Crows Recruiter quits

[Ghost Dog]

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-new...316-1vaf8.html

AFL race row: Crows' recruiter resigns
Michael Gleeson
March 16, 2012 - 6:35PM
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The Adelaide Crows' Matthew Rendell was the recruiter who told the AFL he would be unlikely to draft an indigenous player unless they had a white parent.

Rendell quit the club today

Adelaide chief executive officer Steven Trigg said Rendell’s position was ‘‘absolutely untenable’’.

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‘‘We can’t have him attached to the club,’’ Trigg told reporters today.

‘‘In no forum on any part of the club has there been any suggestion about changing our recruiting policies.’’

Rendell made the comments in a meeting attended by two AFL representatives, he said.

Rendell released a statement saying he believed his comments, in a meeting attended by AFL community engagement officer Jason Mifsud, were misunderstood.

‘‘I believe the comments in a meeting with Jason were taken out of context,’’ Rendell said.

‘‘They were misunderstood.

‘‘I have a strong track record of recruiting Aboriginal players.

‘‘My comments were about where recruiting could finish up without proactive work.

‘‘I was trying to help.

‘‘However, knowing the implication of such reports, I’ve decided to stand down.

‘‘To stay would attach those comments to the club, which is not the case either.’’


Any comments on this article?
Sometimes things are true but not right - right but not true I guess.

[Go_Dogs]

I was pretty shocked to hear this, very disappointing statement he made.

[mjp]

I was pretty shocked to hear this, very disappointing statement he made.

I agree with this - the 'white parent' comment is deplorable - however there are not too many clubs who have recruited players from remote communities. Melbourne have Jurrah I suppose, but beyond that...a few people will quote Skinner, but he is a relative urban-ite compared to Jurrah.

Manson was as talented as anyone in last years draft but was overlooked by every single club - and it had nothing to do with his ability. Do I agree with the clubs? Mostly, yeah - because you are risking a LOT of money on a person who is a genuine 'flight' risk. But based on talent he should have been picked.

So we can all criticise Rendell without reservation, but if the other clubs come out with a 'holier than thou' attitude I will be very disappointed.

[LostDoggy]

On a positive note, this overblown affair along with the overblown Bernie Vince being caught in his boxer shorts debacle have completely ruined 'grand final week' in Adelaide.

Go west coast! ...and corkies all round!

Sorry to be flippant on a sensitive issue but my dislike of the crows takes precedence.

[bornadog]

I have no doubt as MJP says that a lot of club recruiters would be thinking like Rendell but I guess the difference is they don't come out and say anything in public.

Racism still exists in Australia (and most of the world), but we have become more tolerant than in the past. Lets hope indigenous communities work with mainstream Australia together to ensure talented footballers are not lost to football. A great initiative is the Michael Long Academy which has received a $15 million boost and has been set up in Darwin to help indigenous players from remote areas of Australia.

[Go_Dogs]

I have no doubt as MJP says that a lot of club recruiters would be thinking like Rendell but I guess the difference is they don't come out and say anything in public.

It's not so much coming out and saying it, if a recruiter makes a decision based on what they perceive to be the risks of selecting players in the draft (be it a go home factor, mental illness, anything!) that's fine, however if that was the point Rendell was trying to make, he stuffed up beyond belief and it's difficult to see how those specific words he used could be read in any context without being viewed as racist.

I'm don't know the guy and I'm not trying to cast any aspersions about his character, but someone with his experience and standing in the game needed to do much better. Will watch this spot with interest over the next couple of weeks.

[bornadog]

It's not so much coming out and saying it, if a recruiter makes a decision based on what they perceive to be the risks of selecting players in the draft (be it a go home factor, mental illness, anything!) that's fine, however if that was the point Rendell was trying to make, he stuffed up beyond belief and it's difficult to see how those specific words he used could be read in any context without being viewed as racist.

I'm don't know the guy and I'm not trying to cast any aspersions about his character, but someone with his experience and standing in the game needed to do much better. Will watch this spot with interest over the next couple of weeks.

I am agreeing with you, but do you think there are other clubs thinking along the same lines as Rendell, ie indigenous players are too hard to deal with?

[ledge]

I am agreeing with you, but do you think there are other clubs thinking along the same lines as Rendell, ie indigenous players are too hard to deal with?

Obviously not us.

[Go_Dogs]

I am agreeing with you, but do you think there are other clubs thinking along the same lines as Rendell, ie indigenous players are too hard to deal with?

