Melbourne and Carlton in talks for AFL marquee mental health game next season

Melbourne are leading the charge on staging a marquee mental health game next season, after initial discussions with Carlton earlier this year and a former premiership coach getting involved.

Melbourne has held preliminary discussions with Carlton about staging a marquee game next season in support of mental health.

Demons chief executive Paul Guerra confirmed the club is keen to play a game in 2027 which could shine a light on what he calls a societal ‘pandemic’ requiring more support and greater funding.

In a week in which Carlton has had to deal with the hospitalisation of Elijah Hollands after a mental health episode during last Thursday’s clash with Collingwood, leading AFL figures including Jack Ginnivan and Bailey Smith have called for a dedicated round for mental health.

The Blues have come under significant scrutiny about the handling of Hollands, with the AFL awaiting findings from the club’s investigation into why he was allowed to take the field.

Guerra confirmed initial discussions with the Blues about a marquee game had taken place before the incident with Hollands.

He said the AFL community needed to do more to support people with mental health challenges.

Four-time premiership coach Kevin Sheedy approached Guerra earlier this year to ask the Demons to partner with another Melbourne-based AFL rival in a match designed to raise funds and support mental health awareness.

Sheedy, an ambassador for The Male Hug (a not-for-profit organisation supporting men’s mental health), flagged Carlton or Essendon as potential partners for the Demons in the game.

“It is an important cause,” Guerra told the Herald Sun on Tuesday.

“For this (idea) to go further, we need to talk about it with another club, so there is still a bit to go (before it happens).

“It has to be another big Melbourne club. We don’t have any hallmark games with Carlton or Essendon, one of those two clubs (could play).

“I know that Carlton is keen to find a marquee game as well, but I haven’t spoken to Essendon yet.”

Guerra said Sheedy pitched the idea to him earlier this year, but given the sensitivities at Carlton across the past week, those discussions would be parked to a later date.

“We all love Sheeds and he has just been mighty for the game,” Guerra said.

“When he comes to talk to you, you listen.

“He is right about the impact of people struggling with mental health. The question is can we build a game around that, and if we can raise awareness, then we would have a look at it.

“If we can help, and if we can build a crowd around that cause, it is something, as a club, that we would absolutely look at.

“They are preliminary conversations .. As I have said to Sheeds, before we jump into doing it, let’s work this through so that it lasts.

“The impact that AFL football has on society now … people are looking for somewhere to belong and AFL has been that spot. We have to be very conscious of that as a club. Yes, we are out there to win, but we are also out there to make people have somewhere to go.

“For it to go further we need to talk about it (more) with the other club, we need to talk about it to the AFL, so there is a bit to go.

“But the cause is important.”

Sheedy has called Australia’s mental health crisis “the war within” and insists it is at a stage where the country - and the game - need to do more to assist not only those playing AFL football but the millions watching it around the country.

Ginnivan said on Channel 9: “The Elijah stuff, he was in my draft (year), I was mates with him in the under 17s and 18s. I am just sending my love to him and his family.”

“It is obviously a difficult time with all the stuff going on, first and foremost we want to put players and their mental health at the front of mind.

“I know Baz (Smith) touched on it, but a mental health round would be so epic and I know players that I have spoken to are big advocates for that, so that would be nice.”

The Mental Demons vs The Feeling Blues?

This is a great initiative. But what happened to Spud's game? I thought that was to raise awareness for Men's mental health

Increased mental health awareness can only be good. We all understand if a knee or shoulder isn’t functioning 100%, it should be the same with your head.

I would love our club to be leaders in this like we were for breast cancer awareness.

I don't want us to have anything to do with this. Mental health is important, but the way we commodify these causes in sport is unsettling to me. It all feels a bit cynical.

I have to be honest and say I am just about over "special focus" games. Sometimes, it feels rare to see our boys run out in their traditional navy blue and red strip.

Having said that, the state of Elijah Hollands when he played does need serious attention and raises serious concerns. And the amount of players taking personal leave for mental health reasons is sky-rocketing.

How about the AFL re-launch the Danny Frawley game, and give it a broader focus?

5 minutes ago, Chook said:

I don't want us to have anything to do with this. Mental health is important, but the way we commodify these causes in sport is unsettling to me. It all feels a bit cynical.

I feel the same.

