Accident.
He didn’t go out doing something he’d never tried, it’s not like he decided out of nowhere to take up this sport either.
Ollie Wines has been skiing his entire life.
And he’s pretty damn good at it.
It’s the whole reason Port allows him to do this.
Yes, unlike a lot of players who are contractually banned from doing ‘‘dangerous’’ activities, Port allows their captain in waiting to enjoy this activity.
Port knows his experience, and they know he is safe, so they let him.
And they let him because AFL players need an opportunity to decompress.
I know that Ollie needs to decompress from football because he told me a few months ago.
He talked of his love of flying, and said one of the main reasons he enjoys flying is because when he is up there, he’s not thinking about football.
Two loves off the field are flying and water skiing.
Dangerous activities, some would say.
The reality is, Ollie Wines was more likely to be injured on his drive to training than he was at the back of the boat or in the sky.
Flying remains the safest way to travel in Australia.
And again, Wines has a lifetime of experience when it comes to being behind a boat.
The club is surely disappointed — but in the fact they are likely without one of their best players for a portion of 2019, not for the way he got injured.
That, however, is not how it is being viewed by some.
A raft of former players have come out and made the statement that Ollie has let his club down.
Port have invested too much, they had too much to lose, so Ollie should never have been involved in something so dangerous.
They are fearful that the captain in waiting has hurt his team as much as he has hurt himself.
They seem not to see this through Ollie’s eyes.
Or Port Adelaide’s, for that matter.
Club and player see this for what it is — an accident.
Not negligence, not a lack of experience, just horrible luck.
Ollie Wines is in a pretty average situation right now, and raking him over the coals for having a bit of fun isn’t helpful for anyone.
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