With respect Mr Brady, Walla wanted to retire for his own reasons in 2021 and he was coerced to continue.
It had nothing to do with “refused to put the effort in”.
One day, when he writes his Book, you may have a lot more empathy with him.
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Fair call mate
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The club wasted him in the VFL for too many years as well, he could have played so many more senior games.
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Why would the club waste him? Maybe he wasn’t ready and he certainly had fitness stamina issues, which he was encouraged to overcome.
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Because the list management was ■■■■ for years and they kept playing blokes that should have been delisted.
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If we’d actually mucked up the decision that badly with Tippa, some other club would’ve picked him. The actual footy ability was there. But he was genuinely not in shape when he started, it did take 2-3 years.
Could’ve drafted him a year earlier without too much risk, though.
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Club staff put a lot of effort into getting him to AFL level and he acknowledged the two who put in the most.
Shame they are no longer at the club.
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refused is obviously the wrong wording, but the sentiment is pretty spot on.
If you have to be “coerced” into continuing on something, you obviously aren’t going to be meeting the required standards of what is required.
no doubt had valid reasons as to not wanting to, but to try and claim that he was putting in the required effort near the end, is not true (again had reasons not to, but that doesn’t negate the original premise)
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Yep, it’s the “refused” wording - with obvious connotations - that makes the premise objectionable.
For various reasons, he was unable to do the work needed to get back. That’s a more accurate , and less controversial, description.
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It takes a number of attributes to be a successful AFL player:
- Skill
- An unparalleled combination of fitness, strength and speed
- A body that can stay healthy
- The mental toughness to push your body to succeed and to cope with the pressure of being a professional athlete
- Desire
An AFL player needs a high level of all of these. Some may have higher levels in some attributes than others attributes or compared to other players, but a minimum high level of all is required.
If you do have that minimum high level and make it to the AFL then you are a freak - an outlier - you are in the best 0.3% of football players in the land.
Maybe Mozzie didn’t have the last two attributes, so he didn’t make it. No shame in that.
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There’s getting there and there’s staying there
I’d suggest he had enough drive to get there initially but not to do a year+ rehab (keeping in mind there was also the COVID hub stuff, and club was undergoing its bi-annual shedding of coach and shitfight).
It happens, people change.
also fear, surprise and ruthless efficiency
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Also legs and arms.
“Se…Seven! There are sev…”
“what about leadership qualities”?
“…EIGHT! There are eight attributes”!
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To play for Essendon, none of the above are currently required…
Are we skilled? Questionable
Fit/Strong? No
Healthy? Ahh…
Mentally tough? Lightweights
Desire? Not when it gets hard.
Leadership? WHO…?
Arms and Legs - yes we have them.
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Geez, I shoulda rocked up with my boots, I don’t tick any of those boxes
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aside from the arms and legs, although they are not necessarily all in good working order
And an almost fanatical dedication to the pope. We’ll throw that one in there too. Can’t hurt, may as well.
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And most sausages don’t?!
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Imagine Jan 2023
Dodoro & Sheedy secretly goes to Visit Irving Mosquito and tells him that we will pick him back up in the mid season draft if he can get his fitness levels up to AFL standard.
Yes its a big ask, but it would be a totally different environment this time.
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