#35,#1 Jaidyn Stephenson

[think positive]

Thats how I know for me Collingwood was not a choice, it was destiny!

We got this.

Love this TP!!

I wrote in response to eureka in an attempt to cheer him up, something along these lines below. The thread was removed almost instantly, so wasted my time there!

Around this time last year (or a bit later), I was quite devastated that Treloar did his hammies. I envisaged that our chances of doing well in September were severely damaged as well, given all the other injuries we had copped..
However, I under-estimated the will and the team spirit of our boys and we made it all the way to the big dance, against all the odds.

It's virtually the same bunch of men and the same coaching staff. They are all a resilient bunch. Now it's a matter of covering for Jaidyn, keeping his physical and mental health on track and getting on with winning the game next Sunday.

PS I am hoping that JDG will be instrumental in getting Jaidyn through this stressful time and he sure managed to do it successfully himself.

cheers mate! thats a great plan, i have so much respect for Treloar.

[Raw Hammer]

Stevos season thus far hasn’t been great only played in patches and ok only glimpses that’s all nothing like last year but the thing that pisses me off is he was just only just getting going with a promising second half of the season

Our second leading goal kicker behind JDG, averages nearly 2 goals per game.

Ranked equal 15th overall on the AFL goal kicking table.

He’s going nicely...or was.

[PyreneesPie]

Where does his money from the fine go?

In the AFL pocket or to a gamblers help organisation?

Excellent point! Into the AFL "coffers", one would presume.

[kymbo5@yahoo.com.au]

Where does his money from the fine go?

In the AFL pocket or to a gamblers help organisation?

Word is a mate of Gill's has had a mate put it on Mick Molloy's multi.

[think positive]

This has been a very difficult thread to read through and one that I think all of us who bleed black and white had wished was never necessary, but more than how this affects us as supporters and we feel ripped off by the AFL and the anti-Collingwood antics, I am saddened and mindful of how this might effect a young man.

In most walks of life, when a young man stuffs up, there is nowhere near the public scrutiny heaped upon them than what Stevo will face. This will be a footnote in a great career, but it will be ever present, and I am mindful of the mental health ramifications this presents.

Reading some of the commentary in this thread shows how deeply we are effected by it, and it isn't happening to us. We need to consider how this may affect Stevo and offer all the support we can, as I'm sure the club will. We will get over it, but will he?

Side by side is not just a slogan, it is how we as supporters need to respond to adversity. There is bickering and petty squabbles on here all the time, which is supporters expressing opinion, but we are all united in one love. In adversity, this should be demonstrated more than ever.

100% agree,

i posted some of my favourite Stevo pics on my facebook page with this comment:

Hey kid,
Stupid mistake. Credit for owning it.
I'll see you week 1 of the finals,
These are the things that shape the person we become.
I have no doubt you will earn the respect back.
Side By Side. ALWAYS. Go Pies.

[think positive]

Key points:

Anderson: "I want to stress that Jaidyn came forward with the information voluntarily".

Anderson: "The penalty, we believe, is a tough penalty, but a fair one given the circumstances of the matter. We also recognise that Jaidyn is a young man who has made a mistake. He has owned up to it and come forward without any prompting".

Anderson: "The AFL cleared him of any wrongdoing in terms of impacting matches based on his specific bets".

Stephenson says his bets only depended on Collingwood playing well.

Stephenson: "It was an incredibly stupid thing to do and I now realise the seriousness of what I've done."

Stephenson: "I want to issue an unreserved apology to those I've let down and I hope that, in time, I can earn back the trust that I've lost."

Stephenson: "I was sitting on the couch with my mate and he was doing the same thing. I didn't think about the bigger picture ... impacting on the integrity of the game is just not acceptable".

Stephenson: "Mum and Dad were always big on telling the truth. After the third bet, this was accumulating to something that I thought could be a lot bigger, and I had a guilty conscience. The first two times, I was oblivious to it".

Stephenson: "Getting it off my chest means I'm able to look at myself in the mirror better than if I hadn't".

Stephenson: "It's almost scared me off gambling altogether. I don't bet on other sports at all, in the Spring Carnival in Melbourne maybe. I didn't think about (the bets) while I was out there playing. Afterwards I would".

Walsh: "He'll forego his match payments for every match he's suspended".

Walsh: "The emotion first of all is disappointment for Jaidyn, and the consequences that lay ahead. There's frustration because the rules are clear. The education around matters like gambling is clear and abundant. There's no excuse for not knowing".

Walsh: "He hasn't directly addressed the playing group on this matter but he's been part of several meetings over the last 24 hours where it's been discussed among the group".

Walsh: "We don't want his regret to manifest into something where he withdraws. The support system at the footy club will ensure he is well looked after".

https://twitter.com/FOXFOOTY/status/1141200789144137728

my respect for him grows on reading this,

this kid will be a superstar for us.

count on it

but dont bet on it!

[Jezza]

^ It strikes me as odd that he didn't realize the seriousness of what he was doing after the first and/or second bet, and it only dawned on him on the third bet that he was doing something wrong.

Still shaking my head in this day and age that a player can get himself entangled in this mess when the AFL and club continaully reiterate to players that they're prohibited from betting on football games.

