Retired #51: Ryan Crowley- Should be available Round 17 - 5/7

[TheGreatBarryB]

Walls' reaction makes the selection even more worthwhile.

The Age redeemed itself somewhat ....again Greg Baum the sense of reason..

Strictly speaking, you must disagree with the return of any banned player as long as the stigma of his offence remains. You must have demurred that Luke Hodge captained Hawthorn to the premiership again last season after serving a late-season two-week suspension for a dangerous bump on Chad Wingard.

Crucially, you must hold not only that Crowley cannot play for Essendon, but nor can any of the other banned 12 Bombers once their suspensions are up, nor the five ex-Bombers for their new clubs. No justice system in the world, sporting or civil, works that way. You lost points for your last traffic offence, but after a time, you got them back.

Test result: negative.

2. It's a bad look, for the club and competition. But is that not what we the football constituency condemned the AFL for in the case of the Essendon 34, for concentrating on image? On "the optics"? Even the CAS judgment had a crack. The future of Essendon now is about substance, if that word may be used, and substance will be proved by a sustained whole-of-club mission, not one instance of image consciousness. If image was so important, why was there not an outcry about the appointment of John Worsfold as coach? He's a pharmacist.

Test result: negative.

3. Crowley's an irritating footballer. So is Hayden Ballantyne. So, depending on who you ask, is Joel Selwood, and Buddy Franklin, and Brent Harvey. But an irritant is not a banned substance, and "who you ask" is not burden of proof. Fortunately.

Test result: negative.

4. Twitter says so. Presently, that is about as sophisticated as the anti-Crowley argument runs. "Twitter has lit up." "Crowley's gone viral." Not for the first or last time, that cesspit of banality, ill-will, ignorance, provocation, menace, schadenfreude and generally unfocused anger is being allowed to set the agenda. We're better than that, or should be.

Test result: negative.

Executive summary: Crowley has done his time, and is eligible to play and Essendon is free to pick him

Player Crowley, you are free to resume.



Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-ne...an-crowley-20160120-gm9t2p.html#ixzz3xlr1UP1c
Follow us: @theage on Twitter | theageAustralia on Facebook

 

[freodog]

Well done to Crowley. I posted this on the Freo board I thought you might be interested:

I don't think there has been a player with such a roller coaster career as Crowley (from my memory)

-Drafted as a late pick
-Delisted after a year or 2
-Received a phone call from the airport to come back to Freo as a potential rookie
-Elevated off the rookie list
-Finds his role as a tagger
-Tries a different role and loses his way. Almost delisted
-Ross Lyon comes to Freo gets fit and back playing a hard nose tagging role
-Plays in a Grand final (if you believe the media that week it was Hawthorn vs Crowley )
-Banned for taking pain Killers
-Delisted by Freo after he believed he would be resigned
-Receives a life line by Essendon

 

[freodog]

^^ Forgot to mention he won a club B&F

 

[ant555]

So confirms what we know- Culbert is a moron.

Crowley slipped up. He took a painkiller that was prohibited. Was it right that he was suspended? Yep. Was he doing it to gain any unfair advantage? Nah. He just stuffed up.

He's also served his penance.

Culbert is an oxygen thief and can **** off.

We have a bloke at work we call DC and it is not because his first or last name starts with either D or C.
In this case though the letter do have a strong meaning both ways as DC really is a DC.

 

[Doss]

Walls' reaction makes the selection even more worthwhile.

The Age redeemed itself somewhat ....again Greg Baum the sense of reason..

Baum has cut through the bullshit very nicely there.

I like the swipe at the Twitterati bogans especially.

 

[MiguelM]

I don't understand, he seems happy and genuinely excited to join us? How can this be? Caro told me we were evil and there would be a player exodus!!

 

[JayDon]

Robert Walls citicizes EFC for selecting Crowley: YES, WE MADE THE RIGHT CHOICE.
Interesting insights from Freo visitors! Thanks guys.
Very happy to have quality people like him who also have the 'white line fever'!

 

[Zach Package]

Should get here for round 1 guys

 

[Halorad]

View attachment 208199

Ffs Crowley, you've been here one day and you already ******* things up. Move out of the way so I can see the size of Laverde's Pythons.

