Unrestricted Free Agent Josh Battle “Make me a Hawk”

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Iceman! said:
Maybe the Saints should be worrying about why a young player wants to leave to another club for less instead of chucking a tantrum about it. He has done nothing wrong, just cop it on the chin and let him have one last night to celebrate at the club and wish him well on his way out.
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Yes, definitely "young" in free agent terms (8 years of service), which seems to be overlooked in the compensation reporting.

The AFL has stated salary & age is considered and Battle's age is at the very top of that scale.

The compensation formula produces a points rating for players based on:

1. The new contract of the free agent;
2. The age of the free agent.

The committee has the power to recommend alternative outcomes to GM – Football Operations where the formula produces a materially anomalous result.
 
On reflection, Ross Lyon outing that Battle was in talks with Hawthorn early in the season putting that on the media's radar was pretty toxic behaviour. Most club coaches tend to steer clear of discussing those types of topics, even when it's already in the public sphere and they've been asked directly about it. Instead Ross puts a spotlight on it.

No doubt Battle has then been hounded by Saints people all year about what he's doing as a result. The rumours that made it to Hawthorn were that he's spent a lot of this year being pressured with emotional manipulation tactics to either stay or push the Hawks to ensure Saints get band 1 compo - which he apparently did try but Hawks have held firm.

From all I've heard and seen this year it's clear to me that Battle loved St Kilda and it was genuinely a hard decision to leave. St Kilda as a club should be asking themselves how it is that such a player ends up walking away from them and the (eventually) biggest financial offer put to him.

Will they reflect on the initial contract offers they put to him that had him qualify for UFA at his age and left him open to exploring his options? The impact of Ross Lyon outing that he was exploring his options? The apparent club-wide campaign to manipulate him into providing them with a favourable outcome? The choice to uninvite him to their B&F night and how that reflects on them as a club to players both at St Kilda and other clubs? Or will they just continue to wallow in the mindset that poor outcomes for their club have nothing to do with their choices/actions but are just further evidence of "the system" being out to get them?
 
Falchoon said:
Yes, definitely "young" in free agent terms (8 years of service), which seems to be overlooked in the compensation reporting.

The AFL has stated salary & age is considered and Battle's age is at the very top of that scale.

The compensation formula produces a points rating for players based on:

1. The new contract of the free agent;
2. The age of the free agent.

The committee has the power to recommend alternative outcomes to GM – Football Operations where the formula produces a materially anomalous result.
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Him getting a tad over 800k isn’t an anomaly. It’s what he’s worth. St Kilda ****ed around, didn’t offer him what he’s worth - then panicked when they realized they wouldn’t get the pick they wanted for him and tried a late push to try and pressure him to stay.

Is it any wonder he’s leaving?
 
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Saints upset with Battle, a player they clearly undervalued by the sheer fact he’s an UFA, leaving for less money, but then happy to tell everyone of how they plan to target contracted players all over the comp(Merrett, LDU, Callaghan etc).
 
beside the seaside said:
Here's a crazy idea... maybe bigfooty posters don't know the full story?

But no of course not, Saints r crap organisation Hawks r number1 amirite
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Hawks fans are pretty bullish having matched the Saints 2023 season (with the + of facing the Bulldogs in the elim final) with the help of a bottom 4 draw.

Nothing wrong with that.

Picking up Battle is a win.

A Band one for Saints is a win, band 2 is a loss.

The rest is tribal chest beating
 
cryptor said:
On reflection, Ross Lyon outing that Battle was in talks with Hawthorn early in the season putting that on the media's radar was pretty toxic behaviour. Most club coaches tend to steer clear of discussing those types of topics, even when it's already in the public sphere and they've been asked directly about it. Instead Ross puts a spotlight on it.

No doubt Battle has then been hounded by Saints people all year about what he's doing as a result. The rumours that made it to Hawthorn were that he's spent a lot of this year being pressured with emotional manipulation tactics to either stay or push the Hawks to ensure Saints get band 1 compo - which he apparently did try but Hawks have held firm.

From all I've heard and seen this year it's clear to me that Battle loved St Kilda and it was genuinely a hard decision to leave. St Kilda as a club should be asking themselves how it is that such a player ends up walking away from them and the (eventually) biggest financial offer put to him.

Will they reflect on the initial contract offers they put to him that had him qualify for UFA at his age and left him open to exploring his options? The impact of Ross Lyon outing that he was exploring his options? The apparent club-wide campaign to manipulate him into providing them with a favourable outcome? The choice to uninvite him to their B&F night and how that reflects on them as a club to players both at St Kilda and other clubs? Or will they just continue to wallow in the mindset that poor outcomes for their club have nothing to do with their choices/actions but are just further evidence of "the system" being out to get them?
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Ultimately, if you're leaving your place of employment, it's usually for one or more of these reasons:

More Money
More Opportunity
More Freedom with your role
Play with Friends
Conflict avoidance
Future Success and vision
Location


So on the above:
Money = By accounts hawthorn offering less, so no
More Opportunity and development = He's a regular 22 player now, so maybe for development?
Role = Unknown where Hawthorn will play him, but it sounds like Backline and swinging forward if reqd, so no
Friends = Again, by accounts, lots of good friends at St Kilda, i don't know if better mates at Hawks, so maybe
Conflict = I have NFI, maybe he doesn't like some coaches or players?, so maybe
Future Success and vision = Mitchell seems to be very good at getting people to understand his vision and improving them, i'd lean to this being a valid reason.
location = both Melbourne based, so no.