[PyreneesPie]

This has been a very difficult thread to read through and one that I think all of us who bleed black and white had wished was never necessary, but more than how this affects us as supporters and we feel ripped off by the AFL and the anti-Collingwood antics, I am saddened and mindful of how this might effect a young man.

In most walks of life, when a young man stuffs up, there is nowhere near the public scrutiny heaped upon them than what Stevo will face. This will be a footnote in a great career, but it will be ever present, and I am mindful of the mental health ramifications this presents.

Reading some of the commentary in this thread shows how deeply we are effected by it, and it isn't happening to us. We need to consider how this may affect Stevo and offer all the support we can, as I'm sure the club will. We will get over it, but will he?

Side by side is not just a slogan, it is how we as supporters need to respond to adversity. There is bickering and petty squabbles on here all the time, which is supporters expressing opinion, but we are all united in one love. In adversity, this should be demonstrated more than ever.

100% agree,

i posted some of my favourite Stevo pics on my facebook page with this comment:

Hey kid,
Stupid mistake. Credit for owning it.
I'll see you week 1 of the finals,
These are the things that shape the person we become.
I have no doubt you will earn the respect back.
Side By Side. ALWAYS. Go Pies.

Great posts, Boogie Knights and TP.

Walsh: "We don't want his regret to manifest into something where he withdraws. The support system at the footy club will ensure he is well looked after".

Yep, this is really so important. Jaidyn needs to forgive himself first and foremost for making this mistake. It will take time, because of its enormous ramifications and ripple effect. However, with the right support around him, it will happen.
Ten weeks to narrow the focus inwards now, in order to right the situation for Jaidyn and the club . Ten weeks is a long time in footy!!

[PyreneesPie]

Still shaking my head in this day and age that a player can get himself entangled in this mess when the AFL and club continaully reiterate to players that they're prohibited from betting on football games.

Well, that's what most 20 year olds do - act in the moment, especially amidst the peer pressure of mates, then think sensibly and more objectively about what they're doing later.

[Jezza]

Walsh: "We don't want his regret to manifest into something where he withdraws. The support system at the footy club will ensure he is well looked after".

Yep, this is really so important. Jaidyn needs to forgive himself first and foremost for making this mistake. It will take time, because of its enormous ramifications and ripple effect. However, with the right support around him, it will happen.
Ten weeks to narrow the focus inwards now, in order to right the situation for Jaidyn and the club . Ten weeks is a long time in footy!!

That was a reassuring part of the press conference.

The club will have the right support structures in place to help him get through the ban, and going by past experiences, our players have come back bigger and better (e.g. J Thomas and De Goey) so I have full faith they'll get around him despite the obvious disappointment they're feeling.

[Jezza]

Still shaking my head in this day and age that a player can get himself entangled in this mess when the AFL and club continaully reiterate to players that they're prohibited from betting on football games.

Well, that's what most 20 year olds do - act in the moment, especially amidst the peer pressure of mates, then think sensibly and more objectively about what they're doing later.

I understand that, but it's still strange from my perspective that it didn't dawn on him he was doing the wrong thing from the very beginning.

Could the club have done more to educate or warn players of the temptation and prohibition of betting on football games? I'm sure they'll do a review of it if they haven't already.

Being a young man (20 years of age), he has plenty of time on his side to learn and make amends.

[PyreneesPie]

I understand that, but it's still strange from my perspective that it didn't dawn on him he was doing the wrong thing from the very beginning.
.

True. He probably did know, whispering away in the back of his mind, that it was a prohibited activity for him, but ignored that in order to have some enjoyment with a mate, in the moment. A very easy thing to do - ask anyone, including adults with fully matured brains and a life-time of experience behind them!!!

This is really "normal" behaviour for a 20 year old. Their brains have not yet fully developed physiologically and socially, they are still avidly seeking approval from friends. It's just a different "mind-set" at that age in particular. (My daughter is 27 years old and has only just started to demonstrate maturity in her thinking and making decisions based on longer terms outcomes!! )

[Harrysz]

Piesnchess, why do you say that Stevo made a "mistake"?
Didn't he know what he was doing?
Didn't he know it was forbidden?

[Piesnchess]

Ohh do harden up, you sound like a melbourne supporter.

Sunshine, come back a talk to me when u have seen the Magpies lose 12 Grand Finals as I have, then u will have my full attention. If we lose say, 3 games we may have won with him playing, close losses, that cost us a top four spot, will u still tell folks to harden up ??

Yeah its disapointing but our season ain't done believe in the best of our team to have a crack , and i aint no sunshine hippy child ! this might be Daics chance to show his worth .

Maybe, hope for best, ok so u aint sunshine and im sure as hell no Melbourne supporter bound for the snowfields now.

[Cam]

This is life. Full of gut-wrenching disappointments. It's done.

Gives someone else a chance, which might make us stronger long term. I mean, he could have done a knee or broken a leg etc and we'd have been in the same situation. Yes, it was preventable, eminently so. But that's history.

England could have run and hidden when the Germans were knocking on their door, blaming Chamberlain for their inadequacies, ceding like the French... but they rose as one and pushed them away.

It's these times when our group can tighten, focus, and well maybe that bs stuff we saw for a month that included Fremantle might disappear and an angry mob of pies might show up game after game like it did last year. This is a body blow, but it's not a mortal wound. Let's make history not be victims of it.