Doug Hawkins slams Western Bulldogs' isolation of Tom Liberatore

[bornadog]

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DOUG Hawkins has lashed out at the Western Bulldogs' leadership group, claiming they have "turned their back" on young midfielder Tom Liberatore.

The Bulldogs legend supported the decision to ban Liberatore for the rest of the season after he was found intoxicated and in possession of an ecstasy tablet early last Sunday.

But Hawkins is furious the 20-year-old has been banished from the Whitten Oval, leaving him unable to train with his teammates.

"I'm absolutely filthy with the way they have handled young 'Libba'," he said yesterday. "I don't mind the four-week ban and not playing again for the rest of the season. The kid was in the wrong and he made a very bad mistake.

"But what I am angry about is how the Bulldogs' leadership group and the club have told him he cannot train with his teammates."

Hawkins said not letting Liberatore train was "totally wrong" and could leave him feeling isolated.

"He is only 20, he's had a ripper year, he could be a 250-game player of the club like his dad was, and he could possibly be a captain one day," he said.

"But when your mate does something wrong, you put your arms around them and say, 'We are going to help you get through this'.

"You don't burn them. You don't turn your back on them when they really need you. He can't train with them; he can't be with them. He can't get near the joint.

"He's an intelligent kid who made a bad mistake. He is hurting and the thing he needs most is to have his mates - his 'brothers' - around him.

"I just think he should have been better supported."

Hawkins was annoyed by Bulldog defender Robert Murphy's comments on Fox Footy that Liberatore was "in a dark place".

Hawkins said the youngster deserved better, with the highly-rated Bulldog being instructed to undergo counselling as well as work in a different occupation for the next six weeks.

"I know people are going say, 'You are being old-fashioned, Dougie', but I would rather be old-fashioned if it means sticking by your mates," he said.

"Don't say this has to happen because it worked for Geelong with Steve Johnson a few years ago.

"It's a completely different kettle of fish.

"This kid needed the help and support of his mates.

"That's more important than getting him to go out and spend six weeks working somewhere else."

Hawkins said he felt for Liberatore's father, Tony, who played 283 games for the Bulldogs between 1988-2002, winning a Brownlow Medal in 1990.

"If I was Tony, I would be filthy," Hawkins said. "He is like a brother to me.

"I loved playing footy with him because of his passion and love of the club and his teammates.

"You knew he would go to war with you if he had to.

"And that's why it makes me so mad that this leadership group has turned their back on one of their own."

[Remi Moses]

By all accounts it was Tom 's "Friends" who got him into trouble.
Important lesson that if you muck up you'll lose a position some kids would give an arm and a leg for.

[jeemak]

Pretty sure Tom's friends aren't to blame. Only Tom is.

And Dougie needs to move out of the dark ages. As much as I love him, he's completely off the mark with this one.

Tom's made an arse of himself, and the club. I personally think he's gotten off lightly.

[LostDoggy]

I think you two are miss reading what Hawk is trying to say. Should never been left alone by his teammates.

[westdog54]

I think you two are miss reading what Hawk is trying to say. Should never been left alone by his teammates.

Has that necessarily happened though?

Even though he is no longer training I'd be stunned if he is having no contact with, or support from, the club and his teammates through the next four weeks.

I can see where Hawk is coming from but at the end of the day he's speaking from an outsider's perspective and doesn't really know what's happening internally.

[GVGjr]

I think you two are miss reading what Hawk is trying to say. Should never been left alone by his teammates.

I don't think this is the case. His team mates have a job to do and it has been deemed that Tom shouldn't be around them when they are at work. I don't think his team mates have shut him out. They're footballers not counselors and they need to focus on what they need to do. Tom would be receiving a lot of support from the club.

[Ghost Dog]

Has he been banned from Whitten Oval?

[LostDoggy]

Fair enough. Just think his teammates should not only been there til the end and questioned what he was doing prior.
This a failure of the club not just the player.

[MrMahatma]

Has he been banned from Whitten Oval?

Reads that way. I'm with Doug if that's the case. Silly.

[westdog54]

Fair enough. Just think his teammates should not only been there til the end and questioned what he was doing prior.
This a failure of the club not just the player.

Not disagreeing there.

If teammates have left him in that situation to fend for himself then they've got a lot to answer for, but at the end of the day he's primarily responsible for his actions.

[chef]

Reads that way. I'm with Doug if that's the case. Silly.

Isn't it about showing what he's got and what he could lose that is why he's not allowed at the club.

[LostDoggy]

Fair enough. Just think his teammates should not only been there til the end and questioned what he was doing prior.
This a failure of the club not just the player.

How can you say this is a failure of the club? These guys don't have full time minders. None of us know how it all went down. It's not inconceivable that he might have been a bit pissed, decided he needed air and took himself outside unbeknown to the people he was out with. I'm filthy that Doug Hawkins has decided to go public and lash the club at a time when he and everyone else knows that the club really doesn't need it. Potting Murph is low too. What Doug needs to realise is that Tom didn't just have a few too many beers, he was caught with drugs. This would get you in a fair bit of trouble with the law in most states in this country and it will get you killed in some other countries. These are not just mates kicking the ball around together on the weekend, these guys are professionals, it's their well paid occupation. To say he's been abandoned is a bit steep as I'm sure he's being given abundant support from the club.

[GVGjr]

Fair enough. Just think his teammates should not only been there til the end and questioned what he was doing prior.
This a failure of the club not just the player.

His mates might let him down and one or two of them might be team mates but you make your own decisions in life. I don't think it's cut and dry that young footballers necessarily have the social skills to stop others from making bad decisions.
To put the onus on his employer for what he does away from them is drawing a long bow in my opinion.
If you are pointing the finger at the club at what point does his own family come into consideration?

Tom will be supported by the club and provided a level of counseling and support that few others with similar issues will be given. You might look at him as a victim but I think he's very privileged to be given such a level of support for the mistake that he has made.
He has every chance to turn this whole experience into a positive but ultimately the ball is still in his court.

[Ghost Dog]

Does he have any known offences against his name already?

[Maddog37]

How many flags did Doug win with his stick by your mates theory?

It takes discipline and hard choices to be successful. Libba and everyone else now knows the score. If you stuff up you pay the price. We will not win flags without complete professionalism and sacrifice.

Doug is genuine but s easily manipulated by the media.