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Sam looking a particularly sensitive soul in this video. Danger says hello 'Matsuo'... I think he has enough grunt & ability, just needs the consistency. That usually comes with games & experience.

Yesterday the AFL released an Apology to Adam Goodes for not standing by him. For the final years of Goodes' decorated career they receded into the background and did nothing while he was being vilified by crowds at games and by 'personalities' in the media and effectively hounded out of the game. The AFL has had 4 years to apologise but has not. This week two docos are released on Goodes last years in the game. They are docos in which the AFL and some key people in the industry, by their own actions and words are complicit in and added to the trauma Goodes endured. I haven't seen the docos so can't comment on them. But I will say they AFL should be supremely embarrassed that it has taken 4 years to apologise. Its hard to think there is much sincerity let alone contrition in the apology and its timing suggests it is to preempt the docos tarnishing of its 'reputation' and divert attention from the docos. The AFL are controlling 'the optics' as usual!! Whatever one thinks of Goodes or how he played the game its hard to accept how he was neglected by the AFL and those it can influence. I find the belated apology shallow and opportunistic. I would have applauded the apology had it been made when Goodes retired. Not saying the AFL should be the moral flag bearers of our society. But it should stand up and be counted when it comes to any of its players let alone one of its champions. How does the saying go: the standards we walk past are the standards we accept. Now, the apology is, imv too little, too late.

Unfortunately yes, the booing of Goodes expanded to a level I've never witnessed in any other game for any other player. Not even single occasions, after some particularly ugly early incident in a game where a player was booed for the rest of the game. I have literally never heard the kind of booing that Goodes received. It was the calling the girl out, it was the dance, it was that he didn't back down on it when the nuff-nuff army demanded it. Ugh, I'm still recalling the sick feeling up at a Sydney game, when the Hawthorn portion of the crowd ramped it up. The ball was out of play, nothing was happening, people where I was were looking around and up at the replay trying to figure out if there had been a trip or someone had been thrown into the fence. Nope, just Goodes, not even involved in the play, happened to be standing near a segment of Hawthorn reserved seating. There was a tangible sadness across the rest of the crowd (including, maybe especially, many other Hawthorn supporters) as they realised what was happening. It actually sucked a lot of life out of the crowd atmosphere for a while. Not like any other booing I've ever witnessed. Acknowleging that more than a few people out there in the poltiical world have run off with this to use it as leverage, I'll try to run through my own thoughts in the spirit of honest engagement and all that. Other indigenous players generally weren't booed or abused (well, less so since the late 90s at least) because they weren't being, shall we say, 'uppity'. There's a pretty obvious unwritten code that you'll be welcome as long as you keep within the nicey-nicey political correctness realms. Think 'theme round' and special guernsey designs. That 'keep it nice' issues kind of answers the next question, about Goodes fanning the flames. No doubt it did increase the sense of confrontation, even if it was wildly overblown by the people so 'offended' by it, but I suppose the question Goodes might ask is 'why am I expected to have to worry about fanning such a stupid flame?'. Bizarrely, I think Goodes found himself in the bind that mostly people with quite opposite views find themselves in; you say or do something a little controversial to begin with, the twitter storm erupts out of all proportion, everyone starts volunteering any excuse they can to heap more confected shame upon you, and if you don't back down then you officially become the worst person in the world. As for 'how racist is Australia really'... definitely not as racist as many like to claim, definitely more racist than others like to claim. Thinking hard here... hmmm... on the one hand, Australia has made such tremendous progress on racial and cultural issues in just a couple of generations, and could make a realistic claim to being the world's least racist nation overall. Trouble is, that isn't a smooth result and there are still many filthy horribly racist corners, and there are still some really obvious racial glass ceilings. But because it tends to happen in one organisation at a time or one group of bastards at the end of the street at a time, it has very low visibility anywhere else. One way to put it - it is no longer 'normal' to be racist in Australia, but, for Aboriginal people, it is still very 'normal' to come up against really horrible racism in both personal and professional life, and to be left on your own to deal with it. So then Goodes comes out and says 'racist' - the backlash comes from not only the grubby core of actual racists (and society's layer of people who just like to hurl abuse at anyone they can find an excuse to), but also a share of the people who are proud of their own improvement and their country's improvement and don't appreciate being told that colelctively they still suck. For Goodes, the personal experience is one of having society tell him he hasn't experience the racism which he most definitely has, and then Goodes gets publicly abused and ostracised for the very act of saying what he is experiencing. For the rest of the Aboriginal community, they see that happening and are reminded that society will deny the racism that does exist, and punish them for mentioning it. Anyway, I quite agree that the documentary is unlikely to hit all these nuances, but at least it might help more people realise the normality of experiencing racism, even in an ostensibly not racist society. As you say, the mea cuplas from Gil the Dill and the like do nothing - in fact they even reaffirm the starting position 'oh yes, we have totally learnt and wont be like that again, for real, I don't invite racists to any of my dinner parties'. And this pathetic 'leadership' takes us back to this easy, cosy pattern of he comforting, plausible, not-racist image of Australia, which has still not come to terms with the idea that experiencing racism is still quite normal for Aboriginal people. You could say, Australia is not a racist society, but it is a society where the remaining racists can often expect to act our their noxious attitude without being penalised, and where the lifelong victims of racism feel that if they speak up about it they will be penalised. And that is pretty much the heart of why Goodes felt so alienated at the end of his career. And why the AFL should be so ashamed that they failed this simple test of solidarity, even as they kept decorating their brand with Indigenous-themed confetti.

