Medals for All?

[faultydet 7,619]

19 minutes ago, Nasher said:

Fair enough, I see where you’re coming from. I guess the difference for me is that I see “the flag” as the sum total of the whole season, not just the result of the final game. That is, the 50 point win in round 5 that Mitch Brown played his only game in was just as much a factor in the total as the win in the Granny.

I see the reward for playing in a successful Grand Final as having the memory of playing in a successful Grand Final. That’s something the players who didn’t play will never have, no matter who receives what medal.

The players who suit up on Grand Final day are the ones who will create history. The others are simply names on a list, regardless of the (important) roles they played in getting there.

That's why I prefer to see only the winning 22/3 get a grand final medal.

@whatwhat say whatis on the money.

[Sir Why You Little 37,125]

4 hours ago, Jaded said:

And what about those like Jones and Jetta who don't have another year?

They have been a big part of this club and our rebuild for a long long time. Jetta has had a great mentoring role for Kossi, and took him in during Covid. Jonesy, well it goes without saying he is a massive part of this group and their success.

I see no harm in awarding a medal to those who have been part of the 22/23 during the season. 

GF Medallions are “limited Edition” I don’t want to see whole lists get them. 
it dilutes the mystique 

[Jaded No More 68,973]

Just now, Sir Why You Little said:

GF Medallions are “limited Edition” I don’t want to see whole lists get them. 
it dilutes the mystique 

I didn’t say the whole list. I said players who have played throughout the season. Flags are not won on grand final day in isolation. 
You don’t think Hunt contributed to the team’s success this season? Tomlinson? Jones? 
If JJ isn’t sub, it’ll be the first game he’s missed all season. Does he not deserve a medal? If May doesn’t come up because his hammy is not good does he not earn one? What if Clayton heaven forbid gets knocked out in the first minute? Does he not deserve a medal? 
We are a club that strongly believes in players competing in their roles and doing the team thing. 
Anyone who has played during the season to get us to a premiership, should we win, deserves a medal. Just like if the Dogs win I think Bruce absolutely would deserve a medal. He is their leading goal kicker. Deserves a medal more than Martin or Sanche. 

[faultydet 7,619]

Incredible that some on here even want to see all of the staff get a "medal"

 

Went down the pub last week, and had a few beers with 3 time Hawthorn Premiership medal winning boot studder Albert "Club" Foote.

Christ almighty.

[Sir Why You Little 37,125]

5 minutes ago, Jaded said:

I didn’t say the whole list. I said players who have played throughout the season. Flags are not won on grand final day in isolation. 
You don’t think Hunt contributed to the team’s success this season? Tomlinson? Jones? 
If JJ isn’t sub, it’ll be the first game he’s missed all season. Does he not deserve a medal? If May doesn’t come up because his hammy is not good does he not earn one? What if Clayton heaven forbid gets knocked out in the first minute? Does he not deserve a medal? 
We are a club that strongly believes in players competing in their roles and doing the team thing. 
Anyone who has played during the season to get us to a premiership, should we win, deserves a medal. Just like if the Dogs win I think Bruce absolutely would deserve a medal. He is their leading goal kicker. Deserves a medal more than Martin or Sanche. 

You are all “Touchy Feely”

GF Medallions are for those who run out on the Ground on GF day and win 🏅

That is the criteria 

For the rest of the list

take them out for dinner…

[Jaded No More 68,973]

10 minutes ago, Sir Why You Little said:

You are all “Touchy Feely”

GF Medallions are for those who run out on the Ground on GF day and win 🏅

That is the criteria 

For the rest of the list

take them out for dinner…

I would like you to tell May he doesn’t deserve a medal if he doesn’t play next week. 

[deva5610 970]

19 minutes ago, Sir Why You Little said:

You are all “Touchy Feely”

GF Medallions are for those who run out on the Ground on GF day and win 🏅

But they're not GF Medallions. They're Premiership medals. For the team that wins the GF at the end of the Premiership season.

The GF is not a game in isolation. It takes a shedload of hard work through the entire season and the finals series to even get there. I don't think it's much of a stretch to say players who played in X games throughout the season that helped the club actually reach the ultimate game deserve a medal too.

To the traditionalists - Pre 77(?) the winning club decided who got what, the (A)VFL didn't and there was no set standard. I'm not sure what Melbourne did for our wins but I'm curious to find out.

Edited September 17, 2021 by deva5610

[At Least I Saw a Flag 5,274]

I'm a longstanding supporter and member. if the Dees win, I think I should get a medal too.

[rjay 25,087]

53 minutes ago, bingers said:

I'm a longstanding supporter and member. if the Dees win, I think I should get a medal too.

