Culture classes a positive step

It’s not news that the AFL Players’ Association (AFLPA) provide a primer for all recruits to AFL clubs each year.

In this report, AFLPA general manager of player development, former Bombers big man Steve Alessio, says,

“ ‘We want to make sure they're fully aware of their off-field responsibilities and obligations [and] don't jeopardise their career by making bad judgments when they're newcomers to the game.’ ''

More encouragingly, the report says:

“Up to 90 per cent of the players will join a year-long program over 22 sessions that deal with budgeting, finance, nutrition, public speaking, defensive driving and more.”

Hopefully, these kids will be able to steer a path that keeps them away from the sort of capers that have caused the Blues so much grief over this off-season.

That’s not to say these sessions are proof against poor decision making: they’re not. The incident that Essendon’s Michael Hurley found himself in late last year suggests that even those who’ve recently participated in these sessions can find themselves in difficult situations.

And, at the risk of boring our readers senseless, we should re-emphasise that these kids are where they are for physical rather than mental or moral skills.