Certified Legendary Thread Future of James Aish, for a limited time only! (trolling opposition supporters automatic day off)

[whatboutbob]

Out of curiosity, if Aish re-signs now, how will folks feel about him?

I ask because for me Bradshaw never came close to being a fave because he played a similar game (at a time when the club was less...desperate...). For pretty much all of this past season I felt particularly remote from Aish to the point where I can't envisage getting excited about him re-signing. If he does re-sign I'll just assume that he went to market, didn't find a better offer so he will focus on showing better form and see what's around for every season henceforth, regardless of contract status. Welcome to the world of virtually unrestricted free agency...

Just wondering if I'm an outlier in this regard, or...

 

[Lace Out]

Suck and see job.If we are doing better than expected and Aish is going well all will be be forgotten.Then of course there is the other scenario.

 

[BangyBangy]

Oh yeah absolutely, but I get a feel it'll be different this time.... cant be certain of course

Yep, different situation. There was no go home 5 history back when Des left to go home. Having a club lose so many talented players (and Patrick Karnezis) for way under market value was a massive hit for the club. We've drafted extremely well in the circumstances to be honest, but getting back second round picks for your first rounders is far from ideal. I was surprised with Leigh's comments, but have no problem with that stance. It still is posturing & rhetoric, but it does underline a position which is 'you won't be getting our players for unders'.

 

[scoman]

Out of curiosity, if Aish re-signs now, how will folks feel about him?

I ask because for me Bradshaw never came close to being a fave because he played a similar game (at a time when the club was less...desperate...). For pretty much all of this past season I felt particularly remote from Aish to the point where I can't envisage getting excited about him re-signing. If he does re-sign I'll just assume that he went to market, didn't find a better offer so he will focus on showing better form and see what's around for every season henceforth, regardless of contract status. Welcome to the world of virtually unrestricted free agency...

Just wondering if I'm an outlier in this regard, or...

Very mixed feelings for me, even if it is a three year contract. Cant help but feel we are his backup plan.

Will take some seriously good football to turn me around.

 

[dlanod]

Out of curiosity, if Aish re-signs now, how will folks feel about him?

I ask because for me Bradshaw never came close to being a fave because he played a similar game (at a time when the club was less...desperate...). For pretty much all of this past season I felt particularly remote from Aish to the point where I can't envisage getting excited about him re-signing. If he does re-sign I'll just assume that he went to market, didn't find a better offer so he will focus on showing better form and see what's around for every season henceforth, regardless of contract status. Welcome to the world of virtually unrestricted free agency...

Just wondering if I'm an outlier in this regard, or...

I'll be glad he re-signed but between an indifferent second year and the whole rigmarole dragging on I'm not going to be dancing in the streets as I might have been if he'd re-signed at the end of last year.

 

[Jman78]

Out of curiosity, if Aish re-signs now, how will folks feel about him?

I ask because for me Bradshaw never came close to being a fave because he played a similar game (at a time when the club was less...desperate...). For pretty much all of this past season I felt particularly remote from Aish to the point where I can't envisage getting excited about him re-signing. If he does re-sign I'll just assume that he went to market, didn't find a better offer so he will focus on showing better form and see what's around for every season henceforth, regardless of contract status. Welcome to the world of virtually unrestricted free agency...

I will be happy but not ecstatic, ala Brown when he was chased by the Pies. What I think it could do is show that we can hold onto talent which is good for supporters.

 

[T Rick]

Personally, I will be rapt. Good on him for testing the market - he is only 19 years of age and this is a massive career decision for a kid. Aish has never burnt any bridges and has always done the right thing by the club - except delay signing a contract, which he is fully entitled to do. Even that sleazebag Picknose didn't raise his ugly head and alienate us too much in the process.

If it happens, I think it will be a great boost for the Club, particularly in the current climate of Free Agency and contracts not being worth the paper they are written on.

 

[jjami15]

Only care what he does out on the field.

