She didnt miss.
Carey the victim throws Kelli Stevens to wolves
By Caroline Wilson
August 7 2002
You have to wonder why Wayne Carey bothered apologising to Anthony Stevens and looking him in the eye last week given his public treatment on Monday night of his former teammate but apparently not truly close friend.
Carey looked dignified enough on Foxtel's On The Couch, but there was nothing gentlemanly in his behaviour towards Stevens and his wife, Kelli.
Although the supposedly intimate subject of where his wife, Sally, would like him to play next season remained private, clearly where the Stevens family was concerned the barriers were far flimsier.
As September approaches and with Carey still on the Kangaroos' list and still no financial settlement reached, it has always seemed vaguely possible that the win-at-all costs mentality could prevail and Carey be allowed back and persuaded to truly face his teammates again.
But if that was ever a slim chance, Carey would seem to have erased it by his performance on Foxtel. The private stuff was no one else's business but his own, except that she followed him into the bathroom. In front of everyone. He never loved her. It lasted only a month.
As 2002 has progressed, an increasing number of supposedly wise club veterans have questioned the Kangaroos' handling of the Carey affair. In their day, the argument runs, Carey would have been sent up north for a few weeks and the matter sorted out, with all lining up for the club come round one.
But, of course, there was no time to put operation damage control into place because the players involved had fixed the situation before there was a chance. Whether Carey truly believed his resignation would be accepted when the confrontation came is not known.
But no sooner had he thrown the red rag into the ring than it was made clear by Stevens and Glenn Archer that he was not welcome anyway.
And nobody challenged Stevens, although it seemed at the time that the already declining Kangaroos would be lost without their former skipper. Quite the opposite, in fact.
The players publicly backed Stevens, ferociously linking arms around the player the day the club made him captain.
That is what makes the Wayne Carey story so big in sporting terms - the fact that his betrayal was deemed unacceptable by his teammates. For him to return to the club, Stevens would have to invite him back; and any subtle pressure placed upon the new captain to do so has clearly been resisted.
And Carey still does not get it. During his public purging on the couch, he repeatedly referred to a "silly" or "stupid" mistake made by two people and, like his camp has been subtly doing all season, mercilessly threw Kelli Stevens to the wolves in the process.
In terms of the football club and the game, this was much more than a silly or stupid mistake. And it was a betrayal by one person, not two. Kelli Stevens might have been culpable in a personal sense, but not in terms of the football club.
Carey said it was not true that he was holding the Kangaroos to ransom over money owed. No one has suggested that he was, although it is telling that still no settlement has been reached.
Probably his contract was back-loaded and he is therefore claiming extra for past years. And long-service leave remains an issue.
Carey continually spread the blame by questioning the role of the news media in his downfall and adopted the ruse of his management by questioning the morals and behaviour of others.
Off-hand, not many AFL captains - or journalists for that matter - earning a reported $1 million betraying their vice-captains or close friends and club or company in the process immediately spring to mind.
Carey said his story received saturation coverage compared - at one stage - with September 11. Not true.
However, Carey did not feel strongly enough about the reporting of his story to break his contract with the Herald Sun at the time. In fact, he cooperated with an interview at the height of the frenzy.
On the face of it, Monday night was a win-win for all concerned. Certainly for the Fox Footy channel. The interview was more than thorough and most dispassionate observers, including the AFL, seem to think Carey handled himself well. The good news for all the clubs chasing him is that his playing confidence does not seem to have deserted him.
A male colleague asked yesterday what more we could have expected of Carey? Self-flagellation? No, just a greater sense of responsibility for the damage he has caused and a little less of Carey the victim.
Carey the victim throws Kelli Stevens to wolves
By Caroline Wilson
August 7 2002
You have to wonder why Wayne Carey bothered apologising to Anthony Stevens and looking him in the eye last week given his public treatment on Monday night of his former teammate but apparently not truly close friend.
Carey looked dignified enough on Foxtel's On The Couch, but there was nothing gentlemanly in his behaviour towards Stevens and his wife, Kelli.
Although the supposedly intimate subject of where his wife, Sally, would like him to play next season remained private, clearly where the Stevens family was concerned the barriers were far flimsier.
As September approaches and with Carey still on the Kangaroos' list and still no financial settlement reached, it has always seemed vaguely possible that the win-at-all costs mentality could prevail and Carey be allowed back and persuaded to truly face his teammates again.
But if that was ever a slim chance, Carey would seem to have erased it by his performance on Foxtel. The private stuff was no one else's business but his own, except that she followed him into the bathroom. In front of everyone. He never loved her. It lasted only a month.
As 2002 has progressed, an increasing number of supposedly wise club veterans have questioned the Kangaroos' handling of the Carey affair. In their day, the argument runs, Carey would have been sent up north for a few weeks and the matter sorted out, with all lining up for the club come round one.
But, of course, there was no time to put operation damage control into place because the players involved had fixed the situation before there was a chance. Whether Carey truly believed his resignation would be accepted when the confrontation came is not known.
But no sooner had he thrown the red rag into the ring than it was made clear by Stevens and Glenn Archer that he was not welcome anyway.
And nobody challenged Stevens, although it seemed at the time that the already declining Kangaroos would be lost without their former skipper. Quite the opposite, in fact.
The players publicly backed Stevens, ferociously linking arms around the player the day the club made him captain.
That is what makes the Wayne Carey story so big in sporting terms - the fact that his betrayal was deemed unacceptable by his teammates. For him to return to the club, Stevens would have to invite him back; and any subtle pressure placed upon the new captain to do so has clearly been resisted.
And Carey still does not get it. During his public purging on the couch, he repeatedly referred to a "silly" or "stupid" mistake made by two people and, like his camp has been subtly doing all season, mercilessly threw Kelli Stevens to the wolves in the process.
In terms of the football club and the game, this was much more than a silly or stupid mistake. And it was a betrayal by one person, not two. Kelli Stevens might have been culpable in a personal sense, but not in terms of the football club.
Carey said it was not true that he was holding the Kangaroos to ransom over money owed. No one has suggested that he was, although it is telling that still no settlement has been reached.
Probably his contract was back-loaded and he is therefore claiming extra for past years. And long-service leave remains an issue.
Carey continually spread the blame by questioning the role of the news media in his downfall and adopted the ruse of his management by questioning the morals and behaviour of others.
Off-hand, not many AFL captains - or journalists for that matter - earning a reported $1 million betraying their vice-captains or close friends and club or company in the process immediately spring to mind.
Carey said his story received saturation coverage compared - at one stage - with September 11. Not true.
However, Carey did not feel strongly enough about the reporting of his story to break his contract with the Herald Sun at the time. In fact, he cooperated with an interview at the height of the frenzy.
On the face of it, Monday night was a win-win for all concerned. Certainly for the Fox Footy channel. The interview was more than thorough and most dispassionate observers, including the AFL, seem to think Carey handled himself well. The good news for all the clubs chasing him is that his playing confidence does not seem to have deserted him.
A male colleague asked yesterday what more we could have expected of Carey? Self-flagellation? No, just a greater sense of responsibility for the damage he has caused and a little less of Carey the victim.
