Toast Fremantle's 2nd 2016 National Draft Pick: Sean Darcy [Pick #38]

[Dockeroo]

I would've given Darcy a 3 year extension not a 6 year extension

Unfortunately it doesn’t work like that. Top end AFL players like Darcy don’t sign 3 year deals at 25/26 years of age. Think about it? This is a guy that is near all Australian level. Worth around $800k to $1m on the market. This is the biggest deal he will sign in his afl career. It takes him from around 26 to 32 years of age. He has to maximise his earnings in that crucial time. When he’s 32, if he’s lucky enough to be still an afl player by then, he will be offered about $400k just like 32 year old Nat Fyfe was this year.
Every single player in the AFL in Darcy’s range of ability and talent will sign a 5 or 6 year deal once they reach free agency which is 26 years old, 8 years after being drafted as an 18 year old. At least a dozen clubs would have offers Darcy 5 or 6 years at good money next year.

Of course freo would love a 3 year extension to hedge their bets. But then Darcy would be 29 when next out of contract, and taking a huge risk that he wouldn’t get the same annual pay as he did from 26-29 year of age in his next deal. He’s not going to take that risk. No player of his level is.
It’s quite different for fringe players that are often thankful to be on the list at all.

 

[Funbeanman]

Unfortunately it doesn’t work like that. Top end AFL players like Darcy don’t sign 3 year deals at 25/26 years of age. Think about it? This is a guy that is near all Australian level. Worth around $800k to $1m on the market. This is the biggest deal he will sign in his afl career. It takes him from around 26 to 32 years of age. He has to maximise his earnings in that crucial time. When he’s 32, if he’s lucky enough to be still an afl player by then, he will be offered about $400k just like 32 year old Nat Fyfe was this year.
Every single player in the AFL in Darcy’s range of ability and talent will sign a 5 or 6 year deal once they reach free agency which is 26 years old, 8 years after being drafted as an 18 year old. At least a dozen clubs would have offers Darcy 5 or 6 years at good money next year.

Of course freo would love a 3 year extension to hedge their bets. But then Darcy would be 29 when next out of contract, and taking a huge risk that he wouldn’t get the same annual pay as he did from 26-29 year of age in his next deal. He’s not going to take that risk. No player of his level is.
It’s quite different for fringe players that are often thankful to be on the list at all.

I reckon it's more risky giving Darcy a 6 year extension because he's injury prone plus I'm not 100% sure he's a top 5 ruckman

I would've given him a 3 year extension to give both parties more flexibility and if we are going well I'm more than happy to give him another 3 years before the 2027 season

 

[Wray27]

I reckon it's more risky giving Darcy a 6 year extension because he's injury prone plus I'm not 100% sure he's a top 5 ruckman

I would've given him a 3 year extension to give both parties more flexibility and if we are going well I'm more than happy to give him another 3 years before the 2027 season

And see him reject the offer and leave to Geelong on a 5 year deal.

 

[Taylor]

A three year deal burns his free agency rights, burns our ability to match a restricted free agency bid and then has him as an unrestricted free agent in the prime of his career as the cashed up Tasmania are buying players.

They'd pay him $2.5m a year and not even blink, no trade needed, just plug in an elite first contest player to set up your young team for success.

 

[mattis117]

Hase is on the bandwagon as well!

“Sean Darcy has signed a six-year contract extension at the Fremantle Dockers,” Hasleby said on SEN WA The Run Home.

“That's six years over and above next year, so it’s essentially a seven-year deal.

“He's 25 now, that'll take him to the age of 32 in 2030. He’s a Docker for life.

“I've had a bit to say about the Sean Darcy contract saga and it's a great deal for Sean and his management, he deserves a big payday, he’s played well for a long time.

“But I do have some fears from the Fremantle Dockers’ point of view, this is what free agency does to a player. It makes the club really have to make a decision on which way they go.

