Delisted #17: James Stewart - Will be delisted despite having a year on his contract - 24/8

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Contract Status: Unrestricted Free Agent 2024 Delisted 2023
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Bit of interest from St.Kilda and Sydney according to this pretty confronting and in depth article from Herald Sun James Stewart opens up on the death of father Craig and being delisted by Essendon with a year to go on his contract

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James Stewart opens up on the death of father Craig and being delisted by Essendon with a year to go on his contract​

Not long after James Stewart was lost in ‘mental fog’ processing the sudden death of father Craig, his Essendon contract was torn up with a year to run. He opens up to Jon Ralph.
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Amid the shock and confusion of his Essendon delisting with a season left on his contract, James Stewart went searching for clarity.
How could a seemingly iron-clad contract actually guarantee very little about your football future?

In a season where Stewart spent weeks in a “mental fog” processing the sudden death of father Craig Stewart, a 150-game ‘Hafey’s Hero’ at the Pies and Richmond, was it legal to sack him mid-contract?

As former GWS and Essendon swingman Stewart told this masthead this week, the answers said everything about the ruthless nature of the code.

The 29-year-old has just returned from a Bali training camp injury free after season-long foot issues, and is adamant he has years of high-level football ahead.

His seven-year stint at the Dons might be over, but, as he explores new opportunities across the AFL, he is also hopeful his situation does not become a league-wide trend.
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https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/...s/news-story/c1b3bb35c1009fb60c3558434370b2cb
Stewart, Carlton’s Lachie O’Brien and Port Adelaide’s Jake Pasini have all been delisted in recent weeks with a year left on existing contracts, as clubs make brutal decisions on contracted players.

“Prior to this year I hadn’t seen it happen too often,” said Stewart.

“It was mostly older players with injuries who agreed to finish up. I did look into it, even if I knew it wouldn’t change Essendon’s decision. But I was told a contract protects your cash, it doesn’t protect your list spot.

“I found it difficult to rationalise the decision. At the end of the day I have to accept it. But I am in a spot where at 29 I feel I have got so much great footy ahead of me.”

Already St Kilda has shown some interest in Stewart training with the club over summer for a list spot, with his management assessing the level of interest at Sydney.

He could effectively be free to a good home, given his Essendon contract might offset a new 2024 deal, but his only desire is to find a new landing spot.
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Stewart was already battling a long-running foot issue when a challenging season turned tragic.

Father Craig passed away in the first days of June, taking away James’ best friend and football mentor.

“We were best mates. Talk about being a part of your life and footy journey. He was that. We spoke twice a day. I would ring him on the way home from training every day. We were extremely close. So close that I still haven’t processed that he is gone. I still feel like his number will bob up and he will give me a call. It’s very, very strange and surreal,” he said.

“I really struggled for a couple of months. I took time away from the club and found it really difficult.

“I am not the only one to go through such a sudden and unexpected loss of a close family member, but I had never experienced it. Dad was so deeply connected to my footy journey and career and he is such a massive part of why I played.”

Stewart eventually returned to the club and football, playing two late-season games in the VFL at a club that was about to bring Ben McKay into its defensive makeup.

Then came a decision from Essendon that Stewart believes should have been done with some more tact and compassion from coach Brad Scott.

“There was no forewarning. I am realistic that I have to perform but at the same time I had taken time away and then was gearing up for 2024. My body was in such a good spot and I wanted to crack back in and play finals with the team and get ready for 2024,” he said.

“I got pulled into a meeting before the last round of the season and had a discussion. I knew I was leaving my run late but I was pulled into a meeting and they said this decision has been made.

“I said I would have hoped to have your backing but I will roll up and prove you wrong.

“I have been around the industry long enough to know not many of us get a Joel Selwood-style ending but at the same time I think it could have been handled better.”

n the end, Stewart’s own injury history might have counted against him – only six AFL games since 2021 – with a club keen to give young key back Zach Reid chances alongside McKay.

It didn’t make it easier for Stewart to hear.

“I was only just coming out of the mental fog of everything I have been through. That is starting to clear up so it’s an interesting spot to be in but it could be a real springboard for me and I think it will be. I am physically in amazing condition. My body is clean and that’s what makes it harder.

“There were moments where, as an experienced player who has been in and around the industry, you can have an open and honest conversation with your players. There was no forewarning but I am more than motivated given what I have been through. The motivation shifts. Not to prove people there wrong, but to prove people like my dad right who believe in me and what I can do.”

Stewart is emphatic that his best football – whether in attack or defence – is good enough if he can only be given another chance.

“I am sitting here at 29 as fit as I was at 15. I am in my prime window. That is where it is hard. I am not ready to walk away from footy. I am so bullish about my ability and where I am in my career.

“The people who made the decision didn’t get to see me at my full potential but in your career you have ups and downs so sometimes things happen for a reason.
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Probably sounds a bit harsh but it seems like James is the only one who did not see it coming.
 

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DERO said:
Probably sounds a bit harsh but it seems like James is the only one who did not see it coming.
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I think with a contract you’re probably entitled to think you’re safe.

Very, very few players have their contract terminated and paid out. He wouldn’t have seen it coming, which is fair enough.

If he is as fit as he says he is (which I doubt) then it wouldn’t have hurt us to keep him around in the VFL as backup - we’re still very short down back.

I wonder if the decision was made before BZT bailed out.

