Dom Barry steps away from AFL

[Deeoldfart 8,165]

To us this announcement came completely 'out of the blue' but I wonder if the Club might have had an inkling that it was 'in the wind' ...... hence the silence on pick 40. Anyway, good luck Dom on reconnecting with your roots, and thanks for taking the Club into consideration in the timing of your decision.

[Hiram Cowfreak 78]

I doubt trying to run with Brad Hill against Hawthorn this year did his confidence much good, it was a tough lesson

[Arrow 1,257]

Can I ask (politely) how old you are because i am tipping 30 or over. Remember back to being just turned 18 and what your true passions were - my passions at that age changed as often as my underwear ( weekly). So many kids drafted at this age are immature with a capital IM

Again, harks back to RPFC's argument of raising the draft age.

Funnily enough NB, 23. Young enough that I can tell him how hard working a 9-5 job for the rest of his life will be, I'm two years in, with 50 to go and that whilst living your life in the public eye, having a strict diet and not getting to party does suck, getting paid exorbitant money to do what he'll probably continue to do on a weekend is such an obvious choice. These kids grow up being the best player in every team they play for and when they hit the bigs and it doesn't go all their way, the cards seem to collapse. Alot who get delisted (Blease for my example) state how the game-plan was at fault, or the training didn't suit. This mantra that it should just fall into place is becoming more and more prevalent in the AFL.

More to point, Dom is 20.. 2 years in the system and he's had enough. Eagles player Tom Swift I believe retired citing a true love for medicine as the reason he didn't feel motivated. He gave 5 years but his money hadn't improved and he was likely to get far better opportunities out there. That I can agree with 100%.

I feel more sorry for Dom than anything, I think it's a rash decision based on the fact he was playing reserves footy more often than not and thought putting the effort in was too much for the return he was getting. Fair enough, his decision but I'd love an interview in 20 years asking him if he made the right choice because the kid who spent 18 years dreaming of that premiership on the 'G one day had an opportunity so many would dream of, and turned it away.

Best of luck on future life Dom, I hope you find what you're looking for and am far more appreciative of this decision made pre-draft than post-draft!

[Watts Jurrah Dunn? 735]

Wow. I always thought we did the sensible thing and took Dom Barry over Jed Anderson because Barry had been living in Victoria for 4 years and might be less of a risk.

Leave me out of Nakia Cockatoo for pick 3.

Hopefully now we delist and re-rookie Evans and use pick 53.

[The Devil Inside 2,147]

To us this announcement came completely 'out of the blue' but I wonder if the Club might have had an inkling that it was 'in the wind' ...... hence the silence on pick 40. Anyway, good luck Dom on reconnecting with your roots, and thanks for taking the Club into consideration in the timing of your decision.

No, he was training last week

[Deecisive 1,709]

I'm not a big fan of coincidences, Dom quitting just around the time we are trimming our lists. I suspect that the coaches had chats to a number of players after they returned to see how they had looked after themselves in the off season, maybe put them through some training to see how they go and asked them questions on their current level of application and if they can step up. I suspect Dom had a think about it and decided it was too hard. Sad to see him go, i hope he can cope with the change back to living and working in a local community.

[beelzebub 23,390]

To us this announcement came completely 'out of the blue' but I wonder if the Club might have had an inkling that it was 'in the wind' ...... hence the silence on pick 40. Anyway, good luck Dom on reconnecting with your roots, and thanks for taking the Club into consideration in the timing of your decision.

Has that ring of reality about it.

[spirit of norm smith 16,656]

Yes I think the demands of AFL life can take it tolls. Our recruiting of Dom after being in the Ballarat school system appeared less risk than being from NT to adjust to Melbourne city living.

Unfortunately now with Wona, Jurrah & Barry leaving, our indigenous NT playing stocks are zero.

Wish Dom all the best.

[daisycutter 29,918]

Yes I think the demands of AFL life can take it tolls. Our recruiting of Dom after being in the Ballarat school system appeared less risk than being from NT to adjust to Melbourne city living.

yes, but a boarding school can be a very controlled, supportive and managed environment where everything is organised for you

[La Dee-vina Comedia 17,073]

I'm not saying we should do this, but could the club now choose to re-list Tapscott as a replacement for Barry? In effect, that would mean (I think) that we would be taking him on as a delisted free agent...delisted by us.

[TeamPlayedFine39 8,525]

Best of luck to Dom.

Was always a project player who the coaches obviously saw a lot in.

He wasn't in my 2015 best 22 for Round 1 or Round 22.

[Sir Why You Little 37,342]

Contracts are totally worthless now.

Why sign one Dom if you are going to return from the break unfit with no heart?

Hope we don't have to pay it out.

[Sir Why You Little 37,342]

I'm not saying we should do this, but could the club now choose to re-list Tapscott as a replacement for Barry? In effect, that would mean (I think) that we would be taking him on as a delisted free agent...delisted by us.

But why?

Tapscott has had 4 aeasons to show us all he is not good enough. Pity. But it is the truth.

[Straight Sets Simon 23,113]

Contracts are totally worthless now.

Why sign one Dom if you are going to return from the break unfit with no heart?

Hope we don't have to pay it out.

Why would we? He quit.

