Retired Ashley McGrath (2000-2014)

[Toffee Lion]

 

[Haso]

Ooh Aah Ash McGrath
10 Jul, 2012

I’ve done my hamstring tendon down next to my knee. It was painful at the time but as the week’s gone on it’s gotten better. Because tendons have a lot less blood flow, the medicos thought it was best for me to have surgery so that I’m right for next year. So I’ll go in for surgery tomorrow. Wish me luck!

 

[Haso]

Ash's caricature

 

[iBeng]

Ash's caricature

Anthony Mundine?

 

[Haso]

Ash with his daughter Mikayla. Tweeted by the Brisbane Lions

 

[MacMum]

Hope he didn't step on her...dear little pet

 

[Haso]

Ash has signed for two more years with the Lions

Ash will see out his days at the Lions
28 September 2012
Greg Davis

BRISBANE utility Ash McGrath will see out his playing days at the Lions after re-signing for two more seasons.

McGrath, 29, started his career with the club in 2001 and played in Brisbane's 2003 flag.

He was eligible for free agency, but he never entertained the idea of leaving the Gabba.

"I was coming out of contract and I didn't want to go anywhere else'' McGrath said.

 

[Bert Man]

Ash has signed for two more years with the Lions

Ash will see out his days at the Lions
28 September 2012
Greg Davis

Good another two years of Ooh Aah Ash Mcgrath. In all seriousness it great to see such a great player sign on!

 

[Harris Specter]

Beautiful stuff, loved him as a player, let's hope he finishes with a great couple of seasons. Onya Ash!!

 

[iBeng]

Glad he stayed, West Coast/Freo wouldnt suit him anyway. A good solid 2 seasons in the forward line to pass on more experience to the likes of Green and kick some match winning bags for us!

 

[acuguy]

Massive signing, i am banking on these 2 years being his best at the club.

 

[MacMum]

Excellent news

 

[luthor]

I thought we really struggled for a while after he went down with injury. He was playing top drawer footy as a small forward at the time.

Really happy he has re-signed

 

[Crimso]

2, maybe 3 seasons back I thought he was finished, in fact, like a lot on here at the time, thought he was a talent never fulfilled. I'm so glad to be proven wrong!

 

[lionshine]

Woo! Great news. Go get em Ash!

 

[Haso]

Woo! Great news. Go get em Ash!

Let him finish his Maccas first, then he'll get onto it

 

[WhiteLionFeva]

Great outcome for Ash and Us. Bit disappointed though that Blacky wasn't given a two year extension last year as well. The one year thing was a bit of a slur IMO, although fair enough this year.

 

[T Rick]

Great outcome for Ash and Us. Bit disappointed though that Blacky wasn't given a two year extension last year as well. The one year thing was a bit of a slur IMO, although fair enough this year.

Ash is only 29 and a 2 year contract takes him to 31 in 2014. Blacky was 32 last year and a 2 year contract at that stage would have taken him to 34 in 2013. Seems a prudent contract strategy to me...

 

[Crimso]

Let him finish his Maccas first, then he'll get onto it

That's below the belt....and a bit above it too

 

[WhiteLionFeva]

Ash is only 29 and a 2 year contract takes him to 31 in 2014. Blacky was 32 last year and a 2 year contract at that stage would have taken him to 34 in 2013. Seems a prudent contract strategy to me...

I don't think this is a matter of prudence. There is something to be said for honouring your champions. It was obvious last year that Blackie had two years left in him, as subsequent events have confirmed.

 

[MacMum]

When all is said and done, one year, two years, it doesn't really matter......as long as he can keep playing, we will give him a contract......how do we know that Simon himself hasn't asked for it to be done this way....he might not be sure himself how it will go, bodywise.

 

[dlanod]

I don't think this is a matter of prudence. There is something to be said for honouring your champions. It was obvious last year that Blackie had two years left in him, as subsequent events have confirmed.

Last year Black signed a contract for one year with an option given some (unknown) metrics that would trigger a second year. That would have fitted exactly what you described, assuming he met those metrics. This year he signed a new contract - that suggests he did not meet those metrics. We signed him on to a one year deal.

If he didn't meet the performance metrics required for an automatic extension this year, the club would be negligent to sign him for longer this time around when it's alrady apparent that he's not the same player. He's still a good player, but I'd hesitate to call him great or even very good any more. Mortgaging our salary cap for sentimental reasons just isn't a good strategy for a club aiming to improve.

 

[Hollow Knight]

Club has a policy of one year deals for 30+ year olds. Blanket policy, no exceptions. Even if you are Simon Black.

Ash is 29.

Why the confusion?

 

[Haso]

Injury update from Matt Hass

Ash had a couple of problems over the off-season. He’s had problematic wrists for a few seasons and so he had a reconstruction at the end of the season on his wrist. It was a fairly major operation. He was in a cast for a while and needed to have his wrist and elbow completely immobilised. So he’s just getting back now and going through physio to get his range and strength back. He also had the hamstring tendon injury which was repaired surgically and he’s pretty well over that and back into his running and hitting full speed. He’s already started his pre-season running program, the same as all the other boys.

 

[Haso]

Ash McGrath 2012 End of Season Review
by Jemima

2011 review

Senior games: 12
Goals: 11
Dreamteam: 803
Supercoach: 868
Club Best and Fairest votes: 12

Image (2012 preseason) courtesy of Mr Ripper

Ash McGrath was looking at another really good year in 2012 but it turned into a really disappointing season for him with only 12 games played.

For the first 10 rounds McGrath was used primarily in defence, with a very occasional run in the middle. He was quiet in the first two games of the season before coming into some good form in the round 3 loss to Freo. In the round 4 win over the Suns, despite some early errors, he put in a good performance with 28 disposals. His form remained solid thereafter and he had stronger games in the round 8 win over the Giants and the round 9 loss to North. In round 10 Ash suffered a knee injury early in the game but showed courage to last out the 4 quarters and be a part of the magnificent 2 point win over West Coast.

Following the bye and a week on the injured list, McGrath was moved forward against the Doggies in round 13 and slotted 5 goals. He has been used in the forward line to good effect in the past and some fellow supporters were also hopeful that he may spend more time in the forward line. The following week against Melbourne Ash kicked another 3 goals before being subbed off after suffering a hamstring injury in the third quarter. Unfortunately the injury was severe and required surgery, putting an end to Ash’s season. All being well, he will be able to complete the pre-season and come out firing next year.

At the end of the season, the Club announced McGrath had re-signed for a further 2 years. This is excellent news as he is a very versatile player who can be effective both at the back or up forward. The other exciting thing about his contract renewal is that we can look forward to welcoming Ash to the 200 Club sometime in 2013.