Sylvia suspended

[tess 19]

Just out of interest.

Would people out there contact the club if you saw a Melbourne Footballer out on the turps at +2:30am?

[45HG 1,539]

no, and i don't think they'd report me either

[The Emblem 1]

Just out of interest.

Would people out there contact the club if you saw a Melbourne Footballer out on the turps at +2:30am?

Not if he was "smashed with moderation" as Neita 3000 puts it.

On a more serious note at the aerobic capacity these guys operate at these days the dehydrating effects of getting smashed are quite debilitating and will catch up with you.

We could of course put a different spin on how we put the curfew to our more impressionable players.

Son...its OK to go to a club full of comely young ladies, but if your not in bed by 11:30 then come straight home!

[Rhino Richards 1,467]

Just out of interest.

Would people out there contact the club if you saw a Melbourne Footballer out on the turps at +2:30am?

There are those that would. And then there are those that would say someone they know who was involved with the Club that they saw XYZ out on the turps.

The message gets back to the Club one way or another.

[Cards13 9,117]

Most posters have been on this kids back for years, I don't blame him for getting on it he has next week off then 22 weeks of the season. If you are going to have a night out Saturday night was it. Missing recovery is wrong especially for a bloke that has a history of OP, but give him a break he stuffed up now he is 5K lighter in the pocket and isn't playing round 1, he has been punished.

Everyone calling for him to be traded what for, what is the point trading someone with out knowing what you can get for them. At the moment you would be lucky to get an second round pick, he is better on our list then pick 25-40.

Dr D come on chief... if he wants to go out after games he can come play footy with me and my mates in the local leagues. The leaders of his club sat down and said be heading home by 1am a week before this. The off season had a couple of incidents for other players and he still didn't get it. Selfish is what I'd call it.

The club pays him to be a professional footballer. If you don't want to be one that is fine, get a job like the rest of us and you can go out and do what you want on the weekends, have a few beers during the week and all. But I still can't go out on a work night and get wasted and miss a work meeting the next day without getting my @rse reamed.

The calls for him to be traded are silly. How about we see how he responds first. 5 years, battled injury, if he is fitter than ever then this is his year to show it.

I think the overall issue is the clear selfishness of our players, in the 1am curfew announcement the partying issues go back to last season as Nieta pointed out, after Danners was given the flick there was an issue with how the players commiserated his sacking. So it goes back a way and needs to change for us to get anywhere.

[jaysoul 0]

This has been coming for a while. I have seen him out so many times at some of Melbourne's more undesirable clubs on god knows what.

I am sick of seeing our players out till all hours of their chops. It's always the same 2-3 players as well.

We got rid of Nick Smith for this reason, we should have sacked Sylvia too.

Enough is Enough!

[Cards13 9,117]

I don't disagree with his punishment, all I'm saying he has been punished move on, don't cry out for him to be traded, that he is no good, he has broken the rules been punished now lets see what he shows over the next 25 weeks and judge him them. I will bet that if he comes out in round 2 and plays a blinda people on this site will be calling him a superstar and how good is he. We are very quick to judged someone and even quicker to change our opinion. I also agree that you shouldn't take the [censored] out of your employer but how many 18-23 yo's have done this. These players are no different from any one except the get paid well. They are still young men that make mistakes.

I think we all agree with all of that, well accept the people who want him traded (ridiculous), but they know the life they are joining. And as one poster mentioned if you’re getting a 6 figure income more is expected of you in every organisation, more time, more effort, higher results. It goes with the territory and a higher level of scrutiny.

But agree with you on the 'he's been punished, lets see how he responds' line.

Hey a positive is at least we are not bloody West Coast with there culture.

[Rhino Richards 1,467]

We got rid of Nick Smith for this reason,......

We got rid of 426 because he was no good. With or without the additional drink.

[Jarka 767]

We got rid of 426 because he was no good. With or without the additional drink.

I don't ever remember hearing that 426 was out on the grog

[Jaded No More 68,915]

True, but McLean had four incidents in two months, three of which were legal issues, and none of which brought the club into a good light. The team rules excuse is what let Ben Cousins roam free in Perth for the best part of a decade.

