Like most of us, former Swan Tadhg Kenelly (see Ego-driven Hird is 'hurting the AFL') is tired of the seemingly endless Essendon supplements affair. Like most observers, Kennelly is missing the motivation that is driving Essendon coach James Hird on his quest to have the ASADA/AFL investigation ruled outside of ASADA’s operating conditions.
If Kennelly were accused of some act that brought the game into disrepute — let’s say, match fixing — and he knew he was innocent of the charge, would he just roll over and say, “OK, everyone's tired of this. It doesn't matter if everyone thinks I'm a scumbag cheat. I'll drop the legal action.”? Damned right he wouldn’t.
Anyone else who’d put their hand up and stop defending their principles? Caroline Wilson? Patrick Smith? Tim Lane?
No, we didn’t think so.
It’s unfortunate, in this case, that Australian Rules evokes such passionate responses. A dispassionate observer — and there is at least one in the mainsteam media, Mick Ellis — could bypass the hate-filled opinion and understand that Hird didn't embark on a campaign to break the rules. What coach would endanger their players and their careers? Like seventeen other coaches in the AFL competition, Hird was seeking an edge to make his players more competitive. Like seventeen other AFL coaches, he was prepared to fly close to the boundaries, but he clearly instructed his staff not to cross those boundaries. Like seventeen other coaches, he didn’t micro-manage the day-to-day activities of every one of his staff.
So, back to Tadhg Kennelly. It probably doesn't matter that every time anyone mentions your name for the rest of your life it'll be forever as a cheat, does it? Everyone else has had a gutful, so you'd be happy to roll over and have your reputation trashed?
We thought not.
Wednesday, February 04, 2015
My principles, someone else’s ‘ego’
If Kennelly were accused of some act that brought the game into disrepute — let’s say, match fixing — and he knew he was innocent of the charge, would he just roll over and say, “OK, everyone's tired of this. It doesn't matter if everyone thinks I'm a scumbag cheat. I'll drop the legal action.”? Damned right he wouldn’t.
Anyone else who’d put their hand up and stop defending their principles? Caroline Wilson? Patrick Smith? Tim Lane?
No, we didn’t think so.
It’s unfortunate, in this case, that Australian Rules evokes such passionate responses. A dispassionate observer — and there is at least one in the mainsteam media, Mick Ellis — could bypass the hate-filled opinion and understand that Hird didn't embark on a campaign to break the rules. What coach would endanger their players and their careers? Like seventeen other coaches in the AFL competition, Hird was seeking an edge to make his players more competitive. Like seventeen other AFL coaches, he was prepared to fly close to the boundaries, but he clearly instructed his staff not to cross those boundaries. Like seventeen other coaches, he didn’t micro-manage the day-to-day activities of every one of his staff.
So, back to Tadhg Kennelly. It probably doesn't matter that every time anyone mentions your name for the rest of your life it'll be forever as a cheat, does it? Everyone else has had a gutful, so you'd be happy to roll over and have your reputation trashed?
We thought not.
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