"The tyranny of distance of indigeneous football talent"

[theyellowsash]

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/the-tyranny-of-distance/story-e6frf9jf-1226059270400

this is a great article about the difficulties facing the aboriginal boys that come from the NT. a lot of shit gets thrown around about players being headcases and clubs managing badly but this just highlights how hard it is for the players to adjust. clearly theres a vast difference between the aboriginal boys that grew up in the cities and in the school/junior system (like hill, ryder, rioli), and the guys who come from the true outback (like taylor and peterson). its about time people on here (and gutter journos like caro and hutchy) start acknowledging that there is a lot more to it than poor management and headcase kids.

interesting that jurrah has been having some issues/pressures. he would be one of the last i wouldve expected, he seems so comfortable and committed. again it just goes to show theres more to it.

 

[BigBroMike]

are they serious???

"The unwritten rule is that the local team must win the carnival. So much so that there's a level of gamesmanship that would make the Pakistan cricket team blush.
In Ltyente Apurte (formerly Santa Teresa) earlier this year it took more than two hours to compile a simple fixture because they wanted to guarantee the home team would progress.
It's not unusual for final quarters to go for 45 minutes as organisers wait for the home side to hit the front so they can blow the siren. Some recall a preliminary final between Hermannsburg and Areyonga that went for two days".

 

[Wanbli]

^Seriously, that's ****ed up.

Great article, and very sad to hear where Relton Roberts and Troy Taylor are at the moment.

 

[jonoman89]

I think most AFL supporters realise the massive difficulty some indegenous players have adjusting to professional sport.

But it's not like every indigenous player is from the desert...

 

[Pie eyed]

I think most AFL supporters realise the massive difficulty some indegenous players have adjusting to professional sport.

But it's not like every indigenous player is from the desert...

Very true.

In fact the vast majority are not.

 

[master bate]

To put it simply the Irish recruits probably have it easier than the Indigenous guys from these outback cultures. The Irish come from a similar culture as most of us westerners and most likely have a supportive family happy their sons are making a good dollar and enjoying the sun.

I think we'll see more guys drafted from the true outback cultures, but generally after they have been and played in state competitions ie. Darwin or Adelaide. The recruiters use the players ability to survive these environments as a test of their commitment (and probably stability of their local community) to making it at AFL level.

Lastly though, sorry the yellow sash, but Taylor was a recruiting mistake, he was a headcase kid who you clearly didn't have nearly the facilities in place to take on.

 

[theyellowsash]

thats part of the point i was making. people see players settling quickly and becoming good quite quickly. players like ryder, hill, goodes, rioli etc, who all had the benefit of growing up in the cities and with the junior systems. they then see players like taylor going off the rails and immediately point the finger at the clubs and players, because other aboriginals have coped well, completely ignoring the fact that they come from vastly different backgrounds.

as for the carnival thing, i think it is just that they take footy as a fun social event, rather than the serious thing that even city juniors do. with that sort of mindset the convention of letting the home team win isnt anything surprising, its just a bit of fun. 2 days is a while though . but again its just another reason they struggle to meet training demands and match the commitment needed.

as for taylor, yeah he was a bit of a headcase. but most of them arent. some of them turn into headcases under the pressure, the city, the need to relieve stress and so on, just like anyone else can.

 

[ThePuppetMaster]

interesting that jurrah has been having some issues/pressures. he would be one of the last i wouldve expected, he seems so comfortable and committed. again it just goes to show theres more to it.

Jurrah HAD a bought of 'homesickness' (for want of a better word) it happened after the completion of his first season in the AFL iirc, so I think (and hope) he has well and truly moved past that stage.

 

[Collins-Langford-Ayres]

Why is this such a big deal?

Yep, living in Melbourne is very different from living in the outback. Who knew?

Lots of people move to the big cities or new countries for work; some make a new life, some don't like it and return home.

Why do people/journos/etc feel the need to justify that it's acceptable for someone to not like their new surroundings and want to return home. Surely that's just life isn't it and hardly newsworthy?