Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Sam Edmund is here for Alex Scott and staff to sell your livestock or sell your home. Sammy, hello. Gerard, good morning. Good to be here. You've got major friction between clubs and AFL over the mandated level of psychs.
Yeah, mental health.
Chapter 2: What are the latest changes regarding mandated psychologists in AFL clubs?
care at the back of the elijah holland's investigation which we spoke uh to this jared about two weeks ago on this very program and right across sen of course now it depends who you speak to it's one of those but the afl have softened an order for clubs to immediately appoint full-time psychologists in its afl and aflw programs now the league yesterday told clubs in a zoom meeting it won't be forcing them into hiring new psychs in the short term this is only two weeks after mandating the changes in the wake of the elijah holland's investigation as i say
So amid a suite of changes then, the AFL announced it would, quote, mandate clubs appoint a full-time psychologist within each of the AFL and AFLW programs with industry consultation or related resourcing and policy requirements to commence immediately. Now, clubs, we discussed this in real time, were bemused by the new policy, which they believe required them to find a full-time psychologist.
Many deemed it an impossible task, given what they would be asking these psychologists to step away from in their day jobs. And what they would be paid, would it be in the cap, would it be at the cap? There was all sorts of confusion. Some even read it as needing two psychologists, given the AFL and AFLW programs, well, they're about to start overlapping.
Now, in an online meeting that looked to calm the farm, if you like, of the respective heads of football yesterday, the clubs have said to me this morning that the AFL had made a concession. that it acted too swiftly and too strongly in instituting a barrage of changes related to improving healthcare standards.
And instead, the AFL said it would now entrust Dr. Kate Hall, head of mental health and wellbeing at the league, to assess every club on an individual basis, to... And the clubs have been told that they can now appoint a part-time equivalent as well. But in the meantime, Dr. Hall will be in touch with all the clubs.
She will assess them, whether they've got the appropriate amount of coverage and care. And then the broader questions around the soft cap need to be absolutely determined as well, whether the AFL are going to help clubs with that and where it all sits. The AFL have been in touch with them this morning. They say nothing has changed as far as they're concerned.
No one is walking back anything or watering anything down. as per giving more health support to players. But the clubs have been confused, Jared. Very confused. Hence, I think, the meeting yesterday morning.
Are we prepared to say who the most vocal was?
Well, there were a number of clubs who were vocal. There was one or two in particular that asked a lot of questions. But I think when we saw the communication, I think we were a bit confused as to where it sits. And the clubs are no different either. They had questions on a number of fronts. How many psychologists? Do they overlap the programs?
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Chapter 3: How are AFL clubs reacting to the new mental health policies?
But we spoke about it at the time. It was a lot. And the clubs straightaway said, this is not feasible. We will not be able to do this. So, yeah, every club will be different, of course, and the detail they're in. But that's where it sits at the moment. All right. Okay, up at Brisbane, this is bad news, to be honest. Luckless veteran Lincoln McCarthy has suffered a nasty hamstring setback.
Now, he's damaged his tendon in a gym incident. Now, he returned from back-to-back knee recos in round one against Sydney, Lincoln McCarthy, and he damaged his hamstring in the recent round nine win over Carlton. And he pulled up with a bit of tightness and soreness after that, and scans revealed, well, you've nicked your hammy. So he set out last week's loss to Geelong.
He was slated to miss, I think, another couple of weeks with this setback. But what's happened is he's been rehabbing this hamstring in the gym, as you do, of course. And in the process of rehabbing it, he's damaged the tendon. and he's now set to miss around six weeks is my information. So certainly not season over. Season is alive.
Couldn't bear to read the news he was going to miss another one. He missed their 2024 premiership, their 2025 premiership with the knee, and now he's damaged his hamstring tendon. So he's going to miss, I think, another six weeks from here, which puts him up against it. It's nasty for a guy who's been through all manner of injury turmoil.
It's inconvenient for them because he'd been redeployed as that nuggety defender. So in the absence of Starsevich and then when Answorth went down with a concussion, he'd been retooled and he'd done a really nice job initially showing that he might be able to hold that position down.
Yeah, he had. And I mean, and while Dane Zorko had been absent too, he'd been, he'd been important. I know Kitty Coleman's back in that side as well now, but no, he's a, he's a guy they love to have around. I mean, ideally he's in, he's in their best 23, offers a lot on the field and off it, but geez, he's had some bad luck with injuries.
So that's one that he's, he's going to be new shortly, I think. So six weeks out for him.
That's no good.
No, no, bad news for them. But, yeah, an interesting game, that one, actually, Brisbane as well. And Scotty Pendlebury, I know, just repeating that news, the record-breaking game at the weekend, Pendle's Cam on 5.07. Every move, yeah, every move. From before the opening ball up to when he leaves the arena after the game.
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Chapter 4: What concessions has the AFL made regarding psychologist hiring?
Is there an over-under on that? I'm not so sure. But we'll be able to see it happen.
That's what I hadn't thought of it.
In real time. There you go.
So I thought Saturday was a two-screen strategy, but it's actually a three-screen strategy.
It is. So we'll have Geelong and Sydney, of course. A lot of debate over whether that should have been flipped and the overlapping and whatnot. So we'll have Geelong and Sydney, which is the game of the round up against it, which is not ideal. And then the big crowd for Collingwood and West Coast, of course. And then the Pendles Cam, ISO Cam.
uh, where you can watch his, his every, his every move. If that takes your fancy, I'm not sure.
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Chapter 5: How is Dr. Kate Hall involved in the clubs' mental health assessments?
I'm not sure what the ratings will be on that one, but, uh, it's there nonetheless. Uh, just some use of the dogs. Actually, uh, Tim English won't play this weekend, a concussion protocols. He remains in, but James O'Donnell's the inclusion there. So, uh, Just one out, one in at the kennel at the moment, given Bailey Williams out long term with that hammy tear. With Max Gorn in their sights.
Max Gorn and Max Heath, I think, isn't it? It's the two Maxes these days. So, yeah, that's a daunting proposition for the dogs on Sunday.
Excellent, Sam.
Thanks, Gerard.