I'm happy with the Sylvia suspension, and hopefully it doesn't happen again to any players, but if it does, I hope they come down like a ton of bricks. fatty is right, it cuts at a player deeply to miss games when they are fully fit, especially for a bloke with such an injury past like Col.

McLean has done a lot of stupid stuff, and he deserves the punishment he has received.

His incidents, while bringing negative media attention to the club, did not actually impact his body or his ability to play.

Not turning up to a recovery session, especially when you've been battling ongoing injuries, has an impact on your ability to compete, an impact on your body and it shows you care very little about your profession and your club.

Again, I am not excusing McLean, but at least he doesn't jeopardize his performance by speeding or doing burn-outs in a car park.

[Rhino Richards 1,467]

Again, I am not excusing McLean, but at least he doesn't jeopardize his performance by speeding or doing burn-outs in a car park.

Just his public aspirations for captaincy.

I dont know why you care to differentiate between either of McLean and Sylvia. Each player's actions have brought discredit to themselves and undermined the Club and its officials especially given the Club's poor situation and the expectations upon both players.

They are five year high profile senior players who were highly regarded draft picks. They both need to deliver on their talent this year.

Let this be the kick up the arse needed to both of them.

They have both been A grade fools. The ball is in their court.

I don't ever remember hearing that 426 was out on the grog

Neither have I. <_<

[Jaded No More 68,915]

They have both been A grade fools. The ball is in their court.

I never said otherwise.

My point was in regards to Hards' comment that McLean should have been suspended after his speeding fine. If you do something stupid and bring the club's image into questioning, you don't deserve to be a leader. That is why he is no longer in the leadership group.

But if you choose to not turn up to a recovery session because you've been out on the [censored] the night before, you clearly have little interest in playing football and you should therefore not be eligible for selection come Round 1.

Playing for the MFC is a privilege, not a right.

[Rhino Richards 1,467]

Playing for the MFC is a privilege, not a right.

You should explain that to both of them especially the red neck in the ute with aspirations of captaincy. McLean is lucky his last offence was prior to Sylvias stuff up.

I think the Club may not be as forgiving of future indiscretions.

[deanox 9,915]

I have seen him out so many times at some of Melbourne's more undesirable clubs on god knows what.

out of interest, f your not a fan of these clubs and their practices why were you there to see him?

[deanox 9,915]

Given the size of Melbourne and the high profile nature of AFL footballers, it would be hard to maintain such practices without it a1) getting back to the Club 2) being sprayed over a website like Big Footy or here and 3) the media not finding out and having a frenzy on it. Some of piddling things that the media have crucified players for the sake of a story has been appalling. I find it hard to believe a Club can sustain that behaviour, condone in any way that behaviour, hush up the incidents and believe they can get away with it.

On the other hand what evidence do you have to suggest otherwise?The culture and leadership at the Club has been an issue. But not to the extent of covering things up.

I agree that it will not be fixed overnight and may take two years at least to address the issues at hand.

i see what you mean rhino but perhaps the club has done its best to smooth incidents over. sylvia 'fell asleep' in the spearmint rhino, sounds to me like code for sylvia got so blind with didak that he passed out before he could be stupid enough to get in the car with hudson. people dont fall asleep in night clubs. they are noisy.

hopefully the next two years see the club take an absolute zero tolerance approach. over summer we gave a number of benefit of the doubt calls. mclean got a smack on the wrist and now sylvia stuffed up big time. the next person will be in trouble also.

[demon3165 2,718]

As much as it is a blow, it is needed, I now am convinced that we are on the right path, for once the players are taking ownership, we will have other mishaps along the way but in the end we will come out a better club for it. There is an old saying to change a culture you have to show them a culture and this is what DB and Co are doing and when the whole group understand this then we will become a strong club from top to bottom in how we act on and off field.

This is now happening at board level, a process was put in place for the position of coach (no leaks through the process ) and again the same for the CEO no infighting no panic just getting on with it, (years ago all hell would have broken loose.) I think it's great that the media are second guessing at the moment, two papers and different candidates.

