AFL 2025 - The Upside Down Road To The Last Saturday In September

John Longmire has stepped down as coach of the Sydney Swans. One Grand Final win in 2012 followed by four Grand Final defeats over the next 12 years, three of them thumpings.

Dean Cox replaces him.

https://twitter.com/sydneyswans/status/1861205532172001767

makes a lot more sense now too why Dean Cox never even flinched when the Eagles job came up.

Adam Hunter committed suicide today. A premiership winner with the Eagles in 2006. It comes less than 24 hours after Troy Selwood, the lesser known of the 4 Selwood brothers who all played AFL level, also committed suicide. Cam McCarthy last year. Shane Yarran, Shane Tuck, Danny Frawley in years gone by. I dont know if its an AFL issue (CTE or similar issues), or is it a mental health/young male issue. But desperately sad to see. Everyone then says there needs to be more done and that men need to be able to talk more.

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From what I can make out from the reporting it looks like Hunter didn’t commit suicide and that it’s yet another tale of woe regarding drugs with Eagles (former) players.

The point in general stands. I’d be surprised if there wasn’t a CTE issue with some players in AFL given the nature of the sport but I’d wager it’s more common even in NRL - smaller pitch, less players on the field, more collisions.

Men “talking” is apparently “woke” now though so people trying to get men to talk have had the job made harder for them and it’ll be harder again if Australia elect their own neanderthal right wing fuckwit in Peter Dutton this year.

AFL pays alright these days but the vast, vast majority of players are not set up for life or anything like it, and some will be quite hard up. But it’s the premier sporting competition in Australia and requires that commitment and to have to go back into normal life having fallen behind in other areas because you’ve dedicated your life to footy must be bloody hard. It’s why I’d never really begrudge top level footballers the money they make now even if some of the wages sometimes seem a bit obscene.

I find Aussies worse for the whole hard man act too and any bit of concession of mental health is an admission of being soft. I do know that draftees are encouraged and offered free college courses whilst in clubs, but many young players joining just see the bright lights of stardom so dont plan for after. AFL isnt a massively lucrative paying job for the vast majority who play, rookies and lower ranked players wouldnt get much more than a well paid “normal” job. So its not a wage to set you up for life. But you go through all the media shite and stardom and problems that go with that for not much more.

Anyway, dark cloud over the early part of the season.

In lighter news, Zach seems to be going well in the jungle from what bit of social media i see about him in there

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