Between September 1939 and May 1940 in north-western Europe a state of war existed between Great Britain and France on one hand and Hitler’s Germany on the other. Despite the declaration of war, nothing much happened in those eight months — what was labelled as “The Phoney War”. Of course, all that changed on May 10 when the Germans invaded the Low Countries.

The end of the Australian Open tennis tonight marks the start of southern Australia’s eight-month-long obsession with Aussie Rules for 2012.

There have been hints in the media as there have been fewer tennis matches to cover. Brendan Fevola, it seems, may line up for Yarrawonga Pigeons in the Ovens and Murray League — but only for home games, because, he says, he’s getting old. This is the same guy who wanted AFL clubs to use a valuable draft pick on him just a few short months ago!

It has been a long, long break, but in less than three weeks we’ll have footy back on television — well, those of us with pay TV will anyway. For the FreeView afficianados, it’ll be March 17. And pay TV’s dedicated AFL channel returns in a new guise, along with the pre-season comp.

It won’t be long before there are controversies aplenty to drive our interest. Stay tuned to AussieRulesBlog for our particular take on the important issues in Aussie Rules.

Despite everything, AussieRulesBlog can’t help but feel sorry for Brendan Fevola. The lyrics of Joni Mitchell’s Big Yellow Taxi are, we think, appropriate to Fevola’s situation.

 

Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got
Till it's gone

Through season after season, his on-field talent had got him out of tight off-field scrapes. Kicking goals was a cure for all ills — until . . .

We can feel the cogs turning in Michael Voss’ mind: “Surely he’s seen that he’s almost had this extraordinary opportunity taken away. We throw him a lifeline and he’ll be so grateful he’ll become a Pentecostal preacher!” Ok, there’s a bit of licence at the end, but you know what we mean.

Without a trade deal, it’s looking increasingly likely that Fev will not be playing AFL again. And, despite the NFL rehabilitating players who’ve transgressed, such as Michael Vick, Fev is not going to be a potential game changer, as Vick is. Fev’s NFL cards might also be marked, no matter how good a punter he could eventually turn out to be. Punting is just not that crucial to NFL teams to take a chance on a loose cannon.

Both Andrew Lovett and Leon Davis look to have also finished their elite level careers, for quite different reasons. ‘Neon’ Leon has, quite simply, miscalculated. Lovett missed his best chance by turning the Bombers against himself.

All three will have a quite powerful feeling when they hear Joni’s clear voice ringing out.

You don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone.

It’s hard not to sympathise with the attitude of Melbourne FC regarding Casey Scorpions’ signing of Brendan Fevola. And yet, as AussieRulesBlog has previously noted, football may very well be Fevola’s best route back from the brink.

The Demons’ public objections centre on development of their young forward prospects being jeopardised. No doubt they have other, less public, objections such as the potential for Fevola to influence their youngsters — and who could blame them, again.

There isn’t an easy answer here: the best interests of Melbourne FC and its youthful recruits versus the interests of Casey and of Fevola.

As we’ve also previously noted, despite their many differences, there are synergies between Fevola’s situation and that of Ben Cousins two years ago. It would be a hard judge who would deny that Cousins’ involvement with the Tigers, as both player and mentor, did not benefit both parties.

It would be more than churlish to deny such an opportunity to Fevola.

Whatever the merits of giving Fevola another chance, this disagreement brings into stark contrast the difficulties of VFL clubs, many the remnants of the old VFA, being tied to AFL clubs. In return for their dollars, the AFL clubs expect preferential treatment.

Already a number of AFL clubs have decided they are better served fielding their own, fully-integrated VFL teams. This must be making the administrators of current VFL clubs pretty nervous. Frankston appears to be almost a basket case. Port Melbourne, the most likely to continue to survive in the long term as a standalone, faces the rapid gentrification of the suburb that might be the death of a thousand cuts for the proud Burroughs.

The AFL, as custodians of the game, have some real difficulties here and we don’t envy them the task one little bit. The quality of the VFL as a feeder and development competition to the elite AFL level is, arguably, pretty poor. But the obvious alternatives are financially and logistically difficult and may leave the middle tiers of the game in a parlous state.

We await developments.

Compounding the confusion of Brisbane’s sacking of Brendan Fevola, it now appears that the prima facie reason for the sacking, charges out of his New Year’s Eve engagement with the Police, are to be dropped.

So, once more we have an AFL club taking extraordinarily drastic action, throwing a person’s life into a maelstrom, before a pronouncement of “Guilty!” Is this to be a habit? Will AFL clubs now dispense summary justice on a whim?

Neither Fevola nor Andrew Lovett are choir boys, yet surely they’re entitled to the same presumptions of legal process that the rest of us expect as our due.

We note that Brisbane Lions captain Jonathan Brown, in commenting on the Fevola sacking, extolls the unity and the purpose of the team above the needs of the individual. Brown was apparently one of Fevola’s closest friends at the Lions.

