Player Watch #44: Cameron Zurhaar - has re-signed until the end of 2029 - finishes 6th in the 24' SBM

[FlyHigh18]

It's a bit unfair, he only looks shit bc the team is shit. We all know that when the ball is transitioned well all the players in the team look like superstars. and when that breaks down (or non existent in our case) everyone just looks sluggish and second.

I have zero doubt that if we're able to get the ball out of our D50 and past the half way mark properly he will look like great again.

With that said there is a Ben McKay

32

Ben Mckay

Age

27

Ht

202cm

Wt

104kg

Pos.

Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D

7.5

2star

K

3.7

1star

HB

3.8

3star

M

2.7

3star

T

1.7

4star

MG

77.2

1star

D

7.5

2star

K

4.5

2star

HB

3.0

2star

M

2.5

3star

T

1.5

2star

MG

88.5

2star

D

7.0

2star

K

3.4

2star

HB

3.6

3star

M

2.4

3star

T

2.0

4star

MG

67.8

1star

sized smell about all this. I'd hope he stays but if he leaves I hope we do it right this time. The currency we get for him should be used on an experienced defender. The gap he leaves behind can be filled by sausage.

 

[Sphynx]

Won't happen though if we pull a free agent from another club (as far as I understand the rules in this regard). And it's clear from Rick's post in the relevant thread that North desperately need to recruit some older more experienced players.

We wont be recruiting free agents if we get Band 1 for Zurhaar or if the AFL uses it as a chance to give us a PP.

2. No FA worth his salt will be coming here other than the Zac Fisher and Dylan Stephens types. Who do you envisage we are recruiting in our current state?

We might get a mercenary like Rory Lobb at best.

There's plenty of Sam Durdin, Mason Woods around at the trade table or delisted free agent if you want to go that way.


"Older more experienced players" is such a cop out.

What the **** are exactly LDU, Simpkin, Corr, McDonald, Larkey, Zurhaar, Xerri then?

Powell will be a 5th year player next year.

LDU is a free agent, the very definition of an experienced player.

 

[Passmore]

View attachment 1967838

Is it fact or opinion, Tom. You seem to be hedging...

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[Jebus]

It's a bit unfair, he only looks s**t bc the team is s**t.

This.

Consider where the Eagles have been at the last couple years without their experienced spine of 27yo+ players. They looked like an absolute rabble. Now they're back and settled the team as a whole looks much better. We can't let someone with his experience go lightly, and may have to pay overs to keep him.

 

[Sphynx]

This.

Consider where the Eagles have been at the last couple years without their experienced spine of 27yo+ players. They looked like an absolute rabble. Now they're back and settled the team as a whole looks much better. We can't let someone with his experience go lightly, and may have to pay overs to keep him.

The Eagles were a rabble because their senior players were injured or underdone coming off injury.

Zurhaar, McDonald and Simpkin aren't fit to lace the boots of someone like Yeo.

He's one of the best 2 way big bodied mids of the last 20 years. Fully fit, he's the first guy I'd pick in a lineup for a GF if the opposing side had a Cripps, Bont, Green, Martin etc in it.

McGovern is one of the best CHB's of the AFL era and Kelly (despite what they paid) is still an A grade mid on his day.

Larkey is the only one the belongs even remotely in the conversation of these guys at the moment and none of our guys have injury as an excuse (sorry im not copping it for Simpkin, he's been ordinary for 2.5 years)

 

[Passmore]

I'll stick my neck out - still want to retain him and would pay up to do so.

Talent doesn't leave you.

Have we not given up enough capable seniors to learn chasing youth isn't the silver bullet?

I want him to stay but reserve the right to tell him to "**** off to _____" once a game.

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[Jebus]

The Eagles were a rabble because their senior players were injured or underdone coming off injury.

Exactly what I said.

We don't have anyone to compare to them because we literally don't have anyone in those age brackets anymore. They're gone. The eagles are the perfect example of what happens to a good team when you lose that quality senior core.

Which is why Zurhaar is worth more to us than to any other team out there, and means we will have to pay overs to keep him.

