it or not are glorified blokes clubs and where you let off some gas where you cannot do at work or around the family. Cannot disagree with you more mate.

Forgive me if I'm wrong, but was he not at work? From the sounds of what I've heard, Buckley tried to belittle and embarrass him in front of the playing group, which to me says that he was well and truly within his right to tell him to shove it. If true that it kept going via text, then even more so. Nathan Buckley is a Manager, a person of authority who cannot get away with this sort of behaviour, should not be able to get away with that sort of behaviour, and nor should anybody else. If true, Bucks should, and I'd say would, get reamed for this. CFC is not a country footy club.

Weren't people bitching for the last 18 months about how poorly Mark Neeld treated his players? And now you're defending Nathan Buckley for singling out one of his players as a subject for derision and ego-boosting power games?

WTF?

Why is being tough on the field and considerate off it mutually exclusive?

I don't expect an AFL club to be a 'normal' workplace, and it is certainly predominantly male, but I also don't see why it needs to be the usual enclave of overly blokey, testosterone-riddled dares, jokes and overtones. I'd hope these days we could move on to better things.

Harry O is the AFL's multicultural ambassador. I think it's entirely appropriate in that respect that he calls an ignorant coach to account on inappropriate language about sexuality.

Would I want him? Of course. He'd be a huge upgrade on half Melbourne's list.

Anyway, it seems like a minor tiff and he's back in training at Collingwood. So fat chance.

Honestly give me a break. I will NOT acknowledge this is a normal type office workplace. You are dealing with egos pampered at every turn.

Ambassadors for this.;. wankkers for that. We are talking a highly charged environment for those who are often self appointed this or that.

FMD theres a thing called a sense of humour...some have no skin let alone thin and wish this zero tolerance of the human condition enforced upon others.

Wait, wait, wait...Harry O told Buckley to "Eat a D!ck"?

You know what...I have always liked that Harry.

I have also heard on good authority that following Harry O and Bucks confrontation there were text messages exchanged with the final message from Harry O telling his coach to "Eat a [censored]".

Probably a fair indication as to why Harry O is now on the outer.

which would be quite ironic if he was actually offended by a comment about a lesbian-looking hair style!

Honestly give me a break. I will NOT acknowledge this is a normal type office workplace.

Not suggesting it is. Neither are fire stations, oil rigs, mines and a hundred and one other workplaces.

But sooner or later football clubs will be dragged kicking and screaming by society into the 20th century. That won't be such a bad thing.

Dunn above Harry O?! Nuts. If he is going I be traded, massive yes. A mature age player who can actually play the game, yes please.

Been on an oil rig or building worksite Maurie ? they dont often embrace the concept of the "namby pamby"

Like it or not theres more than a little bit of testosterone in a footy club. Lots of silly pranks and pecking orders. Thats life.. Harry ought to just suck it in !! ( and I'll leave it at that !! )

Im not trying to invoke Ogre-nomics as being the only or correct, just suggesting some of these players are trying to invoke their own ideas of "perfect societies" About as logical an idea as iceblocks in ovens

Weren't people bitching for the last 18 months about how poorly Mark Neeld treated his players? And now you're defending Nathan Buckley for singling out one of his players as a subject for derision and ego-boosting power games?

Yeah, but Neeld was hurting us. I hope Buckley treats all of his charges like dirt, and drives that club into the ground.

Go Bucks! Eat some more dick!

Funny how those workplaces that don't embrace the concept of 'namby pamby' are also the ones that keep the workcover premiums so high...

"Hurr hurr, hurr hurr, essie haircut, I' am so funny... better not let Harry hear about it... hurr hurr, Harry's such a drama queen, aren't ya Harry? Are you sure it's ok if I call my mum mum instead of child-bearing-earth-goddess? Hurr hurr, how's the Dalai Lama going? Where's your robe Harry?"

Which is a pretty unsubtle message of 'Don't speak up, sook'. And it's a workplace culture that -directly- contributes to unsafe practices carrying on, from lack of appropriate gear to not properly supervising apprentices, right through to the kind of bullying that gets teenagers idiotically killed about a dozen times a year.

Also, I notice the regular references to footy clubs being 'different' like 'gladiators'...

Gladiators were generally locked up when not competing.

The AFL has chosen instead to allow players to remain loosely integrated with society, thus requiring that these players maintain the ability to effectively interact with people other than boof-heads.

Been on an oil rig or building worksite Maurie ? they dont often embrace the concept of the "namby pamby"

Please tell me why having some sort of ethical side, even though you're a hard footballer, or an oil rig worker, is 'namby pamby'.

Edited July 8, 201312 yr by maurie

Guess we weren't there to get the tone of the confrontation. Tony Jones made the comment on radio today that Harry taunted Tom Hawkins that he was a Fat Fa.... so there s some hypocrisy there.

Singling someone out is bullying but maybe this is overkill.

Guess we weren't there to get the tone of the confrontation. Tony Jones made the comment on radio today that Harry taunted Tom Hawkins that he was a Fat Fa.... so there s some hypocrisy there.

Singling someone out is bullying but maybe this is overkill.

Where is the hypocrisy if Buckley chose to bait Harry O in front of the playing group and Harry O sledged Hawkins in a game situation (something that occurs regularly).

Whew... well I'm glad that's over!

http://www.news.com.au/sport/afl/travis-cloke-says-collingwoods-harry-obrien-career-is-not-over/story-fndv8g1a-1226675515179

From what I read in that article, it sounds to me as though he does alot of good work to help other people in his spare time. I seem to remember alot of people loving that about big Jim as much as his footy exploits. The fact that not only was he a good footy player, but he was a good human as well. Does nothing to tell me that he shouldn't be at the MFC, if anything, makes him more attractive because people who do good bring alot of goodwill and exposure with them.

Kento, you just said that celebrities who do charity must be good people! This isn't true. If you'd lived and worked a lot with celebrities and their agents etc., you'd know there are often many public relations reasons why they associate with charities.

Kento, you just said that celebrities who do charity must be good people! This isn't true. If you'd lived and worked a lot with celebrities and their agents etc., you'd know there are often many public relations reasons why they associate with charities.

One Jimmy Saville comes to mind.