Finally - I am back - after several weeks away from The Flog.
I apologise for my lack of commitment to my blog, however due to heavily emotional and personal issues, I have not been able to write. But this week, I have been able to overcome certain obstacles and can bring myself back to my Floggers.
I apologise for my lack of commitment to my blog, however due to heavily emotional and personal issues, I have not been able to write. But this week, I have been able to overcome certain obstacles and can bring myself back to my Floggers.
It is with a heavy heart I bring to you this week’s post.
An event so immense, it has shaken the entire Australian Football League and its followers to the core.
An event so immense, it has shaken the entire Australian Football League and its followers to the core.
On Friday, July 3rd I was woken by a text message from an
ex-Collingwood player with news nobody wants to hear. Initially, the message
had come across to me as if to say the son of the Coach of the Adelaide Crows
had died. Naturally, I was perplexed by this news, however given my friend’s
track record with writing text messages that actually make sense, I decided to
jump online and find out the whole story. Absolutely nothing could have
prepared me for what appeared on my screen:
“Adelaide Crows Coach Phil Walsh has been murdered by his son”.
I didn’t believe the headline. Surely this couldn’t be true. Reading further into the story, it had been alleged that in the early hours of the morning, Police had been called to the Walsh family home after a domestic dispute involving Phil, his son Cy and his wife Meredith. Their daughter Quinn was travelling overseas at the time of the incident. I kept the news page open for the majority of the day, with the story being updated as time ticked on. Already with my heart beginning to break, grim details of the horrific and multiple stab wounds inflicted on Walsh came to light, and my tears began flowing heavily. I felt absolutely shattered. All I could think was “his poor family, those poor players… why has this happened?” Although I did not know Phil personally, I had met him several times through my past years working in the AFL industry and knew of him being an ex-Collingwood player and of course, an accomplished Coach in the Footballing world.
Due to play the Geelong Cats on the coming Sunday, my social media channels were abuzz with tributes to Phil and the looming question:
Does the upcoming game go ahead?
It would have been a completely heartless and unjust ruling to make those players step out onto the field without their Coach, and with the knowledge of how his life had been taken from him so brutally. We would have to wait for the AFL’s press conference to find out the fate of the Club’s weekend fixture. Reports came through that after his psychiatric assessment, Cy Walsh, son and accused killer of Phil Walsh, had been charged with his murder at his bedside. More tears on my end at the thought that this family had just been torn apart. No husband, no father, no son. An injured mother and no doubt an extremely frantic young daughter, rushing home from overseas to greet this tragic circumstance. And an absolutely devastated group of young men who have lost their mentor, their Coach, and some even a father figure. At 1:45pm, after watching many news reports, listening to talk back and reading copious articles about this awful occurrence, I switched on the press conference. AFL Chief Gillon McLaughlin fought back the emotion whilst paying his respects to all those affected, and ruled that the game would not go ahead.
A slight silver lining in an otherwise dark situation.
I felt numb. Yes, we had seen tragedy in the AFL before, and most likely would see it again.
But this was an extreme circumstance. It was not as simple as a terrible accident, like someone crashing their car or falling from a building. This was murder. A word I am trying to get my head around when linking it to the beloved game of AFL. It simply does not make sense.
When I focused on the team itself in terms of what happens next, my mind jumped all over the place. A huge piece of my heart said “end their season now” in order to give them time to grieve. But Walshy would not have wanted this. He would have insisted the show go on, the boys march out, and everybody band together to be stronger than before. Another piece of my heart thought that a week off would simply not be enough. Some of these boys will be haunted by this forever, and it could take weeks, months or even years to be able to work through it. But the main thought I had was that in times of darkness, spirit and support through sadness always shines through. Communities, Clubs and people from all over are able to put their differences aside and band together as one. And that’s exactly what the Footballing world has done. The hash tag #weflyasone was created and has since gone viral, demonstrating just how many of us have been touched by this irreconcilable loss, and just how much support everyone involved has. Our hearts are on our sleeves and the writing is on the wall – AFL is not just a game, it is an entire community. It is one big family.
We ARE a family.
