Something makes me think that there is more to the sledging (wasn't about depression), or it's being blown out of proportion because Selwood was on the show and Barrett wanted to see how far he could go with it. I can't see the Hawk players blatantly giving him curry about his struggle with depression as, surely, that's a no go zone.

My 2nd hand mail from a mate who runs a cafe sometimes frequented by MFC players reckons that a player(unnamed) from a Club (unnamed) put the view that, around the traps of AFL. Mitch's behavior and actions are seen as "just not right".

Of course when one is struggling mentally then ,by definition, one makes bad choices.

That's Mitch's 'out'.

Of course If one is a smug tool like Barrett or Newman then one doesnt even realise that one is struggling mentally

Newman is a tool. Attack Clark for having depression is ridiculous. Clark has declared himself fit to play, he'll cop it over the fence but he shouldn't have to cop it from players. You wouldn't sledge a player for having any other illness. I doubt anyone is laying in to the several diabetics in the AFL or Tom Lonergan who lost a kidney.

Anyone who attacks Clark on part of depression is a gutless wonder. If you want to criticise his move from Melbourne, the retirement etc then you can but have some class and leave the depression out of it.

FFS can some of you people move on. Aligning yourself with the views of Sam Newman is not a smart idea, this isn't the 1960's.

No one has said Newman attacked him for depression. Get over yourself. If thta was the case then yes it would be a low act. Dont ffs go on about it becuase of some innuendo from the purple.headed [censored]

Other than that his behaviour has been deplorable and he should cop it.

Clark wanted out and found a loophole. Enough people realise this, hence the public booing and general poor reception he receives.

This.

His whole career is about finding loopholes.

If he was well enough to nominate for the draft. He was well enough to be coached by Roosy

More to it than just his "depression"

Newman is a tool. Attack Clark for having depression is ridiculous. Clark has declared himself fit to play, he'll cop it over the fence but he shouldn't have to cop it from players. You wouldn't sledge a player for having any other illness. I doubt anyone is laying in to the several diabetics in the AFL or Tom Lonergan who lost a kidney.

Anyone who attacks Clark on part of depression is a gutless wonder. If you want to criticise his move from Melbourne, the retirement etc then you can but have some class and leave the depression out of it.

FFS can some of you people move on. Aligning yourself with the views of Sam Newman is not a smart idea, this isn't the 1960's.

You are assuming that the had depression. We only think he had depression because he told us.

You can't quit football because of depression, then 6 months later start football again because you have "learnt to deal" with the mental illness.

Quite a few bleeding hearts here quick to assume that Clark has bee sledged about his depression.

The jump in logic Damien Barrett was hoping everyone would take.

I'd say, if Clark can't handle a little sledging, about his depression or otherwise, then he's not ready to be back playing AFL footy.

Or should we protect Clark from anyone being able to say anything to him, in case he construes it as depression-related abuse?

It's a tenuous link for anyone to brand asking Clark "don't you feel bad for leaving the dees?" as depression-related abuse, but I'm sure Clark would make that link in his head.

Clark wanted out and found a loophole. Enough people realise this, hence the public booing and general poor reception he receives.

And he's absolutely delusional if he thinks he's hard done by being booed and jeered.

As long as the comments from the Hawks players weren't about his depression, I don't see what the fuss is about. It's sort of satisfying seeing other players get stuck into him about the move from Melbourne (as long as that's what the comments alluded to).

it just says things relating to his last 12 months........not necessarily depression.......pretty vague really

if it was about depression why not just say so. it's not like the press are normally timid

Really? Did you read it dc?

Here's a bit from it:

"Selwood said Clark was as prepared as possible for the comments that would come his way relating to his well-known battle with clinical depression.

"Personally, I wouldn't be going out there and saying it but if people choose to do it then he's ready for it.

"We're playing a team (Hawthorn) that is ruthless, that are the best team in the league at the moment. You probably expect it to come." "

"Hawthorn defender Josh Gibson said it was the first he had heard of the incident. "It's an illness so I don't know if we should be going there," Gibson told Channel Nine."

He is certainly going to cop more sledging now.

Not the sharpest tool in the shed is Clark.