 

[Atavistic]

I don't think there has been a player with such a roller coaster career as Crowley (from my memory)

-Drafted as a late pick
...
-Plays in a Grand final (if you believe the media that week it was Hawthorn vs Crowley )
-Banned for taking pain Killers
-Delisted by Freo after he believed he would be resigned
-Receives a life line by Essendon

I'm hoping Crowley can redeem himself and defeat Hawthorn this year.

 

[the PILL]

Worth signing just for the Boomer lulzs...

I'm really happy we have him tbh but one of my mates who is a certified Crowley picketer is in a fierce battle of ethics in his own mind... Crowley was his goto most hated..

 

[CaptainHowdy87]

I've always liked Crowley. He usually gets the job done and at times can completely shut down some of the better players in the league. Nice pickup!

 

[youbeautfyfe]

Going by this thread must be the only Freo fan not to rate Crowley. Way too slow these days and I think he is the most overrated tagger for the past couple of seasons - ever since his B&F in 2012. I actually agree with what Robert Walls had to say about the signing, it doesn't make sense. Crowley isn't going to give you clean disposals going forward like Kelly will because he absolutely butchers the ball. All Crowley will do is keep the best player on the opposite team down 6 possessions on their usual average and instead of losing by 70 points he'll make you lose by 64. Don't get it.

 

[Buttsoup_Barnes]

Way I see it is we need a prick who doesn't look too stupid picking fights like Melksham whilst also giving the kids a hand. No world beater for sure and his style is awful to bare but I welcome his efforts to contribute. Our team's been slow for a while so it doesn't change too much.

Those WWE/Crowley vids earlier in the thread are still gold to this day, needed that laugh.

 

[Autobahn]

Going by this thread must be the only Freo fan not to rate Crowley. Way too slow these days and I think he is the most overrated tagger for the past couple of seasons - ever since his B&F in 2012. I actually agree with what Robert Walls had to say about the signing, it doesn't make sense. Crowley isn't going to give you clean disposals going forward like Kelly will because he absolutely butchers the ball. All Crowley will do is keep the best player on the opposite team down 6 possessions on their usual average and instead of losing by 70 points he'll make you lose by 64. Don't get it.

Cool story, bro.

 

[rumply]

I actually agree with what Robert Walls had to say

 

[cAsEy_18]

Im very happy with Crowley, thought he should be our #1 target.

But I get why certain people would struggle with the immediate adjustment if they've hated him in the past. If this announcement had been made about Bootsma instead, I'm not sure how long it would take me to come around...

 

[Doss]

Im very happy with Crowley, thought he should be our #1 target.

But I get why certain people would struggle with the immediate adjustment if they've hated him in the past. If this announcement had been made about Bootsma instead, I'm not sure how long it would take me to come around...

Yeah.

That would have been a balls up...

 

[Harlequin]

Listened to my husband go on about what a disaster for Essendon this pick up was blah, blah, blah.

I'm happy with the pick, I'm also rapt to hear him talk about coming to the Bombers.

Yes he may have sat out of the game due to his drug charge but he deserves a second chance

 

[Loonerty]

Going by this thread must be the only Freo fan not to rate Crowley. Way too slow these days and I think he is the most overrated tagger for the past couple of seasons - ever since his B&F in 2012. I actually agree with what Robert Walls had to say about the signing, it doesn't make sense. Crowley isn't going to give you clean disposals going forward like Kelly will because he absolutely butchers the ball. All Crowley will do is keep the best player on the opposite team down 6 possessions on their usual average and instead of losing by 70 points he'll make you lose by 64. Don't get it.

What other options do we really have?

It's like some think we can take any AFL player.

 

[Harlequin]

What other options do we really have?

It's like some think we can take any AFL player.

That's the point I made to my husband

 

[Doss]

That's the point I made to my husband

I've come to the conclusion that you and your husband just shouldn't discuss football.

Think of the radios!

 

[Harlequin]

I've come to the conclusion that you and your husband just shouldn't discuss football.

Think of the radios!

If he'd stop breathing I'd be happy

Mind you he does barrack for the Tigers and still lives in the glory days

 

[Kakkle]

I hope we don't play him purely as a tagger.

 

[eth-dog]

I hope we don't play him purely as a tagger.

Depends week to week for me. I'd have him tagging against Carlton, Collingwood, Fremantle, Geelong, Gold Coast, GWS, Hawthorn, North, Port, Sydney, West Coast but playing as an inside mid against Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Richmond and St. Kilda.