Australian Football Association of North America

by Lisa Albergo reporting for AFANA from Chicago

It is probably THE one day, or night as the case may be, that the eight AFL clubs out of finals fear the most. It is traditionally called Mad Monday, the first day off for the players They have, for the most part, behaved themselves, trained hard, played hard and done all they could for the team. Many have sworn off alcohol during the season, so it it hits them harder when they do indulge at the end of the year. The last game of the season has been played and the boys are ready to let off some serious steam and that includes making the rounds and having a few rounds. Club officials are always fearful of receiving a late night phone call informing them that one of their players has been involved in an "incident" somewhere or has been locked up for drunk and disorderly.

And so it was for Melbourne and Carlton. Melbourne's Ben Holland (who announced his retirement ahead of Round 22) and Carlton's Brendan Fevola were involved in two separate incidents after some heavy drinking. Holland apparently was trying to help teammate Nathan Carroll into a cab to get him home when a scuffle broke out, leaving Holland in need of medical attention. Carroll was suspended by club at the start of the season for disciplinary reasons and was also reportedly to have been involved in several bar brawls in Greece and Germany during the team's end of season trip last year.

In another incident, Carlton's Brendan Fevola was apparently drunk and parading outside a local bar dressed and behaving less than appropriately. Police did not arrest him as there was no formal complaint, but his behavior has been condemned by several sectors. Victorian Premier John Brumby labeled his behavior as a disgrace and a poor example for the community.

Australian Family Association spokeswoman Angela Conway echoed Brumby's sentiments, saying Fevola's antics were "contemptuous of the feelings of women" and believes the AFL needs to take responsibility for the actions of their players. The league, which has an alcohol policy in place to educate about the dangers of alcohol abuse and responsible drinking, is now under pressure to ban the tradition of "Mad Monday". An FL spokesperson said Fevola "...needed to grow up.."

Source: Herald Sun, The Australian, news.com.au