BETTER LATE THAN SOBER

Fev seems to be taking his move to Brisbane seriously, judging by this article in Brisbane's own Courier Mail:

Brendan Fevola's early run

BRENDAN Fevola has completed a week of secret personal training before his departure from Melbourne today to start the pre-season with the Brisbane Lions.

• to have himself in the best possible condition to start his new football life
• desperate to make the most of his new start with the Lions
• wanted to get something under his belt before he went up there
• very keen to get up there and hit the ground running
• fully fit from day one
• wants to let his footy do the talking for the rest of his career
• could not wait to start pre-season with the Lions tomorrow

Seems to be.

Fev's zeal to kick things off on the right foot, as championed by the Courier, is at odds with the following rumour:

Fev was due to catch a flight Sunday morning up to Brisbane however missed the flight. On the sauce with the Carlton boys Sat’dy night.

At least he got something under his belt before he went up there, and was full from day one.

Comments

[Ann O'Dyne]

shooting star.
brilliance crashes and burns.
It can be done a variety of ways -Elvis used food, the Cats God found god and then drugs, and Fev's just a cashed-up bogan.
Ishews (as Kath would say)as we see from Carey and Cousins, need psychs to be sorted, but
Do any of us listen when we are given good advice?
There's young ones coming up to be recruited and fill the voids well, before they take the same lemming plunge.
It's business now, not the sport it was.

[Yobbo]

Footy players aren't even allowed to have a beer in November now.

[Big Ramifications]

I initially read that as "Elvis used cat food" and I'm thinkin' struth!

Interesting layout and punctuation there, Ann. Needed more rhyming.

[Tony]

Yob.

Football players are allowed to have a beer November. Even the teetotaller in me publicly concedes that. (Secretly I would ban alcohol.) But I'm sure even the strict libertarian in you would agree that an article detailing Brand New Leaf Fev - "best possible condition", "desperate to make the most of his new start", "keen to get up there", "fully fit from day one", "could not wait to start pre-season" - is ever so slightly contradicted by a rumour that he missed the flight to Brisbane because he was on the piss.

[Big Ramifications]

Ix nay on the oomers ray!

http://yobbo.wordpress.com/2009/08/16/cricket-isnt-the-100m-sprint/#comment-30442

Rumours are bad.

[Yobbo]

Tony, you didn't become a teetotaller until well into your 30s or even 40s if I remember correctly. Fevola is only 28, you should let him enjoy his life as you did as a young buck.

If it affected his footy then that's a different story, but just because a bloke plays football for a living shouldn't mean that he can't enjoy the same thing as every other bloke his age does.

I mean what are Fevolas worst crimes anyway? Pissing on a window, insinuating Dean Cox was gay on TV? You are only young once, and people that hold sportspeople to impossible standards need to chill out a bit.

[Tony]

Yob.

Again.

I didn't say he couldn't have a drink. The "ban alcohol" remark was completely tongue in cheek.

Fev can fuel it up as much as he likes. Although, perhaps he shouldn't since he's a disaster area when he's on the piss.

The article, full of high flown sentiment and good intentions (but really seems to be little more than a puff piece for the Brisbane paper), is starkly contradicted by a rumour that he missed the flight to Brisbane because he was on the sauce.