“Do they want to keep the player? If you do, then at what cost? It's a significant cost, and it's going to come at some risk to Fremantle, given what we've seen from Luke Jackson and also Sean Darcy.”

Assuming that Darcy would have re-signed on more than $800,000 a season, Hasleby isn’t sure that the club is best allocating their money given so much is now tied up in the ruck department.

At this stage, Darcy and Jackson both look best when playing in the number one ruck role and Hasleby says the challenge now is for the duo to become more versatile and continue living up to their price tags while playing in other roles.

“We don't know the financial terms around this, but let's just assume it's up around the same as what Jackson received,” Hasleby said.

“That’s $800,000 or $900,000 (a season). That is a lot to have tied up between two players who I believe are both best suited when they're in the ruck.

“Now, we know they can't play the ruck together. One's got to play forward, and I just can't see them both realising their potential splitting the time in that number one ruck position.

“That becomes the challenge because, for the wage that you're paying both of these players, you want great players that are going to dominate consistently across the game.

“That now is the challenge for these guys, and there is the slight risk that there's a bit of Brodie Grundy about this contract.

“It could go well, but it could go pear-shaped, and the Fremantle Dockers could be the loser in time.

The flaw in this whole argument is the line that Luke Jackson has looked best when playing ruck, that is simply false, he has looked freaken awesome and unstoppable playing in every position. CHF Luke Jackson is just as good as ruck Luke Jackson.

It's flipping sad how hard these hacks are trying to force this narrative.

 

[Dockeroo]

I reckon it's more risky giving Darcy a 6 year extension because he's injury prone plus I'm not 100% sure he's a top 5 ruckman

I would've given him a 3 year extension to give both parties more flexibility and if we are going well I'm more than happy to give him another 3 years before the 2027 season

I think you are missing my point. It wasn’t an option for us to give him a 3 year deal.
He would definitely leave for another club willing to give him a 6 year one if we did that.
Obviously your scenario would have been nice for freo. It would have been bad for sean though.


Its a bit like saying, hypothetically, If my neighbours house was up for sale for $600k, I’d like to buy it for $300k.
But my neighbour is hardly going to sell it to me for $300k when he’s got 10 other buyers willing to give him $600k is he.

 

[Sully90]

The flaw in this whole argument is the line that Luke Jackson has looked best when playing ruck, that is simply false, he has looked freaken awesome and unstoppable playing in every position. CHF Luke Jackson is just as good as ruck Luke Jackson.

It's *ing sad how hard these hacks are trying to force this narrative.

It's so annoying considering how entertaining the outcome will be if we do pull it off. Everyone who enjoys the game should be rooting for it.

 

[GingerDocker]

Has anyone got a list of the rucks and their heights?

One thing that's often overlooked in this saga is, in my mind, Dogga is just too short to be a full time, number 1 ruck.

The wear and tear he'd receive by bashing into man mountains everyday would severely curtail his dynamic ability to get around the ground and contest for ground balls, as well as compete in the air.

To me, he's a 199cm version of James Hird (maybe not quite as sharp - no offence Dogga) in that he needs to play where we need him, whether that be up forward, on the ball or in the ruck.

Coaching group, it's over to you...

 

[Funbeanman]

I think you are missing my point. It wasn’t an option for us to give him a 3 year deal.
He would definitely leave for another club willing to give him a 6 year one if we did that.
Obviously your scenario would have been nice for freo. It would have been bad for sean though.


Its a bit like saying, hypothetically, If my neighbours house was up for sale for $600k, I’d like to buy it for $300k.
But my neighbour is hardly going to sell it to me for $300k when he’s got 10 other buyers willing to give him $600k is he.

We will agree to disagree on Darcy I'll leave it at that

 

[poshman]

Has anyone got a list of the rucks and their heights?

One thing that's often overlooked in this saga is, in my mind, Dogga is just too short to be a full time, number 1 ruck.

