Sydney Stack

[Althom]

Dusty had many chances early on.
Ben Cousins had many chances.
He is a young man who has a poor family structure, has to fend for himself without role models to help structure his life.
So a life of deprivation can't be turned around quickly. Sure he has to grow up in the glare of publicity, how many of us struggled to grow up without mistakes?
So be grateful the club selected him, that we have seen him play, and hope that he gets on with his life for a few more years.

"poor family structure"
Are we really sure about that?
I know Sydney has talked about his father being in and out of gaol and there being issues between his parents but his extended family, particularly his Grandparents, appear to have been very supportive.

 

[Sintiger]

Would you like to elaborate on those "chances" that Dusty had.

The only ones I can recall were being late for training a few times.

Chopstickgate was a fake story by a channel 7 journalist trying to get an interview with Dusty.

Trying to compare Dusty to Stack without the facts is a straw man argument.

Connors is a better example to compare with, he was given a few chances but when he was late for training and had Dusty in tow he was given his marching orders.

Cousins was damaged goods when he arrived and I can only remember a couple of issues in the time he was at Richmond. (plenty of issues long after he departed)

Whilst I agree with your post the other one that Dusty was involved in was the sleeping pills episode where he was actually suspended by the club for one game from memory?

 

[AngryAnt]

We've been in a pandemic for nearly a year now so don't buy the "if it wasn't for covid no-one would bat an eye". He's been done twice now and this time he's inside until the New Year.

If he didn't understand that covid was serious after a season-ending ban (in a premiership year) and a $35K fine then I doubt he's going to learn from this either.

 

[year of the tiger]

It would be better if we delisted him and offered him a modest contract for our VFL side with the carrot of giving him a spot on our senior list if he gets it together.

He would still be within our system but at arms length.

nah - that would mean we do all the hard work with Stack for another club to come along and poach - bumbers for one.

we know the kid can seriously play so let’s support him - remember he has only been in the AFL system for a couple of years

 

[tigerman]

When you see it listed like that it's hardly Al Capone's resume is it? If it wasn't for the unusual times we line in a couple wouldn't even be issues and there's plenty of guys in those first few training years who come back a little portly. Even the kebab stuff would have barely been an issue if it wasn't for the hub rules.

A direct flight back to Perth and Syd spends Christmas Day on Cottesloe beach, not in gaol, a sliding doors moment if ever there was one.

 

[AngryAnt]

For me the thing is covid has magnified what would otherwise have been very minor issues. Kebabgate would have been two blokes getting in a skirmish that likely wasn't their fault and given it was a club sanctioned sip, the worst the did was be out a bit late.

Yeah except it was Covid and he knowingly breached the rules. So it was strike one, did his time, paid the fine, move on.

Certainly wouldn't have copped 16 weeks and 50k for it. And now he would just be back home for Christmas, been out a bit late and had another skirmish. Certainly wouldn't be in jail and we wouldn't be thinking about sacking a bloke for a couple of late nights and coming back out of shape.

Yeah except it was Covid, he knew he had breached the Covid quarantine regs by leaving his grandmothers at Northam, and he goes to nightlife district and gets involved in yet another spat attracting police attention. That's just reckless or stupid, or both maybe.

I understand covid is the reality and he should be following the rules but he's a young bloke and the reality is a lot of them don't register the seriousness. We only have to look at the scenes on beaches, shopping centres, pubs etc numerous times throughout the pandemic to see that. Doesn't make it acceptable but I can at least understand his struggles with it. And he should have learnt his lesson after the first time but plenty of young blokes are slow to do that as well.

Sure, but this is a kid with a potential career that could set him up for life, and with plenty of professional people around trying to support him for the past two years. And this after turning up to post covid break and now preseason training in woeful shape.

 

[AngryAnt]

FWIW I hope he makes it but can't see it happening.

 

[Bennnny]

A few of you need to have a look at your own lives before you crucify a young man.
You've probably made a lot of stupid, *smile* mistakes in your life.
Except you haven't got the ability to get noticed and play the game you love at the highest level.
Most of you have no idea of the life that Stack has led.
Put you in the same situation and you would fold like a leaf.
Magnify his situation with racism in WA and see how you go.
Read MArlion's book and read about what happened in his life.

 

[BillyJean17]

Can't disagree with any of that but I don't see it as being at the level requiring dismissal. Especially when we took this young man on knowing his behaviour was a challenge but he could play footy and was worth the effort to harness.