Well, some are talking about getting tatts...

[Deestroy All 14,266]

Absolutely medals for anyone that played during the season. If the Melbourne Football Club wins a premiership then the players that represent the club won a premiership. 
 

“Cheapens” nothing. If anything it’ll add more pride to the players playing for their mates that didn’t make the 22 on the day. 
 

The players on the field on the day have that memory and archive footage for life. Jones, Jetta, Hunt/Jordon getting a medal won’t change that. 

[Deefensive Language 124]

When they spoke about this on On The Couch, the thing they brought up straight away was that the culture has to change.

I'm all for it (for reasons that I think are obvious - an entire squad of players generates success, not just those left standing at the end), but as another commenter said players have been conditioned to feel unworthy of one.

Presenting them with an alternative (like rings or club-issued medals) cheapens it - then it does become just another "participation prize". It must be the real deal, as it is in Olympic events (such as relay teams in swimming where those who compete in heats still get the gold).

Those arguments about scarcity miss the point - a premiership medal is not a commodity that you trade nor a rare piece of bling that you gloat over, it's recognition that you played a role in team that achieved a remarkable feat (Grand Finals are tough to get to, then hard to win) 

I think it's sad that in the AFL, finishing second carries an element of shame with it. It is also sad that players are conditioned to feel unworthy if they aren't in the 22 on the last Saturday in September.

Increasingly, premiership winning teams carry a strong culture of community and togetherness. When you introduce sharp distinctions between the haves and have-nots you erode togetherness and that sense of community. If a player were to reject the offer of a medal (having not played in the Grand Final), it implies they never felt that sense of togetherness and community. It implies a selfish outlook ("I wanted to prove to myself that I could be there. If I can't be there then screw your charity")

So if that is what the AFL system is promoting, players are going to find it hard to taste success. Coaches who get how critically important inclusivity and contribution is (eg. Hardwick) coach teams that win. So with that in mind, introduce medals for all who played a game in the season.

Players/teams that don't like this will ultimately fail. Those who do (led by the younger generation who'll signal this change in culture), will be formidable. Imagine how good the footy will be when we end up with 18 teams filled with guys who feel as strong a community spirit as our squad of 2021 does?! 

[Chook 15,022]

Let's flip it.

Medals for the players that DIDN'T play. No medals for those that did.

If I win a grand final, I don't need a piece of metal to remember it by.

[Pates 9,660]

The champions league football in Europe is an interesting one, players can play a certain amount of group matches, then ditch the club in the summer transfer window, and if the club they left wins champions league their entitled to a winning medal. Almost happened a few years back when Continho left in summer after the group stages (in which he was incredible) and had they beaten Real Madrid he would’ve got a medal sent to him!

I do think there should be a distinction between who plays on the day and who played through the year. Premiership squad medal recognises the contribution the player makes through the year to get them to that point. Grand Final winning medal for those who played on the day recognises they were there at the end. I get people not seeing the staff should get something but as an example Yze and Williams in particular stand out as people that have had a strong influence on the list, should they not get extra plaudits?

[Straight Sets Simon 23,113]

19 hours ago, faultydet said:

Only the players who actually took the field should get a medal.

I've never been one for participation awards. It cheapens the real thing. 

But they did contribute to the real thing, they contributed towards the team making it to the Grand Final which is the hardest part.

Someone started a good thread about this the other day:

 

[Bombay Airconditioning 6,408]

I get both sides, but do we honestly think that if a player doesn’t play on the day regardless of his input throughout the season that it will feel the same to him?

Edited September 17, 2021 by Bombay Airconditioning

[Pates 9,660]

10 minutes ago, Bombay Airconditioning said:

I get both sides, but do we honestly think that if a player doesn’t play on the day regardless of his input throughout the season that it will feel the same to him?

This is what the On The Couch lads were saying, there needs to be a shift in belief from the players to recognise that the club gets that that position because of almost every player on the list. TMac plays better this year because he know Weid is breathing down his back. Sparrow and Jordon take their chance knowing that Jones was ready to step up when required. Petty takes his chance after Tomlinson plays incredibly early in the year and does massive jobs in massive games. 

A squad medal would never feel the same as a premiership medal but in no way is it a participation award. The way I picture it the premiership medals would get presented on the day, the squad medals at the celebration event the next day. Get them up on the stage and hear the cheer from the fans. 

[monoccular 17,573]

20 hours ago, TRIGON said:

It's fine to have a different perspective SWYL, but please don't equate a game of footy to going to war. Most of us (fortunately) have no idea what it's like to be under enemy fire; I have mates that have been and they find the analogy to sport both laughable and offensive.

