Michael Talia arrested and charged with possession of a prohibited substance

[CureTheSane]

Would you feel the same way if this was Dan Hannebery, Isaac Heeney or Luke Parker (or another two dozen or so of the Swans list who are pretty important players for us)?

Yeah, I'd be more disappointed though, and they would be a bigger loss...

[CureTheSane]

Maybe your kids will maybe they won't but I reckon there's a lot of @@@@ your kids will do over the next 10 years that you really don't want to know about.

Perhaps you could stop being so self righteous, how wonderful your little darlings are really is irrelevant to this debate.

Nice.

Having an opinion different to yours makes me self-righteous? I only mentioned my kids as an example of a part of that age group different to what others were considering normal.

I'm not going to throw @@@@ at you though.
I'll just accept that we think differently and move on.
Not sure what that makes me, but I'm sure you'll let me know...

[CureTheSane]

I will be going against the RWO trend here but I am of the opinion, in society, as long as you don't hurt others it's none of our business. But also,if you get caught, well then, that is the chance you took and you need to accept the consequences.

I agree with that in principle, which is why I referred to the retail assistant.
Society accepts what you said in that scenario, but not for someone who's job places them more in the public eye.
I don't like it, but accept it as being the was society acts.
Of course there are always other consequences to what you said, such as driving on drugs etc and hurting others.
That has to be preemptively acted upon, as it is, and possibly was in the Talia incident.

[Maltopia]

People make bad decisions in life. Being arrested might be the best thing to happen to Tahlia - a wake up call that his career at the Swans (or elsewhere at AFL level) is not guaranteed. He will either knuckle down and repay the faith and support the Swans have given him or we will move him on - after seeing how he responds to this. Way too early for us to say get rid of him under the no d@@@heads policy.

[CureTheSane]

My own daughter spent a considerable part of her teenage years in rehab due to cocaine addiction (I blame her parents). I've spent a lot of time in many different countries and my experience has been that casual drug use is everywhere. You don't have to look for it. You just show up at a dinner, a party, a wedding, or whatever and there will be at least some people using drugs. Football players are in a demographic with a particularly high usage of party drugs. Sadly, part of the population will go beyond casual use and become addicted.

I'm sorry to hear that.
I have been on both primary and secondary school councils for 10+ years now, and the way the principals talk of ice usage, scares me.
It's a massive problem at my local school for 14 to 18 year olds.
I was friends with drug users at school. My best friend in high school is kind of estranged because of it. We're ok, but drugs tend to veer someone off into a different direction.
My children know many friends who are reasonably heavy users - it's a really sad thing.
I would have assumed that by early 20's the fascination and peer group issues would have subsided.
I hope your daughter is doing well now.

[troyjones2525]

Would you feel the same way if this was Dan Hannebery, Isaac Heeney or Luke Parker (or another two dozen or so of the Swans list who are pretty important players for us)?

Good point...

Sent from my SM-G920I using Tapatalk

[troyjones2525]

Just watched the press conference with Tom Harley that was released by the swans. I never thought much of him as a commentator but he really impresses me since his arrival at the swans! He seems to be a complete professional and is a great asset to our off field leadership group as a club.

Sent from my SM-G920I using Tapatalk

[Ludwig]

I'm sorry to hear that.
I have been on both primary and secondary school councils for 10+ years now, and the way the principals talk of ice usage, scares me.
It's a massive problem at my local school for 14 to 18 year olds.
I was friends with drug users at school. My best friend in high school is kind of estranged because of it. We're ok, but drugs tend to veer someone off into a different direction.
My children know many friends who are reasonably heavy users - it's a really sad thing.
I would have assumed that by early 20's the fascination and peer group issues would have subsided.
I hope your daughter is doing well now.

She was over it by 18 and has gone on to live a life without any drug dependency.

At the time, my wife and I, and just about all of our friends who were just typical middle class people, set a rather poor example for our children by openly using drugs at parties in front of our kids. So, of course, it became very normalised for them. Most of these kids probably became casual drug users, and some, like one of mine, had a period of drug abuse. I don't think it's all that unusual.