If McKay gets injured then we may well regret the move. We will be a mess down back.

But all in all, we have a recent history of holding to clearly injury-prone players for far too long, so I get we made the call.

Hopefully Stewart finds a new home, if not, we’re still paying him and he has some time to move into his post footy career.
 
Bunk Moreland said:
I think with a contract you’re probably entitled to think you’re safe.

Very, very few players have their contract terminated and paid out. He wouldn’t have seen it coming, which is fair enough.

If he is as fit as he says he is (which I doubt) then it wouldn’t have hurt us to keep him around in the VFL as backup - we’re still very short down back.

I wonder if the decision was made before BZT bailed out.

If McKay gets injured then we may well regret the move. We will be a mess down back.

But all in all, we have a recent history of holding to clearly injury-prone players for far too long, so I get we made the call.

Hopefully Stewart finds a new home, if not, we’re still paying him and he has some time to move into his post footy career.
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Article suggests Sydney and St.Kilda (whom James is training with atm) have shown some interest

Be a handy little silver lining to us if we delisted him and his 'contract' is absolved and we don't need to include it in the salary cap for next year (is that how this situation works??)
 
Yoda_ said:
Article suggests Sydney and St.Kilda (whom James is training with atm) have shown some interest

Be a handy little silver lining to us if we delisted him and his 'contract' is absolved and we don't need to include it in the salary cap for next year (is that how this situation works??)
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I think whatever he earns at his new club comes off what we pay him.

It is possibly a little strange that we didn’t even explore the possibility of trading him - just put him on the table as free to good home, for a draft pick you’re not going to use, and we’ll pay as much of his contract as is required. Same situation but might have helped him find a home. Perhaps we did and there were no bites, I dunno.
 
In a sense I feel sorry for him. Losing a father and a job within 3-4 months is tough. But surely his manager should have at least been in his ear that at 29, off 2 injuries as a fringe player, his career is always a year to year proposition regardless of his contract length.
 
Obviously dealing with his Dad’s death is sad and compounds the brutality but you’ve gotta laugh at ‘you don’t see it too often, mainly with older blokes who are injured’.

James has played 6 games in 2 years and will be 30 by the time next season starts.
 
thebigboy said:
In a sense I feel sorry for him. Losing a father and a job within 3-4 months is tough. But surely his manager should have at least been in his ear that at 29, off 2 injuries as a fringe player, his career is always a year to year proposition regardless of his contract length.
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Agreed - I absolutely feel sorry for him - absolutely awful, the stuff with his old man.

'There was no forewarning' is a bit of a strange thing for him to say. He was told before the season had even ended.
 
thebigboy said:
In a sense I feel sorry for him. Losing a father and a job within 3-4 months is tough. But surely his manager should have at least been in his ear that at 29, off 2 injuries as a fringe player, his career is always a year to year proposition regardless of his contract length.
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Not just a job but potentially a career. Moving on from full time professional athlete is hard enough as it is, especially if he was studying or working or something and all of that was recently interrupted with covid.
 
TheGreatBarryB said:
If McKay cops a longish term injury we're f***** , so would've thought we'd keep him for his last year of contract especially as we aren't sure Reid can stand up.
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If that happened we would do what we did this year… Ridley, Laverde, Baldwin, Weideman. Assuming Reid is also unavailable. there’s also Cox being set up as a defender now, and Hayes (skinny though they are)
 

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Lore said:
If that happened we would do what we did this year… Ridley, Laverde, Baldwin, Weideman. Assuming Reid is also unavailable. there’s also Cox being set up as a defender now, and Hayes (skinny though they are)
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thebigboy said:
I think the plan would be to use Baldwin, Hayes or even Weiderman as a backup down back to cover.
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Like I said we're f*****. That's this year minus Zerk
 
Truthfully he has done nothing to show he could cover for Brown if he did get injured. He is one less ‘if’ he is fit to worry about.
 
Bunk Moreland said:
I think with a contract you’re probably entitled to think you’re safe.

Very, very few players have their contract terminated and paid out. He wouldn’t have seen it coming, which is fair enough.

If he is as fit as he says he is (which I doubt) then it wouldn’t have hurt us to keep him around in the VFL as backup - we’re still very short down back.

I wonder if the decision was made before BZT bailed out.

If McKay gets injured then we may well regret the move. We will be a mess down back.

But all in all, we have a recent history of holding to clearly injury-prone players for far too long, so I get we made the call.

Hopefully Stewart finds a new home, if not, we’re still paying him and he has some time to move into his post footy career.
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He'll be ok.
 
TheGreatBarryB said:
Good Lord!!! We are well and truly.


We could recover
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You're talking about depth cover for the depth cover. We can’t have a dozen tall defenders on the list… the lists aren’t big enough for that.
 
Lore said:
You're talking about depth cover for the depth cover. We can’t have a dozen tall defenders on the list… the lists aren’t big enough for that.
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We're well covered anyway, why else did we draft the Davey twins if not to play CHF and CHB?

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Footy is not a long-term career. You ride it as long as you can, and have your plan B ready to go when your time is up. Sadly, his father has passed, but this is an unfortunate event that all of us will deal with at some point.

Stewart is getting paid out for next year, maybe he gets another offer, if not he can use the year to get himself set up (and his family) for the next career.

edit: If I had only turned up to work 6 times in the last 2 years I wouldn't be surprised if my employer pulled the pin. :cool:
 
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