What is the No Dickheads Policy, and how do we prevent drafting one?

[bornadog]

We all talk about the no dickheads policy but I think it is hard to pick out one when a young recruit is just 17/18 years old. Yes, there are the obvious ones, and you just don't go there, but how did someone like Stringer slip through.

Many orgnisations now are looking at social media pages such as facebook, Twitter, Instagram before they will hire someone. Do we do this?

We have three live drafts coming up, what should we be doing more of to prevent drafting one?

[FrediKanoute]

1) Family background - this speaks volumes as to the attitude the kid is likely to have inheireted;
2) School - not the PE teacher or footy coach, but the maths or English teacher - how hard did the kid work at things which were not footy related;
3) What are they interested in outside of footy?

[boydogs]

how did someone like Stringer slip through

I don't think he was a dickhead when he was drafted, just someone who had a lot of success early on and didn't handle it well. Think Britney Spears or Miley Cyrus for a left-field analogy

[Dry Rot]

I don't think he was a dickhead when he was drafted, just someone who had a lot of success early on and didn't handle it well. Think Britney Spears or Miley Cyrus for a left-field analogy

He might not have been a dick head when drafted, but I recall reading an article about Stringer that he had issues with all his coaches and didn't train.

[ledge]

I found that looking at who their mates are gives a great indication of their choices and what kind of person they are going to be.

[Twodogs]

I found that looking at who their mates are gives a great indication of their choices and what kind of person they are going to be.

Yep. If you hang around with dogs you'll get fleas.

[LostDoggy]

I think the psych testing and efforts to look at character have far advanced in recent years. I remember reading an article on Bont's recruitment where we apparaently interviewed his school librarian more than once. I also remember our liking for Dunks was as much for his leadership/character aspects as for his onfield abilities.

It would be fascinating to know what would've happened if these processes were in place when JS was recruited.

[ledge]

I think to come back from the bad broken leg proved he was dedicated, I'm not sure he was always a dickhead, as Murph said, it was going on for about two years, so something triggered it.

[Throughandthrough]

.

Many orgnisations now are looking at social media pages such as facebook, Twitter, Instagram before they will hire someone. Do we do this?




Definitely yes. Have a cracker story about this sadly I cant post

[Bulldog4life]

nd
I think to come back from the bad broken leg proved he was dedicated, I'm not sure he was always a dickhead, as Murph said, it was going on for about two years, so something triggered it.

Maybe his dickhead qualities shone through when his marriage broke up. Perhaps Abby kept him on the straight and narrow before that. Maybe.

[Axe Man]

There is a thread about this on Bigfooty started by the revered Fronkalicious and he has a great OP:


Apologies in advance for the length of the post.

I've worked in professional sport for over 17 years. In which time, Ive become a devotee of the "No Dickheads" policy.

As with most things, the devil with this, is in the detail. What divides most people (and confuses bad clubs), is what exactly defines a "dickhead".

For me, there are 2 types. One is altogether acceptable, and in a lot of cases, can actually enhance the culture and performance of a team. The other is a cancer, that if left, can destroy the entire fabric of a club.

Exhibit A is Kurtley Beale (excuse the cross code reference). Kurtley loves a beer, and his behaviour on the piss is always questionable. He's had multiple run ins with police, and other behavioural issues that involve him drinking. But when it comes to footy, he trains like a demon. He's committed to the sport, is a genuinely good guy at heart, and insanely popular with his peers. Dickhead Type 1.

Exhibit B is a player who's behaviour pro-actively has a negative impact on the rest of the group. A player whose choices seriously (and I mean seriously) impact his capacity to train and prepare in any way close to a professional athlete. A player who encourages his team mates to join him in his after hours pursuits. A player who wont conform to leadership directives (both playing and coaching) despite persistent warnings. A player who consistently puts himself above the group. Dickhead type 2.

So the outsider sees Kurtley Beale in the papers semi-regularly, in some kind of piss related trouble, and our boy Jake, never in the news for anything other than football, and cant quite fathom how one survives, and the other is shown the door. I get it. On the surface it doesn't make sense, but to those on the inside, it means everything.

I'm not going to be explicit about exactly what Jake has done. But I am 100% thrilled that he's no longer part of the club I love. I'm incredibly proud of the stand that Beveridge, McCartney, Gordon, Bonti and the leadership group have taken. I'm completely convinced that these are the brave decisions that great clubs make.

He leaves the club with MASSIVE debts owed, both literally and figuratively. With fractured relationships with players, coaches and officials, for the contempt in which he held our club this year.

