The pre-season training has begun for all clubs, and there is speculation about which team will be where by the end of the season. These are the same speculations from others, where, every year, they get it wrong in some way. Last year, it was Geelong’s flag to lose. Others could not see anyone contending for the coveted Premiership cup other than Geelong. When it came to Carlton, it was basically unanimous that they would languish once more in the bottom eight.
I have been asked many times at this time of the year who will win the Premiership. I said this last year, the year before, and will repeat it: no one can predict who will win until after the Bye round.
Teams that boom ahead at the beginning of the season are no guarantee that they will be in Premiership Cup final contention at the end when it matters. Injuries and other matters come into contention with this regard, and it is those teams that are fit, healthy and have the stamina to finish the season at the top, that will be in contention. It comes down to not only physical wellbeing but mental as well. The body may be in peak condition, but the mind may not.
I watched a documentary about the Australian Open and how Rafa Nadal was two sets down in the final in 2023, and where everyone was contemplating when to leave when, despite a nagging injury, fought back and won against all the odds. I watched the documentary about Adam Goodes and how a star player was beaten down by the mental toll directed towards him when he was playing. While both instances are direct opposites, they clearly show the heavy toll mental capacity can take to determine success.
In the news, Melbourne’s Clayton Oliver is battling a personal battle and may be unlikely to start playing in Round One or beyond. We have seen in the past that other players either leave the game entirely or take time off because of mental health. We have seen coaches take a step backwards because of the toll on their mental health. But the issue is not how they deal with this but how we, as a supporter of the game and our club, deal with it.
I have seen in the past supporters “go to town” on our own players and coaches because of a performance that was not up to their standards. I have seen on social media how the barrage of abuse and vilification is directed towards coaches and players by so-called supporters. These supporters then praise and glorify these same people when everything goes the team’s way. Should it not be that we support, no matter what? We cannot say with our hands on our hearts that we are passionate supporters of a club if, given a chance, we deride and hurl abuse at a player, a coach or even an administrator.
No matter what club or team you support, these are, in the end, people. Sure, they are professional sportspeople who get paid a bit to play, but they are still, in the end, just people, and the way we treat them on and off the field reflects on us as a person.
Mental health, especially in men, is one where it should be a safe place to exist, knowing that supporters and the clubs will put their virtual arms around a person and say, “We support you.” It must be a place where people like Clayton Oliver can take a step back from a game he loves and focus on getting his mental health under control. Whether we like him or not, he is a person, a young person who is battling right now, and we must support him.
The game is nothing without the players, the coaches, the administrators and the supporters. It is a collective that makes this game so dynamic and such a wonderful place to be in. We cannot step down into the gutter of abuse just because they play for another side or are battling mentally. It makes no difference if it is in the AFL or the AFLW.
A question posed on GOLDFM’s Facebook page asked if you could change one thing about 2023: what would it be? I replied, Collingwood, winning the Premiership! Sure, I hate Collingwood and Essendon, but I will not vilify nor hurl abuse at a player just because they play for them. I have seen over the years the effect this can have on a person and will not stoop down to that level.
I would love it if, at the start of the new season, we stopped with the barrage of hate directed towards a player, coach or administrator just because they either play for another club or for Carlton and just didn’t perform how we felt they should. Or if they are of a different culture, in all forms. Or who they identify as, in terms of their gender.
I doubt it will happen, but hey, I can dream and hope. I hope Clayton Oliver and others who are battling mental health come out of their dark tunnel with a better, more hopeful view of their world. The game should be a safe place no matter what and we, as supporters can be a part of it.
GO BLUES!
P.S. How cool is this image of Jack Silvagni!
All photos courtesy of AFL.
SPORTZ 