On the one hand I would like to think that the Club better understands its players than people (like us) watching on from the sidelines, since we have access to only limited information. Also, I believe that the Club does a lot of things pretty well. But then they do idiotic things like the photo shoot, not a single aspect of which is defensible (telling the media about photoshop? the chair? seriously), and it makes me wonder.
I don't know whether they have done the right thing by sending Harley Bennell to Peel. I am reasonably confident that every single person with any interest in the AFL would like to see Harley Bennell playing in the AFL! I want to see him playing for us. His talent is obvious, and I understand that his commitment to training is right up there with the best at the Club. Several of his games for Gold Coast were just incredible - we all want to see that again soon.
It would be concerning if the action taken by the Club was based on the apparent 'fact' that it 'worked' with Michael Walters, or indeed that this is the action that the Club takes when things like this occur. Michael Walter is a sensational person and his success in the league is very much down to him. I like to think that Ross Lyon saw that he had the character to turn his negative experience into a positive, and that's why the action taken back in 2012 was deemed appropriate. It does seem that this has become the default action to some extent, but I just cannot believe that this is the case. Everyone is different, after all.
Here is an excellent article that I read this morning, about Gregg Popovich who, as well as being a terrific human being, is the coach of the San Antonio Spurs and almost certainly the best basketball coach this century. It is well worth your time:
Gregg Popovich took the Spurs on a Team Outing. 