mainwaring the eagles and the media

I have not read the front page story in today's {Wednesday} West Australian, but I gather from the headline and other sources that Mainy was very upset about his treatment by the WCE after disclosing to his employer Channel 7 allegations regarding alleged drug use within the WCE team or an Eagles player.

A few things.

I have met Mainwaring as I have met many Eagles footballers and others. It would be true to say that I dealt more with Mainwaring as a media person than whilst he played for the club. As I have said before, I always found Mainy to be a happy man, seemingly with the world at his feet. Lovely wife, two beautiful kids, nice home in expensive seaside Cottesloe, farm in the country, high profile career etc etc.

But to cut to the chase.

If Mainy was upset about the way the Eagles or an Eagles player had treated him after the disclosure of any "secrets" then that is understandable and very regrettable. I know for a fact, that many journos and others have been aware of drug issues within the Eagles for a good many years and said and wrote nothing about it before the most recent events. In part because of the laws of defamation, most of it was rumor, but more particularly because of what would have happened to their access to the WCE Football Club in the event of getting the club and its officials off side. In other words, write it, report it, and you will be sent to Coventry by the club - the club will not talk to you again.

Now for a journo, that makes life pretty tough. Very tough. I had a run in with Malthouse after the Eagles lost to Hawthorn at Waverley in the Grand Final in the early ‘90s and it took Mick a few years to get over that little spat. Anyway, earlier this year the Eagles banned all journos other than ALF Sport journos from a press conference in respect to alleged drug use by an Eagles player. The reason for doing this of course is that it is media management. It is easier to "manage" those who rely on the flow of info coming from the club and its media manager, than some blow in "general news" journo who is less easy to intimidate, or cut off as the general journo has nothing to loose.

Mainy was unique in that he was an ex Eagles footy player, which was frankly one reason why Channel 7 hired him {it was between him and Heady} and would act as kind of "our inside man" as it were. But nonetheless, he operated I guess as a TV presenter of sport and therefore I would suspect was expected to "get some stories". As you all no doubt know, the drug connection with the Eagles became one of, if not the year’s biggest AFL story.

It was HOT news.

Mainwaring's Eagles connection was always fraught with danger whilst he was employed as a media person by Channel 7. The danger clearly was that his "connections" within the club would inevitably bring him in conflict with the club. The drug issue was in a sense, the ticking time bomb.

I can understand how an ex player of such standing would be upset if ticked off for what he was employed to do. He was no longer a player though, and his first duty was to Channel 7. The lid was off the drug issue within the Eagles and frankly, he was just doing his job. It is sad that the person or persons who were angry with Chris could not or would not accept this.

It would now seem that Chris was very depressed. His marriage of 9 years was on the rocks, and his life was crumbling before him, or so he thought.

I said it before and I'll say it again that the really sad thing about all of this is that his two kids will now be without a dad. I know from personal experience that the prospect of being estranged from ones own children is like a dagger in the heart. This coupled with his relationship with certain players and/or officials of the West Coast Eagles led a once very good footballer and by and large decent person to such a place that was very very dark.

Chris seemingly had everything. He was the blond haired surfer boy made good. An All Australian AFL player, TV presenter, father of two and mates to a very good many people. He gave of himself to many a charity. He had his failings as we all do. No one is perfect.

My hope is that from all this mess, comes some good. My hope is that those who do take drugs in sport, as with any part of life, understand that their drug use will have unforeseen ramifications for many as well as themselves.

No one knows what is around the corner waiting for us. Young, old, rich or poor, at the end of the day, we all end up together the same way. It is just a tragedy when it happens prematurely in such tragic circumstances as we have seen.

Depression, particularly for men in crisis is an issue this country has to come to terms with.