Balmain Players Walk Out of Match v Wests - Match Abandoned

[zik]

Although the players may be young, they have organised their own senior representation. The players representatives have also provided some representation for the group. We aren't talking about kids here. You have engineers, financial planners and architects protesting. Do you think these professionals would put their necks on the line if they didn't believe something wrong was taking place.

[tara]

About time Balmain got emotional.

I've bagged them heaps and with just cause. I'm a pretty emotional person as I've shown on this forum over the years. Funny thing is I reckon I had a right and despite one thing I regret to a degree airing publicly I saw plenty at out past players day last Saturday including the bloke I mention.

The point I'm trying to make is footy is and rightly should be emotional. Any suggestions of those players being harshly penalised is an abomination on our game. Blokes that have the balls to make a stand like they did are the heart n sole of m

[Balmain Boy]

About time Balmain got emotional.

I've bagged them heaps and with just cause. I'm a pretty emotional person as I've shown on this forum over the years. Funny thing is I reckon I had a right and despite one thing I regret to a degree airing publicly I saw plenty at out past players day last Saturday including the bloke I mention.

The point I'm trying to make is footy is and rightly should be emotional. Any suggestions of those players being harshly penalised is an abomination on our game. Blokes that have the balls to make a stand like they did are the heart n sole of m

Well said Tara. I knew I liked you for a reason.

[BIGSHOW]

Well said Tara. I knew I liked you for a reason.

Well said Tara I'm not buying in because I've said my piece pre-season about this situation and right or wrong emotion is a big part of footy having brain farts and popping a vein is why we play.

[mountainsofpain]

So who was going to pay for that legal advice? The volunteers who have long gone from the club, or a group of players in their 20's in a club with more turnover then a Merry go round as highlighted by Ancient Tiger?

The steps have been well documented on this forum as had the questionable responses and lack of responses by the board. If you cannot see they have done all they can and time was running out, then I don't think that you really want to.

If you cannot see these guys are standing up against a dodgy administration and showed tremendous courage then you don't want to.

And if these inconsistencies are not true then don't you think Ancient Tiger would have heard from the legal team from the board and stopped posting the nasty truth?

The fact is it is emotional so how can you not respond with emotion responses?

A far more appropriate style in response than an arrogant one, would you not say?

Re the bolded (1) - who said I can't see that?

Re the bolded (2) - where did I say the inconsistencies aren't true?

Stop putting words into my mouth.

All you are doing is deflecting genuine questions with emotive responses. And not answering them in the process. If you won't answer my questions, don't reply at all.

Re legal advice - I posted earlier - it may have been possible to find a lawyer pro bono. If not, maybe a fighting fund could have been set up. I would have thought that given what is alleged to have occurred, knowing where you stand legally would have been essential. Has this occurred to no-one in the past 5 or so years?

And you didn't answer my question about Fair Trading (or whatever Govt dept it is). I'll ask again - were they ever contacted about these alleged irregularities with AGMs, etc? Didn't anyone think that it would be a good idea to speak to the appropriate regulatory body about what was happening? At the very minimum they could have given you some advice.

You are here relentlessly telling me how dire the situation is, how the future of the club is on the line, and when I try to find out what to date had been done about the situation I seem to get is reasons why things couldn't be done.

Early in this discussion it was basically said that this walk off occurred because all available avenues had been exhausted. Well, it's looking to me that this isn't the case.

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Although the players may be young, they have organised their own senior representation. The players representatives have also provided some representation for the group. We aren't talking about kids here. You have engineers, financial planners and architects protesting. Do you think these professionals would put their necks on the line if they didn't believe something wrong was taking place.

Not one of them knows a lawyer?

[OnLooker]

Give up Mountains - clearly you need some other avenue that perhaps you have an interest in to direct your defeatist negativity toward...

[mountainsofpain]

Give up Mountains - clearly you need some other avenue that perhaps you have an interest in to direct your defeatist negativity toward...

No, I'm just asking relevant questions.

Don't you think trying to source legal advice might have been a good idea for instance? Especially when the future of your club is on the line?

[Balmain Boy]

Re the bolded (1) - who said I can't see that?

Re the bolded (2) - where did I say the inconsistencies aren't true?

Stop putting words into my mouth.

All you are doing is deflecting genuine questions with emotive responses. And not answering them in the process. If you won't answer my questions, don't reply at all.

Re legal advice - I posted earlier - it may have been possible to find a lawyer pro bono. If not, maybe a fighting fund could have been set up. I would have thought that given what is alleged to have occurred, knowing where you stand legally would have been essential. Has this occurred to no-one in the past 5 or so years?

And you didn't answer my question about Fair Trading (or whatever Govt dept it is). I'll ask again - were they ever contacted about these alleged irregularities with AGMs, etc? Didn't anyone think that it would be a good idea to speak to the appropriate regulatory body about what was happening? At the very minimum they could have given you some advice.

