Michael Talia arrested and charged with possession of a prohibited substance

[AnnieH]

This season is unraveling like last season.

... but earlier.

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No we haven't! Why is it that people assume their unacceptable behaviour is in line with what all others do! This attitude spans the whole gamut of life - Drinking habits, sexual attitudes, drink driving, the lot. "I'm-uninformed and Reefer Madness" perhaps are a good summary!

If you knew i'm-uninformed better, you'd know that was a joke.

[Mug Punter]

... but earlier.

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If you knew i'm-uninformed better, you'd know that was a joke.

Why does this happening to a player that hasn't contributed to our season constitute unravelling?

I think AA, Marsh and Rampe have develope beyond our wildest expectations this year.

I feel conflicted when asked what my opinion is re what we should do. I feel uncomfortable taking the moral high ground when I think we all know that drug use is rife in the afl as it is with 20-30 year olds generally. He was very stupid buying off a street dealer and his real crime is poor judgement. I suspect literally hundreds I afl players read that and got a wake up call.

Of course if e had been tested by the afl even the club would not know about it if it was a first offence.

I'll accept whatever we hand out but part of me feels uncomfortable with him being sacked. But from a list management perspective I think if we can maybe move him on for a fresh start that could work for both parties.

As i said before I'm really I interested to see how we play this....

[707]

Got him for basically nothing and don't know if he can play so no loss if we cut him adrift.

Really really pissed off that a recently arrived player can tarnish the clubs image on this front and the image of the rest of the playing group.

We now may be in the market for a KPD in trade week/fortnight/month or however long it goes on for. The whiteboard in the recruiters lock up may well be getting a make over this afternoon!

And still really really pissed off at Talia.

[GongSwan]

Double Bay, hey?

So, he's down at the Golden Sheaf on a Saturday night, having a few drinks, chasing a lady or two. And decides when it gets to bedroom time, they might want a little extra buzz in their loving so he makes a small purchase.

We've all been there.

I never ever......................................made a small purchase

[CureTheSane]

Part of me has an issue with the whole drug testing for recreational drugs but I still find it staggeringly stupid on talia's behalf. You're 24 and on $300-400k a year and all you need to do is not take illegal drugs, geez you wouldn't think it's a hard decision

I suspect we will rip up his contract if we can legally and tip his salary into the bucket for good KPD. If Tom does leave then money will not be an issue and even if he stays then we may be OK.

We were facing some brutally difficult decisions re list management at season end anyway with the unexpected development of our rookie list. All this does is make the decision easier.

Personally,
I hope the Swans wipe their hands of him.
They won't - they will support him, educate and rehabilitate him, which they will see as being publicly the right thing to do.
He's not a teenager - he knows right from wrong. For sure there is a clause in his contract for this kind of thing.
I'd let him go and set the bar high to be and stay a Swan.

[Ludwig]

I suspect literally hundreds of afl players read that and got a wake up call.

From their drug dealers, I imagine.

[AnnieH]

Why does this happening to a player that hasn't contributed to our season constitute unravelling?

I think AA, Marsh and Rampe have develope beyond our wildest expectations this year.

I feel conflicted when asked what my opinion is re what we should do. I feel uncomfortable taking the moral high ground when I think we all know that drug use is rife in the afl as it is with 20-30 year olds generally. He was very stupid buying off a street dealer and his real crime is poor judgement. I suspect literally hundreds I afl players read that and got a wake up call.

Of course if e had been tested by the afl even the club would not know about it if it was a first offence.

I'll accept whatever we hand out but part of me feels uncomfortable with him being sacked. But from a list management perspective I think if we can maybe move him on for a fresh start that could work for both parties.

As i said before I'm really I interested to see how we play this....

Seriously?
How do you know he got it from a "street dealer"?
His real crime is being in possession of cocaine. That's why the coppers arrested him.

