Strategy Trade and List management Thread Part 5 (opposition supporters - READ posting rules before posting)

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Am I the only one who has no emotional attachment to Dunkley and only ever viewed him as a mercenary? He is only interested in money I have no resentment for him for that but it's stopped me having any emotional investment in him hence i'm not worried if he goes or not as long as we are fairly compensated

Any time he touched the ball or did something admirable on the field , it felt like I was a neutral applauding a player from another team. It’s like a marriage when the partners only stay together for the kids, I’d mentally separated from him last year .

In fairness he’s been nothing but professional. He’s a very good player but he’ll never be a great one. I’m not that bothered .
 
Ahh here comes the revisionist "poor country boy" claptrap.

Griffen was club captain.

Was asked several times if he could work with the coach by our president and football manager. Said "yes" to both more than once including in exit interviews.

It has since come out that GWS were speaking to him as early as April that year.

He forced a trade to them and only them, whilst cowardly running off to go bush.


Being an idiot isn't a defence against acting with no honour and actively destroying the place that drafted and nurtured you.

Griffen is not forgiven.
 

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Ahh here comes the revisionist "poor country boy" claptrap.

Griffen was club captain.

Was asked several times if he could work with the coach by our president and football manager. Said "yes" to both more than once including in exit interviews.

It has since come out that GWS were speaking to him as early as April that year.

He forced a trade to them and only them, whilst cowardly running off to go bush.


Being an idiot isn't a defence against acting with no honour and actively destroying the place that drafted and nurtured you.

Griffen is not forgiven.
If only it was that simple. Having been in multiple AFL environments in a few different roles, it is NEVER that clear cut.
 
I’m not really fussed about players coming and going, it is what it is. Probably only a few players I’d be absolutely shattered to see leave (Liber, Bont, Macrae, Naughton). It’s moreso the way it’s playing out.

If you want to go Josh then do it. Don’t drag it out.

I’ve said it earlier but it just sucks, cos on field you can’t handle how Josh has handled his footy since the first trade request. It’s the pricks in his ear giving him advice.
 
Griff was a not too bright bloke who didn't realise the magnitude of what he was doing. B-Mac shoulders a fair portion of the blame.
Brown was low-balled after an AA season, not a fan of the guy but we didn't have the cash to keep all of our stars.

Ironically, Brown said later that he'd have made more money had he stayed with the Dogs.

The peninsula based property deals offered to him, Richo and others by Gary March, the Richmond Pres, fell over, leaving him out of pocket.

Pretty fortunate to have had a media career upon retirement, Browny. He often said he had no skills outside of footy and had to make as much as possible from the game.




PS: whatever happened to Blackbyrd T-shirts?
 
Ironically, Brown said later that he'd have made more money had he stayed with the Dogs.

The peninsula based property deals offered to him, Richo and others by Gary March, the Richmond Pres, fell over, leaving him out of pocket.

Pretty fortunate to have had a media career upon retirement, Browny. He often said he had no skills outside of footy and had to make as much as possible from the game.
Shame that Brown works for Sportsbet and tries to brainwash everyone. Has no morals.
 
B-Mac had a large role to play in why Griff made the decision he did. Would be hard to think that a lot of folk in their workplace would do anything different given similar circumstances. Would be good if the full story of his decision came out but Griff is definitely not entirely to blame.
This from someone who knows him.
I remember at the last B&F under BMac, the whole occasion had a gloomy atmosphere. In Griffen’s speech he made mention of Eade - “he taught us to win”. Something the current coach wasn’t doing. Must have been very frustrating for all the players to be basically told not to worry about winning and to evolve a new game plan.
 
B-Mac had a large role to play in why Griff made the decision he did. Would be hard to think that a lot of folk in their workplace would do anything different given similar circumstances. Would be good if the full story of his decision came out but Griff is definitely not entirely to blame.
This from someone who knows him.

Griff should shoulder the least amount of blame. The most should sit with the club. Most of the rest with Macca for losing the players as hard and as fast as he did.

It’s incredibly poor that the club let the relationship between coach and captain (and some players) get to the point where the captain wanted to leave and the coach had to be sacked. Luckily we turned it around so quickly in 2015. All was forgotten.

I really feel for Ryan, it must’ve been an awful thing to go through. Particularly after giving 10+ years to the club.
 

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Ironically, Brown said later that he'd have made more money had he stayed with the Dogs.

The peninsula based property deals offered to him, Richo and others by Gary March, the Richmond Pres, fell over, leaving him out of pocket.

