The get around Swan thread and have drink!

owenbond007 · August 08, 2012, 07:38:30 PM

AFL clubs have lost there way. Seriously these clubs hold players prisoners from having a life outside of football. If i was Swan id drink and do what i want outside of football. Being in his positionas the best player in the competition i would be telling the club i want out if your going to suspend me for something so ridiculous. Its something players should look to include in their contracts in the future. As long as his footys good and his not breaking law let the lad do what he likes. Hope pies miss out on top 4!

Ill be havng a beer this week knowing my opponent wont have swan and I didnt. Tell em all to get fuk swanny i would.

empire07 · August 08, 2012, 07:54:29 PM

Bond that is a load of horse waste! they are athletes and need to set examples.

Ajax22 · August 08, 2012, 07:55:53 PM

It did say in the article that the player group had all vowed to not drink till after finals tho

Slap · August 08, 2012, 07:59:24 PM

It's called being part of a team, if your team collectively sets up a rule (stupid or not), you should abide by it. Close teams work well together and teams that work well together play their roles and usually win more than they lose.

I am pretty sure they made a pact to not drink from here on in, so that they can maintain their freshness, competitive edge and predicted success. So, don't make it out like it was a long term, whole season affair. If you were getting paid a lot of money and wanted to satisfy your fans expectations, I'd imagine most would make changes to maximise chance for success and minimise the 'what if's'.

Also, 'if you were Swan' why would you risk your career and tell the staff to get F'ed. That is naive. He has acted well thus far, acknowledged his wrong doing and accepted his ban.

Disclaimer: I am not one of those people celebrating his suspension. I am not stoked he is suspended. I have him. I am in an elimination final. And, I just put $200 on him last week to win the Brownlow.

empire07 · August 08, 2012, 08:02:13 PM

well Mr Bond seems others agree your talking horse waste!

Chelskiman · August 08, 2012, 08:21:22 PM

To an extent, I agree with the opening post. Just because you are an athlete doesn't mean you can't get drunk. I don't agree with the "I'm Swan so you can all get flowered" part of the post though, lol.

I heard this story once that a guy who was playing country football would always get drunk the night before a game and he would always play a blinder. The coach told him not to drink on the eve of the grand final, so he didn't and he played a shocker and his team lost the premiership. That's an extreme example as it's country football, but my point is that having a few drinks, and even getting drunk, is really not that big of a deal. The fact that they are so fit probably means they can recover quickly anyway.

As long as you get up and go to training I see no problem with players drinking.

Slap · August 08, 2012, 08:37:13 PM

Quote from: Chelskiman on August 08, 2012, 08:21:22 PM
To an extent, I agree with the opening post. Just because you are an athlete doesn't mean you can't get drunk. I don't agree with the "I'm Swan so you can all get flowered" part of the post though, lol.

I heard this story once that a guy who was playing country football would always get drunk the night before a game and he would always play a blinder. The coach told him not to drink on the eve of the grand final, so he didn't and he played a shocker and his team lost the premiership. That's an extreme example as it's country football, but my point is that having a few drinks, and even getting drunk, is really not that big of a deal. The fact that they are so fit probably means they can recover quickly anyway.

As long as you get up and go to training I see no problem with players drinking.

I guess you don't have a sports science or a health degree. I don't, but I sure know that alcohol debilitates muscle recovery/growth/development. Google it if you disagree. Fit or not, alcohol will make the simpler tasks increasingly harder for someone that is an elite athlete. Swan covers a large distance each game basically doing interval training (in sprints, jogs and walks), all whilst tackling, getting tackled/bumped/knocked & jumped on, tapping, kicking and evading. This stress on the body isn't something they can just go to bed and wake up fresh as a daisy.

Hence, why recovery is treated with such importance (not just in AFL, but in every other major sport). The technology supporting recovery have rapidly evolved and become routine in these such teams - highlighting the importance to aid the recovery.

In essence, alcohol drinking does not aid the recovery process. So the team was taking a preventative measure by eliminating the variable in the equation, so they are able to predict with more accuracy what their performances would be like in the latter rounds of the AFL - to determine an approach for the finals.

Long answer, yes. But it is definitely not as simple and 'having a few beers with the boys'. They get paid a lot more than the average salary and their leadership/boss/manager/coach are all their superiors - just like a Burger Boy at maccas takes direction from the store manager.

owenbond007 · August 08, 2012, 08:39:04 PM

The team thing exists on the football field, at training, in recovery session, & in class time. Whats done in your own hours you should own not the club you work for. If the club hadnt brought this to the media attention then nobody would of been none the wiser.