I wondered how long it would be before a knuckle dragger brought up this red herring. If that is a reason for sustained booing, why didn't other "floppers" (eg. Matthew Lloyd) cop it? Further, if it were the real reason, why did he not get booed for all of his career?

As I understand the rules, his spot on the list now has to be taken by someone in the marketing department.

I wish Sam all the best and look forward to seeing him playing well, as we all know he can. A fine young man who should not have carried the burden on himself over his contract (or a missed shot). Now it's all done let's see him shine. Onwards and upwards Sam!

No, he was booed because he was a blackfella that had an opinion and spoke up about the disgraceful treatment his people had and still do endure from the less enlightened members of society. Those people objected to an "uppity black who didn't know his place". Anyone suggesting it wasn't racially based because other Aborigines weren't booed is missing the point entirely. As if you have to abuse every member of a minority group before it's considered racist behaviour. FFS. When the docos go to air, it's a safe bet that those would benefit most and learn something from watching them will be the least likely to even tune in.

When this thread is suppose to be a celebration of Sam showing a great deal of loyalty and courage of admitting his struggles, instead now its just turned to complete [censored] becaude some feel the need to stroke their own ego's and beat their chest furiously.

Twice I heard Bruce the Statistician say that Geelong's first-quarter score of 0.2.2 was their lowest since 1957. Obviously couldn't remember the elimination final last year. ?

I wouldn’t take a punt on him.

Kim-Jong Gil strikes again. The supporter was never seen again

The fan was heard to have uttered "Pardon me thou lime-green insectoid. Wilt though officiate this parlour-game with greater equity henceforth?"

A large Victorian club had a screening earlier this week. All employees attended. At the end everyone felt very bad. Someone I know and respect was there. The person was almost in tears as he told the story. At the end the president stood up to speak and I was told every single person thought that he, like the silent hundreds in the room, should own the hurt and bigotry shown to Adam Goodes and show remorse. The person there said the president did not "own it". He made excuses. Thats what hurt him as he thought if this does not change Australian attitudes, nothing will. Ive never seen my friend quite so upset to be honest.

At risk of being self contradictory, I'm somewhat anoyed that this thread has been high jacked by @Matsuo Basho and the barrage of responses to his inital post, which I feel are also somewhat disproportionate to the actual post, though I also sense a recient history which has contributed to the backlash. By coincidence in contrast to the view that expressions of feelings, emotions and perceptions of outside pressure in the internet age, I stumbled across the below after I left Demonland, somewhat in disgust early this morning: Surf legend Kelly Slater reveals personal anguish after Sunny Garcia tried to take his own life https://mobile.abc.net.au/news/2019-06-08/kelly-slater-opens-up-about-sunny-garcia-suicide-attempt/11191684 Clearly Slater is a world champion, so I don't think showing emotions is an indicator or mental weakness or lack of compeditive edge. There are also some other overlaps. Anyways, this thread should be more of a celibration that the MFC has sured up a promising key position forward, which post Jesse Hogan, the absence of which would leave the club quite structurally exposed. Dispite the missed goal, I also saw some good signs from Weid last Saturday night. Perhaps they were a sign that he had made up his mind and cast asides the decision, dedicated his focus to footy and that what we saw last Saturday is more indicative of what to expect from a physically fit and focused Weid for the rest of the year. GO WEID and GO THE MIGHTY DEMONS!!!

From our newsbreaker @Dee Zephyr Fantastic news. Weight off my shoulders From Sam: “I’m a Demon through and through now,” he said. “I love the club, I love the players and I love the supporters, so it’s a team that I’m going to be barracking for the rest of my life, so I can’t wait for the years to come.” Hope that Eddie reads that! It sounds like the contract negotiations have taken a real toll which might explain why his form has dropped off this year. Now that the load is lifted he can just focus on footy! Really look forward to his development and being a major cog in our team. Time to get behind him!

