'Harry O needs to pull his head in'

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Nathan Buckley (L) and Harry O'Brien fell out after a throwaway comment. Source: Colleen Petch / News Limited

HARRY O'Brien needs to pull his head in.

If not, it's possible the initial spat which propelled O'Brien to not only abuse coach Nathan Buckley, but also senior figures such as David Buttifant and Geoff Walsh in the football offices, will be superseded by a test of wills.

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It's a test O'Brien can't win. Simply, the stand he's taken is now the story.

The story goes like this.

Paul Seedsman's sometimes nickname is ''Lez'', short for lesbian, because someone at Collingwood thought he looked like a woman who had a sex change. Boom. Boom.

It's not  really funny in print, but this is a footy club.

O'Brien is a spruiker himself. He's not about nicknames. He's the voice of social awareness. He is about equality, opportunity, education and tolerance on a range of issues, from racism to same-sex marriage, some of which he has preached to his teammates.

When ''Lez'' was mentioned, Buckley thought he would be funny. 

''You OK with that Harry?'' he said, or words to that effect.

O'Brien cracked it. 

From afar, it would appear O'Brien took Buckley's attempt at humour as condescension, a clear sign his wordly views were not taken as serious as O'Brien hoped they would be.

O'Brien and Buckley had words in the office, O'Brien became erratic and told Buckley, and others, as he stormed around the football department, that they could all go forth and multiply.

A furious O'Brien took off for R&R, and despite Buckley talking to O'Brien last Thursday and basically apologising, the impasse continues.

Late yesterday, the feeling was O'Brien wanted a further apology from Buckley - and in front of the playing group.

The Magpies care for O'Brien and want him to return. 

But they won't bend over just because his feelings were hurt.

Late breaking news, Harry, but everyone's feelings in life are hurt and ridiculed.

You don't have to be an ''AFL star'' to be feel patronised.

It happens every day in every walk of life.

So, harden up and do what you do best: Play footy.

You have to wonder if O'Brien's issue is not with Buckley, but with himself.

His drive to change the world is laudable, and his stance on racism recently was educational and heartfelt, and well worth the fight.

But this? A smartarse comment from Buckley? A potential career killer at Collingwood?

O'Brien has every right to be feel offended, but it's difficult to generate support for yourself when you offend other people.

Against Geelong in Round 8, it was alleged O'Brien called Tom Hawkins a ''f..ken faggot'' at half-time. 

O'Brien took to Twitter post-match to deny such an outrageous claim. 

He would never use homophobic language, he said. ''I called him a ''fat f..k'', he wrote.

In other words, it's cool to call someone fat but not a faggot.

That's OK, the world moves on.

Already, the Magpies seem to be moving on.

They trained yesterday without O'Brien and are planning for their game on Friday night.

And you get the feeling it's not really an issue if O'Brien plays or not.

For the record, he won't.

In the meantime, he wants a robust apology from Buckley.

Buckley might have been a smartarse, but O'Brien surely has picked the wrong fight.

And just maybe the apology should be O'Brien to Buckley, and not the other way round.

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