The wear and tear he'd receive by bashing into man mountains everyday would severely curtail his dynamic ability to get around the ground and contest for ground balls, as well as compete in the air.

To me, he's a 199cm version of James Hird (maybe not quite as sharp - no offence Dogga) in that he needs to play where we need him, whether that be up forward, on the ball or in the ruck.

Coaching group, it's over to you...

We don't want him up against the monsters. Darcy takes those and then frees up the remainder of the ground to be Jacksons playground.

Dogga also doesn't have the leap to purely go over the monsters.

 

[Nickos66]

As someone else previously pointed out - Suma no doubt had 2 articles written months ago and in the barrel ready to go the instant an outcome was announced by the club.

Swag leaves: "Freo are at crisis point with key players walking out each year, they need an internal review clearly"
Swag signs on: "Freo take unnecessary risk in signing 'back-up ruckman' to multimillion dollar long-term deal"

It really is just low-hanging fruit for a potato like this guy, more predictable than a hypocritical Cornes rant.

 

[King Huskii]

As someone else previously pointed out - Suma no doubt had 2 articles written months ago and in the barrel ready to go the instant an outcome was announced by the club.

Swag leaves: "Freo are at crisis point with key players walking out each year, they need an internal review clearly"
Swag signs on: "Freo take unnecessary risk in signing 'back-up ruckman' to multimillion dollar long-term deal"

It really is just low-hanging fruit for a potato like this guy, more predictable than a hypocritical Cornes rant.

Either way he sinks the boots in

People buy into it which is sad

 

[Lach72]

Given Tasmania are coming in soon, I’m comfortable giving key players deals that take them past their entrance.

 

[Channels]

Either way he sinks the boots in

People buy into it which is sad

In the new age of media, it's all about clicks now.

Write something controversial, gets clicks, then those clicks are monetised via digital advertising.

It's in the West's interest to have people clicking and commenting.

See also Mitch Johnson article.

 

[oldgoat]

I think you are missing my point. It wasn’t an option for us to give him a 3 year deal.
He would definitely leave for another club willing to give him a 6 year one if we did that.
Obviously your scenario would have been nice for freo....


To me, he's a 199cm version of James Hird (maybe not quite as sharp - no offence Dogga) in that he needs to play where we need him, whether that be up forward, on the ball or in the ruck.

Coaching group, it's over to you...

Jimmy Hird sharp?
The golden child so sharp he blew a hole in the bottom of his boat whilst shooting off his own foot?
Dogga is no blunt instrument,
rather... more like a bit of a cutlass armed pirate!
Yokai!

 

[Paracleet]

Jimmy Hird sharp?
The golden child so sharp he blew a hole in the bottom of his boat whilst shooting off his own foot?
Dogga is no blunt instrument, rather... bit of a pirate cutlass!
Yokai!

Post of the year.

 

[wakojako]

Xmas came early this year.

So did I

 

[GingerDocker]

Jimmy Hird sharp?
The golden child so sharp he blew a hole in the bottom of his boat whilst shooting off his own foot?
Dogga is no blunt instrument,
rather... more like a bit of a cutlass armed pirate!
Yokai!

I’m no Hird fan, he deserves his place in football infamy.

But, he was possibly the cleverest player on-field I’ve ever seen.

 

[vidwhal]

I reckon it's more risky giving Darcy a 6 year extension because he's injury prone plus I'm not 100% sure he's a top 5 ruckman

I would've given him a 3 year extension to give both parties more flexibility and if we are going well I'm more than happy to give him another 3 years before the 2027 season

You'd be saying sayonara to Darcy if you were running the show, sorry. It's a different contract landscape now as the pay scale is trending upwards again. These contracts will end up being relatively affordable in time.

The debate would rage about Darcy's ranking in the game but I think that it's an irrelevant argument. One thing that can't be denied about Darcy is that him playing at or near his best is premiership ruck territory, and that's all we really need to care about.

