Race card played, again, and it’s wrong, again

We suppose that Jason Mifsud, the AFL's national community engagement manager, might be excused in part by his job for launching into Paul Roos and James Hird in today’s Age. Mifsud follows the Caroline Wilson line which we’ve discussed previously. Lets get to the heart of the matter. He and Wilson are wrong.

 

Mifsud warms to his task, identifying one after another indigenous AFL player who exhibits endurance in some attempt to show that Roos and Hird have mis-spoken. The only problem is they didn’t say EVERY indigenous player was bereft of endurance.

 

Roos and Hird have been around the game a little bit and, unlike journalists and perhaps a national community engagement manager, have seen players away from the public’s gaze. It’s likely they’ve had the opportunity to observe quite a number of indigenous players in the stress of training as well as in games. They’ve formed the view, based on their experience, that a change to a two-and-two bench could make it harder for indigenous footballers to get drafted.

 

They are NOT saying that clubs should not draft indigenous players, although you’d hardly know that from the inflamed criticisms being thrown at them.

 

Mifsud’s most egregious error is to relate “the statistics on longevity of primary-listed [indigenous] players in the AFL over the last five years.” All very nice Jason, but we’ve had one year of a three-and-one bench, prior to which coaches have been interchanging at ever-increasing rates. Quite how these statistics relate to what Roos and Hird said might be an impact of the proposed two-and-two bench eludes us.

 

Sure, Adam Goodes is an astounding athlete as Mifsud reminds us, but he, Lance Franklin, Andrew McLeod, Nicky Winmar and Peter Matera are as exceptional amongst indigenous players as Gary Ablett (both of ‘em), Wayne Carey, Nathan Buckley and Chris Judd are amongst non-indigenous players. So what?

 

“The logical application of [Hird and Roos’] statement is that we should manage out Cyril Rioli, Liam Jurrah and Chris Yarran because they can't run 15 beep tests and revert back to the dark — and not so secretive — days of race-based draft selections. Of course, this is absurd.”

 

It certainly is absurd Jason, because it’s your ‘logical’ conclusion, not theirs.

 

Enough! Stop building straw men that you can knock down in virtuous dudgeon.