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Demetriou seemed to have his own mind, and sense of what was right for the competition. I didn't always agree with him, but I never got the sense he was pandered to those who whined the longest and loudest.
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"Fortunately, this is the internet, so knowing nothing is no obstacle to having an opinion!." Beerman 18-07-2017Comment
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I know this may be a play on his name, but taking it at face value, I'd like to defend BB somewhat. I think it's quite natural that many's concerns over Buddy would be largely centred on his value to the Swans. BB has just been one of the few who has come out and said this outright, but we're all kidding ourselves if we don't think it's part of it. The discussions over the salary cap impact if Buddy never plays again show this is some people's concern. And ourselves if the level of concern would be the same if Buddy played for Hawthorn, or if this were any player from another club.
That's not to say we can't genuinely be concerned for him as an individual too, but we should be similarly concerned for the other 25% or so of the population who may be - or have been - suffering from some form of mental health issue. It's understandable, on a Swans/AFL board, that we're not talking about them.Comment
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i personally think Buddy will make a full recovery .......... but at the very least Buddy at 95% mentally and emotionally is still such a presence !
I have no issue with the length of contract and I feel that later years of the contract and the early years are completely in alignment with the market and a fair % vs the sal cap for the Swans
the alternative of not bringing on Bud would have seen the Swans fall well outside the top 4 ............ as we saw quite clearly in the finals when we loose 3 or 4 key players we really struggle....... (not that any team doesn't struggle when they loose 4 key players i.e. no Rioli, Mitchell, Hodge, Gibson and the Hawks would have struggled on GF day"be tough, only when it gets tough"
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I know I risk being shouted down with this comment but I just feel that there is more to this story than meets the eye.
I hope I am wrong but for Buddy to pull out on the verge of our most important match indicates a sudden serious development in whatever his mental health condition is. The club says it was aware of the condition for some time before the announcement so that makes any depression on anxiety condition sit uneasily with me. As a sufferer of depression I know that getting help is the most important thing you can do and that as a rule you at least address the slide pretty quickly. Had the club known for a while as they claim then you'd think he would be at least stabilising or improving with his treatment.
It all smacks to me of something that developed very quickly in the final weeks of August for this to happen, something that triggered a very serious meltdown, you get the feeling this is an extremely serious situation.
I think we are being incredible na?ve to discount that drugs may not be part of Buddy's issues for the following reasons
(1) He has long been rumoured to have a colourful lifestyle and there's usually not smoke without fire there. Rightly or wrongly Buddy just appears to be one of those people that attracts trouble.
(2) The timing just before the finals also sniffs of a cover up and as we all know the AFL is anything but transparent. If Buddy's problems are drug related it would have totally dominated September and that is NOT what the AFL would have wanted
(3) The vague general terms of the Swans statements and the complete radio silence on the issue
I know that Buddy is entitled to his privacy at this time and that for now the priority needs to be him getting better but until this issue becomes a bit clearer we will all be very very uneasy.
None of us have the rights to know the exact details of Buddy's issues but I just hope that we don't end up feeling we have seen a cover up.
BTW I just found out that any drug strikes on a players get removed after three years and that clubs don't get notified on the first two - what an effing joke. No wonder Ben Cousins was able to remain on the field without getting caught under this policyComment
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hhhmmmm
its funny how we haven't had many suggestions here on something very obvious
Buddy has been one of the most dominant forwards the last 10 years suffering from mental health issues...............what will happen the next 5 years if he is under proper treatment that lifts him to new levels emotionally mentally and physically !!!!
He could have the best season ever in 2016 and he could remind the Australian public to never doubt a champion !!!!"be tough, only when it gets tough"
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When it comes to mental illness the diagnosis, treatment and prognosis are all difficult and full of uncertainty. It shouldn't be surprising that there is not much forthcoming about Buddy's condition. There probably isn't much more that can be said that hasn't already been said.
What kind of a statement do we expect? Perhaps something like this?:'We opened up his skull, looked inside, took out a few of the damaged bits, put a plate in to stabilize things and sewed him up. He should should be right to go in about 5 or 6 weeks.'Comment
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I think most of your comments are fair, and I don't want to get caught up in speculation about a guy who as far as we know is in a bad way psychologically. Mental health is something pretty close to my heart also and it affects everyone differently. But the vagueness of the club when discussing the issue almost invited speculation from the public and the media, particularly when it regards a guy like Buddy who's had rumours swirling for years about his lifestyle. I know it's nobodies business what the specifics are of his condition, but if he was suffering severe depression, could they not have just said that? . Or If he had been diagnosed as Bi-polar, or has an anxiety disorder, why not just say that? Is that too personal to reveal? Perhaps. But Instead they say next to nothing and the lack of detail provided invites vicious rumours to be spread and surely that can't be helping his situation or condition, if it is any of the above mentioned conditions. I do disagree with your assessment that because the club was aware of his condition, that would make a rapid deterioration of his condition ( that would stop him playing) unlikely. Mental illness, from my understanding and experience with others and myself, is vastly different person to person and can be volatile. My mother is bi polar, she can be completely normal on her meds for years at a time and then be in a clinic receiving intensive treatment -having suffered another episode at the snap of a fingers.Comment
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