Player Watch Ash Johnson

[Vicky Park]

I have condemned those sick morons. I should be able to make an observation about AJs on field form and attribute it to his mental state ( as he is injury free) without being accused of insensitivity or worse.

If conjecture on a player's poor form is now forbidden then I hope it is applied across the board and not just to some individuals.

I loved our recruitment of AJ and was so happy when he played his first game and the whole story of how far his mum travelled to watch him. I was looking forward to a big year from him as were most on this forum.

It’s not conjecture on his poor form. We know it is due to the racist abuse he received online and live at the Sydney game in particular. And it has affected him badly, including his desire to play footy. I don’t know how many times this has to be spelt out. Can we just let him alone to (hopefully) recover in his own way, with the support of the club and fans?

No one is otherwise suggesting that a player not be criticised for poor form.

 

[domus]

It’s not about you.

 

[domus]

It’s not conjecture on his poor form. We know it is due to the racist abuse he received online and live at the Sydney game in particular. And it has affected him badly, including his desire to play footy. I don’t know how many times this has to be spelt out. Can we just let him alone to (hopefully) recover in his own way, with the support of the club and fans?

No one is suggesting that a player not be criticised for poor form.

But Vicky, that's how all this started. Some criticised his poor form and were immediately told to stop "piling on" or being so insensitive.

 

[jmac70]

But Vicky, that's how all this started. Some criticised his poor form and were immediately told to stop "piling on" or being so insensitive.

You said he was less mentally tough than other Aboriginal players.

Terrible call.

 

[manicpie]

So sorry that you had to experience that level of racism. Just horrific and unforgivable. As an Aboriginal player you copped it from the second you walked onto the ground. It was relentless. I was called 'halfa ' meaning 'half caste, b#$^g, n$^%#$, c#$n chocolate and they were the nice names. There were the usual comments about how you smell, the flies on you, where did you steal your boots from, how come you have two boots, did you find another one, how many cars you steal this week, have you ever worked a day, your a drunk, do you beat your sister, I would get 50 point bonus if I ran you over in a car, welfare bludger, how many grubs you had for brekkie, what’s it like having no family, how many kangaroos you f#%ck#% this week, where is your boomerang, is the government paying you to play with your dole cheque. I could go on and on. Then there were the ‘jokes’ like what do you call a Ab# with a Mercedes? What do you call a Ab# rolling down a hill, what do you call a Ab# with lice etc etc etc. They were the mild comments. I can't repeat what was said about my heritage, my mother, stolen generation references, my family. I had a rule on a footy field that I would not speak, not respond, not engage. Sometimes you would come off so angry and be hurting so much that you would almost be in tears, but I never gave anyone the pleasure of seeing that hurt. I usually found kicking a few more goals would shut them up. Would I do it differently now, by God I would. I would call it out every time, but as we are all moving forward and thank goodness Aboriginal people are learning that they do not have to experience such atrocities. Many of us older Aboriginals just copped it and that's why I tried to hide my identity as much as I could. People don’t know what Ash may have copped growing up and playing footy. Look after our players, don’t berate them to they break.

I can imagine mate. You actually feel below those abusing you. We have history here of racism. I wasn't allowed to play with most Aussie kids at primary school because their parents didn't want them associating with us. Some of the kids would say, 'I'll play with you but you can't tell anyone". When I started playing football as a really young kid, I would just accept the name calling and abuse because I wanted to fit in. Bottling it up ended up making me a very troubled youth and effected my schooling and my future really. If not for the handful of people who believed in me and my footy ability, I don't know how my life would've ended up. In a way, Football both helped me but hindered me at the same time.

 

[Mooresome]

But Vicky, that's how all this started. Some criticised his poor form and were immediately told to stop "piling on" or being so insensitive.

I got what you were saying mate. i think some people do have thin skin but there is mostly an underlying reason for it. Anyway i think we should all as Magpie supporters just wish him all the best and hope he plays a blinder today.

