'No unprotected sex': AFL great's classic story amid Jake Carlisle dilemma
Jonathan Brown has passed on some parental advice he received from AFL legend Leigh Matthews, however it comes a bit too late for St Kilda star Jake Carlisle.
Carlisle won’t play any further part in St Kilda’s finals campaign after leaving Queensland ahead of the birth of his child.
‘BLIND EYE’: AFL fans fume over 'blatant' controversy
WHOOPS: Cornes mocked after Magpies take backfires
The Saints on Monday confirmed the 29-year-old had departed their Noosa hub to be with his partner Mel, with the couple imminently expecting their third child.
“We thank Jake for staying as long as he possibly could before heading to NSW to be with Mel for the birth,” St Kilda's chief operating officer Simon Lethlean said.
“He has been away from his young family for a number of months now and we thank him for making that sacrifice.
“We support him in this decision and wish Jake, Mel, (and children) Nash and Layker all the best for the coming weeks.”
Our little troublemakers growing up way too fast 💙 @mel_blaire_ @adidasau
A post shared by Twitter - Jake Carlisle (@jakecarlisle2) on
Discussing Carlisle’s dilemma on Sunday night, Brisbane Lions great Brown revealed the advice he and teammates received from Matthews when he was being coached by the AFL legend.
Lions teammate Daniel Bradshaw missed the club’s elimination final in 2000 to attend the birth of his child.
Brown said Matthews offered a very simple edict to his players in order to avoid such a situation in the future - no unprotected sex in January.
“Daniel Bradshaw, a teammate of mine, pulled out before a final,” Brown said on Fox Footy.
“His wife had the baby … We got eliminated in that final and then he said to us on the Wednesday: ‘Don’t have unprotected sex in January, because it coincides with September finals!’
“We all started laughing and he goes ‘I’m not joking, boys’. He was deadly serious.
“For the boys this year, they didn’t realise they were going to be playing finals in October, in fairness to them.”
Fresh blow after Saints lose Paddy Ryder
Carlisle’s absence is a further blow to St Kilda as they prepare for their semi-final clash with reigning premiers Richmond on Friday night.
Veteran ruckman Paddy Ryder has been ruled out for the rest of the season after injuring his hamstring in the dying stages of Saturday's elimination final win against the Western Bulldogs.
Ryder starred in the first finals victory of his 257-game career.
“We gathered the players on Sunday night to thank both Jake and Paddy who will return to Melbourne for assessment on his hamstring,” Lethlean said.
“Both guys have had a big influence on our year and we wanted them to know how appreciative we are of their efforts.”
Defender Ben Long could also miss the game against the Tigers after being slapped with a one-match ban for rough conduct.
Long crunched Bulldogs midfielder Jack Macrae with a high bump.
with AAP
Click here to sign up to our newsletter for all the latest and breaking stories from Australia and around the world.
