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Any correlation between form and having a new baby

joeboy
joeboy
in Melbourne Demons

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Lever, McDonald, Melksham, Viney.. all new fathers..there may be others

Add Tigers’ Riewoldt to this list and they ALL have one thing in common

Discuss

Edited by joeboy

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    I mentioned this in one of the other threads in relation to Viney.

    I suspect a large portion of Demonland posters are a long way removed from newborn children. It is extremely taxing mentally and emotionally, particular if it's a first child.

    Football would be quite low down the priority list

     

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    Should senior AFL players be taking precautions to ensure that they aren't having babies in the middle of the AFL season? Or is that an infringement of their human rights?

    Would Richmond be so understanding of Edwards & Houli not travelling interstate if it was in the middle of the finals series? Would the players make the same decision if they were missing finals?

    I get that players want to be with their families, and I fully support that, but they get paid a hell of a lot of money partly because there are sacrifices involved with being professional athletes.

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    I remember taking a week or 2 off work (I am fortunate to have flexibility in that regard) when my kids were born and can concur that it can be taxing both mentally, emotionally and physically even when you are just acting as support staff. Having interrupted sleep doesn't help either.

    It would be foolish to think that it could not have an effect but that does not mean that it has had an effect.

    We don't know how hands on anyone is with their new borns. I have an acquaintance that never lifted a finger to help. Didn't change a nappy, give a bottle or get up in the middle of the night to soothe. He slept like a baby (pardon the ironic pun) for the entire new born stage. I'm by no means suggesting that this is the case here.

    None of us know what the situation actually is.

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    7 minutes ago, poita said:

    Should senior AFL players be taking precautions to ensure that they aren't having babies in the middle of the AFL season? Or is that an infringement of their human rights?

    Would Richmond be so understanding of Edwards & Houli not travelling interstate if it was in the middle of the finals series? Would the players make the same decision if they were missing finals?

    I get that players want to be with their families, and I fully support that, but they get paid a hell of a lot of money partly because there are sacrifices involved with being professional athletes.

    You can't just flick a switch and decide to have a baby.

    It is much harder than school teachers lead people to believe and being a professional athlete doesn't stop life from happening

    Edited by BW511

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    • Author

    I’m not suggesting the players need to check their cycles, I’m just suggesting there’s an evident correlation between poor form and having a young baby.

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    7 minutes ago, poita said:

    Should senior AFL players be taking precautions to ensure that they aren't having babies in the middle of the AFL season? Or is that an infringement of their human rights?

    Would Richmond be so understanding of Edwards & Houli not travelling interstate if it was in the middle of the finals series? Would the players make the same decision if they were missing finals?

    I get that players want to be with their families, and I fully support that, but they get paid a hell of a lot of money partly because there are sacrifices involved with being professional athletes.

    Lots of men who get paid "a hell of a lot of money" take time off when a baby is born.

    I think it needs to be pointed out that the last half of your final sentence does not reconcile with the comment mid-way through it that "you fully support" that players might want to be with their families. 

     

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    It shouldn't, but the players you referred to are horribly out of form (aside from Viney who just had the poor game Vs Richmond)

    T Mac and Melk are playing like their still on holidays.

    Most of them would probably have an in-house Nanny or get their partner to stay up all night to attend to the baby. You often hear about how much the players appreciate their partners doing all the work while they get a good night's sleep.

     

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    Just now, Bring-Back-Powell said:

    It shouldn't, but the players you referred to are horribly out of form (aside from Viney who just had the poor game Vs Richmond)

    T Mac and Melk are playing like their still on holidays.

    Most of them would probably have an in-house Nanny or get their partner to stay up all night to attend to the baby. You often hear about how much the players appreciate their partners doing all the work while they get a good night's sleep.

     

    I don't think you can say that with any certainty. They are AFL footballers not Hollywood starlets.

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    12 minutes ago, joeboy said:

    I’m not suggesting the players need to check their cycles, I’m just suggesting there’s an evident correlation between poor form and having a young baby.