I think it’s a logical step forward, and I think it’d be great if we could be a part of it. While it’s easy to focus on the mental health of players this week, the wider community is also grappling with this problem at an unprecedented level.

I found it interesting that Sheeds was on the front foot pushing this initiative. He’s done more to damage the mental health of Essendon supporters in the last decade than anyone.

10 minutes ago, Chook said:

I don't want us to have anything to do with this. Mental health is important, but the way we commodify these causes in sport is unsettling to me. It all feels a bit cynical.

So you dont want the big freeze anymore?

9 minutes ago, Demonology said:

So you dont want the big freeze anymore?

I don't see what one thing has to do with the other. "I don't like commodification of X" doesn't mean "All things that bear a resemblance to X must go away."

Look I think stkilda deserve first go at this.

We have enough themed games.

I think it’s a great initiative and hope it comes in next season. Anything that brings more attention to this cause the better imo.

48 minutes ago, Mickey said:

This is a great initiative. But what happened to Spud's game? I thought that was to raise awareness for Men's mental health

We should do it the same round imho

This feels extremely opportunistic and cynical from us.

57 minutes ago, Demonstone said:

The Mental Demons vs The Feeling Blues?

I’d have gone with Moody Blues ds

No, anything to do with Sheedy and Carltoon is to be avoided!

Mental health’ covers a huge range of issues. Without a specific focus or clear outcomes, these themed games can feel a bit more like ‘performative activism’ as opposed to practical.

Edited 8 hours ago8 hr by Ethan Tremblay

20 minutes ago, KozzyCan said:

This feels extremely opportunistic and cynical from us.

They’ve been talking prior to the recent issues. They’ve actually parked the talks out of respect for what has transpired. I’m not sure what you want from the club. The AFL and football in general has a massive reach. If us playing a game can be used to help just a handful of lost souls then I don’t see the issue. Maybe you’re the cynic?

God Guerra is a terrible communicator from a PR sense. He speaks for people and their inclinations - muses even. He speaks in terms of potential commercial opportunities in the midst of a personal health issue. His feet would be in wet sand and he would pull them out with his hands

I'd rather we raise awareness of something that people literally aren't aware of like trypophobia.

7 minutes ago, Roost it far said:

They’ve been talking prior to the recent issues. They’ve actually parked the talks out of respect for what has transpired. I’m not sure what you want from the club. The AFL and football in general has a massive reach. If us playing a game can be used to help just a handful of lost souls then I don’t see the issue. Maybe you’re the cynic?

I would say maybe don't do an interview with a major paper about it when Hollands only self-admitted himself to hospital yesterday.

But regardless of recent events, it feels more like we are trying to create a reason to conjur up a prime time game against a big club more than actually do something for a good cause.

The special interest games work best when they come about naturally and actually have some connection to the clubs involved. Neale Daniher transformed Queens/Kings Birthday into the Big Freeze. Jim's Game is about carrying on the legacy of a club legend.

For a game about mental health I think the Saints do it perfectly with Spud's Game.

2 minutes ago, KozzyCan said:

I would say maybe don't do an interview with a major paper about it when Hollands only self-admitted himself to hospital yesterday.

But regardless of recent events, it feels more like we are trying to create a reason to conjur up a prime time game against a big club more than actually do something for a good cause.

The special interest games work best when they come about naturally and actually have some connection to the clubs involved. Neale Daniher transformed Queens/Kings Birthday into the Big Freeze. Jim's Game is about carrying on the legacy of a club legend.

For a game about mental health I think the Saints do it perfectly with Spud's Game.

I’m probably being cynical, but the timing has a slight smell of egoistical altruism to it, for mine.

Reading “mental health”issue tea leaves, one ponders picking apart a dogs breakfast of drug addiction, alcoholism, psychiatric issues, disability issues, gambling addiction, criminal or just plain bad behaviour. What exactly are fans supposed to think? Just seems like an opportunistic and manipulative PR stunt of nothingness.

Maybe stkilda v carlton, but then part of me thinks if it's carlton then they're using hollands breakdown to promote the game if you get what I mean.

But then again it may help him. Or maybe Geelong v stkilda & if he was comfortable Joel selwood could get involved & with Bailey smith to.

I'm just not sure what connection we have.

As long as the Dees beat the Blues