I'm consulting on a project for the ABC about millennial mental health and the importance of talking about your mental health. Vulnerability is a strength, not a weakness and it makes other humans relate to us better. It's how I form many relationships and it's how I run productions. We all have occasionally difficult times at work. Every human does. Footy players are no different. Those that play must have a passion and love for it, but it doesn't mean each and every player wouldn't go through difficult spells with their mental health. I hope Sam has the physical and mental tools to make it, but Sam being open about his mental health should not play into this conversation IMO. Doesn't mean he'll make it, but doesn't mean he won't either.

The worst part about this whole thing is that it started the whole "You can't boo a 'champion'" movement. I used to boo whoever I damn well liked. But nuffies boo people because of the colour of their skin, which has kind of ruined the whole thing for me. Now I can't boo anyone! BOOO!!!!!

Q1) because they didn’t have an excuse to boo the other indigenous players. I think that the people who claim booing Goodes had nothing to do with his being indigenous genuinely believe that. It’s not that they’re lying about their motives. Everyone consciencely knows being racist is bad, but the generational bias that populates the subconscience takes years to beat out. My mother is a lot less racist than my grandparents were and I’m a lot less racist than my mother, but it will take more generations of social evolutions before this kind of problem is eradicated. We have to recognise it and rally against it in the meantime. Q2) he contributed to it by being born Aboriginal. This question is victim blaming. Q3) until incidents like this cease happening all together, yep, Australia is a racist country.

All valid questions. But in asking them you also have to field questions which fit don’t fit the narrative. Why were/are other indigenous players not bood? What percentage of those booing Goodes were genuinely racist and what percentage were booing for football related reasons? What effect did the actions of Goodes himself, both in terms of his off field style of communication and in his decision to engage in the mock spear throwing etc, have in terms of fanning the flames of the situation? Is Australia the ‘racist nation’ that the narrative of this film would have viewers believe, or is it an astoundingly tolerant nation albeit with a checkered and troubled past? Unfortunately no amount of belated, forced sorry’s and mea culpas from the Gillon and his ilk are ever going to adequately address any of those queries. Nor the questions you ask. What I do know is that reality is far more complex than that seen through one film director’s prism of story telling. Rare indeed is the documentary which gets at an issue from an array of angles and standpoints.

'Tracca..... if you don't get it I have to wonder where you have been for the last fifty years. There is no room for what happened to Goodes. It is an event albeit small in comparison to the events of the last two hundred years that should make us all stop and reflect. Sure there may be room for discussion about what changes should flow but definitely there should be change..

Great signing for us and a load off the Weid's mind and mine. I ride the emotions with the guys and am shore I am not the only one. When he missed that shot to win the game I was disappointed, however not with the Weid. I just felt for him and that was my disappointment on the young man. A big signing for us and looking forward to you developing into something special.

A very open, frank interview with Sam. It is really sad he went thru all this The dark side of AFL About his early form drop off: Weideman’s form, or lack thereof, came as media associated an enormous price tag with the former first-round draft pick. “There was a point where I didn’t really want to leave the house too much because I was probably thinking about what other people were thinking of me,” he said. He wasn't our worst in the first month but he took a lot of heat and I think largely because mainstream media went burko over his supposed contract claims. About Social media and some supporters: “I think there’s a lot of passion coming out in their comments and I don’t think they understand the power it can have on the players and how much effect it can have,” Weideman said. “We don’t go searching for these sorts of comments­­­­ but sometimes they’re quite direct and unavoidable. It explains why he deleted his twitter and instagram accounts a month ago. To some extent I blame mainstream media for kicking up a frenzy about a vague report of what his manager supposedly wanted for this next contract. Then social media 'heroes' went to work. We have already lost Tom Boyd from the game. Sam seems to be made of stern stuff but would hate for him to be engulfed by the dark forces that made him 'not want to leave the house'.

He has been unfairly wearing the blame that rightly belongs to about five others for that loss. Should have been well over by the time he took that kick.

I have always been sceptical above the Weid's ability. However in the last part of 2018 he show some talent. Like most of the team his 2019 has been less than special, I watched him a couple of weeks ago at Williamstown and thought he played like an AFL talent that day. Felt sorry for him last weekend always thought he was a good kick for goal and wore the blame for losing the game when it should have been well over before he took that kick. With his tenure now out the road I hope he fulfills the trust the FD have shown in him. We sure as hell need him to reel of some multiple goal games.

