An AFL football club is a very unique environment in many ways. Which other occupation, outside of Amsterdam, allows employees to walk around nude without a care in the world? Can you imagine a high profile law firm in the CBD operating under these conditions? I wouldn’t have thought so.
 
One thing which does take place when 40 blokes spend this much time together is the odd practical joke. Over the years I have witnessed some rippers, and it is these antics which make football clubs what they are. Simple things like pinching a teammate’s keys from his locker, moving his car, and then returning the keys can be quite amusing to say the least. The facial expression when they realise their car has been ‘stolen’ is nothing short of a Kodak moment.
 
As an example, Robert Murphy’s heart sank as he walked out the front door on an icy Melbourne morning last week. With the mercury nestled at 3 degrees, the last thing you need to see is your car mummified by twelve rolls of toilet paper. Angry, bitter, and accusing would be best way to describe Murph throughout the morning as the detective work began. I wish the man responsible all the best in the foreseeable future, as revenge is a dish best served cold!

Some spies down the highway in Geelong have told me of an amusing attack on a young player at the club. The player, who drives a ute, woke up one morning and walked out the door on his way to training. As he arrived at his car he was bewildered to find the ute filled to the brim with soil, complete with the planting of a small forest. Yes that’s right, his car had basically been converted into a mobile store for Wombat Gulley Plat Farm.
 
Whether it is at AFL or local level, it is these acts of corruption which make football clubs the places that they are. It creates mateship and memories, and it is these fun times which create a real bond between everyone at a club. Just make sure you don’t drop your guard!