Whether it's legal drugs, like alcohol, or illicit drugs, most can get by with casual use without detrimental consequences, but unfortunately all too many let drugs take over their lives. I've seen a fair few lives ruined by alcohol and drugs, a few deaths included. It's really quite sad. Not everyone knows how to set a limit for themselves and some become vulnerable when times in their lives become challenging.

By the numerous comments made by club executives (Gary Pert being one of the more prominent ones) we know that drugs are a serious issue with AFL players. Surely the Swans are not an exception. Perhaps the Swans culture makes it a club closer to the bottom than the top as far as players using drugs, but you would think that Michael Talia is not the only one. He was stupid and got caught. He is certainly going to regret his actions. If it's the first time (that he's been caught), then I don't think he should be singled out for being 'unlucky'. It's not condoning drug use, it's just giving a person a second chance.

[Mel_C]

Really disappointed when I heard the news. I know that he has been suspended but will he still be receiving medical treatment at the club for his injury?

A month or so back I was on the bus and there was a group of young girls on the way out for the night and they were openly discussing what drugs they were going to buy and use. I was shocked but I guess I shouldn't have been.

[ugg]

This just gets weirder. Talia was with Hawk Jono O'Rourke when he was arrested

Sydney Swans player Michael Talia charged with possession of cocaine

[Rod_]

It's not great but not career over. Tom liberatore


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I guess he may have learnt something with his time at the dogs. Just saying...

[Doctor]

Hawthorn are happy he did nothing wrong. Other than hang with a mate who was buying drugs. It may show why the Giants were happy to move him on and why he didn't make it there or is yet to at Hawthorn despite being a no. 2 draft pick.

In any event, it's extremely disappointing that Talia has done this, particularly as the Swans took a chance on him and even more so that he is a player on injury rehab whose responsibility it is to respect the wages his employer is paying him and do everything he can to manage his body. I don't accept the "everyone else is doing it argument". If you want to play senior footy, one of the things you have to decide is whether you will act like other affluent 20-somethings, or respect the chance you have been given that so many others would (not literally) die for. Yes people are allowed to make a mistake and have a second chance but if this is the first time he's done this I'd be very surprised.

[MattW]

It would appear from the language used by Tom Harley in his press conference, given it follows the Swans' enquiries, that the arrest is not based on a mistake of fact, noting obviously there are Court proceedings to play out.

If true it would be very disrespectful to his new club and teammates in that it wilfully exposed the club to disrepute and taking cocaine must impair his ability to restore his body to sufficient health to contribute on the field. Further, given he must have made commitments not to engage in this kind of activity, it would be a breach of trust.

It would also be pretty stupid. As a professional sportsman, on a decent wage and doing something you have presumably aimed to do for some time, it is pretty obvious that the opportunity to take illicit recreational drugs is not open to you. In context, that does not appear to me to be a significant sacrifice.

Given all of that, if true, it is difficult not to judge Talia's character. If I were a teammate I would feel particularly let down. He has significant job to rebuild their trust. I suspect that would appear to him to be daunting at the moment and that he would be feeling very upset. In that regard, I wish him well.

[Steve]

It is interesting when you consider Talia's situation against the AFL's illicit testing results which showed every club had at least one player test positive, and 3 clubs were in double-figures for players who tested positive.

So at worst (assuming he has used some of what he was found with) he's done something that the AFL have scientifically confirmed that 50+ other current players have done.

Also interesting that Talia was, at the time of getting caught, with a player from one of those clubs with ~20 positive results.

Very disappointing nevertheless - but it does seem that it's only luck that separates Talia from so many other players.

[Ludwig]

Cop: Okay boys. Empty your pockets.
Cop to Talia: What's this bag with white powder in it?
MT: I don't know.
Cop: You've got some ID?
MT: Here you go. I am football player for the Sydney Swans.
Cop: You're under arrest for possession of a prohibited substance.
Cop to Jono O'Rourke: What about you? What's this bag of white powder you've got here?
JOR: I don't know.
Cop: You've got some ID?
JOR: Here you go. I am football player for the Hawthorn Hawks.
Cop: Hawthorn Huh? You better get going now or you'll be late for your plane. Go on now.

#GetOutOfJailFreeCardHawthorn #FreeDrugsHawthorn #FreeEverythingHawthorn