Pretty fortunate to have had a media career upon retirement, Browny. He often said he had no skills outside of footy and had to make as much as possible from the game.




PS: whatever happened to Blackbyrd T-shirts?
Was shattered when Brown left was one of my favourite players growing up
 
Griffen was in control of his actions. Those were his actions.
That there is blame to lay elsewhere is true but this does not absolve him.
I'm not trying to absolve anyone or point the finger at one person. All parties had a role to play clearly, and if you and others can't forgive Griff for his choices then that's all good with me. All I was trying to point out is that it is never a one way street in these things.
 
Griff should shoulder the least amount of blame. The most should sit with the club. Most of the rest with Macca for losing the players as hard and as fast as he did.

It’s incredibly poor that the club let the relationship between coach and captain (and some players) get to the point where the captain wanted to leave and the coach had to be sacked. Luckily we turned it around so quickly in 2015. All was forgotten.

I really feel for Ryan, it must’ve been an awful thing to go through. Particularly after giving 10+ years to the club.
100%
 
I never warmed to Dunkley even before 2020, I mean good player and libba going down in 2019 led to him having a career best year with AA squad selection so he can obviously play as we know.

2020 and some of the leaks/rumours about Dunkley certainly didn't help. Particularly the logic he used about the trade request certainly didn't add up and ill summerise.

1) obviously requested a trade 2 years left in a contract plus knowing that a potential number 1 academy selection in Jamarra was going to completely compramise not only what Essendon could offer but what we would accept. The timing of it was horrendous. The logic even worse.

2) Come back to the club and the article "I just want to win" is released by our website. This is after he requested a club to one of the poorest performing clubs in the past decade meanwhile he won a premiership with us and made finals 2 years in a row, with a list proven that would make finals in the future. Once again the logic was floored.

3)The rumours that he wanted a trade because of professional standards once again doesn't cut the mustard. Requesting a trade to a club that had got 30 odd players banned for 12 months in it's modern history doesn't really stack up. Furthermore playing alongside one of the more unprofessional players in the AFL (Whom he had first hand experience of how unproffesional he is) also doesn't really stand up. Not to mention their whole organisation has proven what an absolute rabble they are over the past 3-4 weeks.

4) He now is eyeing off interstate sides, once again this is only a rumour but it's widely speculated that if Dunkley would be playing for Sydney if an interstate side nominated him. He was either playing for a victorian club or sydney. I'm sure that was pushed heavily by the dunkley camp.

Just my opinion but often the logic is floored and his words often contradict his actions.

No doubt that he believes his main marketing and leadership aspirations have been snuffed out. He's too close in age to Bont to be captain for any duration of time (probably a younger guy like Naughton will be groomed for the role), not to mention his marketing opportunities aren't as prevelent as players like Bont, Smith, Naughton etc.

Interesting to see if he chooses Brisbane, they will have an old captain with plenty of question marks as to whether he will retain the role for much longer.
 
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I'm not trying to absolve anyone or point the finger at one person. All parties had a role to play clearly, and if you and others can't forgive Griff for his choices then that's all good with me. All I was trying to point out is that it is never a one way street in these things.
The problem I have is that was not a point anyone was making.
 
McCartney was such a knob. People think Beveridge can be hard to listen to, go watch any of our press conferences in 2013/14.

The media would try talk up players like Bont and Macrae and he’d try talk them down saying they’re just “players”.

No wonder things turned around so quickly.
 
Griff should shoulder the least amount of blame. The most should sit with the club. Most of the rest with Macca for losing the players as hard and as fast as he did.

It’s incredibly poor that the club let the relationship between coach and captain (and some players) get to the point where the captain wanted to leave and the coach had to be sacked. Luckily we turned it around so quickly in 2015. All was forgotten.

I really feel for Ryan, it must’ve been an awful thing to go through. Particularly after giving 10+ years to the club.
Yes, I think he hoped it would have improved. Was he a reluctant captain? Seemed ill at ease in the media spotlight and has avoided it ever since.
 
I go to training once a week with some mates Dunkley always comes sits down and chats with us he is often seen after training kicking the ball with kids he is a great bloke and clubman.
So I am astonished he is leaving he has strong morals so he must be unhappy with someone but there is dick heads at all clubs.
 
Should be all in for Grundy not sure why we aren’t chasing him..

Im all for opportunistic trades, but part of being opportunistic is a low-ball price. Grundy will cost all of the magic beans we need to secure the player(s) we really do need, which is clearly a decent key defender.

I also agree that we need players with a bit of grunt prepared to run and carry and kick, particularly through the midfield.
 
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