To trade or not to trade Brad Sewell ?

[Rioli magic]

That's one mighty expensive depth player........You would think he'd be on 450 k, you can fix holes, or recruit potential young mids with that kinda coin.

Not much you can do about it, hence this whole conversation is pointless. IF Sewell was going to be traded, it should have happened years ago.

 

[Steven Tyler]

That's obvious......it still doesn't take away our limitations and deficiencies though the midfield though.

My point, and I'm probably not spelling it out too well, is that when the whips are cracking come Sept, our guns will be in their best positions, therefore our performance will improve

 

[Matt Stevic]

Football is a business.

I reckon it's strange that people say that. Footy is based on nothing but emotion. Without it, it's just 36 blokes in a 2 hour long, very large, very homosexual orgy, and not much more. We don't HAVE to follow the Hawks. Trading a player that's Hawthorn through and through, like Sewell is, for barely any benefit, is just stupid. We don't like it when our players treat the club like rubbish (take a look at the Buddy contract stuff), so why should our club treat the players that make the club the same way? "Footy is a business" is like what Carlton fans said after knifing a club legend last year.

Keep Sewell. He's worth more to us than he would be in a trade. Forcibly retiring him is as stupid a decision as forcibly retiring Michael Tuck.

SCHOENMAKERS2PUOPOLO

 

[NICE1]

That's one mighty expensive depth player........You would think he'd be on 450 k, you can fix holes, or recruit potential young mids with that kinda coin.

I agree, but the reality is, i really cant see our club trading a player like Sewell...pretty confident that wont happen regardless of what gets put on the table.

 

[Endorphin Machine]

Pretty offensive thread . He stays and he lifts . Simple.

 

[dipper86]

I reckon it's strange that people say that. Footy is based on nothing but emotion. Without it, it's just 36 blokes in a 2 hour long, very large, very homosexual orgy, and not much more. We don't HAVE to follow the Hawks. Trading a player that's Hawthorn through and through, like Sewell is, for barely any benefit, is just stupid. We don't like it when our players treat the club like rubbish (take a look at the Buddy contract stuff), so why should our club treat the players that make the club the same way? "Footy is a business" is like what Carlton fans said after knifing a club legend last year.

Keep Sewell. He's worth more to us than he would be in a trade. Forcibly retiring him is as stupid a decision as forcibly retiring Michael Tuck.

SCHOENMAKERS2PUOPOLO

It may be emotional on the ground but it certainly isn't off it. The board is there to achieve Premierships, we as supporters demand premierships and success. If we have emotional people running our club, then its seriously in trouble. Hard decisions need to be made whether you like it or not. These same hard decisions were made when Clarkson arrived at our club. With Holland Barker Hay etc. If a player is no longer in our best side and told he will be played in the twos, he should be given the opportunity to continue his career somewhere else or retire, no matter what we get in return. The club is bigger than any individual. We shouldn't be forced to keep a player because its the right thing to do at the expense of our team our list and our continued success.

 

[dipper86]

Pretty offensive thread . He stays and he lifts . Simple.

How is it offensive?

 

[Arrogant Frog]

Depends what you get for him. I still think he is a valuable player and certainly wouldn't trade him away for the sake of it, but if we were able to get a really good young player (like trading Gilham for Jed Anderson) or 1st or 2nd round draft pick, then you would have to consider it. Otherwise I would hold on to him. Sewell is a proud man, I'm sure his performances will lift with the business end of the season approaching.

I do think, as most on this board do as well, that we desperately need some more young mids coming through with Sewell, Mitchell, Burgers and Hodge in their twighlight years.

 

[Beandip]

Pretty offensive thread . He stays and he lifts . Simple.

Isn't half the debate around whether he CAN lift... sometimes players just get worn down and/or passed by; and it's often the clubs that make the tough decisions that benefit. Sewell has been a great clubman, and trading/retiring/whatever can't take that away from him. But you also need to consider that he has lost his edge, he's not getting any younger; and each week he keeps a younger player out of the side. How can we effectively succession plan when we have the same inside mids week-in week-out?

