Engorged Onion

Sounds like some folk think he is a Diversity Hire eh? 😉

You’re right! If there is compromise then the felt experience is one of resentment because of inequity. However if it’s collaboration then it feels more equal. Just remember - the industry is a closed loop - trades one year don’t always quite match up with both parties are entirely satisfied - but future trades between the same to parties aim to address this.

thoroughly enjoying it -> moving up towards GWS level of humor.

May reminds me of Lazarus, on terms with Neitz for the amount of collision injuries he has sustained in his career (jaws for both) and the willingness and desire to keep putting the body on the line. It's ok that careers come to an end, and its ok that people are contracted and their body starts slowing down (be it fast or slow) before the contract expiry. I'll always admire the swagger and absolute dominance in the air when the ball came into the D50 in his pomp in 2021.

Very pleased to be on Magnetic Island with a bunch of parochial Queenslanders...

If that's true, that's fantastic news.* *is anyone also going to question his professionalism whilst still being at the cats? It's almost as though the public announcement in of itself is the problem to people...

I must have miscommunicated @Dr. Gonzo . To be frank, my career has been built around working in and around elite sport, the AFL industry being one of them, for 2 decades. When you become a career coach, the career physio, psych, ex phys etc etc etc - you are passionate about the people you work and care for wherever you are at any given point in time. I know, because I have been one of them and give a great big [censored] about athletes, coaches and other staff ,due to humans doing their best in tough environments constantly under scrutiny. However, whilst that is true, simultaneously, fans are wedded more myopically due to the tribalism. That's a great thing, but as fans its from the outside looking in, where there is a projection of what 'we as fans feel' must be the experience of the players or FD, or administrators... is factual incorrect. It's why people in the industry go from job to job within the industry - because those emotional ties are less (to the clubs, not the relationships they have built). So yes plenty of tribalism for the fans... less so for those who work in the industry. It's why Jack Watts laughing was a problem too :) the optics was he didn't care as much as the average fan, because he had a great opportunity to live someones dream, and great genetics to get that opportunity and thus he should have cared more. That juxtaposition and dissonance really upset the 'tribal fan'.

Agreed @DeeSpencer - of course when you're within the next club - you use 'we' 'us' and learn about the club invest in the relationships and the cultural ways of being, rather than remaining aloof...

Would the pettyness change if you saw the contract start date? 😘 Practically, he's merely finishing one project and moving onto another project... like going from Barwon Water to Melbourne Water and unlike supporters it's not evocative for him in the same way. Can you imagine working in the industry and going through 4,5,6 different clubs, you'd be inoculated to the emotional meaning of the colours, the words, and the hysterical us vs them that most of us as young supporters are thrust in to.

@WiseDeeMan Again, great point. I do question what else is he going to learn in 14 days what he hasn’t learned already however. Kind of like this espionage

Good thought provoking post @Dannyz - my perspective is I think it’s a pretty outdated view to suggest that the minute you’re appointed coach of Melbourne, every other club suddenly becomes your sworn rival and therefore you should sever ties immediately. Yes, of course Geelong is a competitor on the field, but “rival” doesn’t mean “enemy.” Modern coaching isn’t tribal in that sense. It’s relational, professional, and grounded in integrity. Coaches regularly move between clubs, finish out contracts, and maintain friendships across the competition without compromising their new role. To assume that King can’t act with professionalism while helping Geelong through finals is to mistake rivalry for bad faith, and that’s a fallacy.The suggestion that he’s somehow disloyal for honouring his commitments underestimates both him and the systems in place. Transitions take time, and part of being a professional—whether in sport or any workplace—is seeing through the work you’ve started, showing respect for colleagues, and leaving an organisation the right way. I'd say far from being a weakness, that’s actually the very quality Melbourne have hired him for: integrity under pressure. The bigger picture here is that the game has evolved beyond the old “us versus them” lens. Rivalries matter, yes, but the best modern coaches know that composure, relationships, and respect are just as important. King staying the course with Geelong isn’t a betrayal of Melbourne—it’s a demonstration of the kind of leader he’ll be once he starts work. This is contemporary leadership, from all of the MFC FD, and Steven himself and the GFC.

When I see you two posting

After reading some of these posts this morning I reflected it was R U OK Day the other week had me thinking about why we’re all here on Demonland. We all use it in different ways, some with more intensity and frequency. Some just want the footy chat, trades, tactics. Others are here for the banter, the [censored]-taking??, the theatre of it all. But for some, this is actually a way of feeling connected. When life feels isolating... and it can, even when you’re surrounded by people - a forum like this becomes a place to check in, to vent, to be seen. And in a way, that’s what “leaks” are too — little bits of information, emotion, or frustration that spill out into public. Some people get furious about them, others lap them up, but the common thread is that they remind us how human this all is. So....if you see someone really getting amped up about how they feel treated, it’s because that feeling is true for them. Think Adam Goodes — the lesson there wasn’t about what was said or even the intention behind it. It was about how the receiver felt. And once that’s clear, the sender has a choice: double down, or step back and consider the impact. Of course online, the sharp edges get sharper. Without tone or body language, a comment lands heavier, particularly when the individual 'feels' things intensely. At a cafe or pub, in the real world - you’d probably just roll your eyes, ignore it, or move onto the next conversation. Here, we bite back, and suddenly it’s a pile-on. So maybe there’s value in pausing. If a post winds you up for whatever reason (and only you know why), you don’t have to buy into it. Scroll past, disengage, move on, block the person (i've blocked plenty, and I am sure plenty have blocked me). And consider that, if someone’s clearly struggling out loud, maybe that’s their way of stating, I am NOT OK... we have a choice to respectfully acknowledge that. Doesn’t mean we stop arguing about the game. That’s the heartbeat of this place. But we do get to choose how we argue. We can go hard without cutting someone down. Anyway, that’s my little sermon from the mount — take it as thoughtful, or condescending, or both. I just reckon it’s worth remembering: the posts and the debates they’re all part of people trying to connect - and ultimately not feel alone.

never in doubt 🙃

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