 

[ElliottsMaggies]

But Vicky, that's how all this started. Some criticised his poor form and were immediately told to stop "piling on" or being so insensitive.

If you go back through the threads you will see it's the same people going on & on & on about how useless he is, how s**t he is, is he even playing, he should be delisted, what oppo staff say about him & other derogatory words, his remains will be left at Vic Park, etc etc, etc. And then even before a game, it's starts again from those same posters, saying how useless he'll be.

They are the posters who have been asked to just ease up, think before you post...We know he's not playing well, do they really have to keep banging on about it & deriding him at every opportunity.

If you know someone is struggling, then you know why they're not at their best.

 

[Vicky Park]

If you go back through the threads you will see it's the same people going on & on & on about how useless he is, how s**t he is, is he even playing, he should be delisted, what oppo staff say about him & other derogatory words, his remains will be left at Vic Park, etc etc, etc. And then even before a game, it's starts again from those same posters, saying how useless he'll be.

They are the posters who have been asked to just ease up, think before you post...We know he's not playing well, do they really have to keep banging on about it & deriding him at every opportunity.

If you know someone is struggling, then you know why they're not at their best.

I was very disappointed in the poster who relayed what the opposition coach/staff thought of Ash. Unnecessary and it continued to stoke the fire.

You are correct- it’s typically the same posters.

 

[manicpie]

If you go back through the threads you will see it's the same people going on & on & on about how useless he is, how s**t he is, is he even playing, he should be delisted, what oppo staff say about him & other derogatory words, his remains will be left at Vic Park, etc etc, etc. And then even before a game, it's starts again from those same posters, saying how useless he'll be.

They are the posters who have been asked to just ease up, think before you post...We know he's not playing well, do they really have to keep banging on about it & deriding him at every opportunity.

If you know someone is struggling, then you know why they're not at their best.

Well said mate. It's even starting to creep in to names like Sidebottom, it's shameful. When I see Sidey, I still see his 60m kick in the last Q and how it pretty much won us the game. He is struggling atm but to write him off you have to have a short memory. To call them useless is just nasty

 

[Vicky Park]

I got what you were saying mate. i think some people do have thin skin but there is mostly an underlying reason for it. Anyway i think we should all as Magpie supporters just wish him all the best and hope he plays a blinder today.

I think your intent is kind, but this should not be about the recipient’s thin or thick skin, and their ability to cop the abuse.

It should be about the abuse in the first place, and the blame to be laid on the perpetrator.

 

[Chameleon75]

Unfortunately we’ve been down this road before, I’m not taking about the racial abuse, that’s a whole extra layer of s**t, but the mental health aspect.

I recall Fasolo going through a similar phase, of course the cause of his mental health struggles would be different, they are different people after all, but the pile on and effect on his football was similar. Alex didn’t cop the same level of abuse and it’s nature was different, but it was there and it was bad enough that it was impacting him to the extent that player and club went public to get people to back off.

Fas got a lot of praise and support, not just from collingwood fans but the footballing public in general, so much so that when robbo suggested he was making it up to avoid scrutiny over his performances he was widely lambasted and rightfully so.

Yet with AJ, the same level of empathy isn’t there, which is perplexing in itself, instead he needs to harden up, and it’s not about his mental health it’s about my right to criticise players. Yeah nah, I’m happy to put my illustrious career as an armchair expert on hold and just be a supporter on this one.

 

[Mooresome]

I think your intent is kind, but this should not be about the recipient’s thin or thick skin, and their ability to cop the abuse.

It should be about the abuse in the first place, and the blame to be laid on the perpetrator.

Totally agree Vp

 

[Mooresome]

The old saying , if you have nothing nice to say then say nothing should be adhered to more often, only problem is this forum would be very quiet and most forms of social media would not exist.