 

[Endorphin Machine]

Cant just start talk of trading players like Sewell once they have a few ordinary weeks. You dont know what is going on with him , he may be carrying an injury and the lay off may just be an excuse to rest him. May be other factors we dont know of.
We've managed our list well this year with several players taking their turn off, be it suspension, injury, sickness. Maybe it was just his turn.
He's never been overly quick btw.

 

[madhawksfan]

Not after tonight. Showed his worth to the side in a game that was hot early. I'm backing him to be Mr September again.

 

[Flukey!]

Sewellys answer was pretty emphatic.

 

[TAITA]

You do have to wonder......

Form is temporary.

Class is permanent.

 

[H2F]

You do have to wonder......

Form is temporary.

Class is permanent.

And you are class brother!

 

[BlueJet]

I reckon it's strange that people say that. Footy is based on nothing but emotion. Without it, it's just 36 blokes in a 2 hour long, very large, very homosexual orgy, and not much more. We don't HAVE to follow the Hawks. Trading a player that's Hawthorn through and through, like Sewell is, for barely any benefit, is just stupid. We don't like it when our players treat the club like rubbish (take a look at the Buddy contract stuff), so why should our club treat the players that make the club the same way? "Footy is a business" is like what Carlton fans said after knifing a club legend last year.

Keep Sewell. He's worth more to us than he would be in a trade. Forcibly retiring him is as stupid a decision as forcibly retiring Michael Tuck.

SCHOENMAKERS2PUOPOLO

I was/still am pissed off in the manner it happened.
On topic though, Sewell was immense tonight, especially early on. You guys would obviously know better than I but he seems to be someone who's unanimously respected by his peers, so I'd suggest trading him wouldn't be worth it, not to mention that he generally rises to the occasion in big games.
I'd love a player like him at Carlton.
Anyway, enjoy the win, your mob are absolutely flying!

 

[WillowSF]

The club can trade a player in a very respectful manner so I would not necessarily rule it out. Our aim is to win premierships so you have to set aside emotion for the right deal. However Sewell has been one of the key players in our resurgence over the past 7-8 years so as a supporter it would hurt to see him leave. He always stands up when the heat is on. (Just look at his two grand final performances.) Unfortunately his disposal is not where it should be and may cost him his spot on the list at the end of the year. Difficult decision for the club but one worth considering.

 

[JoeHawk]

Loved Sewell game game tonight. That's the Sewell we know. Keep it up!

 

[La Vache]

Most Sewell-like performance of the season from him. A beacon when the game was red-hot.

If he plays like that from now on he's not going anywhere. Was the right decision to drop him I think.

 

[rjslcM]

I agree that this thread is bordering on offensive.
The thread title is as if we only have one choice, and if he stays it's going to be a burden.

I know it's discussion, however it's tastes like X who helps his friend B with his business through thick or thin, especially when they're struggling. Then, when B's business becomes a multi million dollar company, and his X finances have crashed, B completely forgets him.

It's easy to bite back at posters calling for his head after a better performance last night.
But I did say

To trade or not to trade Brad Sewell? Not really the supporters position to decide.

I have faith he can come back and play some really good football but if he doesn't show that before the finals, then he doesn't keep his spot.

Where to go after that at the end of the year completely depends on those circumstances and it's just way too early to be creating such a thread IMO.

The main point I want to make is, such a thread is just far too premature. You would have expected a thread reading 'What does Brad Sewell need to do to regain his form, where is he going wrong?'. But to skip all the thought on how he could improve, and just jump straight into trading him, just isn't right IMO.

Next time a player is out of form can the good posters please discuss what this player needs to do first, perhaps being more constructive, rather than almost just turn our backs on them.

Well done on a better game last night Brad.

 

[TAITA]

Interesting tidbit in todays' bin liner about the upcoming Fox Footy special "Richmond - the lost years" about how a club can sell it's soul and future for a 'sensible' business decision and end up in the shitter for three decades.

You will get no argument from me Dipper that clubs' must be run professionally, and the room for sentiment is diminishing. However, sentiment must always have a place - or footy will have finally sold all that remains of what made it special.