Lions Coach Michael Voss says, “You recruit on the premise that you think they can make you better. That's what we hoped to get. Clearly we didn't get that.”

What’s clear is that Brisbane took the decision to recruit Fevola looking only at the potential on-field benefit and utterly omitted consideration of the individual concerned.

We are not defending Fevola, but we firmly believe that Brisbane have a moral obligation to Fevola in a way that they don’t have to Albert Proud for instance.

Notwithstanding the circumstances of the Fevola deals which lost Brisbane an experienced and capable forward and a future elite midfielder, Brisbane appear to have all but ignored the personality baggage that clearly came with Fevola in single-minded pursuit of on-field success.

Proud, on the other hand, was recruited via pick 22 of the 2006 AFL Draft, delisted at the end of 2010 and rookied in the 2010 pre-season draft. He has known only Brisbane at the elite level. After four seasons, his delisting and subsequent selection as a rookie illustrated another chance being offered. Further indiscretions have resulted in his sacking.

Fevola, by contrast, was a known serial offender against AFL and community standards and was repudiated by his former club. Did Brisbane think that a good dose of Queensland sunshine would straighten him out? It’s disingenuous of Brown to say that the problems began in January of last year — mere months after Fevola arrived at the club. That was nothing more than a continuation of established behaviour and Brisbane must have known that.

It’s all very well for clubs to take a hard-headed professional approach, but these are human beings we’re discussing, not inanimate objects.

Brisbane Lions’ decision not to honour its contract with Brendan Fevola seems a strange one given their recruiting of him only a year ago.

It cannot have escaped the notice of various Lions officials at the time of recruiting him that Fevola had recently had a number of public ‘errors of judgement’. Goodness knows what he’s done in more private circumstances. Brisbane can not have harboured any illusions about task they were taking on. It was a high stakes gamble — a generous contract with the promise of high on-field returns, but with the likelihood of a sting in the tail.

In the circumstances, and whatever Fevola’s misdemeanours may have been, AussieRulesBlog finds it incredible that Brisbane can attempt to wash their hands of Fevola. They didn’t create the monster — that responsibility lies with various Carlton coaches and administrations — but they cannot deny that they knew what they were taking on.

Notwithstanding that there are light years of difference between the two in many ways, the positive end to Ben Cousins’ career and Richmond’s show of faith in him contrasts starkly with the situation Fevola now faces. A storied career appears set to end in tatters.

More importantly, and here is a point of synergy with Cousins, football has been the area of Fevola’s life — perhaps the only area — where he has been able to express himself in a way the community has (generally) approved of. It has been clear that the chance to return to AFL football was an important component of Cousins’ rehabilitation. Fevola, it now seems, won’t be allowed that opportunity.

And what of the Lions’ officials who landed this big fish? Beyond some internal embarrassment, will they bear any opprobrium?

Brisbane may be ridding themselves of a distraction, but they are abrogating, presumably with encouragement from AFL House, a high-profile responsibility they took on only a year ago.

Twice in two years, AFL clubs have taken on a player with known negative issues. Twice in two years those clubs have walked away from their responsibilities, contractual or otherwise. Once could be seen as an accident, but two in two years starts to look like a problem.

The AFLPA has some hard thinking to do, but we think they and their members have a responsibility to see that AFL clubs don’t get used to the notion that they can tear up players’ contracts when it suits them.

Happy New Year AussieRulesBloggers!

This morning we have cause to remember a TV documentary, The Draft, that aired around eleven years ago.

In that documentary, shining a light inside the 1998 AFL National Draft, three players were highlighted — Adam Ramanauskas, Des Headland and Brendan Fevola.

Headland was taken at #1 by Brisbane with a priority pick, Ramanauskas at #12, the Bombers’ second pick, and Fevola at #38.

In a result reminiscent of Michael Apted’s famous 7 up series of TV documentaries, Ramanauskas was clearly the most level-headed of the trio.

Fast-forward to early 2011 and all three players have had their ups and downs.

Headland was a prominent member of Brisbane’s 2002 Premiership team, was traded to Fremantle at the end of 2002 and otherwise had a fairly chequered career defined by inconsistency for a total of 117 games.

Ramanauskas, a Premiership player in 2000, is a revered elder statesman of the Bombers and a shining example to those battling adversity, having twice returned to the field following cancer treatment. Ramanauskas has been a prominent member of the Bombers’ game-day support team since his retirement at the end of 2008 with a  total of 163 games.

Fevola is a two-time competition leading goalkicker and three-time All Australian. One of the competition’s best key position forwards, Fevola has never been far from controversy and this continues into 2011. We can only wonder what part his personality has played in his on-field success — and controversies — and dream of what he might have achieved without it. Aussie Rules immortality perhaps?