Originally posted by Rooster90
View Post
Morts was a champ and much loved. I remember seeing him with the GF with Newtown... people were picking him up and ragdolling him all around the place. Forget the year but one of the best plays I saw him do was against Manly in a game... he pulled a try outta nowhere and then the dumb@rse ref pulling him back on some stupid technicality, handing Manly the win. What happened to the lad? In 2009 he was highly rated for his work with Hayne, then he was promptly offloaded to us at a bargain rate.
Aaah... some of those players I'll never quite understand in a world where a lot of mediocre players seem to enjoy a lot more stability. TBH one reason I left footy and focussed on my running was that things like selection for state/national teams were very objective. Even in the years where I didn't quite make it, I appreciated knowing there'd been a fair race, I'd done my best and I'd failed. Whereas, footy often made no sense!!!! I remember the trial for one rep team involved me scoring a hat trick in REALLY shyte conditions and putting my body on the line multiple times against a dude much bigger than me who intentionally kept trying the knee me in the head as I tackled him. Assumed the hat trick sealed the deal. Nup... dropped without a reason. Didn't even make their #2 team or their reserve pool. Didn't bother whinging or anything - my reading was that the captain and coach simply didn't rate me as a friend. No grudges/conflict... I was simply a non-drinking wog from the eastern suburbs who didn't say a lot or participate in pranks such as sack whacking people from behind or intentionally falconing team-mates from ~5 metres awaywhen their back was turned 'just because' (WTF was that even a thing?!?) IDK... I just wasn't one of the boys, so I wasn't wanted.
It's an anecdote but IMO a lot of that happens in footy. Coach/captain just make a subjective call about somebody's character and they're not wanted. Makes complete sense in a team sport but I prefer it when there's some sorta objective measure for selection and I can use it to argue my case if I'm faster than the next guy.
Comment