 

[sr36]

Oh, stop it. What did I say that isn't true? Mental toughness is the ability to endure stress and negativity directed toward you. It's not a good or bad thing if you don't cope with bad times/abuse as easily as others. Some people don't need any counselling after experiencing the death of a loved one, others do or fall apart for a period of time. It's not right or wrong to react in a certain way but it does mean some people are more resilient than others. It is not an attack on AJ, just an observation based on his form and body language.

The fact that he can execute skills in front of 90K underlines my point. There are other players who repeatedly miss goals from dead in front in high pressure situations. Cloke comes to mind. Any number of players in the game have had reputations of being unreliable under pressure or failing to prove themselves on the big stage in finals. That's not a deliberate slur but an observation based on what people see on the footy field. What is failing to perform in finals if not a lack of mental toughness? It's certainly got nothing to do with physical fitness or ability so what else could it be? They say most of our game is played above the shoulders. Dermie talks about it all the time.

Stop trying to make something out of the issue that isn't there-AJ being indigenous. We are all talking about his output on the field. Nothing more.

So why do you think AJ is playing so poorly?

Oh, stop it. What did I say that isn't true? Mental toughness is the ability to endure stress and negativity directed toward you. It's not a good or bad thing if you don't cope with bad times/abuse as easily as others. Some people don't need any counselling after experiencing the death of a loved one, others do or fall apart for a period of time. It's not right or wrong to react in a certain way but it does mean some people are more resilient than others. It is not an attack on AJ, just an observation based on his form and body language.

The fact that he can execute skills in front of 90K underlines my point. There are other players who repeatedly miss goals from dead in front in high pressure situations. Cloke comes to mind. Any number of players in the game have had reputations of being unreliable under pressure or failing to prove themselves on the big stage in finals. That's not a deliberate slur but an observation based on what people see on the footy field. What is failing to perform in finals if not a lack of mental toughness? It's certainly got nothing to do with physical fitness or ability so what else could it be? They say most of our game is played above the shoulders. Dermie talks about it all the time.

Stop trying to make something out of the issue that isn't there-AJ being indigenous. We are all talking about his output on the field. Nothing more.

So why do you think AJ is playing so poorly?

You sometimes seem to get it.

Becomes completely useless when he's having a bad day. Clearly no resilience and too mentally weak for footy. Lazy, disgusting, pathetic. Never again he's just useless. A disgrace to the jumper.

Just telling it how it is about Mason Cox.

And before you go into defence of Mason, Im not criticising Mason. I'm criticising the histrionic crap that gets spouted. The histrionic crap that you're defending in this thread. It's not telling it how it is, it's being a melodramatic drama queen and taking cheap shots at a player who isn't playing well.

 

[VinnieB]

He has started well playing back.
Looks more confident.

 

[sr36]

Rarely. Have also seen him fumble, drop marks, miss tackles and not chase. AJ has only ever been borderline best 23.

Fact is that professional athletes will always cop abuse. Some deal with it, others don’t. If that’s the reason why AJ is performing so poorly, than what will it take for him to turn it around? Unfortunately, you can’t stop people having a go at you.

But let’s be serious. We don’t know which footballers are playing poorly because they are abused and having difficulty handling it. I hope you don’t pass judgement on any players’ poor performances if you aren’t fully aware of what they are dealing with personally.

I haven’t read anything here where posters have been abusive. I’ve just read opinions on his position in the team.

Did you read the bit where I posted "all we know is that AJ is playing poorly".

The difference between the abuse that ASh cops and someone is Toby Greene cops is that it comes from where the club continually praises as described as a member of the team, the 19th, what is described by the club as a great support network that lifts and motivates players...

 

[VinnieB]

Did you read the bit where I posted "all we know is that AJ is playing poorly".

Probably not.

 

[Kes1984]

Looked alright early down back.

 

[Maggie5]

But Vicky, that's how all this started. Some criticised his poor form and were immediately told to stop "piling on" or being so insensitive.

Actually you are wrong! You don't see the posts that get deleted!