And in times of horror, in times of need, times of quiet desperation, times of love, loss, happiness and joy, we turn to our family, whether they be our actual family, our significant other, our friends, our team mates, coaches or mentors. These are the people we want by our side and these are the people that can pull us back to our feet, so we can stand up, spread our wings, and learn to fly once more. Teams that have played over this past weekend, kicked off by Collingwood and Hawthorn, saw a moment of silence from an entire stadium in memoriam of Phil Walsh, followed by a post-match circle of players and coaches from both clubs intertwined in arms, heads bowed, reflecting and respecting the life of the late Adelaide Coach. The atmosphere in the stadium this night was awe-inspiring, and once again reiterated to me that it certainly is more than just a game.
“Adelaide Crows Coach Phil Walsh has been murdered by his son”.
I didn’t believe the headline. Surely this couldn’t be true. Reading further into the story, it had been alleged that in the early hours of the morning, Police had been called to the Walsh family home after a domestic dispute involving Phil, his son Cy and his wife Meredith. Their daughter Quinn was travelling overseas at the time of the incident. I kept the news page open for the majority of the day, with the story being updated as time ticked on. Already with my heart beginning to break, grim details of the horrific and multiple stab wounds inflicted on Walsh came to light, and my tears began flowing heavily. I felt absolutely shattered. All I could think was “his poor family, those poor players… why has this happened?” Although I did not know Phil personally, I had met him several times through my past years working in the AFL industry and knew of him being an ex-Collingwood player and of course, an accomplished Coach in the Footballing world.
Due to play the Geelong Cats on the coming Sunday, my social media channels were abuzz with tributes to Phil and the looming question:
Does the upcoming game go ahead?
It would have been a completely heartless and unjust ruling to make those players step out onto the field without their Coach, and with the knowledge of how his life had been taken from him so brutally. We would have to wait for the AFL’s press conference to find out the fate of the Club’s weekend fixture. Reports came through that after his psychiatric assessment, Cy Walsh, son and accused killer of Phil Walsh, had been charged with his murder at his bedside. More tears on my end at the thought that this family had just been torn apart. No husband, no father, no son. An injured mother and no doubt an extremely frantic young daughter, rushing home from overseas to greet this tragic circumstance. And an absolutely devastated group of young men who have lost their mentor, their Coach, and some even a father figure. At 1:45pm, after watching many news reports, listening to talk back and reading copious articles about this awful occurrence, I switched on the press conference. AFL Chief Gillon McLaughlin fought back the emotion whilst paying his respects to all those affected, and ruled that the game would not go ahead.
A slight silver lining in an otherwise dark situation.
I felt numb. Yes, we had seen tragedy in the AFL before, and most likely would see it again.
But this was an extreme circumstance. It was not as simple as a terrible accident, like someone crashing their car or falling from a building. This was murder. A word I am trying to get my head around when linking it to the beloved game of AFL. It simply does not make sense.
When I focused on the team itself in terms of what happens next, my mind jumped all over the place. A huge piece of my heart said “end their season now” in order to give them time to grieve. But Walshy would not have wanted this. He would have insisted the show go on, the boys march out, and everybody band together to be stronger than before. Another piece of my heart thought that a week off would simply not be enough. Some of these boys will be haunted by this forever, and it could take weeks, months or even years to be able to work through it. But the main thought I had was that in times of darkness, spirit and support through sadness always shines through. Communities, Clubs and people from all over are able to put their differences aside and band together as one. And that’s exactly what the Footballing world has done. The hash tag #weflyasone was created and has since gone viral, demonstrating just how many of us have been touched by this irreconcilable loss, and just how much support everyone involved has. Our hearts are on our sleeves and the writing is on the wall – AFL is not just a game, it is an entire community. It is one big family.
We ARE a family.
And in times of horror, in times of need, times of quiet desperation, times of love, loss, happiness and joy, we turn to our family, whether they be our actual family, our significant other, our friends, our team mates, coaches or mentors. These are the people we want by our side and these are the people that can pull us back to our feet, so we can stand up, spread our wings, and learn to fly once more. Teams that have played over this past weekend, kicked off by Collingwood and Hawthorn, saw a moment of silence from an entire stadium in memoriam of Phil Walsh, followed by a post-match circle of players and coaches from both clubs intertwined in arms, heads bowed, reflecting and respecting the life of the late Adelaide Coach. The atmosphere in the stadium this night was awe-inspiring, and once again reiterated to me that it certainly is more than just a game.
