It used to be an unwritten law in footy that “what is said on the field stays on the field” | Graham Cornes

Words are the new weapon and it seems too many of today’s footballers are easily hurt, writes Graham Cornes.

IT used to be an unwritten law in Aussie rules football that “what is said on the field stays on the field”. Those more vocally abusive players used the mantra to justify their behaviour which in most cases was unjustifiable, especially when it degenerated to racial abuse. Homophobic slurs were the most common, from opponents inside the fence and from the spectators outside. It was a time when there was no accountability and no filter. Umpires might have heard the comments but rarely, if ever, was a free awarded against the perpetrators or a report made.

Does anyone really think Willie Rioli had ordered a hit on Bailey Dale? Writes Graham Cornes. Photo by Cameron Spencer.

I doubt there was a player who played the game who hasn’t endured the taunts and verbal assaults from vocal opponents looking to gain a psychological advantage. Sometimes it was a planned strategy, an edict issued by the coach, to go after a certain player. If you could distract him, intimidate him and restrict his impact on a game it was validated. Most often however it was water of a duck’s back and served little purpose. But there were times when the abuse stung and the memory stuck. In truth some horrible things were said. Shaun Burgoyne’s Port Adelaide teammates still talk about comments that were made to him during one particular Showdown.

The great players never descended to such demeaning tactics. Never would you hear Barrie Robran or Russell Ebert resort to abusive rhetoric. Barrie was quiet; Russell would occasionally offer observations laced with his dry laconic wit. Largely however they let their football talent do the talking. I’m pretty sure the modern-day greats, Daicos, Neale, Cripps do the same.

In most eras of football you had to have a thick skin. You had to endure the sledging and abuse from opposition players and even from opposition coaches. If you ran too close to the Sturt bench in the old days when the coaches always sat on the bench, you would cop an awful spray from Jack Oatey. That always puzzled me. Why would such a great coach, with such an amazing playing and coaching record resort to the verbal abuse of an opposition player? Perhaps it was his way of staying in the moment and maintaining his edge. It did seem unnecessary, although given I’m still talking about it 40 years later it must have had some impact.

Willie Rioli of the Power. Photo by Mark Brake.

Words are the new weapon and it seems too many of today’s footballers are easily hurt, writes Graham Cornes. Photo by Cameron Spencer.

Of course this is all leading to the case of Willie Rioli who has been sanctioned this week for his on and off-field threats to opposition players. It erupted in the spiteful match between Port Adelaide and the Bulldogs last week in Ballarat. You can feel Rioli’s frustration. After reacting to scragging by his Bulldogs opponent it was he who was sanctioned for striking. That it was a love tap which his opponent overreacted to by collapsing on the ground, fuelled the Port forward’s anger that simmered long after the game had been played and lost. Sending a veiled threat on social media wasn’t the smartest thing to do but does anyone really think Willie Rioli had ordered a hit on Bailey Dale? But the pile-on continued with both Essendon and Geelong claiming that Rioli had threatened and abused two of their players in previous games. Really? Are we going to selectively pick out incidents to condemn one player?

In Geelong’s case there are undertones of hypocrisy as, in their years of dominance, they were pretty good at the on-field yap. In particular, a certain defender who still works at the club and the colourful forward who we all love, gave more than they got verbally. And Essendon? They too weighed in with allegations of verbal intimidation. Are they trying to claim a high moral ground? Essendon?

Has the modern footballer become so psychologically soft that they can’t absorb hostile banter without running to authorities.

One of the modern buzzwords when it comes to athletes is “resilience”. But the more you analyse it, the modern footballer has as much resilience as a wet tissue. Sure, they’re bigger, stronger, fitter and more skilful but don’t dare raise your voice to them. Wasn’t David Noble sacked at North Melbourne because he was a little too blunt in his assessment of his players’ inadequacies? The old-style fire and brimstone coach has long gone. The legends of the game with those enviable records would not survive today. Of course it’s a reflection of society where parents and teachers have to tread warily in education and discipline. Who of us can’t remember the times when we would be petrified to tell our parents we had been disciplined at school? Now the teachers are hesitant to mete out punishment, even if it is only admonition.

Don’t dare assail the delicate egos of our precious children. The result has been a generation of entitlement. They want the benefits without being prepared to make the sacrifices. Of course we don’t need a return to the days of corporal punishment although the cuts or a whack on the backside with a cane or a blackboard ruler never did any lasting damage. In fact the opposite might be true. It made for better, more rounded disciplined character. Ironically those of us who grew up in those days led the change to more humane discipline or gentle criticism. We didn’t want our kids to suffer as we did. But, as we often say: the reform has gone too far.

Do we really know what he (Rioli) has had to endure in the space of racial vilification? Picture: Fox Footy

Now these younger generations want the benefits without being prepared to make the sacrifices. It’s even permeated into our armed forces where standards have been lowered to cater for more delicate, sensitive egos and physiques.

Sledging on the sports field of battle has, and one suspects, always will be prevalent. Sometimes it’s amusing and witty. In his playing days Brisbane champion, now Carlton coach, Michael Voss attempted to distract his brother Brett, who was playing for St Kilda and was lining up for goal. “Hey, my father’s sleeping with your mother”, he yelled although one suspects the language might have been more colourful. Clever, and funny. But not often is the banter so amusing.

Willie Rioli decided to step down from last night’s Showdown before the AFL intervened and imposed a one match suspension on the Power forward. It seems like a token gesture, as if they really didn’t know what to charge him with, so they lumped it under the cover-all charge of “conduct unbecoming”. No doubt Willie has history but once again, it’s the player who has reacted that received the suspension. And do we really know what he has had to endure in the space of racial vilification?

One wonders now if those Essendon and Geelong players whose sensibilities were assailed will continue to report future sledging by opponents or did they just want to single out Willie? Will it become a trend to complain when players are abused by opponents?

There used to be an old saying about “sticks and stones will break my bones but names will never hurt me”. Words are the new weapon and it seems too many of today’s footballers are easily hurt.