 

[BangyBangy]

Out of curiosity, if Aish re-signs now, how will folks feel about him?

I ask because for me Bradshaw never came close to being a fave because he played a similar game (at a time when the club was less...desperate...). For pretty much all of this past season I felt particularly remote from Aish to the point where I can't envisage getting excited about him re-signing. If he does re-sign I'll just assume that he went to market, didn't find a better offer so he will focus on showing better form and see what's around for every season henceforth, regardless of contract status. Welcome to the world of virtually unrestricted free agency...

Just wondering if I'm an outlier in this regard, or...

If he re-signs I'm more interested in him playing well so we can trade him while he's contracted & worth more. Sorry, but zero interest in him other than a commodity, because that is what the club is to him.

 

[Milux]

It feels abit of 'Damned if you do, Damned if you dont' as in if he re signs is it cause everything fell threw or is he genuine.

Lets not forget how good this kid looks. Reminds me of a young simon black with ball in hand (even though his disposal was down this season). If we have can re sign him then great. Hope he can stay and love the place.

 

[PertRoosOsborne]

I would like to hear him express why it took so long, if he does sign, and make up my mind from there.

 

[Nuggo]

Simple really - if he does re-signs he needs to perform at a very good level. He is playing the look at me card, well guess what - we are looking at you Aish.

 

[Harris Specter]

I'm just happy to be keeping another top 10 talent on the list. Doesn't matter how late he re-signs, he has a notorious manager, but Aish himself has handled himself with dignity the whole way through, copping a lot of heat from our own supporters and others alike. Let's cut him some slack and love him because he's about to be one of us.

 

[PattyKwasagun]

For me it would mostly come down to the length of the contract. If he signs for one or two years, I'll probably feel as indifferent to him as I did this season. Three or more and my opinion of him/emotional connection to him will strengthen considerably.

I think it's important to remember that unlike many of the GH5, Aish did give his all this season. I can distinctly remember a few moments where he put his body on the line and copped a heavy collision for a teammate or in a marking contest - showing that passion and commitment to the club alongside a long term deal is more than enough for me.

 

[Albi_Mangler]

Great news if true. Aish has done nothing wrong in my eyes. Everything is just amplified in the current era of player movements and mass speculation.

Agree with others that are only interested in gauging his performance on the field. However I think that it will be crucial to hear his words and reasoning to recapture the faith of many Lions fans.

 

[AFLQLD]

OK, if it is going to happen, let's get this contract signed. If not, move on. This has dragged on long enough.

 

[Hollow Knight]

Can't help but wonder if Pickering was letting all this Hawthorn and Collingwood scuttlebutt ride out for one last push on the contract dollars.

Sounds like the Lions weren't buying it the last few weeks, given Swann and Lethal's comments. Aish posting pictures on Instagram of Lions teammates with #family hashtags didn't do the act much good either.

We saw with Boyd that if a player has a preferred destination, Pickers will go hard for it. In these case, it's starting to look like Aish probably decided to stay some time ago and Pickers was just trying to squeeze the extra dollars.

Bluff called.

 

[Skoob]

High draft pick, good SANFL experience, genetics, and some silkiness shown in his first year, we should be glad to have him, no question.
Will he go at some point in the near or distant future? Who knows.

Who thought Redden would pull the pin? Who thought Jed would be denied an end of year contract?
All we can do is be excited for the players we have in any given season, if they play well (or show good signs, for the youngsters).

I don't think I have any resentment for him dragging it out. It's just a sign of the times. Any one of our players could ask out, any time. Some are going to receive very tempting offers and those offers are going to be considered.

What I do think it has done, is put pressure on himself. He will need to prove that all the angst and the wait was worth it.

 

[royboys4eva]

I won't believe it until confirmation on Lions website. Certainly would be a huge turn around and a huge tick for the club. But this drama has been playing out all year so don't be surprised if continues for a few more weeks.