 

[Passmore]

I strongly suspect that North will be chasing a couple of free agents at the end of this season to start to fill some of those age demographic spots pointed out by Rick18 so losing Zurhaar to a free agency move would be a disaster. They might accept a trade deal similar to the CCJ deal with Richmond but I reckon they will try to convince him to stay. There is still a bit in the war chest so rumour has it.

You know it SoS....

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[Sphynx]

Exactly what I said.

We don't have anyone to compare to them because we literally don't have anyone in those age brackets anymore. They're gone. The eagles are the perfect example of what happens to a good team when you lose that quality senior core.

Which is why Zurhaar is worth more to us than to any other team out there, and means we will have to pay overs to keep him.

It's nothing to do with age brackets, it's to do with being good footballers.

LDU isn't in that age bracket, but he's our best player when he can be bothered.

Sheezel is 10 years off that age bracket but is 10 x the player of our players that are in it.

 

[ansonholt]

We can't keep "losing" players. That's the whole reason we are where we are. If you "lose" a player, replacing him with an 18yo from the draft or a delisted hack means the club goes backwards. We've done that too many times lately. Many (including myself) are expressing frustration with Cam because he hasn't kicked a bag for a while and we need him to. Losing him has absolutely no upside for us in our current predicament. We have to keep him at all costs.

 

[lockheed]

Exactly what I said.

We don't have anyone to compare to them because we literally don't have anyone in those age brackets anymore. They're gone. The eagles are the perfect example of what happens to a good team when you lose that quality senior core.

Which is why Zurhaar is worth more to us than to any other team out there, and means we will have to pay overs to keep him.

There's paying overs, and there's paying Cam what he wants / thinks he's worth

 

[Jebus]

There's paying overs, and there's paying Cam what he wants / thinks he's worth

His manager won't pluck a number out of thin air and present it to the club. They'll know exactly what he's worth because other clubs will have come sniffing. Exactly as McKay did. They'll look at those numbers and apply the expected 'north' tax, which is that we need to keep players with his experience, and we also can't offer him even mild immediate success. That translates to extra $$$.

I'm sure the club was thinking about that with McKay as well, that losing him will effect ongoing trades with future players in that bracket. They'll know they're worth more the less of them there are at the club.

 

[Possession]

We can't keep "losing" players. That's the whole reason we are where we are. If you "lose" a player, replacing him with an 18yo from the draft or a delisted hack means the club goes backwards. We've done that too many times lately. Many (including myself) are expressing frustration with Cam because he hasn't kicked a bag for a while and we need him to. Losing him has absolutely no upside for us in our current predicament. We have to keep him at all costs.

I want him to stay for this reason too. I think it's pretty likely that we could lose LDU soon too and I'm worried that the dam is finally going to give with regards to losing talent. Need to retain.

 

[Event Horizon]

Not if we get pick 2 for Zurhaar we wont.

We won’t get that. (A) he won’t be on enough money and (B) if we land a free agent or two ourselves it will nullify the compensation as per AFL formula


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[Event Horizon]

The Eagles were a rabble because their senior players were injured or underdone coming off injury.

Zurhaar, McDonald and Simpkin aren't fit to lace the boots of someone like Yeo.

He's one of the best 2 way big bodied mids of the last 20 years. Fully fit, he's the first guy I'd pick in a lineup for a GF if the opposing side had a Cripps, Bont, Green, Martin etc in it.

McGovern is one of the best CHB's of the AFL era and Kelly (despite what they paid) is still an A grade mid on his day.

Larkey is the only one the belongs even remotely in the conversation of these guys at the moment and none of our guys have injury as an excuse (sorry im not copping it for Simpkin, he's been ordinary for 2.5 years)

Simpkin was winning our B&F only couple of seasons ago. I have NFI what happened to him


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[TennisPlayerAndy]

Simpkin was winning our B&F only couple of seasons ago. I have NFI what happened to him


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The Best and Fairest shouldn’t have been awarded at any stage over the last four seasons.

With about as much as an Auskick Maccas award.