[nutbean 8,838]

Funnily enough NB, 23. Young enough that I can tell him how hard working a 9-5 job for the rest of his life will be, I'm two years in, with 50 to go and that whilst living your life in the public eye, having a strict diet and not getting to party does suck, getting paid exorbitant money to do what he'll probably continue to do on a weekend is such an obvious choice. These kids grow up being the best player in every team they play for and when they hit the bigs and it doesn't go all their way, the cards seem to collapse. Alot who get delisted (Blease for my example) state how the game-plan was at fault, or the training didn't suit. This mantra that it should just fall into place is becoming more and more prevalent in the AFL.

More to point, Dom is 20.. 2 years in the system and he's had enough. Eagles player Tom Swift I believe retired citing a true love for medicine as the reason he didn't feel motivated. He gave 5 years but his money hadn't improved and he was likely to get far better opportunities out there. That I can agree with 100%.

I feel more sorry for Dom than anything, I think it's a rash decision based on the fact he was playing reserves footy more often than not and thought putting the effort in was too much for the return he was getting. Fair enough, his decision but I'd love an interview in 20 years asking him if he made the right choice because the kid who spent 18 years dreaming of that premiership on the 'G one day had an opportunity so many would dream of, and turned it away.

Best of luck on future life Dom, I hope you find what you're looking for and am far more appreciative of this decision made pre-draft than post-draft!

i just think that we look to these interviews to unravel the mysteries of the mind and give us a better insight into who is prepared to do the hard yards and commit to us for an extended period. I have two kids 24 and 22 and my squeeze, she has 25,23 and 21 ( brady bunch) - whilst they are great kids and all going a good direction I would be less than honest if I didnt say that the directions did have a few twists and turns in it. What was correct direction, assured to us with conviction, shifted more than once.

We are actually lucky with 4 out of the 5 completed or almost completed the university courses they set their minds to at 18 - this is a rarity.

That we draft 18 year olds who display certain traits and capabilities at that time certainly doesn't mean that these traits/capabilities will be improved on or even translate to the big stage and conversely players who we have been told are ho hum at draft time blossom at 21/22.

[Leoncelli_36 2,264]

Has he nominated Geelong or Hawthorn as his 'club of choice' yet.

I agree with all who say the draft age needs to be raised. It is too young and not only do kids not know what they want out of life but clubs can't reasoanbly predict if a player will make it at AFL level. Bodies havent developed, its a huge step from schoolboy/TAC level footy...i would make it a 21 year old draft age and create a legitimate u21 state league.

[The Devil Inside 2,147]

Contracts are totally worthless now.

Why sign one Dom if you are going to return from the break unfit with no heart?

Hope we don't have to pay it out.

I didn't think you could sink any lower than you have the past, but congratulations you have managed it, he didn't return unfit, he trained last week, and I stood next to him, what he is going through is something non-indigenous people would never be fully able to understand, he has done the right thing by the Club, what would you have preferred, he stayed unhappy and spent the year in Casey Development Team

[FarNorthernD 5,861]

One of the questions Roos apparently asks draftees is if they really want to go on to be the best AFL footballer they can be, if they have a burning desire or if they have always just been very good at playing football. Perhaps Dom wasn't asked this question a couple of years ago

[Redjacket 760]

Sorta, but he was really steak knives for Hogan

Turns out they were blunt and rusty.

[Nasher 33,617]

Contracts are totally worthless now.

Why sign one Dom if you are going to return from the break unfit with no heart?

Hope we don't have to pay it out.

Contracts are mostly about affording the player some security. Yes, they offer the club some security too, but at the end of the day you can't force the player to stay if he doesn't want to, you never have been able to and wouldn't want to anyway. So no, contracts are not worthless, nor are they worth anything less than they were in the past.

I know you won't get it.

[IWAP 170]

We did extend his contract for two more years, just a few months ago. Obviously the football department saw some potential in him, that many of the posters in this thread did not.

[jnrmac 20,307]

So Wona, Jurrah and Dom Barry have all walked out on the club. Reportedly all to head back to their homeland and re-connect with their communities.

The reasonable question is why? Is it cultural issues, work load or commitment or all three? Or the MFC?

Whatever the reason you would think that is going to make recruiting of indigenous players a lot more difficult.

[BrisbaneDemon 1,575]

All the best in the future Dom, Turning up unfit on the first day of preseason with Roos as your coach isnt ideal.

[The Devil Inside 2,147]

All the best in the future Dom, Turning up unfit on the first day of preseason with Roos as your coach isnt ideal.

Read my post, again HE DID NOT TURN UP UNFIT...clear now

[DeeSpencer 26,497]

So Wona, Jurrah and Dom Barry have all walked out on the club. Reportedly all to head back to their homeland and re-connect with their communities.

The reasonable question is why? Is it cultural issues, work load or commitment or all three? Or the MFC?

Whatever the reason you would think that is going to make recruiting of indigenous players a lot more difficult.

I don't think it's the MFC. Freo (Josh Simpson), Bulldogs (Zephi Skinner), Hawthorn (Amos Frank - although he might not have been good enough). Several other clubs have lost guys back to regional communities.

The interesting thing with Barry is he's gone away for boarding school to play tennis ie. he's clearly grown up somewhere with a tennis court and training and then been away since 14 and now he wants to go home?

I figure it's a bond we don't understand. Until we understand it we probably shouldn't draft players with these kind of bonds to their communities.