Exactly.  I get so peeved off on Anzac Day when that announcer with the “important sounding voice” talks of the heroes showing the Anzac spirit.  Nauseating actually. 

15 hours ago, Turner said:

i think it should be more than the 22 but i higher threshold like 15 games or 80% of games so that it rewards players who genuinely make an impact but your oskar bakers or chandlers who played once or twice and spend 12 games as an unused sub are excluded as they ultimately didn't contribute to the results

There is no correct answer.

15 games would exclude Tomlinson; all on the squad would include Nietschke who never had the opportunity to run onto the training track.  I would say on balance all who played a game.   

[Nasher 33,617]

1 hour ago, Bombay Airconditioning said:

I get both sides, but do we honestly think that if a player doesn’t play on the day regardless of his input throughout the season that it will feel the same to him?

Of course not - the intrinsic reward of having played is always going to be present. The point isn’t to make the players who didn’t play feel “the same” as those who did, that’s not possible. It’s to acknowledge the contribution to getting the whole team to the pinnacle.

I wonder if the co-driver in a winning Bathurst team feels the prize is cheap, because he wasn’t the one in the car when the chequered flag was waved?

[faultydet 7,619]

1 hour ago, Nasher said:

Of course not - the intrinsic reward of having played is always going to be present. The point isn’t to make the players who didn’t play feel “the same” as those who did, that’s not possible. It’s to acknowledge the contribution to getting the whole team to the pinnacle.

I wonder if the co-driver in a winning Bathurst team feels the prize is cheap, because he wasn’t the one in the car when the chequered flag was waved?

This is getting ridiculous.

That same co-driver played a quarter and a bit of the "grand final"

Your logic is awarding a trophy to the test driver.

[faultydet 7,619]

22 hours ago, deeTRACted said:

I am sure the club will do something for the players that got the team there if we win next weekend. I believe Collingwood got watches made.

Although there is an argument that if the Sub doesnt get subbed in should they get a medal over someone like a Hunt that played in the majority of our winning games. 

The watch idea is a great one.

Part of a Premiership campaign but not on the ground when the cup was won.

[PaulRB 6,411]

Leave it alone.

The premiership is won by winning the last game in September (against the second best team of the season). This win is scared, rare and special, and for every player, winning and performing well in this game will be the pinnacle of their career, and the realisation of something they’ve dreamed of since their childhood. 
So can we please honour the players who win this game with the premiership medals, and the legacy. 

The club that gets these 22/23 players to the final game get the cup and legacy. The club honours it’s list in many ways.

On those who miss out, get close, should have been, but weren’t… that’s part of the drama of footy, and for every Nathan Jones there’s a Jake Bowey. Life is not always fair or flat or able to be made sense of, it’s an adventure with highs and lows. 

If our team of 22/23 players win us the flag next week, they will be immortalised for achieving something very special for the club and us. Let’s not profane that special achievement by trying to spread the awards so thin they become meaningless, or more tragically, ordinary.

Go demons.

 

Edited September 18, 2021 by PaulRB

[All the Jacks 99]

No, where will it stop

[La Dee-vina Comedia 16,909]

7 hours ago, Bombay Airconditioning said:

I get both sides, but do we honestly think that if a player doesn’t play on the day regardless of his input throughout the season that it will feel the same to him?

I'm with you. Irrespective of whether medals are presented to everyone on the list, or anyone who played a game or 10 games, or anyone who played in one of the finals, the reality is, only those that played in a winning Grand Final will be called "Premiership Players".

That's not to say some sort of reward could not be given to the whole squad, but it's rather like swimming relays at the Olympics - anyone who participated in the heats or the final gets a medal, but we will only remember the four who swam in the final itself.

[CBDees 3,167]

Simple really. 23 players (only) receive a Premiership Medal. In addition, each of the 40+ senior players players should a Souvenir Medal, designed and struck by MFC. All played a role, whether playing in the Casey Demons, Melbourne Demons or on the long-term injury list. Jones, Smith, Hunt, Weidman, Jetta, Tomlinson, Chandler, etc contributed to the Club’s success.

[CBDees 3,167]

Previously I held the view that Premiership Medals are due to each of the 23 players who played on our in our Premiership Team. I also put the view that the MFC should strike a special (souvenir) medal to be given to everyone on our Senior List: Jones, Smith, Jetta, Tomlinson, Weidman, etc  irrespective of whether they played a senior game and even if they were on the long term injured list. I now feel that should be extended to take in our coaches and Jason Taylor. All have contributed to out achievements this year! 🥇

Edited September 18, 2021 by CBDees