You are here relentlessly telling me how dire the situation is, how the future of the club is on the line, and when I try to find out what to date had been done about the situation I get reasons why things couldn't be done.

Early in this discussion it was basically said that this walk off had been taken because all available avenues had been exhausted. Well, frankly, it's becoming clearer to me by the minute that this isn't the case.

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Not one of them knows a lawyer?

The way I am reading Moutains of Pain is that Tiges was asking can you not see the courage these guys took? So can you? You also mentioned alleged inconsistencies which indicates to me that you are questioning their validity. That read is pretty clear to me.

The things that these guys have done have been well established as have the reasons why they have not worked, so I think Ancient Tiger and Tiges have highlighted that fairly clearly.

A fighting fund was going to be set up by who? The merry go round mentioned before with the disillusioned volunteers pushed away?

You seem to be rapidly getting caught up in the emotion even though your questions have been clearly addressed. And you are apparently not even involved?

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No, I'm just asking relevant questions.

Don't you think trying to source legal advice might have been a good idea for instance? Especially when the future of your club is on the line?

But not accepting relevant, and appropriately detailed responses. Is the legal profession that simple that you know the particular type of lawyer that deals with this type of situation to work for free? And as far as government department go, they would still be waiting for a resolution long after we are all dead and buried, and the club long gone in the wake!

[OnLooker]

To think that there wouldn't have been some legal considerations and advice sought is both shallow and naive Mountains. Leave the armchair critique and nitpicking at people attempting to bring about postive change out.

[mountainsofpain]

To think that there wouldn't have been some legal considerations and advice sought is both shallow and naive Mountains. Leave the armchair critique and nitpicking at people attempting to bring about postive change out.

If I feel like asking questions, I'll ask them. Even though they probably won't get answered.

It is a discussion forum after all.......

[Balmain Boy]

If I feel like asking questions, I'll ask them. Even if they don't get answered.

As far as I can see your questions have been answered by various sources. You just seem to want to draw it out for some reason and not take note of the answer. The player involved has said legal advice has been discussed. Do you know what that advice would be for a lawyer? How about this, call for an EGM under the constitution. Pretty simple and actually done by the group. So now that has been confirmed, are you satisfied that all avenues have been taken? Or is there something else now?

[Coastal Boy]

Let me start by saying I actually support the actions of the Balmain players on the weekend. It seems like it was the last resort.

But I find it ironic(and I'm happy to be corrected here) that the $4.4M was acquired through a boardroom takeover (and not from hard work) and this same money may now be allegedly lost through similar tactics.

[Balmain Boy]

Let me start by saying I actually support the actions of the Balmain players on the weekend. It seems like it was the last resort.


But I find it ironic(and I'm happy to be corrected here) that the $4.4M was acquired through a boardroom takeover (and not from hard work) and this same money may now be allegedly lost through similar tactics.

Hi Coastal boy. I am the former GM of Balmain and my father was the one that negotiated the amalgamation of the club with the football club.

What happened with was the bowling club was going out of business and they were looking to amalgamate. So the football club joined the bowling club and propped up that club when it was folding. Both clubs had a positive relationship, but the bowling club literally died out. It was a good situation for both clubs and nothing nasty involved. The difference now is the threat isn't from another club. The football club worked hard to make it a successful business for 20 years. My father spent so much time along with my mum and others to ensure this until....

I am sure the boys fully appreciate your support.

During that time they also started the Glebe football club and were focused on juniors, until.....

[brettcarle]

MOP - Can you please pass the details of your QC or Barrister on to the guys at Balmain. Seeing as free and reliable legal assistance is obviously readily available.

[Ancient Tiger]

You don't get it I'm afraid. On the BD players I assume it would be because they have made at least a preliminary finding of guilt - i.e. that a voluntary walk off (reasons aren't relevant unless helath/safety or similar I'd imagine) is a breach of the Code of Conduct / by-laws / player regs or whatever (pretty easy leap to make...) and therefore that at least an interrim punishment can safely be dished out (one week) whilst waiting for a Tribunal to sit on what may well be a long hearing....which really will probably only be about a plea for leniency because of all the extraneous circumstances you've been posting about. Still, I don't know anything about what's happened or been decided/done and I think its the wrong thing to do to be honest before they find out the full story - the league is notoriously poor at all of this sort of stuff and the Tribunal is normally a stitch up, so its likely there are worthy complaints to be made for what that is generally worth. Agree the league statement is amateur, par for the course.

The difference with Ess would be that they apparently don't know what offence if any they would be punishing yet, i.e. they are investigating that fact STILL apparently. A completely different scenario. Get it ?

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Must be hearing rubbish - that would never stick.

Jupiter, given the drastic action is it a stretch that mental health issues are out of the question? Drastic action was taken, now I am not saying if that is true or not, but until an inquiry is conducted NOTHING should be assumed. I have mentioned bullying, threats towards players on this forum previously, is that not a potential driver for mental health issues? The AFL should not assume that it is NOT a potential issue.

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I assume your questions now have been answered Mountains of pain?