 

[Samsquanch]

We can't keep "losing" players. That's the whole reason we are where we are. If you "lose" a player, replacing him with an 18yo from the draft or a delisted hack means the club goes backwards. We've done that too many times lately. Many (including myself) are expressing frustration with Cam because he hasn't kicked a bag for a while and we need him to. Losing him has absolutely no upside for us in our current predicament. We have to keep him at all costs.

The story was that a contract is on the table for Cam. I anticipate that the value is roughly what North believes would trigger a first round pick if he decides to ask to go elsewhere - we can match any bid to retain him or his target club increases the offer and band one comes into play. Assuming that delivers pick 2 then North is in a strong position to trade for quality players in the target age brackets. If he stays (and I hope he does) then pick one is still tradable, and provided there is a free agent or two who can be brought in then we might still fill some gaps.

 

[RightWingRoo]

Unfortunately no FA who's any good will come anywhere near us.
This will be Brady's final trade/draft period before he's let go, just have to hope he doesn't add any more spuds on long term deals. His record at identifying players from other clubs, would have to be the worst of any list manager in history.

I'd keep Cam, simply because the money he'd leave on the table will only be wasted on shitmen.

 

[Hazey1977]

I can wait it out until then for sure. Jax were significantly lower in price than my car last time I bought pzeros but have ramped up prices since then by a fair margin. And they are pretty noisy ( not that my car is overly quiet anyway). However, I will probably go Pirelli to replace the OEM rubber now that I know continental sponsor *

A true reflection on how our year's going when here we are talking about tyres!

Mrs H and I couldn't believe how quiet and nice the Pirelli's were over the cheap shite we put on from Jax first time around.

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[Horizons_00]

Simpkin was winning our B&F only couple of seasons ago. I have NFI what happened to him


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Too many concussions I reckon

 

[Event Horizon]

The Best and Fairest shouldn’t have been awarded at any stage over the last four seasons.

With about as much as an Auskick Maccas award.

Well, whatever level he was at during those "Auskick years", he ain't at that level anymore

 

[Hearts to hearts]

Exactly what I said.

We don't have anyone to compare to them because we literally don't have anyone in those age brackets anymore. They're gone. The eagles are the perfect example of what happens to a good team when you lose that quality senior core.

Which is why Zurhaar is worth more to us than to any other team out there, and means we will have to pay overs to keep him.

Eagles players in that age bracket won a flag five years ago. Our players in that age bracket - apart from Cunners, who was undone by forces outside anyone’s control, and Brown, also wrecked by injuries - were serviceable at best and didn’t and wouldn’t have the same impact.

 

[spurs]

The story was that a contract is on the table for Cam. I anticipate that the value is roughly what North believes would trigger a first round pick if he decides to ask to go elsewhere - we can match any bid to retain him or his target club increases the offer and band one comes into play. Assuming that delivers pick 2 then North is in a strong position to trade for quality players in the target age brackets. If he stays (and I hope he does) then pick one is still tradable, and provided there is a free agent or two who can be brought in then we might still fill some gaps.

Agreed with everything you said apart from keeping him. Our list will be ready in 5 years, and it will be without him for a gun in this draft. He hasn't signed so for me he can **** off.

 

[DesertRoo]

Since when is someone who has a 5 year offer on the table and sniffing out FA and moves elsewhere giving them up?

When will people learn to just move on from the rats.

People were slow to turn around on JHF until the final moment, the same with McKay, people were defending him for most of last year.

I guess the same now with Zurhaar.

He's off. Unless he plays so s**t for the remainder of the season and then turns around to try and take the 5 year deal from the club for self preservation, Ben Brown style.

If I was the club, I'd be pulling that 5 year deal, and it would be a 2 year deal now instead. a 5 year deal for Zurhaar at this point has Simpkin/McDonald written all over it.

If he is off, let's hope the AFL use this as a way to give us another PP without doing so.

I suspect the 5 year deal in front of him, is just enough to trigger 1st round compo if he leaves.

 

[Uncle_Leo]

Not sure after what we witnessed from Cam on Sunday how anyone could suggest we have to pay overs for him

As for him wanting some wins to stay, you know there is something you can try to help that Cam?