Sour end to what might have been -The Age

[tess]

http://www.realfooty.theage.com.au/realfooty/articles/2006/07/08/1152240539632.html

Greening lay on the ground not moving, blood trickled thickly from his nose, mouth and left eye.

JOHN Greening woke up two weeks later.

"I just remember coming down on the bus to the ground then waking up about three weeks later and they are saying 'you nearly died' and I had paralysis down one side of my body, I was a mess. That was all I know," Greening said this week.

Greening was in hospital for over six months, his career a secondary concern to life itself.

Jim O'Dea declined to comment for this article.

Today a player would have his license to play AFL anywhere revoked.
In 1972 this player was made a Hero of the St Kilda Football Club for carrying out the coaches orders to a Tee!

 

[Hawkk]

Collingwood didn't win a flag in the 1970's am I right?

 

[Flag Man]

Today a player would have his license to play AFL anywhere revoked.
In 1972 this player was made a Hero of the St Kilda Football Club for carrying out the coaches orders to a Tee!

Tell that to Denis Banks.

 

[JeffDunne]

John Greening is trotted out regularly primarily because he's one of many justifications for Collingwood's premiership drought.

No doubt the injury he received was a personal tragedy, but if he were a no name hack then he wouldn’t be remembered.

Collingwood’s history is littered with mongrels that have done everything from spit at fans to head butt officials of the game. John Greening was unlucky, but so was O’Dea in the sense that what he did was commonplace in the era he played.

John Greening probably shows us how lucky many others were in not suffering the same fate.

 

[Maguire#31]

http://www.realfooty.theage.com.au/realfooty/articles/2006/07/08/1152240539632.html








Today a player would have his license to play AFL anywhere revoked.
In 1972 this player was made a Hero of the St Kilda Football Club for carrying out the coaches orders to a Tee!

He isn't a hero to our club. The incident is a deep embarrassment that I would expect everyone involved with the club in any little way is embarrassed, apologetic, saddened, almost heartbroken about... And those words don't say enough... But he is no hero I can assure you that. I wasn't born at the time. (So I can only speak for now, not then.)

 

[Falchoon]

1972?

Watergate
Bloody Sunday
Munich Massacre

Long time ago.

 

[thewhippersnapper]

Shut the **** up about this, no one cares anymore so stop raising it again every year!

 

[Hawkk]

It's Collingwood's excuse for failure

 

[panthers]

*Yawn*

 

[Chase the Ace]

Shut the **** up about this, no one cares anymore so stop raising it again every year!

People do care and it should be raised to highlight a great career cut short by thuggery.

 

[eddiesmith]

He isn't a hero to our club. The incident is a deep embarrassment that I would expect everyone involved with the club in any little way is embarrassed, apologetic, saddened, almost heartbroken about... And those words don't say enough... But he is no hero I can assure you that. I wasn't born at the time. (So I can only speak for now, not then.)

Thats why he is in the hall of fame, been a board member? The club have given him everything since it happened, the club never seemed to condemn his actions because he was doing what he was told to do

 

[Hollow Knight]

I'm sure it was a tragic event but when does it stop getting dredged up.

Are the current St Kilda players, fans or administration meant to feel responsibile for it?

Here's a hint.... they're not.

 

[Homer Jnr]

Good to see Tess is keeping her weekly schedule of mentioning it.

 

[Hawkk]

It was tragic and crude, but it was years and years ago.

It would be like me blaming Melbourne for Hudson's knee in 1972.

 

[Chase the Ace]

It would be like me blaming Melbourne for Hudson's knee in 1972.

No it wouldn't be like that all.

It's like blaming O'Dea for king hitting a player well behing play, which cut short his career

 

[thewhippersnapper]

People do care and it should be raised to highlight a great career cut short by thuggery.

The exact same idiot raises it every single time these two teams play each other. Annoying and not needed.

 

[Hollow Knight]

And leave Nicky Winmar alone you racist Collingwood ferals.

 

[Adelaide Hawk]

Collingwood didn't win a flag in the 1970's am I right?

No. Nor the 1980s .... nor the 1960s

 

[tess]

Good to see Tess is keeping her weekly schedule of mentioning it.

The Age did the story, not me!

 

[Maguire#31]

Thats why he is in the hall of fame, been a board member? The club have given him everything since it happened, the club never seemed to condemn his actions because he was doing what he was told to do

Like he is in the hall of fame for that... god your a **** head,

59 points...

 

[eddiesmith]

Like he is in the hall of fame for that... god your a **** head,

59 points...

Yeah cos thats what I said he was in for

You said he isnt a hero and the incident is an embarrasment, yet you still honour the bloke who did it, so if he aint a hero why is he in the HOF?

 

[Maguire#31]

Yeah cos thats what I said he was in for

You said he isnt a hero and the incident is an embarrasment, yet you still honour the bloke who did it, so if he aint a hero why is he in the HOF?

Gary Ablett is in the AFL Hall of Fame and he is an embarrassment as a human being... Why is he in there? Tool... Darren Millane is a Collingwood hero, but thats ok for your filthy club of course.

 

[Joffaboy]

Yeah cos thats what I said he was in for

You said he isnt a hero and the incident is an embarrasment, yet you still honour the bloke who did it, so if he aint a hero why is he in the HOF?

You weren't even born, and even when you were born you were born O/S so how would you know anything about the game in 1972?

For that matter you know nothing about the game nowdays let alone a tragic incident that happened 34 years ago.

Were you even in the country when your ferals in the cheer squad racially abused Nicky Winmar?

What a laugh the filth and imported ones at that trying to take the moral high ground

Enjoy the game today?

And tess, say hello to MagpieGreg hope you both enjoyed the ten goal flogging as well AND seeing the Saints having a captain with the No.14 on his back (EddieSmith wouldn't have a clue what i am talking about would you Ed )

59 points. Not bad hey?

 

[saintsrule]

The Age did the story, not me!

Now one of your erstwhile compatriots started a thread on this earlier in the week. We don't need another one.

A few salient points.

* This was a terrible event which happened many years ago.
* No player or official from that time is still at the club.
* No St. Kilda supporter is responsible for what happened.
* One person alone was responsible, he has to live with that.
* Reviving the story year after year on a footy forum where most of the members were not even born at the time can change nothing.
* Do you still hold the Japanese and Germans of today responsible for the actions of their forebears?

 

[tess]

Now one of your erstwhile compatriots started a thread on this earlier in the week. We don't need another one.

A few salient points.

* This was a terrible event which happened many years ago.
* No player or official from that time is still at the club.
* No St. Kilda supporter is responsible for what happened.
* One person alone was responsible, he has to live with that.
* Reviving the story year after year on a footy forum where most of the members were not even born at the time can change nothing.
* Do you still hold the Japanese and Germans of today responsible for the actions of their forebears?

Your coach moved O'Deah onto Greening ..... O'Deah said he was instructed by the coach.