Friday, March 02, 2007

Melbourne believes Daniel Ward's naming, shaming and fining for breaking the
AFL betting code could be the catalyst for him to shake his gambling
addiction.
Ward was one of four players sanctioned by the AFL for breaches of its
anti-gambling rules. The Demons defender was fined $10,000, half of which
was suspended to be invoked should he re-offend. Ward was already receiving
help for a gambling problem, with the Demons saying no further action would
be taken against him by the club. Melbourne chief executive Steve Harris
said Ward hoped the storm of publicity following the gambling revelations
would act as a "circuit-breaker" to him beating his addiction. "He's
genuinely confronting the issue and he has been for the past couple of
months," Harris said. "He sees this as an opportunity to say `I have to deal
with this once and for all'. "The publicity, the odium, the fine, the
suspended penalty, the risk his career might be over if he transgresses
again is enough to put pressure on him to say `if I don't break this now,
I'll never break it'. "I think he's been well and truly punished enough.
"This is an issue which is going to stay with him for the rest of his life
in terms of stigma." It is understood Ward had already been undergoing
professional counselling through the AFL Players' Association. It isn't the
first time Ward, nor the Demons, have had problems with players gambling. In
2003, it emerged Ward and Melbourne teammate Travis Johnstone owed
substantial amounts of money to bookmakers. And ex-Demon turned sports
commentator David Schwarz admitted two years ago he had battled a gambling
problem. Harris said the AFL's threat of suspension for players who breach
its gambling code in the future would not eradicate the problem completely,
but would act as a deterrent. "I don't think any penalty will get rid of any
crime," Harris said. "People have weaknesses, they have re-lapses. "But
clearly footballers like to play football. The worst thing they fear is not
being able to play a game.