    The whole team is pregnant !

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    1 minute ago, Demonland said:

    I don't think you can say that with any certainty. They are AFL footballers not Hollywood starlets.

    I actually meant most players would have an in house nanny OR have their partners do all the overnight heavy lifting. As in one or the other. 

    Or at least that's what I hear when they players of new borns are interviewed.

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    51 minutes ago, joeboy said:

    Lever, McDonald, Melksham, Viney.. all new fathers..there may be others

    Add Tigers’ Riewoldt to this list and they ALL have one thing in common

    Discuss

    Well if they are getting up a lot at night that could be something, but it is a long bow. I think most new Dads can still do their work properly. 

    Edited by Redleg

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    28 minutes ago, Bring-Back-Powell said:

    I actually meant most players would have an in house nanny OR have their partners do all the overnight heavy lifting. As in one or the other. 

    Or at least that's what I hear when they players of new borns are interviewed.

    Fair enough but unless you lock yourself away in another room (presumably far away or sound proof) there is no way for your sleep cycle to not be affected which can have an impact on other aspects of your life. Plus there are other factors such as the stress on a marriage that having a new born particularly if the wife is doing the heavy lifting.

    It is a wonderful time but it could also be a stressful time. Putting aside the sleep aspect I'm sure that during the time of COVID it would be doubly stressful to be bringing up a child in this current climate.

    I'll add that this can be even more stressful if faced with the possibility of having to their your wife and newborn to hub for an unknown period of time interstate.

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    I'll reserve my concern for airline pilots, surgeons and people who deal with explosives rather than footballers.

    On point, it's also quite possible that there's a quid pro quo here. While footballers with newborns may struggle in the early days after a baby is born, their football might benefit later from having a more secure and stable home life. 

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    • Like 1
    53 minutes ago, BW511 said:

    I mentioned this in one of the other threads in relation to Viney.

    I suspect a large portion of Demonland posters are a long way removed from newborn children. It is extremely taxing mentally and emotionally, particular if it's a first child.

    Football would be quite low down the priority list

     

     

    If this is the case then we should ban all players from having kids until after they retire.

     

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    Garry Lyon kicked 10 in three quarters the day after his first was born - he'd had no sleep.  Reckoned he was less tense or anxious than usual - is there something to learn here?  Maybe those suffering from coach-induced self-doubt need to have a night in the maternity ward, get things in perspective, and go out too tired to complicate anything, with the 'ah bugger it, it's just a game' attitude...

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    With Tmac I can't help but noticed he looks a lot more sluggish and heavy. More so he doesn't look confident in how he is moving. I know he had the torn meniscus last year and before that an ongoing foot/toe problem?

    He just seems to be lumbering around a lot more then he used to. He was never an agile player, struggling with turning and kicking on the run from angles but he at least had a decent burst of speed and power.

    Is it just me or does he look heavy this year? His confidence in his ability is definitely lacking. I wonder if niggling injuries and body are letting him down further.

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    It is something that has been observed in the past, but also, a general rise in professionalism and leadership/culture is also quite common in the long term after a fairly short bleary-eyed period!

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    We probably need a 'no sex policy' at Melbourne.

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    4 hours ago, joeboy said:

    Lever, McDonald, Melksham, Viney.. all new fathers..there may be others

    Add Tigers’ Riewoldt to this list and they ALL have one thing in common

    Discuss

    I was about to post the same observation until I read yours JB. From my experience it's not as silly as it first sounds. 

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    4 hours ago, BW511 said:

    You can't just flick a switch and decide to have a baby.

    It is much harder than school teachers lead people to believe and being a professional athlete doesn't stop life from happening

    Leigh Mathews told the Lions players no sex in December so there would be no births in September.

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    25 minutes ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

    Leigh Mathews told the Lions players no sex in December so there would be no births in September.

    You couldn’t do that nowadays and that’s not a problem for us anyway

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