Its unfortunate that the term "mental health crisis" was used as this has colored the conversations that have followed in a simple 'black and white' manner.

It may well have been a 'crisis' of sorts but this did not make it an 'acute crisis'. The crowd saw what it saw (the shanked kick, running around seemingly unaware) and can be forgiven for their concern and wanting answers. The media pile on (looking for fault and someone to hang) however has been unforgivable in my eyes - and this forced the AFL to act given the optics of what unfolded and for having their own lack of expertise around such matters exposed.

We have no idea what support plan CFC staff were working to in collaboration with Elijah and his family and other health professionals involved. We know that this was not the first time he has struggled in-game. The plan may well have been to allow him to persist through his struggle even if this menant that we would effectively be a man down. This is consistent with the MH Act and practise which is to intervene in the least restirctive manner unless there is consensus around imminent acute risk ( which is where duty of care overides all else). This is a 'strengths'based approach that priortizes everyones right to self-determination and participation - anything less potentially becomes discriminatory.

The plan was potentially aimed with a long term outcome in mind that Elijah could work through his struggle rather than simply being pulled from the ground ( which would severely erode his self-belief). That it didnt quite work is sad and upsetting. This happens in the MH field all the time however. We intervene too quickly and harshly because we are either 'risk averse' or too little and too late with sometimes more tragic outcomes.

No matter, how many full-time professionals the AFL looks to employ in the future, these same delicate clinical and ethical dilemmas will have to be considered and worked through.

My own fear is that what happened is far more prevalent in elite sport than we think, we just dont obviously see or come to know about it. It is inextircably intertwined with elite settings and performance.

Until we know all the facts, and we never will, I will support the CFC and its staff on this matter.

Like many of you I am far more heartbroken by our broader and current predicament, which has been of our own making.

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Forza Azzurri!!!

Harry has an acute mental health crisis every time he lines up for goal.

They should fine us for playing him in the forward line.

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“When a clown moves into a palace, he doesn't become a king. The palace turns into a circus.”
Turkish Proverb

Judging from the site performance, even TC has given up on the club.

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We are on our way back...

So Carlton didn't do anything wrong then. That's good to know.

Sent from my SM-S931B using Tapatalk

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Jagga

The AFL only care about optics.
The best bit is that opposition (and some Carlton) supporters are calling it a slap on the wrist

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"One of my favorite philosophical tenets is that people will agree with you only if they already agree with you. You do not change people's minds." - Frank Zappa

Time to earn your money fella and get Carlton flying high again!

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Hope your footy team wins.

Hey Wrighty , look after the small things and the big things will look after themselves . Here it is late Thursday afternoon and still no reserves report from last Sundays game on the official website . Phoned the club this morning enquiring about it yet still no report . That's slack . And very annoying for a diehard VFL man like me .

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All my dangerous friends

Funny to think that happened nearly 40 years ago.

If you’d told me then I’d be singing the praises of the bloke in front and slagging off the cauliflower in the air about now I’m not sure I would have believed you…

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“When a clown moves into a palace, he doesn't become a king. The palace turns into a circus.”
Turkish Proverb

Here it is Friday afternoon and still no VFL report on the website . And that's after a phone call yesterday morning . Piss poor .

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All my dangerous friends

It won't surprise you to learn you are not alone with that one!

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Hope your footy team wins.

I may be wrong here, Mick - and I’m not going to look it up to correct myself… But, haven’t the previous reports all been written by a ‘College of Sport’ student?

Still piss poor, but maybe destined to fail at some point?

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"The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter" - Winston Churchill.

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Yes , I believe you are correct Cruz . They usually have an interview with coach Damien Truslove which is also not up . Been like clockwork until this week . Who knows . Most people wouldn't really care but I am fanatical about how our Magoo's are travelling .

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All my dangerous friends

I’m with you Mickstar. Grew up with the 3 Carlton games played. Didn’t get to as many games as others who lived close to the ground, but followed my team, young and old fanatically. Today, I also take an interest in the AFLW.

AFL destroyed community footy with the VFA, folded our Unser 19s and diluted our Reserves to preserve the VFL. How else can we feel connected to our reserves players and our depth in this time poor world without the club making an effort to keep us connected and the players feel important.

Come on Mr Wright. Communicate. It’s not hard. You have a marketing and communications dept. you have to give as well as take.

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Everyone looks good in Navy Blue

Good to see GW and Rob from Sydney doing the rounds on some fan YouTube channels today. Blue Abroad and Baggers Chat.

Easier to do if your club is flying, but both have been prominent this year.

Never heard from Brad Lloyd, and Sayers did a little at the start of 2024 (on the back of the finish to 2023) but was rarely seen since…..apart from one obvious accidental appearance…

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"They're [REDACTED]'

COCK!

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“When a clown moves into a palace, he doesn't become a king. The palace turns into a circus.”
Turkish Proverb

Sayers acted like a real dick on social media

Yes , those two young blokes who do Baggers Chat are excellent . Come across as ' good types " to me .

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All my dangerous friends

I watched the BA one & wright seemed very relaxed and confident about getting Cody Walker.

Sent from my moto g54 5G using Tapatalk

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#DonTheStash

Priestley impresses me. Obviously he's the wrong gender and lives in the wrong state but apart from that, I think he's exceptional.

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Looking forward to seeing our potential realised.

I'm sure both are decent blokes. But based on what I saw, you could pull out an interview with Stephen Trigg and Mark LoGiudice from a decade ago, splice in a few updated names and dates, and get remarkably similar answers. Quite a bit of word salad from Maxi Priestly. Wright-io played a straight bat.