Player Watch Willie Rioli

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The guy smokes buds here and there and posts shit on social media from time to time. We make it sound it like whenever there's a slight issue he deserves the judges hammer.

If it comes out that it was family related I hope the ones that were quick to jump on his back have a look at themselves in the mirror.
 

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LittleLika said:
The guy smokes buds here and there and posts shit on social media from time to time. We make it sound it like whenever there's a slight issue he deserves the judges hammer.

If it comes out that it was family related I hope the ones that were quick to jump on his back have a look at themselves in the mirror.
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I feel like it’s the opposite, everyone is tip toeing around this because we don’t know what the hell is going on.

It reminds me a bit of the Clayton Oliver circus last year, where he was predicted to be back in a week for half the season.

And quite frankly he shouldn’t be smoking buds or posting shit he shouldn’t on social media. Especially with his history.

He is meant to be a professional footballer after all.






Sent from my iPhone using BigFooty.com
 
Brian McGee said:
It says personal reasons around his family needs. Surely that’s enough for the majority of sensible footy fans to be mature, accept it and not wildly speculate? We obviously need him back but some of the stuff people are writing in here is extremely unhelpful.
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We literally had an entire scandal at the start of this year basically admitting that players just claim personal reasons or fake injuries to avoid drug detection.

I'm not saying he's caught up in anything, and I'm certainly not saying I know what's happening, or that it isn't a family issue. I'm just saying that when you look at the facts either way, there's enough ambiguity amongst it all to absolutely justify fans being suspicious of what is happening.

A 2-3 week calf, drags out to 4-5 weeks before we're told by Drew it is a knee, meanwhile Ken is saying he's sick, after he is named at AFL level, then withdrawn. The next week he's named at SANFL level and is a late withdrawal with personal reasons, and again this week he has been named but we're told he isn't playing.

It's all just messy.

I hope everything is ok and he'll be back next week, but it is an extremely suspicious set of circumstances.
 
Windy Cindy said:
Strange use of language.. suggests it’s not his decision.
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Yes that was how I took it too.

Additionally one fan on this forum said they talked to him at the open and he said he was playing. Few hours later and Hinkley is proclaiming in a conference he won't.


I don't know why people get so upset about questioning the club and fans not just listening and following like blind lemmings. If the club manages the message properly this confusion never exists. Where there's smoke though there's usually fire and something isn't smelling quite right. It's ok to say that, it isn't saying the club is definitely lying, it's saying that they might be and we're sceptical and there's nothing wrong with that.
 
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Adz2332 said:
So he's not playing for personal reasons, then gets named? Weird
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Yep, in the context of a professional footy club it definitely is. But not when it comes to personal trauma issues or depression, especially for some individuals if related to the illness or troubles of a close friend or family member.

We fully understand that high performance athletes cannot perform at their best, or maybe not even be able to take to the field, if their bodies are injured or at risk of further injury. Those same performance restrictions apply when it comes to their mental health and attitude - probably to a greater degree.

The difference is that the recovery time is not as linear nor explaining the issues to a hungry audience whose understanding of and sympathy for mental health and/or cultural issues are less than ideal.

Not saying any of this is what applies to what Willie is going through, just that I can appreciate the reasons why there might be a lack of clarity in public statements around what is happening with him.

What I do know is that most of the local media seem to have an understanding of the background here and all have decided not to run with stories promoting unnecessary speculation. That should tell you something.

Someone mentioned that the second anniversary of Willie's dad's death is this month. Not sure if anyone remembers but July last year was also when he was racially abused online after the Collingwood game which hit him hard, having just come back from his mourning period.

Ken Hinkley said Willie will be back on the field when he is able to be there at his best. Pretty sure that is a club position and not just Ken's. That's enough for me at the moment.

But I understand and share the angst and frustration. Without Willie we are a far lesser team and our chances of making finals, let alone be competitive in them is much reduced without him. I want him back on the field and at his very best.
 
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Willsy10 said:
Why can't any questions be asked?

Especially when this is the vague shit we are getting told:

"We are optimistic once he is right, we will let Willie play," Hinkley said.
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Translation.


Once the drugs are out of his system we can let him play..

No.. in all seriousness. This guy isn't the "difference" everyone calm down, Dixon's back !! 💪
 

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Festerz said:
The difference is that the recovery time is not as linear nor explaining the issues to a hungry audience whose understanding of and sympathy for mental health and/or cultural issues are less than ideal.

Not saying any of this is what applies to what Willie is going through, just that I can appreciate the reasons why there might be a lack of clarity in public statements around what is happening with him.
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Unfortunately the actions of players, club doctors, the AFL policy and Willies previous history go a long way to giving people cause to wonder. The Oliver situation and the news from earlier this unfortunately puts elements of doubt around all absences where the issue is not obvious. It only takes a few to cry wolf.
 
LittleLika said:
The guy smokes buds here and there and posts shit on social media from time to time. We make it sound it like whenever there's a slight issue he deserves the judges hammer.

If it comes out that it was family related I hope the ones that were quick to jump on his back have a look at themselves in the mirror.
Click to expand...
He literally missed games because he "smokes buds here and there". There's a drug policy in the AFL, you can't breach it, and expect people not suspect it, or care about it. How much shit did Ollie Wines cop for his extracurricular activities that cost him games?
 
nadsee said:
i do not know if this is factual or not, just what i was told, his mother is sick. the reason he wanted to move back to adelaide was to be closer to her,
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OK.

I accept it's nobodys business but Willie's.

On the other hand Willie is a public figure and a important part of Ports list who's paid 100s of thousands of dollars a year by the club and has a pretty good lifestyle of the back of members and sponsors.

It's nobodys business but all anyone has to say is " Willie's mum isn't the best and he needs to be there to support her."

No further comment or explanation required.

Everyone supports him and backs him in.
 
davesnothere said:
OK.

I accept it's nobodys business but Willie's.

On the other hand Willie is a public figure and a important part of Ports list who's paid 100s of thousands of dollars a year by the club and has a pretty good lifestyle of the back of members and sponsors.

It's nobodys business but all anyone has to say is " Willie's mum isn't the best and he needs to be there to support her."

No further comment or explanation required.

Everyone supports him and backs him in.
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i agree it is nobody's business.

he is not running for prime minister, he is a football player.
 
nadsee said:
i agree it is nobody's business.

he is not running for prime minister, he is a football player.
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He's a public figure who makes a living though the support of members and sponsors.

Those members and sponsors are hearing every theory imaginable and wondering what they are investing in.

What's the best way of handling that?

None of your business?

That's not going well.
 

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Player Watch Willie Rioli

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