Further, whether you now say you condemn it doesn't detract that what I got from your posts is that he needs to toughen up and you then mentioned how other players have dealt with it.

People are not clones.

It took me decades to come to terms with the racial abuse directed at me and my family.

Nobody is saying to not be critical of their playing abilities or mistakes they make on field.

Perhaps some understanding that people have different coping mechanisms, some eventually get there, others don't.

 

[sr36]

So sorry that you had to experience that level of racism. Just horrific and unforgivable. As an Aboriginal player you copped it from the second you walked onto the ground. It was relentless. I was called 'halfa ' meaning 'half caste, b#$^g, n$^%#$, c#$n chocolate and they were the nice names. There were the usual comments about how you smell, the flies on you, where did you steal your boots from, how come you have two boots, did you find another one, how many cars you steal this week, have you ever worked a day, your a drunk, do you beat your sister, I would get 50 point bonus if I ran you over in a car, welfare bludger, how many grubs you had for brekkie, what’s it like having no family, how many kangaroos you f#%ck#% this week, where is your boomerang, is the government paying you to play with your dole cheque. I could go on and on. Then there were the ‘jokes’ like what do you call a Ab# with a Mercedes? What do you call a Ab# rolling down a hill, what do you call a Ab# with lice etc etc etc. They were the mild comments. I can't repeat what was said about my heritage, my mother, stolen generation references, my family. I had a rule on a footy field that I would not speak, not respond, not engage. Sometimes you would come off so angry and be hurting so much that you would almost be in tears, but I never gave anyone the pleasure of seeing that hurt. I usually found kicking a few more goals would shut them up. Would I do it differently now, by God I would. I would call it out every time, but as we are all moving forward and thank goodness Aboriginal people are learning that they do not have to experience such atrocities. Many of us older Aboriginals just copped it and that's why I tried to hide my identity as much as I could. People don’t know what Ash may have copped growing up and playing footy. Look after our players, don’t berate them to they break.

Bloody awful.

I wouldn't feel you did the wrong thing by not calling it out though. It would have made it even worse in your day, wouldn't it? Chris Lewis copped it unbelievably because he responded.

 

[ElliottsMaggies]

Bloody awful.

I wouldn't feel you did the wrong thing by not calling it out though. It would have made it even worse in your day, wouldn't it? Chris Lewis copped it unbelievably because he responded.

So many Indigenous players cop it even worse when they speak out. You can understand why some choose not to or wait until their career is over.

 

[sr36]

So many Indigenous players cop it even worse when they speak out. You can understand why some choose not to or wait until they're career is over.

Nicky Winmar and Michael Long got the timing right. A decade earlier and it would have gotten a very different response.

 

[Chameleon75]

Nicky Winmar and Michael Long got the timing right. A decade earlier and it would have gotten a very different response.

Robbie Muir’s story was shocking because it wasn’t just oppo players and supporters but his teammates as well

 

[manicpie]

Actually you are wrong! You don't see the posts that get deleted!

Further, whether you now say you condemn it doesn't detract that what I got from your posts is that he needs to toughen up and you then mentioned how other players have dealt with it.

People are not clones.

It took me decades to come to terms with the racial abuse directed at me and my family.

Nobody is saying to not be critical of their playing abilities or mistakes they make on field.

Perhaps some understanding that people have different coping mechanisms, some eventually get there, others don't.

I'm glad you mentioned your own experience Maggie. I also like that you say it took decades to come to terms with it. Come to terms with it, is all you can really do, it never really leaves you. Even today, an old mate might call me the W word and I am very good at laughing it off, however, it still feels like a bit of your soul leaves you when you here it again.

 

[ElliottsMaggies]

Nicky Winmar and Michael Long got the timing right. A decade earlier and it would have gotten a very different response.

Look what happened to Goodes when he spoke out.

Even Betts. He's spoken out more since he's finished football & the things said about him since have been horrendous. The racists much preferred Eddie when he didn't speak out.