RIP Phil Walsh - Police, club, league statements in OP

[DaVillaBlues]

Think its the shocking and totally unexpected in which Phil has passed away that's added to the shock and grief of everyone, we would half expect something like this to happen in America, not here, a professional football coach stabbed to death by his son.

Everyone has a right to express their grief/sorrow at the news.

 

[Sausages]

Well, I write to get things out. Since hearing the news some 4-5 hours ago, I'm still shocked.

I wrote a poem, I'm sharing it here.

There was a bloke called Walsh.
I didn't know him but would've
watched him play, that's for sure.


Didn't follow his career,
I'll be honest there lad.
But it seemed to me, this is what he had.

He marked and goaled,
and kicked for yardage.
A teacher and a mentor....
...a bloke with some courage.


Takes guts to live,
these lives of ours...
And, sometimes,
those with guts have
to leave things behind, undone,
in their climb.

He left behind a life
in bloom,
yet a journey
ended
far too soon.


So let that be his
lesson t'ya lad.
Make the most of what you have.
And live it true
this life of yours....


And remember his life,
that bloke called Walsh.


It's not meant to be anything other than a thought I think many of us are feeling - didn't know him, yet profoundly moved.

I hope the nobility of spirit residing within the footy community will be on show in the coming days.

 

[STFU Donnie]

People grieve in different ways, but one thing is almost always true: In order to avoid becoming an emotional wreck over a tragedy, it is best to try and maintain some semblance of your normal routine. In the case of a football club, it might well be that the best thing they can do is play the game. Not for any crap, cliched reasons, but for their own emotional well being.

 

[Bluelegs]

Jesus, this is heartbreaking to read now:

“I lost that connection and I’m trying to reconnect with my son, which I have done.

“In a selfish way, I taught my daughter to surf, and that’s my release, so when I go surfing, I take her. Now I’ve got my son into it as well and that’s what I should’ve done a long time ago.

“A couple of months ago, we all went surfing together at Middleton and it was almost the best day I’ve had ... ever. We all got a wave, went to the bakery on the way home, we smiled, and laughed and there was none of this stuff, that I’ve got Melbourne, then the Bulldogs, then Port. Just none of that.’’

Those days with the kids remind him that coaching is a lonely job.

“It is really lonely, this is lonely,’’ he says waving a hand around the empty office.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/a...ows-and-his-life/story-fnp04d70-1227308300112

 

[Tiger2709]

Shocked!
RIP

 

[Lost_Deputy]

Jesus, this is heartbreaking to read now:


http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/a...ows-and-his-life/story-fnp04d70-1227308300112

Yeah that's brutal. You'd reckon for a young man who is out of balance it'd be a hard pill to swallow having a dad who seemed more interested in your sister and all the other young guys at his work.

 

[Back One Out]

And thats the thing, people have knee jerk reactions to anything that is outside of the bubble they live in.

They delude themselves into thinking that society is such a nice place, so when something like this happens to a public figure that they have never met, these people suddenly want the world to stop turning because they think its a one off event.

Truth is that it happens every day to all sorts of people, and if we stop the world turning for every single victim of a horrible crime the nothing would ever get done or accomplished.

This is all well and good, but then you go and type this crap...

Lastly, i have heard players all describe Walsh as being like a father figure to them, so I get to wondering why he had such an estranged relationship with his very own son when he was willing to be a father figure to footballers that dont share his blood.

Talk about a complete lack of self-awareness.

Maybe you should keep your speculative wonderings to yourself.

Pretty tasteless to be be questioning the relationship that existed between Walshy and his deranged son within 24 hours of him being murdered.

 

[JohnnyFontane90]

The media are like vultures at a time like this. They seem to be in such a frenzy, quick get cameras to the club, make sure you get the players faces, get cameras to the house, get interviews with everyone that knew him. I know it's their job, but gee they can be extremely insensitive at times.

in the media they take advantage of what's called 'negativity bias' - which basically means people have a bigger psychological reponse to negative information than positive information. i don't like it but i understand why they do it.

 

[JohnnyFontane90]

Maybe you should keep your speculative wonderings to yourself.

Pretty tasteless to be be questioning the relationship that existed between Walshy and his deranged son within 24 hours of him being murdered.

it's been well documented by walsh himself that the relationship was strained.

 

[Slax]

How about we put away the mental health cards until we know the full story?

His sons' mental health issues have been public knowledge for sometime now.

 

[The_Reaper]

Think its the shocking and totally unexpected in which Phil has passed away that's added to the shock and grief of everyone, we would half expect something like this to happen in America, not here, a professional football coach stabbed to death by his son.

Everyone has a right to express their grief/sorrow at the news.

Not really

 

[krisholio14]

I think you've been a bit harsh here. How are you to judge how people should react? I don't think there has been a single person here suggesting it's any more serious than anyone else. BUt believe it or not, the majority of us fortunately do live in "the bubble". While homicide and domestic violence are common enough events they fortunatley in a civilised country like Australia don't usually personally directly affect most of us. That is why when it is an identity that is well known it becomes a shock to many because they fortunately haven't had something occur. No one is suggesting his death is any more important than other, but to think anyone would be acting any different considering it hasn't even been 12 hours since it happened is a bit presumptuous.

