Malcolm/Scott on Riewoldt

[Charlie]

To be fair to Brereton, he called it 'gamesmanship', not 'sportmanship'. The two are opposing terms.

[ScottH]

I was horrified, Riewoldt is(was) capt of my dreamteam.

[j0lly]

hahaha i loved it...but only because i totally despise the saints

i admire riewoldt but i cant fookin stand grant thomas and his marching band of pretenders..if thats what it takes for the aints to lose mucho confidence for the next couple of weeks then so be it

i also loved it how the G TRAAAAAAAAAAAAAIN kicked an awesome BEHINDDDDDDD

[Mike_B]

Originally posted by ScottH
I was horrified, Riewoldt is(was) capt of my dreamteam.

Mine too.....at least he scored a few points before going off....so not a total disaster in dream team terms...

[Red]

There's nothing wrong with aggression towards an opponent, or even 'testing' his injury for him. But there's an appropriate time and place for that sort of thing -- during play or just before a bounce/throw in.

Michael & Scott's thuggery last night just made them look like the brainless gorillas they are. Unlike some posts here state a trainer was next to Riewoldt at the time, and he was obviously in plenty of pain. The ball was miles away and play had stopped! I have no love for Riewoldt (or the Aints), but do I want to see a couple of overgrown kindergarten bullies running around blatently aggravating a potentially serious injury and get away with it? Nope. Certainly not at the game's 'highest' level.

Brisbane really need to be taught a lesson or two. Their cheif meat-axe, Brown, got off on a technicality last year because his charge of rough-play (mindless aggression) didn't happen during play! Thankfully the AFL plugged that particular bull@@@@ loophole but obviously Brisbane still treat the Gabba like it's their own 'get of of tribunal free' card.

**** them. Three weeks each for Michael & Scott -- and not just because we play them in two -- but because there needs to be a few lines of conduct drawn against that mob and penalities handed out when they cross them.

[Red]

Originally posted by Diego
And for his crying...bah would we have ever seen Paul Kelly cry? A captain does not sulk like he did in front of his team mates.

Bah enough of this pansy boy alreay!!!

That's a bit harsh. Clearly you don't like Riewoldt, but if you remove that you have a young guy who may be thinking that his first season as captain has been derailed from the get-go, watching his team lose to Brisbance at the Gabba (again), and all while in serious pain. Under those circumstances I think it's perfectly understandable for a man to shed a few tears. Were you also so disaffected when our own Heath James was beside himself after limping off from his comeback game against Collingwood?

Besides, there is a precedent for a captain squeezing out some wet ones in front of the team. In 1990-something James Hird tears a hamstring with his first touch of a Rd.1 game against West Coast at the 'G'. After months of painful treatment & rehab for the stress fractures in his foot, a hamstring injury is just too cruel an irony so when James get to the bench he sits down and starts crying his guts out. Could you really condemn him for that? A few years later he's on his teammate's shoulders on the Grand Final podium with the Cup in his hands and a Norm Smith around his neck. Does that sound like someone fitting the descirption of a "pansy boy"?

IIRC Diego aren't you an artist/web developer or something like that? I would expect you to be a little more in touch with your emotions and to understand when a guy is hurting. Your post sounds like it was written by a corrections officer at a detention centre.

I'm actually not very PC myself, but I've never liked the macho boys-don't-cry attitude. True toughness comes in many forms: resilience, determination, courage, and honesty. A man can be moved to tears if his heart is broken, but that can't happen if he has no heart to begin with.

[dread and might]

Originally posted by Mike_B


Personally speaking, I think it was pretty low, and was pushing the edge of fair play, but I guess that's what top level sport is about - pushing the boundaries to get any advantage you can.

Agreed. Anyone who has read that feature article in the "Australian football" quarterly will realise that Brisbane will leave no stone unturned to get even the tiniest advantage. (chartering a plane to fly at lower altitude anyone?)

I can't see anything being reportable out of it, but it was average behaviour. Didn't picture Mal Michael as a thug, Scott is less of a surprise.

[dimelb]

Before becoming an AFL convert I used to watch a lot of League and Union -and still like to see State of Origin, Wallaby games etc. I've seen plenty of much worse incidents - a couple from Les Boyd, Chris Close's assault on Eric Grothe, not to mention those hits from Michael Long and Byron Pickett, or Yates taking out Brereton. Last night's efforts from Michael and Scott were nowhere near that category, but from footballers whose hardness and basic fairness I respected, it was shabby and deserves tribunal time.
I'm particularly disappointed in Michael; I've seen him pull people out of melees, I've seen him calm Barry Hall down for pete's sake! I've seen him hard at the ball and the man, but I would never have seen him as a thug. It was unworthy of the man. Scott? An old-fashioned bruiser, I think basically a reasonably fair one, but this was shabby stuff.
And yes, the trainer was with Riewoldt, regardless of where he was walking. Spiteful and unnecessary. At least Michael in an interview afterwards had the grace to look embarrassed as he gave excuses. But i hope they both get time.

[penga]

*whistle* OBSTRUCTION!

running to the bench, leave him be, running back to position, hit him for all his worth...

[Sanecow]

The most expensive player on my stupid fantasy footy team. Money wasted away. Now I have to replace him with some low paid hack.

[robbieando]

The first thing I was told in junior football was if a player from the other team appears to be carrying an injury you have to test it out by nigging him like Michael and Scott did last night. How anyone can suggest that such an incident broke any rules let alone suggest that they should be rubbed out for it, is mind blowing.

I have no problem with it because Nick was running back to position, not to the bench and regardless of where the trainer was Nick was FAIR GAME.

[The Boot]

Lets not forget that these guys are coached by one of the most criminal players in modern history - Lethal Leigh Matthews. That he sits back and says he didnt actually see it is utter bull****. He'd've been quietly rubbing his bruised knuckles together with glee.

Anyway he's back to Glenferrie in a couple of years - so they say.

[Wardy]

Well yes who could forget (those of us old enough to remember seeing it) the Lethal v Neville Bruns king hit.

The thing is that Chris Scott is gaining the same type of reputation for being a grubby thug like Liberatore.

I just think that its poor form - because sure as eggs if one of the saints did that to a Lions bloke - you would be able to hear them squeeling about it here in Sydney.

[ROK Lobster]

If he was hurt why did he stay on the field? If he is stupid enough to stay on the field he is fair game.

[Charlie]

Come on - let's be realistic. We ALL want them both to get two weeks!