So the only things i can come up with are basically Hawthorn suggesting they can make him a better player/person and have a clear vision for both that and the progress of the club.
With a smattering of personal conflict and maybe childhood friends playing there?
 
Dragz said:
Ultimately, if you're leaving your place of employment, it's usually for one or more of these reasons:

More Money
More Opportunity
More Freedom with your role
Play with Friends
Conflict avoidance
Future Success and vision
Location


So on the above:
Money = By accounts hawthorn offering less, so no
More Opportunity and development = He's a regular 22 player now, so maybe for development?
Role = Unknown where Hawthorn will play him, but it sounds like Backline and swinging forward if reqd, so no
Friends = Again, by accounts, lots of good friends at St Kilda, i don't know if better mates at Hawks, so maybe
Conflict = I have NFI, maybe he doesn't like some coaches or players?, so maybe
Future Success and vision = Mitchell seems to be very good at getting people to understand his vision and improving them, i'd lean to this being a valid reason.
location = both Melbourne based, so no.


So the only things i can come up with are basically Hawthorn suggesting they can make him a better player/person and have a clear vision for both that and the progress of the club.
With a smattering of personal conflict and maybe childhood friends playing there?
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Good mates with Jack Scrimshaw they played together as teenagers at school footy. I believe there was another link, can’t recall which Hawk it was though.
 
CaptainWorpedo said:
Good mates with Jack Scrimshaw they played together as teenagers at school footy. I believe there was another link, can’t recall which Hawk it was though.
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not afraid of Dingley either, having gone to school in Keysy.
 
Dragz said:
Ultimately, if you're leaving your place of employment, it's usually for one or more of these reasons:

More Money
More Opportunity
More Freedom with your role
Play with Friends
Conflict avoidance
Future Success and vision
Location


So on the above:
Money = By accounts hawthorn offering less, so no
More Opportunity and development = He's a regular 22 player now, so maybe for development?
Role = Unknown where Hawthorn will play him, but it sounds like Backline and swinging forward if reqd, so no
Friends = Again, by accounts, lots of good friends at St Kilda, i don't know if better mates at Hawks, so maybe
Conflict = I have NFI, maybe he doesn't like some coaches or players?, so maybe
Future Success and vision = Mitchell seems to be very good at getting people to understand his vision and improving them, i'd lean to this being a valid reason.
location = both Melbourne based, so no.


So the only things i can come up with are basically Hawthorn suggesting they can make him a better player/person and have a clear vision for both that and the progress of the club.
With a smattering of personal conflict and maybe childhood friends playing there?
Click to expand...
I think he was genuinely happy at St Kilda and probably still felt valued there despite not being among the top paid players on his current deal. His management would've done their job and leveraged the fact he is an UFA and canvassed clubs for interest.

There's plenty of anecdotes over the last few years from players and draftees about how well Sam Mitchell presents and sells his vision with specifics about how they will fit in. Notably Jack Bowes almost being flipped by an 11th hour presentation when Geelong had been working on him for many months.

I think Battle probably met with some clubs just with the intention to get his market value out of the Saints but ultimately ended up being sold on what Sam Mitchell is putting together at Hawthorn along with a lot more money than the Saints had initially been offering.

Once you've mentally committed to a big life decision like that it's going to take more than a bit more money to change your mind. And ultimately the way he's been treated on the way out would have confirmed to him that he's made the right choice.

Saints people might feel that treatment is justified because he allegedly told people to their faces that he was staying before breaking that he was leaving via text the next day. But they should ask themselves, if that's true why he would feel like he needed to do that? The same guy who gave his all and finished 3rd in their B&F and wanted to take his kids through the banner in what was his last game at the club. Doesn't sound like a guy who couldn't wait to get out and was intentionally trying to mislead anyone.
 
Falchoon said:
Hawks fans are pretty bullish having matched the Saints 2023 season (with the + of facing the Bulldogs in the elim final) with the help of a bottom 4 draw.

Nothing wrong with that.

Picking up Battle is a win.

A Band one for Saints is a win, band 2 is a loss.

The rest is tribal chest beating
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We would be bullish for 2025 mate given Battle and Barrass coming in. It is only going to strengthen us. Give us more flexibility.

If you are going to talk about the draw you need to do it at the start of the season and if you did that our draw was the 5th hardest according to the pundits that do this every year.

There is always a chance we go backwards 2025. However the reasons for our rise make me more comfortable with where we finished.
 

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Unrestricted Free Agent Josh Battle “Make me a Hawk”

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