It's not just the bubble. Few of us here would have met the man personally, but by seeing him in the media you end up with some kind of connection to him on some level. I am well aware that these sorts of events happen all around me, and one day, it could just as easily be me rather than someone else. But when it happens to a high profile person, it's a shock not just because of that small connection, but because there's a perception of invincibility that surrounds that person.

It could happen to me, but it can't happen to them.

When it does, that in itself is quite jarring. One minute you're thinking about the game on the weekend, next thing you know, turmoil on so many levels.

My heart goes out to everyone involved, and everyone who has had connections with Phil Walsh. One of the saddest days in the history of the game.

 

[Sprout]

There are no words to capture this. The alleged circumstances make it an even greater tragedy. Incredibly sad.

 

[Donakebab]

Were they estranged? I heard his son was living with him.

Whateley said on radio this morning that they had been estranged until recently but left it at that.

 

[Sweetback]

Think its the shocking and totally unexpected in which Phil has passed away that's added to the shock and grief of everyone, we would half expect something like this to happen in America, not here, a professional football coach stabbed to death by his son.

Everyone has a right to express their grief/sorrow at the news.

Domestic violence happens every day in Australia. Every week, two women are killed by their husbands. Elder abuse means a lot of kids are harming and hurting their parents. Drugs turn lambs into monsters. The only shocking thing about this is that it's happened to a prominent member of the football fraternity, of which we're all keen observers.

 

[Sausages]

His sons' mental health issues have been public knowledge for sometime now.

Simply being public knowledge doesn't immediately give rise to the need or officiousness for grossly improper public speculation.

Think it, talk with your mates about it, but leave the public commentary of that ilk aside in areas of broad consumption.

 

[I Lost My Keays]

It's made the headlines in England....

 

[DaVillaBlues]

Domestic violence happens every day in Australia. Every week, two women are killed by their husbands. Elder abuse means a lot of kids are harming and hurting their parents. Drugs turn lambs into monsters. The only shocking thing about this is that it's happened to a prominent member of the football fraternity, of which we're all keen observers.

Fair call, didn't mean to disparage the domestic violence aspect of it (and the appalling number of women murdered so far this year by their partners)

Just numb in shock right now, especially as Phil seemed like a really good guy, it hurts thinking what his poor wife and daughter are going through right now

 

[StonesThrow]

Jesus, this is heartbreaking to read now:


http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/a...ows-and-his-life/story-fnp04d70-1227308300112

I've never read that before. Devastating.

 

[carlton2dabone]

RIP[/QUOTE]

This is all well and good, but then you go and type this crap...

Talk about a complete lack of self-awareness.

Maybe you should keep your speculative wonderings to yourself.

Pretty tasteless to be be questioning the relationship that existed between Walshy and his deranged son within 24 hours of him being murdered.

I'm not speculating on their relationship, I have heard it stated on the radio numerous times today that Walsh was attempting to mend an estranged relationship with his son.

And so it gets me wondering why players can feel like Walsh is a father figure to them, yet at the same time he has an estranged relationship with his very own son.

I'm just wondering how a parent and a son can have an estranged relationship as has been stated in the media, yet a coach and his players can have what many have described as a father figure kind of relationship.

 

[Tiger2709]

And thats the thing, people have knee jerk reactions to anything that is outside of the bubble they live in.

They delude themselves into thinking that society is such a nice place, so when something like this happens to a public figure that they have never met, these people suddenly want the world to stop turning because they think its a one off event.

Truth is that it happens every day to all sorts of people, and if we stop the world turning for every single victim of a horrible crime the nothing would ever get done or accomplished.

Lastly, i have heard players all describe Walsh as being like a father figure to them, so I get to wondering why he had such an estranged relationship with his very own son when he was willing to be a father figure to footballers that dont share his blood.

Its quite likely he tried to be the same for his son, but unfortunately this is a part of mental illness, my wife is bi polar (I'm not sure what Phil's son suffered from)and in the past when she has had episodes the people she normally loves the most are those she dislikes the most when ill.

It can obviously be very hard for all involved in these situations, this outcome is just a tragedy for the family and friends.

 

[Bluelegs]

We're all saddened and shocked by the sudden loss, Walshy was a great man, and was involved with many people across many clubs.


Whats worse however, than the media, is the hoards of people on social media who feel some sort of social satisfaction by posting relevant posts like phil huges' death. People feel if they don't post something or do something they don't care; and that they need to be seen doing something. I didn't agree with this at first, but Ali Carle wrote a nice article on how bad social media is during tragedies. Like the whole 63 not out; everyone started trying to score and retire on 63, and outdoing each other with the most clever and insightful tweet/update.

I always feel really awkward seeing things like this:


I try to just take a deep breath and accept that people grieve in different ways but I can't really grasp the notion of putting a hashtag onto a physical tribute. Especially when the hashtag is just a marketing message used by the club to sell memberships. To me it would be like writing "#I'm lovin' it" on a tribute if the president of McDonald's passed away.

 

[kaiserchief13]

Not really

Didn't a Kansas City Chiefs player murder his girlfriend then kill himself a few years ago? So yes it does happen there

 

[Sausages]

RIP

Cool, ty mods

 

[MightyDons4]

Truly horrific news, RIP Phil Walsh