 

[whatboutbob]

For me if he plays any good games next year I can't imagine a likely scenario where I'll think he is doing it for anyone other than himself and I'll be wondering if the extra year of development invested in him couldn't have been better spent on a replacement who actively wanted to be at the club.

As mentioned above, it'll be interesting to see how he pitches his delay in signing, despite the club' s desperation in signing him earlier.

 

[whatboutbob]

Can't help but wonder if Pickering was letting all this Hawthorn and Collingwood scuttlebutt ride out for one last push on the contract dollars.

Sounds like the Lions weren't buying it the last few weeks, given Swann and Lethal's comments. Aish posting pictures on Instagram of Lions teammates with #family hashtags didn't do the act much good either.

We saw with Boyd that if a player has a preferred destination, Pickers will go hard for it. In these case, it's starting to look like Aish probably decided to stay some time ago and Pickers was just trying to squeeze the extra dollars.

Bluff called.

Geez, absolutely shoggin' call if so. I suspect it'll take a while to win fans over and could've significantly damaged his off-field earning potential as a result.

For those pinning it all on his manager, Aish ultimately calls the shots on whether he signs or not.

 

[Matt_BL]

Hope he signs for 3, if not 2, a year or two off from speculation would be nice. Now the next few seasons we can really judge him on his output and hopefully adding a bit to the team.

 

[AFLQLD]

Pickering is an amateur when it comes to negotiating tough contracts. These guys know how to really do it:

Seattle Seahawks used the second overall pick of the 1993 NFL draft to select quarterback Rick Mirer from Notre Dame. He had an outstanding college career behind him and he was presented as the new Joe Montana. But he had more than that: he hired Marvin Demoff and Don Yee as his agents, who are known today as the agents of a certain Mr. Tom Brady.

Demoff and Yee were really tough guys to negotiate with. To discuss rookie deals for top picks wasn’t a piece of cake back then, but Demoff and Yee made it even harder. Eventually Mirer got his five year, USD 15 million contract, and the abrasiveness of Yee resulted in including the clause that guaranteed Mirer’s salary under all conditions, “up to and including the end of the world.”

 

[The Flying Belgian]

Out of curiosity, if Aish re-signs now, how will folks feel about him?

I ask because for me Bradshaw never came close to being a fave because he played a similar game (at a time when the club was less...desperate...). For pretty much all of this past season I felt particularly remote from Aish to the point where I can't envisage getting excited about him re-signing. If he does re-sign I'll just assume that he went to market, didn't find a better offer so he will focus on showing better form and see what's around for every season henceforth, regardless of contract status. Welcome to the world of virtually unrestricted free agency...

Just wondering if I'm an outlier in this regard, or...

I've been secretly hoping for him to re-sign just to see the reaction on here from some so-called supporters.

I think it'll be up to the individual, but I've never regarded him out the door like many have on here. Amongst those were posters on here whose opinions I usually agree with who were surprisingly quite vitriolic. I think I've said before that many of us are so scarred by the GH5 that any player not declaring their undying love for the club were declared unpatriotic. Something something McCarthyism. There's also that aspect of not getting emotionally attached to people you think are likely to break your heart. I'm sure Haso can enlighten on the psycho-speke. Suddenly I started to see people questioning his courage (forgetting a few of those marks where he's put his body on the line). I thought all the football royalty bullshit was way over the top.

We often say that footy clubs are made up of all types of people. Accordingly some are going to buy-in emotionally more than others. It seems as though James is probably of the "others".

You mention Bradshaw. He was always one of my favourites and that's in spite of him playing the contract game. I don't really carry the off-field persona on to the field*. Once they pull on the jumper it's all about what they bring onto the field.

*Actually, if I think about it more, I think I actually have a soft spot for the guys who are a little bit left of centre and don't fit comfortably into the blokey footy player persona.

 

[whatboutbob]

Hope he signs for 3, if not 2, a year or two off from speculation would be nice. Now the next few seasons we can really judge him on his output and hopefully adding a bit to the team.

Cos a contract is worth the paper it is printed on these days?