He shat on the jumper Jimma passed on to him

That is why i shall always give him a hard time.

Personally I'd be loudly telling Clark's teammates in front of him "be careful, soon as it gets tough he'll jump ship on you too. I know you have to act like it cos he's your teammate, but we all know deep down you can't bring yourself to trust him."

God, I love mental disintegration.

Quite a few bleeding hearts here quick to assume that Clark has bee sledged about his depression.

The jump in logic Damien Barrett was hoping everyone would take.

I'd say, if Clark can't handle a little sledging, about his depression or otherwise, then he's not ready to be back playing AFL footy.

Or should we protect Clark from anyone being able to say anything to him, in case he construes it as depression-related abuse?

It's a tenuous link for anyone to brand asking Clark "don't you feel bad for leaving the dees?" as depression-related abuse, but I'm sure Clark would make that link in his head.

Purple's tactics are surprisingly effective considering everyone hates him.

Mitch will never belong anywhere in footy circles because it's all about him. Will end up being alienated by all the clubs he has played for and let down. Think the Lions, Freo and us. It will not end well at Geelong either.

He is certainly going to cop more sledging now.

Not the sharpest tool in the shed is Clark.

He shat on the jumper Jimma passed on to him

That is why i shall always give him a hard time.

WYL, your back yard must be an absolute mess... you're like a dog with a multitude of bones that you just keep digging up over and over again, labelled 186, Mitch, Scully, etc etc

I fall into the camp that suggests depression isn't a mental illness. It's certainly real, but it's not a disease or illness. It's a state of mind and coping mechanism humans have used for time immemorial. But it's not an illness.

I'm not an expert, but I've read the views of experts and there's no real diagnosis for depression in psychiatry. The chemical imbalance in the brain theory is very unreliable and no longer considered sound.

Should he be sledged over it ? Probably not, as it's pretty childish, but I don't see it as the despicable action some do.

Thanks,i feel so much better.

I have an issue if people are sledging him for his depression, but I bet they aren't.

I bet they are sledging him for being a disloyal, money hungry little [censored], which is exactly what he is.

He was applauded for being brave enough to speak out about his depression, and good on him for that. What he did next however, was a whole other issue.

As I've said over and over again, depression isn't an excuse for being a [censored].

If Clark thought he was gonna go through this whole charade and not get slammed for it, he's a fool.

Players get booed all the time, for silly on field mistakes, for silly off field mistakes, or for just being annoying and irritating. Why should Clark be immune from that?

Why can't people just build a bridge and get over it?

Here's why:

This club has not won a flag for 51 years. We have not even played in the finals for 8 years. At various times in recent history our very existence has been in doubt. We have no respect. We both NEED and DESERVE some real success very soon.

Now, it looks like PJ and Roos are making some ground at least to make us competitive again.

Do you know what would be really, really handy right now? How about a coleman medal type full forward?

Well, we had one. We traded a high draft pick and put a lot of money into one even though he battled to get on the park. When he really crashed out we stood by him and supported him.

Then he turned around and royally screwed us. You can talk for 1000 years but nothing will change the fact that his stated reasoning for not coming back to the MFC is not fair nor reasonable. Nor does it even make any sense.

If he had lined up for us this year, which was obviously the decent, honourable thing to do, we would absolutely be looking at finals.

Getting Lumumba out of the mess took a lot of the sting out of it, but still, it was a dog act that has cost us dearly.

There will be no construction of bridges from this poster.

Mitch will never belong anywhere in footy circles because it's all about him. Will end up being alienated by all the clubs he has played for and let down. Think the Lions, Freo and us. It will not end well at Geelong either.

I don't think he has been alienated by MFC or its players has he? People were saying in here recently he was hanging out with Dees players or in social media having a chat?

Here's why:

This club has not won a flag for 41 years.

Try 50.

I fall into the camp that suggests depression isn't a mental illness. It's certainly real, but it's not a disease or illness. It's a state of mind and coping mechanism humans have used for time immemorial. But it's not an illness.

I'm not an expert, but I've read the views of experts and there's no real diagnosis for depression in psychiatry. The chemical imbalance in the brain theory is very unreliable and no longer considered sound.