I also understand other arguments that ruck is one of the least influential roles that shouldn't be overpaid but teams play to their strengths and teams with dominant rucks play to their strengths make them match winners. Darcy is a match winner with the right match up and he's still only going to get even better.

 

[Funbeanman]

You'd be saying sayonara to Darcy if you were running the show, sorry. It's a different contract landscape now as the pay scale is trending upwards again. These contracts will end up being relatively affordable in time.

The debate would rage about Darcy's ranking in the game but I think that it's an irrelevant argument. One thing that can't be denied about Darcy is that him playing at or near his best is premiership ruck territory, and that's all we really need to care about.

I also understand other arguments that ruck is one of the least influential roles that shouldn't be overpaid but teams play to their strengths and teams with dominant rucks play to their strengths make them match winners. Darcy is a match winner with the right match up and he's still only going to get even better.

I have reached a point where I feel quite overwhelmed with the discussions on the BigFooty Freo Board, particularly in relation to Sean Darcy and several other Freo topics (i'm in the minority on most Freo topics).

For the sake of my mental well-being, I have decided that it would be better for me to refrain from commenting on BigFooty any further

 

[estibador]

I caught up with a couple of non-Freo friends for lunch today and they asked me in the gravest of tones what I thought of the Darcy deal, as if it was a foregone conclusion that it was a terrible mistake. They seemed really surprised when I told them how stoked I was.

The media have really created a bizarre narrative around this. I can't think of any other club where the news of a key player committing long-term would be treated as a negative.

 

[King Huskii]

I caught up with a couple of non-Freo friends for lunch today and they asked me in the gravest of tones what I thought of the Darcy deal, as if it was a foregone conclusion that it was a terrible mistake. They seemed really surprised when I told them how stoked I was.

The media have really created a bizarre narrative around this. I can't think of any other club where the news of a key player committing long-term would be treated as a negative.

If Freo performs badly next season or if he gets injured, watch the toxic reporting occur.

Hopefully water of a ducks back for him.

 

[vidwhal]

I have reached a point where I feel quite overwhelmed with the discussions on the BigFooty Freo Board, particularly in relation to Sean Darcy and several other Freo topics (i'm in the minority on most Freo topics).

For the sake of my mental well-being, I have decided that it would be better for me to refrain from commenting on BigFooty any further

Don't take it to heart man
We're all here to discuss and counter and to do that with respect. Some don't get that exactly but it's just overflowing passion. In saying that, don't let em quiet you down either

 

[Superkoops]

I have reached a point where I feel quite overwhelmed with the discussions on the BigFooty Freo Board, particularly in relation to Sean Darcy and several other Freo topics (i'm in the minority on most Freo topics).

For the sake of my mental well-being, I have decided that it would be better for me to refrain from commenting on BigFooty any further

Need a thick skin when comes to posting on discussion forums like bigfooty. Whilst you’re entitled to your opinion not everyone will agree.

You are right the long contract comes with some risk but anything less than 5-6year extension and Darcy leaves. Multiple clubs lining up for his services. Not just Geelong. It is a very different scenario to Grundy but Cornes and Sumich will keep pointing to that.

Collingwood got themselves into a mess salary cap and went on the fire sale. There was a lot similarities between their fire sale and what transpired for us in 2022 trade period. We allowed one two many to go (ie when Logue headed off, we needed to retain Acres). The loss of Schultz will hurt.

The loss of players like Cerra, Lobb, Logue had enabled us to have plenty of cap space for Darcy and Serong.

Grundy was signed to a long term contract and then Collingwood got themselves into trouble with salary cap.

 

[Sully90]

Jimmy Hird sharp?
The golden child so sharp he blew a hole in the bottom of his boat whilst shooting off his own foot?
Dogga is no blunt instrument,
rather... more like a bit of a cutlass armed pirate!
Yokai!

Is this a metaphor?