Elijah Taylor banned for rest of season!

[Mauzza]

ET's girlfriend just gave a doorstop interview on Channel 7 news - she said she didn't jump any fences just walked in, no security guard around, easy as and yes she is worried about further criminal charges.

[Ralph Dawg]

I'm afraid I agree with this - a pretty unforgivable act in this climate.

If we choose to cut him loose, hopefully he learns and comes back into the league a bigger man and a better player in a few years time.

The other thing is the reduction of our soft cap by 25k. That could be the difference between one of our recently retired players (Kenneally, Smooch, Davis etc) maintaining a link with the club or not.

[liz]

ET's girlfriend just gave a doorstop interview on Channel 7 news - she said she didn't jump any fences just walked in, no security guard around, easy as and yes she is worried about further criminal charges.

Whoda thunk it - a professional sporting organisation of 60 or so players and staff, already given far more freedom and privileges than most quarantinees, being deemed not to require security guards to ensure they did the right thing.

[Wardy]

The club specifically spoke with Elijah prior to going into quarantine in Perth. I can only assume they would've stressed to him the importance of doing the right thing and the consequences of not, in particular causing the whole competition to be shut down and the serious ramifications.

The club must've known he was a risk, he was forewarned, yet still deliberately broke the rules.

I'm sorry but IMO he has to go. I don't care how young and immature he is. He gave his team mates (busted by 2 senior players), the swans, the AFL and wider community the middle finger.

agree yet I was howled down for saying it in earlier threads.

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Whoda thunk it - a professional sporting organisation of 60 or so players and staff, already given far more freedom and privileges than most quarantinees, being deemed not to require security guards to ensure they did the right thing.

well 99% of them did the right thing- it’s always that one that spoils it for everyone.

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ET's girlfriend just gave a doorstop interview on Channel 7 news - she said she didn't jump any fences just walked in, no security guard around, easy as and yes she is worried about further criminal charges.

Did GF seem remorseful??

[Nico]

Trade him back to a WA club. Would help with our drafting. His go home factor has just gone through the roof.

[Nico]

Whoda thunk it - a professional sporting organisation of 60 or so players and staff, already given far more freedom and privileges than most quarantinees, being deemed not to require security guards to ensure they did the right thing.

That was my first thought when I heard about it. Can't believe that no one was on the door, but then again after the hotel fiasco in Melbourne who knows. Maybe he was around the corner having a gasper.

How does he win back the respect of his team mates after that? That's going to be a tough gig.

[Wardy]

That was my first thought when I heard about it. Can't believe that no one was on the door, but then again after the hotel fiasco in Melbourne who knows. Maybe he was around the corner having a gasper.

How does he win back the respect of his team mates after that? That's going to be a tough gig.

but then perhaps what the GF said was to save face - as they had hatched the plan with the intention to deceive others, & got caught - for bravado’s sake - who do you believe??

[Mark26]

I don't think we should let ET go ... yet. We need to give him a chance to redeem himself. I'm not arguing about the utter stupidity of his decision and the ongoing ramifications for himself, the club, the AFL and the health of those in WA. We also have a duty of care in some respects. One imbecilic decision should not define a person's identity or character for the rest of their lives. We gave Barry another chance after he knocked out Staker (was that his name?) Let's see how ET carries himself now.

For what it's worth, I was listening to a podcast this afternoon which featured Jordan Dawson. He said that ET was pretty remorseful. That's a good start.

[liz]

That was my first thought when I heard about it. Can't believe that no one was on the door,

That's the opposite to what I was saying. Do you think they should have needed security guards?

(Clearly the answer, with the benefit of hindsight, is yes, they did. But they shouldn't have.)

Having said that, calls to cut him loose are premature IMO. Longmire's press conference puts it in perspective, without in any way diminishing the seriousness of what he has done. The club speaks, at pretty much every function, about how their aim is to turn these 18yos into "better people", not just better footballers.

He now has a short space of time to a) learn what it is to be a professional sportsperson; b) decide if that's what he wants at this stage in his life; c) prove to the club and his team mates that he understands and wants it.

[MattW]

John made the point that there have been plenty of superstars in the game's history who had to learn some lessons at 18-19.

I think Elijah has a chance to win their trust back, but it's going to require a significant commitment. He's got to decide whether he's up for that commitment and the sacrifices it entails.

[Ludwig]

That's the opposite to what I was saying. Do you think they should have needed security guards?

The hotel was going to get a security guard, but decided to use the money on a condom machine instead.

[mcs]

First things first - what he did was very poor form in the current environment. No doubts about it.

But I find it ridiculous some are suggesting he should be traded or let loose or whatever. Plenty of young players make stupid decisions at that age, but will sort themselves out. Most importantly, he should be given a chance to show he has learnt from the misjudgment, and to grow as a result. Would be a huge overreaction to cut him or trade him and run at this stage.

[Captain]

I think he needs to go.

Doesn’t fit the no dickheads policy.

[The Big Cat]

For what it's worth, I was listening to a podcast this afternoon which featured Jordan Dawson. He said that ET was pretty remorseful. That's a good start.

Where was the podcast?

[Legs Akimbo]

Two strikes policy. That's fair for everyone. People make mistakes but when they recur, one must question intent, capacity and sincerity.