Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley not surprised players in hubs are questioning where they should be
Magpies coach Nathan Buckley says whichever way you look at it families were a priority for players in hubs during these uncertain times and many were processing ‘where do you need to be right now’.
AFL
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Nathan Buckley has acknowledged that players were questioning whether they should be living in interstate hubs away from their families.
The Magpies coach said they were all “going through that process of, ‘where do you need to be right now’.”
His comments come as three players — Gary Ablett Jr, Carlton’s Liam Stocker and St Kilda defender Nathan Brown — have abandoned hubs to fly back to Victoria in the past week.
Western Bulldog star Lachie Hunter, 25, withdrew from playing on Wednesday to deal with personal issues but stayed on the Gold Coast.
Richmond’s Bachar Houli and Shane Edwards stayed home to support their families.
“You can’t ignore the challenge and the discomfort that is caused when you are away from your family,” Buckley said.
“Some of our staff, some of our players will feel that more keenly than others due to circumstances.
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“The reality is we have come over here (to Perth) and our families haven’t been able to come over.”
The Magpies will be reunited with partners and children when they leave Perth after their Round 9 August 2 clash against Fremantle and resettle in a Queensland hub.
“There is blue sky on the horizon for a lot of our people,” Buckley said.
“And there will be a second wave of families that if they want to come up there on August 1 they can start a quarantine from then. We are optimistic about it.
“That’s another fillip for us to understand why we are making those sacrifices, to succeed on the football field.”
Buckley had a one-hour zoom maths lesson with son Ayce on Friday but did not know if his boys would be going to Queensland.
“They are comfortable at home at this point,” he said.
St Kilda coach Brett Ratten said Brown’s decision to return to Melbourne to be with his wife and daughters on Thursday did not come as a shock.
“We’ve said to all our players if they want to go home, footy is a big part of their life, but it’s not their life, families are,” he said.
“He wanted to be around his girls, he’s a star and such a good person and that was his desire.”
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Brown has not played a game this year and is not contracted for next season.
Carlton coach David Teague said he was unsure as yet if or when young midfielder Liam Stocker would be back to rejoin the team interstate after he returned home for personal reasons.
Stocker is back living with his parents.
“He has gone home for personal reasons,” Teague said.
“When that has been sorted out and everything is OK, he may or may not, I’m not sure, we’ll play it by ear.”
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More Victorian players are expected to fly home from their Queensland hubs in coming weeks as West Coast premiership coach Adam Simpson warns life on the road “exacerbates” mental health challenges.
Carlton’s Liam Stocker, 20, jetted home last week. St Kilda defender Nathan Brown departed the team’s Noosa hub and returned to Victoria on Friday.
On Wednesday, Western Bulldogs star Lachie Hunter, 25, withdrew from playing to deal with personal issues.
Hunter did not play in Thursday’s scratch match against Gold Coast, but ran with injured teammates.
Stocker is back living with his parents, but plans to return to the Blues’ hub next month.
“Players are aware that if the challenges in the hub are too much to continue, they have that choice to come out of that environment,” AFL Players’ Association player development boss Ben Smith said.
“A lot of the decisions of players who have left the hub are not just in relation to their own personal wellbeing, but their families.”
Geelong’s Gary Ablett and Richmond’s Bachar Houli and Shane Edwards are at home supporting their families.
Players this season have sacrificed $90 million in wages plus their living conditions to keep the season alive.
They are still required to live under Stage 3 restrictions.
Brown, 31, made the decision on Thursday in the best interests of his young family and leaves with the full support of the club.
It is understood that the much-loved figure – who won a premiership with Collingwood in 2010 – was keen to avoid any fanfare upon his departure, and wrote a letter to his teammates that was then read on his behalf.
“He is such a respected member of our team and the spiritual leader of the connection, culture and standards that we are building here at the Saints,” chief operating officer Simon Lethlean said.
Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge says the club is supporting Hunter and does not expect him to be out of the senior side for long.
Hunter had not missed a beat in his two games back from a club-imposed four-game ban after his drink-driving indiscretion in April, gathering 26 and 27 disposals against Carlton and Essendon
“I don’t think it will be a longer term thing,” Beveridge said on Thursday night.
“Lachie has just had a bit to deal with and has used up a lot of energy in finding his way back.
“He had to have an extra month off than everyone did during the hiatus.
“He just needed a spell this week and we’ll keep monitoring how he’s going, and he’ll be fine, we’ve just got to look after him.
“He’ll come back into the side, I can’t tell you when but he’ll be OK.”
“The players and staff love ‘the big fella’ and we will miss him – but he has made the right call for him and his family, and we are very proud of him for that.”
West Coast settled into its Gold Coast hub with three big losses, although Simpson said players were always going to have ups and downs and off-field issues.
“Sometimes you’ve got to step away from the game and that’s when it becomes a little bit more public,” he said.
“You look at the hub situation it probably just exacerbates it a little bit more when you’re away from home and sometimes those resources aren’t there for you for support.”
It comes as the AFL moved next week’s Hawthorn-Carlton game in Perth to Friday to give the teams an extra day to prepare.
Smith said anxiety mirrored problems felt in the community with hundreds of players worried about their job security.
AFL football operations manager Steve Hocking said a resolution on list sizes was “still a fair way off” while Smith said some players living in hubs had lost their sense of identity.
“Those who pursue other interests had to put a lot of those things on hold,” Smith said.
“Those things give them routine and structure away from football. They give them respite from the game and if you’re not getting that balance that can potentially be problematic for an extended period of time.
“Whether it be studying on campus or community engagement programs, they give them a real sense of purpose.”
Unlike when West Coast, Fremantle, Adelaide and Port Adelaide relocated, the AFL is now advocating for players to bring their families into the hubs.
But Smith said plenty would be alone for several months because their partners have their own careers and could not simply uproot their lives.
AFL great Jonathan Brown said the “novelty” of life on the road would wear thin for Victorian clubs based in Queensland.
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Smith said the AFLPA’s data hadn’t shown a “massive surge in wellness-related issues” from the hubs.
“But we’re early in some regards into a long-term hub,” he said.
“What I would say is the environment and the support that’s in place for players is far better than it’s ever been.
“That doesn’t mean we can’t get better but that big review the industry did and the AFLPA drove last year has seen psych resources in every club.
“There’s a lot more avenues of support in place for players than there was 12-18 months ago, which would’ve made this a far more difficult process to manage.”