The perpetually offended and perpetual victims would still most definitely be offended.

Speechless! I just do not get it! Surely surely ANB, jkh and Billy Stretch are more deserving of a game?? I actually thought JKH coming back after extended layoff was not too bad! Totally mystifying!!

I boo everyone equally.

But it's the greatest stadium in the world ?

I thought this was a gag at first but apparently not. So a 19yo plays AFLW for MFC 8 weeks out of 52 for little money and she support Geelong in AFL - a different comp. And the problem is????

Really pleased that he’s re-signed. Looking forward to seeing some good footy from him over the next couple of years and beyond.

Tar and feathers come to mind.

No doubt, so this is the turning point in form, dependability, measured expectation and a future in the red 'n blue. It is also a statement of committing to: (a) the Club, and (b) form reversal. Plus there will be a whole series of mutual benefits to arise from this commitment. Well done, Weed, we all look forward to this new era.

There are no lies nor misrepresentation in my post, and it is indeed a critique of what you have written. Your first comment in this thread stated that Sam is a sensitive soul and a worrier. You then raised Jack Watts to imply that his attitude failed to have the ruthlessness of a winner, drawing a line between he and Sam’s comments about the contract negotiation. Further, you said that Sam’s vulnerabilities concern you because it doesn’t align with that of a winner. In the other thread you mention Millennials need to realise that they are also ‘men’, and questioned whether Goodwin “strip[ped] the paint off the walls and eviscerate a few egos in response to multiple players costing us the game in the forward 50? If not then we’ve got a real problem”. To suggest that these comments are not directed towards Sam is disingenuous at best. The clear implication from your posts is that sensitivity and emotion are not traits found in high-achieving individuals. My suggestion is that drawing a line between positive performance and the denial or suppression of emotion is an outdated and erroneous belief that is no longer considered a sign of strength or toughness. Toughness and strength come from one’s ability to show emotion and vulnerability, particularly in a climate where people do their best to denigrate such displays. The key point is to divorce the idea that mental toughness is found in those who deny emotion as opposed to those that display it, or that the solution to difficult situations is to simply be harder and more fierce. AFL can be brutal, but that does not mean that it cannot be engaged with in ways other than what has traditionally been accepted. Finally, that emotion and sensitivity should be relegated to the 'personal' sphere only is an outdated attitude that pertains to once-popular considerations over the warm nature of the domestic sphere vs. the cold, hard public sphere where real achievement and progress is found. This is a position that has been destroyed for decades now.

I'm in that "younger" group that posts here (I'm 28 now) and there has definitely been a shift in the perception for mental health. I had to take some days off recently from my job due to my anxiety and I was honest about it. My boss who is an absolute country boy sent me a lovely message about how they were all behind me and would support me. I think the main issue is still about getting people to talk about it. You read on other sites about if AFL footballers take time off due to mental health issues it always must be a drug problem. I can't imagine the sort of pressure they are under. I can absolutely understand people like Tom Boyd retiring from the game early. People were pooing on him since he got traded from the start. Just dont read it they say, you get paid a lot of money so why does it matter. Once it gets in your head it isn't going to leave easily for most. You go into the season with the big name full forward leaving and then your manager comes out saying that you are worth 650k a year, thanks mate I didn't have a full plate before that. I remember a close friend of mine starting a facebook awareness campaign addressing ones mental health problems and it was hard enough for me to post about it then.I could see it in my friend when i was younger looking back. When I was 16 he kept asking me if there was anything more in life, wondering if this was it. I thought I understood what he meant and said that yeah, the thing missing was that you try and find somebody to love. My friends and me talked about it and we obviously didn't grasp what was really going on. Then time goes on and you realise what he was actually going through once you experience it. I guess hindsight is 20/20 as they say. I can't imagine how hard it would be for players to confide to friends or family worrying it could come out, let alone to the public. My friend who has been struggling with depression for 10+ years runs a fundraiser every year at his work with the help of his family who has raised thousands of dollars for the R U OK foundation and he is my inspiration. Sorry it became a bit of a blog post in the end. Edit: If any of our cheersquad reads here, get behind him and make a banner

Daniher deserves a statue at the MCG.

Wow what is happening to the tigers? They are terrible. Fallen off the cliff. System has broken down. Skills poor. Mistake after mistake. No conection. Whatever could be the reason? Oh that's right - they have 7 of their best players out injured. Tipping point.

You could buy fairy floss at the Melbourne Show much, much cheaper.