When I got home from the game, I reflected on my past 28
years of passionate (and sometimes psychotic) following of this game, and on
all the wonderful people I have become close to because of this great sport. I
have formed bonds and friendships that will last a lifetime, and have often
relied on the game itself and the people in it to pull me back to my feet in
times of sorrow, sadness and loneliness. This game has given me a sense of
belonging and has given me a family outside of my own. And I am more than
certain it has done the same for the many thousands of supporters it has across
the globe. We are extremely lucky to have this great sport, this great code and
this even greater existence of support it provides, and I have no doubt that
whether or not Phil was still alive, he would be proud of the support his
beloved Crows and of course his family have been receiving.
What I can take away from this unfair and disheartening situation is simply this:
There are always going to be tragedies in the world.
Some are close to home.
Some are close to the heart.
Some you may not have known on a personal scale.
And some can touch you on a level you would never thought possible.
What you choose to take from these things can shape you, teach you and change you.
I have always tried to maintain a level of kindness to those around me, whether or not they are "deserving" of it, and whether or not they give it back. Yes, it has backfired more than enough times. But I have tried my best to never let that dishearten me.
In light of the tragic circumstances surrounding the murder of ex-Collingwood player and current accomplished Coach of the Adelaide Football Club by his own son, it has only cemented my belief that you really do never know the battles people are facing behind closed doors. Domestic violence, sexual abuse, illness and death.. You never know.
I think we can all take something from this grief, and try to be just a little bit kinder to those around us.
Hug your loved ones just that little bit tighter tonight.
We just never know when our clock will stop.
Thank you for your outstanding contribution to the AFL world, for touching the lives of so many around you, and for the legacy you leave behind.
Rest In Peace, Phil Walsh.
#weflyasone
Xx
What I can take away from this unfair and disheartening situation is simply this:
There are always going to be tragedies in the world.
Some are close to home.
Some are close to the heart.
Some you may not have known on a personal scale.
And some can touch you on a level you would never thought possible.
What you choose to take from these things can shape you, teach you and change you.
I have always tried to maintain a level of kindness to those around me, whether or not they are "deserving" of it, and whether or not they give it back. Yes, it has backfired more than enough times. But I have tried my best to never let that dishearten me.
In light of the tragic circumstances surrounding the murder of ex-Collingwood player and current accomplished Coach of the Adelaide Football Club by his own son, it has only cemented my belief that you really do never know the battles people are facing behind closed doors. Domestic violence, sexual abuse, illness and death.. You never know.
I think we can all take something from this grief, and try to be just a little bit kinder to those around us.
Hug your loved ones just that little bit tighter tonight.
We just never know when our clock will stop.
Thank you for your outstanding contribution to the AFL world, for touching the lives of so many around you, and for the legacy you leave behind.
Rest In Peace, Phil Walsh.
#weflyasone
Xx
 |
| Rest In Peace, Phil Walsh 1960 - 2015 |
Ps. On a lighter note, this week’s FLOG OF THE WEEK is
awarded (once again) to the Essendon Football Club (or ‘Essendone’ as this
phrase has now taken over). Why, you ask? Drugs?
Not this week – despite the fact ASADA has launched their appeal of the not guilty findings – it is purely for the fact that the Club has fast become an embarrassment to the game itself, and copped an 110 point FLOGGING by the St. Kilda Football Club today. Safe to say, it’s time to go Hirdy.
When your own players simply do not want to perform under your coaching anymore, it is only fair to everyone involved that you step aside! You really should have done this 3 years ago! #justsaying
See you next week, Floggers.
- Lady K -
Not this week – despite the fact ASADA has launched their appeal of the not guilty findings – it is purely for the fact that the Club has fast become an embarrassment to the game itself, and copped an 110 point FLOGGING by the St. Kilda Football Club today. Safe to say, it’s time to go Hirdy.
When your own players simply do not want to perform under your coaching anymore, it is only fair to everyone involved that you step aside! You really should have done this 3 years ago! #justsaying
See you next week, Floggers.
- Lady K -
x0x
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