I've got no doubt that it's a strong consideration for recruiters selecting an indigenous player (or any player), because the club is hopefully making a 10+ year investment and the due diligence needs to be done.

I'd hate to think that clubs are taking a view that it's too hard and they will only draft indigenous kids if they have one white parent. That's bs. Sure, there are examples of indigenous players heading home after struggling to adjust to an interstate move/elite training program etc, but they way Rendell's comments acted to stereotype all indigenous players is just wrong.

No doubt clubs/AFL can still improve and provide more/better resources to assist, but over the years there has been a huge number of very successful indigenous players. If the comments reflect the views of recruiters I think the AFL reaction is the right one - make a quick example. Yes, do your due diligence when recruiting, but don't implement drafting policy based on racist stereotypes. (Not suggesting that's what Rendell did whatsoever, but it's an implication of the words used in my humble opinion).

[GVGjr]

I have no doubt as MJP says that a lot of club recruiters would be thinking like Rendell but I guess the difference is they don't come out and say anything in public.

I don't think it's quite as simple as that though. Before any player is drafted by a club they consider if the family links are that strong that the transition to life as an AFL player is just too big of a risk.
It's a massive step for anyone to be asked to move from a remote location from outback Australia to a city like Melbourne and the risks that they can adjust to it and also thrive in it is a huge consideration. Even the wealthy clubs can't afford too many misses.
Rendells comments are inexcusable and even though he says they were taken out of context he did the right thing in stepping down.

Regardless of all that, due diligence must be performed for every draftee and the challenge for any recruiter is to convince his club that potential recruits from remote locations can make the transition.

[bornadog]

There was an interesting article in The Age a couple of days ago on the indigenous players from Victoria. There are currently only four playing in the AFL. Most of the kids in Mildura are playing soccer, others have turned to basketball and I think they said there are none playing TAC this season. This is really deplorable considering the overall percentage of indigenous players in thge AFL as a whole? Why is this ?

Is the AFL ignoring the Victorian communities and not promoting and developing the game?

Are the recruiters ignoring them?

[ledge]

There was an interesting article in The Age a couple of days ago on the indigenous players from Victoria. There are currently only four playing in the AFL. Most of the kids in Mildura are playing soccer, others have turned to basketball and I think they said there are none playing TAC this season. This is really deplorable considering the overall percentage of indigenous players in thge AFL as a whole? Why is this ?

Is the AFL ignoring the Victorian communities and not promoting and developing the game?

Are the recruiters ignoring them?

Soccer is growing, has a longer lifetime and is a safer sport injury wise, would say thats more to the point.
The way newspapers and tv report AFL injuries as career ending, season ending etc no wonder kids are turning away.


A league has helped I have no doubt.

[Greystache]

I don't think it's quite as simple as that though. Before any player is drafted by a club they consider if the family links are that strong that the transition to life as an AFL player is just too big of a risk.
It's a massive step for anyone to be asked to move from a remote location from outback Australia to a city like Melbourne and the risks that they can adjust to it and also thrive in it is a huge consideration. Even the wealthy clubs can't afford too many misses.
Rendells comments are inexcusable and even though he says they were taken out of context he did the right thing in stepping down.

Regardless of all that, due diligence must be performed for every draftee and the challenge for any recruiter is to convince his club that potential recruits from remote locations can make the transition.

Jayden Schofield being a good example of this situation not being reserved exclusively to Aboriginal footballers. All signs pointed to Schofield having a long and successful AFL career, but the difficulty of being so far away from home proved too much.

Would Dalyrymple and co. have hesitations about recruiting another kid from a remote region regardless of whether they appear to have the talent and mental strength to handle it?

[bornadog]

Jayden Schofield being a good example of this situation not being reserved exclusively to Aboriginal footballers. All signs pointed to Schofield having a long and successful AFL career, but the difficulty of being so far away from home proved too much.

Would Dalyrymple and co. have hesitations about recruiting another kid from a remote region regardless of whether they appear to have the talent and mental strength to handle it?

Yes not confined to indigenous players.

Good article here by Caroline Wilson, on troubled players, but I don't agree Rendell was a scapegoat, Rendell should never have made those comments.

[Sedat]

I guess the difference is they don't come out and say anything in public.

To be fair to Rendell, his comments (inexcusable as they were) weren't made in the public forum either. AD, via Mifsud, has made sure the comments were made public so that he could find a convenient scapegoat to attack in relation to this issue. Sacking Rendell has hardly addressed the issue but at least AD has a scalp to show for it.