So let the fun begin so to speak.

[Rhino Richards 1,467]

As much as it is a blow, it is needed, I now am convinced that we are on the right path, for once the players are taking ownership, we will have other mishaps along the way but in the end we will come out a better club for it. There is an old saying to change a culture you have to show them a culture and this is what DB and Co are doing and when the whole group understand this then we will become a strong club from top to bottom in how we act on and off field.

This is now happening at board level, a process was put in place for the position of coach (no leaks through the process ) and again the same for the CEO no infighting no panic just getting on with it, (years ago all hell would have broken loose.) I think it's great that the media are second guessing at the moment, two papers and different candidates.

So let the fun begin so to speak.

Your best post to date and much better than your cheap shots. I agree with both points that many seem to have missed in their communal "woe and disaster" mode.

i see what you mean rhino but perhaps the club has done its best to smooth incidents over. sylvia 'fell asleep' in the spearmint rhino, sounds to me like code for sylvia got so blind with didak that he passed out before he could be stupid enough to get in the car with hudson. people dont fall asleep in night clubs. they are noisy.

What team rule did he break when he did that? Hell, that's a minor incident and there is no evidence he is anyway implicated with Didak beyond uninformed rumour and speculation. I have seen many a punter fall asleep in a nightclub drunk.

Did MFC smooth the Pickett incident over?

[Gouga 569]

Your best post to date and much better than your cheap shots. I agree with both points that many seem to have missed in their communal "woe and disaster" mode.

What team rule did he break when he did that? Hell, that's a minor incident and there is no evidence he is anyway implicated with Didak beyond uninformed rumour and speculation. I have seen many a punter fall asleep in a nightclub drunk.

Thank god he passed out. If Sylvia was awake do you think he would have been smart enough to not accept drinks and a lift from Hudson?

[Gouga 569]

Did MFC smooth the Pickett incident over?

Nup, but Pickett was on the outer, unfit and unmotivated. It was a harsh penalty but not a very damaging one as far as the club was concerned.

[mo64 5,874]

This has been coming for a while. I have seen him out so many times at some of Melbourne's more undesirable clubs on god knows what.

I am sick of seeing our players out till all hours of their chops. It's always the same 2-3 players as well.

We got rid of Nick Smith for this reason, we should have sacked Sylvia too.

Enough is Enough!

Ah, so Nick Smith got the nickname 426 because they were the hours he was seen leaving the nightclubs!

[Rogue 585]

Ah, so Nick Smith got the nickname 426 because they were the hours he was seen leaving the nightclubs!

It's when he did his best work

Note that I have little idea about Nick Smith's footy talents, and absolutely no idea about Nick Smith's extra-curricular activities.

[Straight Sets Simon 23,113]

Maclean, now Sylvia.

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,2...0-11088,00.html

What a hero.

[Rhino Richards 1,467]

Nup, but Pickett was on the outer, unfit and unmotivated. It was a harsh penalty but not a very damaging one as far as the club was concerned.

Pickett's penalty was light on and no more than Sylvia's. I cant think of a bigger slap in the face a player can issue to his teammates than not front to a game! Completely unprofessional. I would have sacked him from then on. It was an injustice we let him get his 200 games up.

Given we have placed alot of the momentum in 2007 on players like Pickett performing and he did not lift a finger. His act of disgrace happened when we were crippled by injury. We gave up pick # 20 two years earlier and was paying the imbecile approx. $300,000 a year to bludge when we could least afforded it.

He cost us plenty. Pickett was a terminal embarrassment to the MFC.

[Brocky 4]

But if you choose to not turn up to a recovery session because you've been out on the [censored] the night before, you clearly have little interest in playing football and you should therefore not be eligible for selection come Round 1.

Lets stick to facts and not assumptions. Who said he was out on the [censored]? He was out trying to win his girlfriend back, they had broken up.

[Jarka 767]

Lets stick to facts and not assumptions. Who said he was out on the [censored]? He was out trying to win his girlfriend back, they had broken up.

It does highlight that he is still very immature, which is a good sign because hopefully one day he'll grow up