It looks to me like the pies boys need a good manly bonding session on the beers to fix any internal issues that clearly exist and are hindering there chances of pushing deep in september.

empire07 · August 08, 2012, 08:44:50 PM

i blame trouble making bombers players for swan getting in trouble. bombers are a bunch of chooks! they are going that bad they should drink.

Slap · August 08, 2012, 08:45:01 PM

Quote from: owenbond007 on August 08, 2012, 08:39:04 PM
The team thing exists on the football field, at training, in recovery session, & in class time. Whats done in your own hours you should own not the club you work for. If the club hadnt brought this to the media attention then nobody would of been none the wiser.

It looks to me like the pies boys need a good manly bonding session on the beers to fix any internal issues that clearly exist and are hindering there chances of pushing deep in september.

It seems to me that you are confused. The team made a collective decision not to drink within a time frame before a game (NOTE: they can still drink). Swan drunk when 'he said' he wouldn't. Also, if the collective says to not drink.... what is a drinking session going to do, but further tear away from the tight knit fabric these collective actions create.

I agree where you say what is done is your own hours is private. but I limit that to their properties & the properties of their friends (who can keep secrets). They are well recognised elite athletes that are borderline idolised & if you go and 'have a few drinks' (synonymous with getting drunk) in public, you can expect that to just be swept under the carpet. History says so and so do expectations when you engage in the AFL system (& taking on the role-model, public figure character).

owenbond007 · August 08, 2012, 08:48:43 PM

They get paid poorly for what you guys call elite athletes in comparision to a lot of sports.

In terms of the sports science side of things a few drinks on sunday night aint going to effect your engine capacity for the following saturday, and your muscle growth should of already been developed, hence he shouldnt lose any speed or endurance out of them.

The facts are that alchol may (may being the operative word pending the individual) stun or slow muscle growth. If you were to drink every night and weight train 3-4 times a week you would still see the muscle growth albeit it might not of been as much as if you werent drinking.

empire07 · August 08, 2012, 08:55:18 PM

maybe swan should of said he was carb loading, would he of got off with a good lawyer ?

Dave085 · August 08, 2012, 09:01:13 PM

Training is imperitive to maintaining that form though.

The team made a group decision not to drink. Doesnt apply to some and not others.

Not only that, but the reason all this has happened is becuase his fellow players questioned his training performance the day after.

So yes, it did effect him.

tbagrocks · August 08, 2012, 09:04:11 PM

How well paid do you think Anna Meares is? Do you think she's had a drink lately (excude last night ;))

Slap · August 08, 2012, 09:04:36 PM

Quote from: owenbond007 on August 08, 2012, 08:48:43 PM
They get paid poorly for what you guys call elite athletes in comparision to a lot of sports.

In terms of the sports science side of things a few drinks on sunday night aint going to effect your engine capacity for the following saturday, and your muscle growth should of already been developed, hence he shouldnt lose any speed or endurance out of them.

The facts are that alchol may (may being the operative word pending the individual) stun or slow muscle growth. If you were to drink every night and weight train 3-4 times a week you would still see the muscle growth albeit it might not of been as much as if you werent drinking.

I am gonna leave this argument because you are not listening. I am all for partying, don't get me wrong. But I think there is a time and a place. It sounds like you cannot see that this is not Swan's time, nor place. If he did it in the quiet of his own home, no one would have been the wiser. Also, do you think he would have been suspended for two matches for simply having a few quiet beers in St Kilda... Don't Think So. I suggest there is more to the story, or there was a lot more than a few.

As for the salary wage, mate I am talking real Australian average wages. I am not comparing the guy to Lebron James who is on a max contract with the Heat, in a league where all the best Basketball players in the entire friggin world go. Keep your arguments a little more focused, or don't attempt to make a point and look stupid.

The average Australian wage is (as of Feb) [ http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/6302.0/ ].. Lets round up to $1500 a week = 78,000. So let's call that a general, overstated annual salary.

As of 2009 (I can't be bothered looking any further) the average salary was 221,482 - that includes every listed player (rookies inclusive). Almost 3 times what the overstated average wage of today is. Note, that the upper echelon of players (SWAN, Ablett etc) are getting paid well in excess of the average wage.

And as for your science talk, the stats don't lie. You are making a lot of presumptions. I was arguing more the fact that swan will not recover as rapidly/completely if he drinks. period. I was not arguing that he is trying to gain mass/strength or size - because I simply do not know that. Unlike your fine self, I am not into making presumptions on the 'hot topic' and potentially looking like a fool.