Jake's had a tough run (much of his own doing) and is clearly dealing with some significant, and very serious addiction issues. None of which can be undersold. I genuinely hope he gets on top of his problems and enjoys the rest of his life.

He's not the devil. Just a massive "Dickhead", and one that is no longer wanted at the Western Bulldogs.

So every time he kicks a goal or does something great next year, don't cower or resent whats happened here. The very best sports teams and clubs are built on a fabric and an emotion that you cant see on your TV screens on Saturday afternoon. Surely the last 2 flag winners have shown us that more than ever. And Jake was a major part of tearing that down in 2017. Its not something that I'll forgive him for, and I'm incredibly glad he's gone.

Link (https://www.bigfooty.com/forum/threads/sports-greatest-riddle-what-is-a-dickhead.1180602/)

[ledge]

Yep. If you hang around with dogs you'll get fleas.

So your insinuating playing with us is not a good thing.

[Jeanette54]

I don't believe in excuses, but sometimes in life there are "reasons".

Jake, in my opinion, seems to be someone who is having difficulty accepting the adult responsibilities which have been thrust on him at an early age.

Now with an ex partner, children and an undeniable performance demand from the highest profile sport in Australia; there would be few places to hide. Having an (ex)partner with a very public blogging site, certainly wouldn't help.

Ok, we all have responsibilities; but he is still a very young man with an undeniable ability at his high pressure trade.

At this level you probably don't choose footy, it chooses (or dumps) you, purely on a performance criteria not many of us at subjected to. I can (I think) imagine what that feels like.

Maybe gambling is a place to hide. All the thrill of winning and losing with nobody taking stats, and no intensive training required. Its just a shame he couldn't find a quiet place without the associated self harm.

Good luck Jake, wherever life takes you. Footy is a small part of your lifetime, don't let it, and the pressure, destroy your life.

[Testekill]

There is a thread about this on Bigfooty started by the revered Fronkalicious and he has a great OP:



Link (https://www.bigfooty.com/forum/threads/sports-greatest-riddle-what-is-a-dickhead.1180602/)

Yeah I was about to link that, basically there's a difference between a dickhead who is disruptive behind the scenes and a dickhead who gets in trouble a lot but is still someone that works and trains his guts out. Stringer has sadly become the former and just is too disruptive behind the scenes to keep on the list.

[Twodogs]

So your insinuating playing with us is not a good thing.

Heh! We are good dogs. No fleas on us.

[ratsmac]

The club should employ me, I can normally pick a dickhead within the first conversation I have with them :D . I guess it takes one to know one.

As for Jake, I think the fame footy brings got the better of him. Immature comes to mind.

[The Pie Man]

Environment & circumstances certainly changed for Jake, and you can only partially plan for that.

One thing I find interesting re: that draft is his gambling. If he did have an issue already, we must’ve known.

Did we a) figure family would keep him in check once in Melbourne
b) believe it wasn’t a big enough problem and backed our culture in

or c) we just missed it in our research

[bulldogtragic]

Environment & circumstances certainly changed for Jake, and you can only partially plan for that.

One thing I find interesting re: that draft is his gambling. If he did have an issue already, we must’ve known.

Did we a) figure family would keep him in check once in Melbourne
b) believe it wasn’t a big enough problem and backed our culture in

or c) we just missed it in our research

As BAD has said. All the senior people at the club spoke with him, welfare and helpers and even David Smorgon came in to have a chat with him. It seems the club was working over time to help him, but there's some men you just can't reach.

[The Pie Man]

As BAD has said. All the senior people at the club spoke with him, welfare and helpers and even David Smorgon came in to have a chat with him. It seems the club was working over time to help him, but there's some men you just can't reach.

I interpreted that to be once he got to the club yeah? Abby alluded to gambling issues he already had in school in the HS piece - I’d be surprised if we weren’t aware of this pre draft.

[Bulldog4life]

I interpreted that to be once he got to the club yeah? Abby alluded to gambling issues he already had in school in the HS piece - I’d be surprised if we weren’t aware of this pre draft.

Yes I read that he has been gambling since he was 16. Extremely hard habit to break especially when you have lots of money.

[The Pie Man]

Yes I read that he has been gambling since he was 16. Extremely hard habit to break especially when you have lots of money.

No question - just curious if we knew this (*surely we did) when we drafted him and what our plans were to address it.

*Maybe we didn’t

[1eyedog]

Crameri, Suckling, Hunter, Stringer and Redpath are / were the big gamblers at the club.

[Twodogs]

Crameri, Suckling, Hunter, Stringer and Redpath are / were the big gamblers at the club.

All Bendigo boys except for Suckers.