[Captain]

Personally,
I hope the Swans wipe their hands of him.
They won't - they will support him, educate and rehabilitate him, which they will see as being publicly the right thing to do.
He's not a teenager - he knows right from wrong. For sure there is a clause in his contract for this kind of thing.
I'd let him go and set the bar high to be and stay a Swan.

Absolutely spot on.

[Plugger46]

Wonder how many of his teammates are dabbling...

[CureTheSane]

Absolutely spot on.

And to all those who say "all 24 y/o do it" etc, well maybe I'm way out of touch.
I, nor my friends, never did this growing up, and I have a 20 y/o and 2 19 y/o kids, all of who I am confident will not go out and buy a bag of coke in the next few years.
It's weird to me that some accept this as normal and acceptable behavior.

[Plugger46]

And to all those who say "all 24 y/o do it" etc, well maybe I'm way out of touch.
I, nor my friends, never did this growing up, and I have a 20 y/o and 2 19 y/o kids, all of who I am confident will not go out and buy a bag of coke in the next few years.
It's weird to me that some accept this as normal and acceptable behavior.

Certainly not all 24yos but you might be surprised how many are doing it. I don't do it but I know many in my age bracket (25-35) who do. Most of them are fully functioning adults with good jobs. It wouldn't be easy to pick the weekend user.
Whether it's acceptable or not, it's happening.

[BRISWAN]

Seriously....is your name gong swan or BONG SWAN
Pease people dont justify illegal drugs

Also remember the NO D....HEADS policy

[KTigers]

Yes, there is this notion that drug use is very common amongst 20 somethings.... I'm not so sure about that. I think there are large numbers of people in this age group that don't (or barely) drink, don't smoke, don't even go out late very often, let alone take illegal drugs. They study and work hard because they've figured rightly it's a pretty competitive world out there and if they are to get ahead they need to have their wits about them.

And to all those who say "all 24 y/o do it" etc, well maybe I'm way out of touch.
I, nor my friends, never did this growing up, and I have a 20 y/o and 2 19 y/o kids, all of who I am confident will not go out and buy a bag of coke in the next few years.
It's weird to me that some accept this as normal and acceptable behavior.

[dimelb]

Mrs d was at the Ladies' Lunch when Michael Talia and Jake Lloyd were interviewed by Nerolie Meadows and Adam Spencer. Talia came across as "a nice young man" who was very happy to be at the Swans and said it provided a much better environment than the Bulldogs. The impression was that he was enjoying being where he was despite the hiatus of his injury and was looking forward to making a contribution.

He's been through the club's education program about alcohol and so-called recreational drugs, he must know that what he's done is astonishingly stupid, not to mention illegal. What will he say/has he said to his family, to the coaches, to his teammates?

Where will he go from here? I assume he must have made a favourable impression on the people who picked him in the draft. Were they completely wrong? I doubt it. I'd prefer to see the club take the reform and educate option - which as CTS has said is the likely course. We may not necessarily owe him, but he certainly owes us. I'd like to see him get the chance to change.

And if it doesn't work out for whatever reason, I understand Richmond are looking for someone who'd make Rance's life easier.

[CureTheSane]

Man, I hate the "no dickheads" policy. Lame lame lame

I also dislike the whole "sportspeople are representatives of our community and role models and should act as such"
I'd suggest that they're just guys who wanna play footy, and unfortunately society labels them as role models.

However, this is different to me.
These are athletes and putting anything they shouldn't into their bodies is a big no-no.
For many reasons - to stay at their peak, to set an example, but how about to KEEP THEIR DAMN JOBS?

A retail assistant gets arrested for drugs and their employer likely never knows about it.
Personal life vs private life I guess.
AFL players don't have that privilege and should know better.

I'd love the Swans to set the standard for all AFL players.
Dump him - let him get his own help if needed, pay for it if that makes us look better, but keep the club clean and on the top tier of quality and expectations.

THAT is what would make me proud of this situation, not "helping poor misguided Danny"