Im pretty sure the university and fire extinguishers was matty lappin and not houla.

Someone needs to sit the Carlton boys down and talk to them about nightspots. Fairdinkum, you'd only go to Eve if you were looking to pick up syphilis, do a bit of street fighting or find a few good time boys to organise a drag race.

The point is about the perception of morals by sponsors. You have no idea what may or may not be going on behind the scenes re potential sponsors for CFC in 2010. You seem to be unwilling to see the impact these sorts of front page headlines have on Companies looking to align themselves with an AFL club.

Hoops and Walks may be intirely innocent but the fact the club has fined them both would indicated otherwise.

Whether you, I or them like it, the media put AFL players up on a pedestal and they are just as happy to tear them down for a front page headline given the slightest wiff of 'something and/or anything', nomatter how small. I think I would almost go as far as saying they intentionally build them up just SO they can tear them down. That's the Australian way isn't it.

Regards Cazzesman

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Ricky Gervais - “Everyone has the right to hold whatever beliefs they want. And everyone else has the right to find those beliefs f***ing ridiculous.”

while being a big fan of hoopsy, he has been known to like a few bevvies and this latest indiscretion, IMO, should be his last.

Carltons stance on this behaviour was shown by trading fevola, and to gain any credibility they must follow up with tough action here. While Tex should not get off by any means, this is as far as i know, his first offence.

I would not be overly disappointed if hoops did not play senior football again.

With such a young list, this crap has happened far too often and we must kill the cancer before it spreads!

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i AM CARLTON

x2!

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hands up if you're a sycophant!

Still reckon the Didak/Heath Shaw saga was a far better read.

Also the Lovett-Murray & Hurley incidents.

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Cheats never prosper (except in the AFL)

Well the chicken thing was an internal joke that someone made public, and perhaps shows why they have slipped out of finals after so many years of making the finals with an ordinary list.

Anyway I still make my point in that this team still is not focussed enough to win a premiership. It may be because deep down they don't think they are ready yet, but with absolute focus and a bit of luck you can pinch one before your time and even if you don't it sets the tone of what is needed to get there.

As much as I love Sticks, I do get a feeling that his attitude sits with some of the posters on this forum in that he is more tolerable to this behaviour than someone from real world (outside of football).

The bottom line for me is this and I thank Benji for his insights.

The players were drunk, not just tiddly but blotto. Rotten stinking drunk. It is completely unacceptable. You would have thought that by now that the lesson.

Footballers + Lots of alcohol + Being in a public place = TROUBLE

would have sunk in by now. But apparently it hasn't.

And Houla is a repeat offender.

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A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty" -Winston Churchill

L.M 35-06

Delist them both, Walkers a Hack and Hoops is old

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#23: Lachlan Henderson

Ch7 news bringing up all Carlton FC misdameanours sice the year 2000. cauliflower

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Cheats never prosper (except in the AFL)

I can't believe how much people are going on about Houla.....Sure he has stuffed up, but If i am right the last time he stuffed up was all those years ago with Fev. Since then Fev has got himself in trouble half a dozen times and Houla has had a clean sheet. Some credit must be given.

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Circumstance has no value. It is how one relates to a situation that has value. All true meaning resides in the personal relationship to a phenomenon, what it means to you.

Not much news around at this time of the year. The media will latch onto this - a ready made story, not much research required, just read a few sites like this. Then go to a Christmas booze-up or do some shopping,...

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Bawditawaba

Newsflash
A bunch of blokes having a session at the end of the year and there is trouble

It will always happen .

Agree times have changed and the media(the Age as well which is a suprise) think its front page news
Sponsors come to mind

The only way you solve the problem is to put a ban on the booze altogether.




And as far as the club is concerned they have once again dealt with it in a soft pathetic manner

Say how much they have been fined get them to front a press conference to apologies to the staff at the hotel and the footy club ban Houlihan from training for 2 months and Walker for one month. Do it now and show some balls.
The club doesnt have many

Or each member of the 50 member board can pick a player each to drive home from a Club Endorsed function room, e.g. a yet to be completed Visy Park Complex.

I blame global warming.........................and Kevin Rudd.

Yeah but sponsors must allow for a "risk factor" when sponsoring an AFL club. 40+ young guys with money that the public and press target, and that are pursued by women in nightspots.

A sponsor must be willing to accept the chance of some minor indescretions during a year. If not they should place their sponsorship elsewhere. This is all part of the risk/reward factor of sponsoring an AFL club.
This incident dosn't seem to be anything extraordinary that will have a great impact on the club's perception.

Companies can go sponsor a squeeky clean 55yo lawn bowls champ if they want but what they are really after is exposure and brand recognition.

And for the players earning less than 250k/year their sacrifices are huge relative to their income.
If you want a rookie to spend every minute of every day thinking about the clubs best interests pay him more than 40k a year to diet,sleep,throw his guts up from running,lose his anonymity etc. all according to what the clubs need.

plus 1 from me

where are all the posters who claimed that Pagan was changing the culture

problem is that when you take away a players ability to think for themselves on the park and on the training track eventually that habit drifts into the off field

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If you allow the Government to change the Laws in an emergency
They will create an Emergency to change the Laws

BlueMark on the mark. And also agree with Caz on sponsors.

Forget the 'role model' stuff. Sponsors want to be associated with good stories not negative ones. It was a minor incident but really, footballers are always news. And after the Fev saga Carlton need there players to be smart not stupid. No club makes enough from fans at games. Sponsorship is a huge part of the budget and we can't afford to be getting negative publicity. Also getting absolutely hammered is a bad look for any elite sportsman. Your career can end very quickly. You can go from $300k to nothing very quickly and as Cam Cloke found out a misdemenour can tip the scales when you are borderline (as Houla will be at the end of 2010).

We want to be a group that places club first every time and does absolutely everything to be the best we can. You want to act like a rock star, buy a guitar. You want to be a sportsmen - these days it is 24/7. There are no minor incidents, and the old culture of boys being boys and getting filthy drunk is unprofessional when absolute professionalism is required.

Houla has played more games for the Blues than anyone else on the list. He needs to start leading (and I don't mean leading Walks into trouble).

And if you do get into trouble, don't exacerbate it. Go quietly. Don't allow a minor piece of stupidity to escalate.

Love it

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WADA medical director Dr Alan Vernec describes Essendon* FC drug case as biggest scandal in team sport the world of sport has seen. #WC2WB

#GUILTY

From the club website: Houlihan and Walker Disciplined



Swanny, looks like its time to up the ante on the education programs then.

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