'Massive relief' as Weideman signs on http://melbournefc.com.au/news/2019-06-07/massive-relief-as-weideman-signs-on

so if there is any racists in the country then the country is racist? i struggle with this hyperbole. there is no need to exaggerate just to make a point. by this definition there wouldn't be a racist-free country in the whole world......and is in itself a prejudicial opinion which potentially just creates more division... focussing on the positive gains (and they are there) is more likely to achieve better cohesiveness and outcomes you were right in your analogy that it will be a multi generational solution, but it is moving in the right direction (at least so far) even if it does feel as slow as treacle.

Who cares.. all I know is she is as hard as a cats head.. is that where the link is?? ?

Come on mate, that's not an excuse for the booing that Goodes attracted. I hear the odd boo for Selwood and in some particular cases when he ducks for a free but not the systematic booing that Goodes got. There was much more to it.

Nailed it. There is definitely a shift in the common perception of what a man should be these days, and although I’m sure there are some downsides to it (like anything in life), I think overall it’s a positive thing that young blokes are more open to talk about their issues and seek help when required rather than bottling it up and letting it consume them in the long run. At Sam’s age I was mostly worried about having enough money to go to the pub on weekends, can’t imagine what it’s like carrying the pressure of #1 key forward prospect of the oldest footy club in the world starved for success for so long. As I said earlier, retiring a 250+ game club champion is there for the taking for Sam. And I reckon he will. I have enormous faith in this young blokes character.

Throughout this thread you have indeed questioned Sam's mental toughness, commitment to the team (and to football generally), and expressed that he does perhaps does not have the fortitude to cope with modern football. Maybe Sam expressing himself in such a way actually demonstrates mental toughness and an ability to cope with an industry that, as you suggest, chews individuals up and spits them out. That is, of course, not to mention that masculinity and an ability to cope with a difficult situation is in no way linked to expressions of 'alpha' attitudes or traits within the individual. If, as you say, it's all about mindset, then Sam's self-reflective and honest mindset should prove to be a great asset when he faces difficult times in his career. Although maybe Goodwin simply yelled at him for missing that goal like you suggested he should in another thread, and so Sam just submitted and signed the contract extension. Though this seems unlikely to me considering the intelligent manner with which Sam presents.

Sounds like I would qualify as a 'younger fella' under those terms. My work also has me engaged with young people, as well as researching attitudes around identity and the like. I would suggest that you are correct in that ideas around masculine identity and expressions traditionally 'alpha' attitudes are undergoing a significant change, with a large portion of that stemming from young people. Traditional gender roles have been making way for new, socially-centered expressions of what it means to be male (and indeed female, or any non-binary) for so time, with these trends gaining more public traction in more recent times. Under these new terms, expressions of vulnerability and emotion, as has been shown by Sam in this interview, are not only allowed, but encouraged as both a healthy way of engaging with the world and nothing to be considered as abnormal. Rest assured that your son is entering into a very different world that you may have seen as a young adult. Having said that, there is also clear evidence of a reaction against this, and a retreat into more traditional, hyper-masculine, and conservative male roles that are tied to biology and social/political structures that have been around for millennia.

You are making those up, it's not even an opinion, it's just plain made up. The irony is not lost that Weid is openly discussing online trolls and some on here are calling him names and pedalling negative discussion about his commitment to the club. I think this is the polite verion of what he thinks: "I think there’s a lot of passion coming out in their comments and I don’t think they understand the power it can have on the players and how much effect it can have,” Weideman said. “We don’t go searching for these sorts of comments­­­­ but sometimes they’re quite direct and unavoidable."

Final bench for mine would be Hibberd, Weideman, Garlett and Spargo. In: Lever, May, Hore, Salem Out: Kennedy-Harris, O.McDonald, Stretch, J.Wagner Goody may go with Preuss instead of Spargo, but I don’t think so.

What an amazingly insensitive post...no wonder Sam went to some dark places if he was reading this type of thing !!

More like........Bryce Squibs. Amirite?

Because he damaged a nerve in his shoulder? Nerves are big squishy things that need to bend and move around a lot, that’s why the healing process is very slow and requires so much rest. When one gets damaged, the pain is intense and covers a large area. If it’s got a pinch or a tear in it, it would hurt like the blazes, and would be very easy to reinjure if he does too much too early. I would agree that there’s a big chance he’ll never get on the park, but you couldn’t conclude his body wasn’t naturally up to it. Everyone gets injured, he was just very unlucky with which part of his body sustained the injury he has. Anyway it’s great that he’s managed to find something useful to do at the club while he plays the waiting game. It’s always important for players to tend to their post footy futures.