Should he be sledged over it ? Probably not, as it's pretty childish, but I don't see it as the despicable action some do.

Interesting thoughts 'ProDee'...have you got links to articles from these experts?

Really? Did you read it dc?

Here's a bit from it:

"Selwood said Clark was as prepared as possible for the comments that would come his way relating to his well-known battle with clinical depression.

"Personally, I wouldn't be going out there and saying it but if people choose to do it then he's ready for it.

"We're playing a team (Hawthorn) that is ruthless, that are the best team in the league at the moment. You probably expect it to come." "

"Hawthorn defender Josh Gibson said it was the first he had heard of the incident. "It's an illness so I don't know if we should be going there," Gibson told Channel Nine."

C'mon Moonie, you've seen carefully-worded media statements like this.

Nowhere does it state that Clark was sledged about his depression. But the words of Selwood (no doubt given to him & carefully rehearsed with him by the club's media officer) are designed to give that impression without stating it, and thus to draw sympathy for the sledgee, without actually accusing anybody of anything.

And Gibson's just stating that he personally wouldn't sledge anybody because of depression.

It's often what's not said that's as important as what's said.

I have an issue if people are sledging him for his depression, but I bet they aren't.

I bet they are sledging him for being a disloyal, money hungry little [censored], which is exactly what he is.

He was applauded for being brave enough to speak out about his depression, and good on him for that. What he did next however, was a whole other issue.

As I've said over and over again, depression isn't an excuse for being a [censored].

If Clark thought he was gonna go through this whole charade and not get slammed for it, he's a fool.

Players get booed all the time, for silly on field mistakes, for silly off field mistakes, or for just being annoying and irritating. Why should Clark be immune from that?

This is the crux of the problem I have with the comments on these forums... when he came to the Dees we were all over the moon and Mitch was the greatest thing since sliced bread. None of us had any issues with him stiffing Brisbnane and Freemantle... we were just happy to get him.

While he was with us and he was diagnosed with severe depression, we all sympathised with him and were happy to give him space and time to get himself right.

When he was advised to leave the club and start afresh in a new environment (and who are we to say that is not a valid way of treating his depression), all of a sudden he becomes public enemy number one, we are experts on the subject and we say he never had depression, he was faking the whole thing in order to line his pockets, he deserves everything that is coming to him, and on it goes.

So, in my capacity as an armchair expert in such matters of the mind, I suggest to my peers that we all move on before we get so overheated that we spontaneously combust where we are sitting.

Depression is a recognised disease and has a place in the DSM 5 and the International Classification of Diseases which are the official word on such things. There are criteria for its diagnosis and scales to assess its severity.

Distinction has been made between depression and sadness which is a natural psychological response to adverse life circumstances.

Sitting in the Stands with Hawthorn supporters around was bad enough in days gone by, they were experts at "high falluting" sledging.

One would imagine the players would be worse. Little rich boys club!!

Probably off the subject. However.

Don't you love Demonland. A "who cares" or throwaway story on the worse TV show in town with comments from a bunch of clowns with two neurons who simply love a headline or the sound of their own voice. Then we have a thread full of assumptions, generalizations, moralising, baseless opinions, counter opinions, medical opinions, bruised egos, indignation. And from a bit of useless gossip on a useless TV show from the mouths of useless commentators, the opinions on the thread become the new story. As Ernie once said "there is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man, true nobility is being superior to your former self."

Having said all that it makes for great reading and you gotta love the strong opinions and personalities on show on this site. Priceless.

I don't think there is any doubt that Clark had/has some mental illness issues and that is a no go zone.

Interesting to note that had he stayed at the dees he would have played in a solid win rather than a significant loss. There should be enough sledgey material without having to get into the mental illness stuff.

Footy is a fickle game, wouldn't it be nice to past the cats over the next couple of years.

So Clark received medical advice that he had to leave the club to get better.

Of course that didn't stop him coming back to us and using our facilities and getting one on one coaching sessions from our footy and fitness coaches to get him back up to an acceptable level. But his doctor said not to come back? Or was it because the club was offering him about a half of what other clubs were giving?

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