I support Hawthorn because of what the club epitomises, the fact that this club not only plays footy but does many great things in the community and the kinship (believe it or not) that I feel with other like minded people all over the country, and planet for that matter. It gives me not only great enjoyment, but a sense of pride.

I could not feel the same way about a souless, corporate conglomerate that spat out minions like a chipping machine in single minded pursuit of victory at any cost. I could not see anyone wanting to play for it. Footy is a business but footy is also supposed to be fun, amongst a gamut of emotions you will experience over your footy career - needless to say, lifelong friendships are formed on the footy field.

And that's why Sewelly, a former Peter Crimmins Medalist and a great of our club over a great period for us, gets a bit more than 6 weeks of pretty average footy before I demand he be traded or retire. As I stated a month ago - there is no better tagger in the game now, let him find the footy that way or give him an extended run at Box Hill - but the man deserves a lot more respect than this thread is showing him.

 

[eldorado]

If he wanted a trade because he saw the writing on the wall, definitely...

If he wants to stay, to work for his place in the 22, he stays.

It's not as if he's a liability, he'd be best 22 in pretty much every other side, so which team is going to give us more than that for him?

 

[Brishawk]

I think the game has just gotten too quick for him. Typically he has averaged 4-5 marks per game. Last year that dropped to 2.5 and is a similar figure this year. Tells me he isn't making space to get the ball and is relying on his inside game which has also being less effective.

The biggest drop offs for Sewell are in regards to contested possessions and clearances. In 2012 48.4% of possessions were contested compared to 38.7% in 2013. Almost the entire difference in average disposals between 2012 and 2013 can bee seen in his contested possession difference.

2012/2013
Disp Avg: 25.3/20.7 = -4.6
Contested Pos: 12.3/8.2 = -4.1
Uncontested: 13.2/12.9 = -0.3

We can see an even bigger drop off in his clearance work. His numbers are half of what they were last year.

2012/2013
Clearance Avg: 5.8/2.9 = -2.9
Centre Cl Avg: 2.5/1.1 = -1.4

Normally when a player wins more ball on the outside his DE improves. Sewell has had the opposite as his DE has dropped form 69.7 in 2012 to 66.9 in 2013.

The one thing Sewell continues to do well is tackle. He is leading our tackle averages with 5 per game.

Over all the signs are not good. To recapture his form of last year he would need win 50% more contested ball and double his clearance and centre clearance averages. That is a big ask of any player and I'd be amazed if he was able to do it at this stage of the season. The only question that remains for me is if he can improve enough to warrant a place in the side or are we better off testing the waters with Mitch Hallhan. Or do we play Whitcross and Hodge more through the middle and replace their roles with Half back flankers?

As a point of comparison I thought I would do a statistical comparison from last nights game against he season averages:

Rd18/2013/2102
Disp: 25/21/25.3 = Pass
Cont Pos: 12/8.5/12.3 = Pass
Unc Pos: 13/12.9/12.9 = Pass
DE%: 52%/65.6%/69.7 = Fail
Clr: 5/3.1/5.8 = Pass
Ctr Clr: 3/1.2/2.9 = Pass
Tkl: 4/4.9/5.3 = Pass

Essentially, he hit his 2012 season averages for most statistics last night without exceeding any of them. By 2012 standards this game would not figure in his top 10. In that regard we can say his game was a pass. It shouldn't be celebrated as a highlight of his season or vindication for those believed he would come good just because it was better than his previous 12 games. That is the standard to which he should play every week. In what was a very good team performance I would not have had him in my top 6. Just as one bad game doesn't signal the end, one good game should not signal the resurrection of his season. Lets hope this is the beginning of a return to 2012 form and that he can keep it up and be a force come finals.

 

[bumsonseats]

He aint going no-where.
Needed and got a bit of a kick in the pants.
Has been put on notice and will be at his peak come September

 

[H2F]

Where is KOLOLOLFLOGIS?

 

[Simon_Nesbit]

Where is KOLOLOLFLOGIS?

I was disappointed we let them get so close.

I had us down for a cruisy 10-goal victory, possibly pushing it towards another 100 point belting.

Simotronis.