He made a reasonable contribution to us winning the 2019 flag and for various reasons had a terrible year last year.

We knew we weren't taking on a kid from Scotch College when we drafted him and I think we need to be prepared to do the yards with him until it becomes untenable. I don't think we are at that point yet.

I take your point however I ask is he making progress on his journey of being a pro footballer , on face value it looks to be one step forward 3 steps back . If he was Progressing I think he would have made the balanced decision to remain in Melbourne knowing the vices that tempt to push the boundary are too tempting when back home.

 

[Althom]

I take your point however I ask is he making progress on his journey of being a pro footballer , on face value it looks to be one step forward 3 steps back . If he was Progressing I think he would have made the balanced decision to remain in Melbourne knowing the vices that tempt to push the boundary are too tempting when back home.

I'm hearing the row with his Grandmother that resulted in him leaving Northam was because she told him he should have stayed in Melbourne and sorted himself out where he could get help to do so.

 

[craig]

Hardest part for Syd is that his family are in WA, but so are his bad influences.

He said himself when we drafted him that he needed to be away from WA to succeed or have any chance (something akin to those sentiments).

If by some chance the club shows amazing restraint and gives him one more life it will be his last, and the conditions might be too strict for him to want to take the life line.

 

[Rancey18]

Sumich didn't give Syd the flick, he dropped him for Wa's first game in the AFL Under-18 Championships. He played the rest of the games and made the All Australian side.

Ah makes sense. Suspected that I had it wrong!

 

[No 4]

Ah makes sense. Suspected that I had it wrong!

in the end, its up to Sydney. There are others ready and eager to take his spot.

 

[Rancey18]

in the end, its up to Sydney. There are others ready and eager to take his spot.

100%. I think we stick with him and give him one final chance. Thats what I would do anyway after having some time to think about it.

 

[nqtiger]

Look the kebab gate and getting into a fight thing was so out of character for the lad,the Covid breach and getting into a fight was totally not the type of person Sydney is , the breaking of a young blokes jaw whilst on the *smile* was so out of character, losing his licence for being drunk a week after he got it was so out of character , I read his apologies, he is misunderstood, I won’t discuss him stepping out on Monique Conti , because that was also out of character, give the young man a break

 

[Bennnny]

Look the kebab gate and getting into a fight thing was so out of character for the lad,the Covid breach and getting into a fight was totally not the type of person Sydney is , the breaking of a young blokes jaw whilst on the *smile* was so out of character, losing his licence for being drunk a week after he got it was so out of character , I read his apologies, he is misunderstood, I won’t discuss him stepping out on Monique Conti , because that was also out of character, give the young man a break

Lets hope you are a saint and have never had a ****up in your life. How great a decision maker were you at 20?

 

[FistFullOfDollars]

Look the kebab gate and getting into a fight thing was so out of character for the lad,the Covid breach and getting into a fight was totally not the type of person Sydney is , the breaking of a young blokes jaw whilst on the *smile* was so out of character, losing his licence for being drunk a week after he got it was so out of character , I read his apologies, he is misunderstood, I won’t discuss him stepping out on Monique Conti , because that was also out of character, give the young man a break

Do you remember this guy we drafted named Marion Pickett?

He was fronting court on assualt charges in 2016. This was after spending two years in jail for breaking and entering in 2010.

Marion was given plenty of second chances too for things nowhere near as bad as what stack has been charged with.

 

[deedee]

For me the thing is covid has magnified what would otherwise have been very minor issues.

Wonder if you would still say this if you have had a loved one pass from Covid.

 

[123cups]

Wonder if you would still say this if you have had a loved one pass from Covid.

900 elderly people have died and now people like Sydney are in gaol for leaving the house.

There’s no excuse for losing fitness and disregarding club orders, but these are strange times for young people who don’t understand or respect the rules imposed upon them by politicians.

 

[nqtiger]

Do you remember this guy we drafted named Marion Pickett?

He was fronting court on assualt charges in 2016. This was after spending two years in jail for breaking and entering in 2010.

Marion was given plenty of second chances too for things nowhere near as bad as what stack has been charged with.

When was he given second and third chances ? Yes he *smile* up but he also learnt, this kid is all about apologies, and how do out of character it is for him, Marlion owned his indiscretions , stack never has it’s always someone else’s fault. They were going to move in him in with Dimma preseason 2020 why do you reckon that was? He was living with Monique until she threw him to the Kerb, why do you think that happened.