TRUE BLUEY ... AFL with Guy McKenna, Courtesy of the Gold Coast Bulletin
AT the Gold Coast Football Club, I tell our boys while we may make poor decisions on the field, we have the next contest and then the next quarter to rectify things.
But if you make poor choices off the field, get yourself into trouble and ultimately let down the football club, you may not get that second chance.
That decision you make off the field can have massive ramifications in terms of membership, sponsorship and ultimately your standing in the playing group.
For a player, that is the worst thing because you are basically doing the dirty on your teammate.
No one wants to do it on the field, so you shouldn't want to do it off the field either.
There was a poor decision made off the field last week by Charlie Dixon, who breached our player's code.
It was Charlie himself who fronted the group last Wednesday and apologised.
He said he had broken the code and would accept the penalty.
The players' leadership group came up with a penalty which was signed off by the football club and Charlie went back to the QAFL with the Labrador Tigers for a week.
It sets a good precedent and it's an easy one for a coach to follow.
There is no doubt Charlie would have helped the VFL team on Saturday but we understand the club is bigger than the individual.
In those conditions on Saturday against North Ballarat, you look at it and we had four shots on goal and they had 18. But you look at the goals kicked, it was six goals to three on a wet day.
A player like Charlie would have helped us, so the decision hurt our chances of winning at the weekend.
As much as his teammates love him and would have wanted him to play, they will tell you the decision galvanised the group.
The message that Charlie and the group received was if you break our code, there are consequences.
He accepted the punishment and and realised he has let down his teammates and the football club.
The worst thing you can then do is go and let Labrador down as well.
I am not saying he was best on ground but he certainly performed well for the Tigers and that's what we expect.
His performance was the righting of his wrong and hopefully he will learn from that like the rest of the group will.
We are not perfect and as humans will make mistakes.
It is no different for Charlie, who sits in the leadership group.
So for him to do what he did, you sit there and shake your head.
But he will learn from that and in turn the rest of the group will learn very quickly.
We have a new club and we have had to set these rules down from day one.
