Buddy a Swan (Footy talk only, read OP before posting)

[Heeney2Franklin]

Still can't believe it, but can't wait until next year.

March feels so long away lol.

 

[SSSSSS]

And yet I'd trade it all for Spangher back...

Can't wait til you offer Jesus a 9 year contract next year after he kicks his double century.

 

[MF]

Who the **** is the biggest robber at the Tankers?

Davey

 

[baja]

Im not against having a crack I just hope the playing group are happy with it now and going forward. The highest paid player in the game with a 9 year 10 million dollar contract and he didn't make Mike Shehans top 50? You can understand where the bemusement come from. Not sure if we even need him I can think of more important weaknesses in our team on field that would be much cheaper fixes but yeah we are the champs we have Buddy.

 

[Punts]

Sydney Declares it will get the best out of Buddy , Neil Cordy. Sorry I don't no how to put them up but is in the Daily T

 

[Scrotes2000]

Wow gutsy move...!

Is it true if he retires early the full contract still comes out of your cap? I'd be crapping my pants worrying about injury.

Good to see the majority have such unwavering confidence in this decision that's been made. Honestly have never been like that, I guess I'm just a bit more critical/cynical.

 

[TheMase]

Still kicked 60 or so goals from higher up the ground this year. Pretty handy...

 

[Kummerspeck]

Can't wait til you offer Jesus a 9 year contract next year after he kicks his double century.

In all seriousness though, given how rarely clubs lose a player of Buddy's calibre, particularly in circumstances that, in all fairness, could only be described as shithouse, I've been seriously impressed with how classy Hawthorn has been about it. In stark contrast to last year when Adelaide officials were on the radio hysterically stating that they were glad Tippett was gone and the club was better off etc.

 

[Xarb]

3 things I learnt from the whole Buddy deal.

1. The AFL expects the salary cap to increase by $10 mil by the time buddy gets near the end of his contract. Meaning (ignoring loading) that 1.1mil / year would equal only 5% of the whole cap as opposed to the 10% it is now.

2. Sadly I learnt that a lot of Sydney supporters are a fickle bunch, many threatening to not renew their membership due to one player signing up to the team. They obviously don't remember plugger, or capper, or hall (or a few current players that didn't have the best reputations...) Don't read the Swan's facebook page if you value your sanity. One quote: "buddy is the most overrated player since ablett jnr". I KID YOU NOT.

3. Goodes. Buddy. Tippet. Forward. Line. OMG.

 

[baja]

2. Sadly I learnt that a lot of Sydney supporters are a fickle bunch, many threatening to not renew their membership due to one player signing up to the team.

Show me more than one?

 

[jokiKan]

Thirteen! THIRTEEEEEEN!

*Stolen off TripleB

13 will be available after we get rid of Everitt.

 

[The King!]

In all seriousness though, given how rarely clubs lose a player of Buddy's calibre, particularly in circumstances that, in all fairness, could only be described as shithouse, I've been seriously impressed with how classy Hawthorn has been about it. In stark contrast to last year when Adelaide officials were on the radio hysterically stating that they were glad Tippett was gone and the club was better off etc.

The hawthorn club is fine. Some of Their supporters are the issue

 

[RobbieK]

Which number will he go for 23 , 10 , 24 , 29

How about 9.8...?

 

[The King!]

Hope tippett still knows we love him just because we have two big forwards now

 

[Punts]

Teddy sounds like he is loving it by his tweet lol , doesn't have to play on him anymore

 

[SwanLake12]

3 things I learnt from the whole Buddy deal.


3. Goodes. Buddy. Tippet. Forward. Line. OMG.

its lurveee

 

[PVF]

Ted Richards ‏@tedrichards25

1h​

Welcome @Buddy_Franklin to the @sydneyswans! (but intra-club practice games just won't be the same next year!!!)

 

[doona]

We need to get sponsored by bundaberg rum......good promotional material there.......buddy and cola????

Not sure how I feel with the contract, but welcome to the Bloods!!!! Will be great seeing him playing in the red and white

 

[disgruntled goat]

Its all good I didn't take it any other way, youd have to live a very sad and sheltered life to get upset at someone's differing opinion or semi harsh words on the interwebz. Or pissed, try me later after I get back from the pub.

I'm not sure of the next few pages of posts, will get to them, but I'm firmly in your corner here ... there are huge question marks that won't start to be answered until well into next season and beyond, but there's a strong argument that Franklin's best form is two years past ... I have grave fears for what this deal will mean to our longer-term future and it would be interesting to learn what all these new admirers of Franklin thought of him six, 12 months ago ... I too also dread the loss of younger players if the club can't pay what they think they deserve ... and I hope to heck this means a premiership sooner rather than later because the longer we got without in the "Buddy era", the less the man himself will be able to contribute.

 

[alanlau34]

We all know big guys take longer, Buddy should be hitting his prime right around now...

 

[replicant]

 

[kickthething]

We don't go to the AFL asking for money, we are disadvantaged due to having to play at Docklands and we are disadvantaged from a policy to prostitute a fair schedule for maximisation of rating and attendances. If we make compromises to achieve the goals of the AFL then all parties should benefit from it, especially given the primary goal of the AFL is to have an even competition.

What we get from the AFL doesn't remotely compensate us for the loss of income we suffer playing games at Docklands. They made $74m last year and a third of it was profit, it is the worst stadium deal on the planet. Thankfully that horrible stadium deal will come to an end, sooner hopefully than it's full term.

I don't really care that the Swans have poached Franklin, I am pretty happy he isn't at Hawthorn any longer.

I don't really care if the Swans pick a path that leads to on-field ruin, not the first club to do that and wont be the last.

However, if the gamble doesn't come off then it has the potential to severely damage football in NSW and that is a shame for the entire code no matter which team you follow because the progress made in Sydney and NSW has been very slow.

I will also feel sorry for the Swans supporter who have been around for thick and thin, I don't think many of the bandwagon supporters will hang around during the lean times so I care more about what the ones who have supported all through lean times think and feel.

It is not like the club hasn't been able to be successful without making a decision like this one. Swans have been developing very good young players. If Ireland's gamble doesn't pay off and his gamble will require the cap space 5-10 years from now to dwarf the current cap then it could severely hurt the club's ability to retain home grown talent over the next decade.

That would be a shame for continuing to grow the popularity of AFL in NSW.

That sort of thinking is why some clubs just are not progressing as they should. Of course its a risk and all you tall about if what if it doesnt come off.....well, what if it does??!! Seriously, people, life is about risks, take a few, you might just win some. The other 16 clubs are too risk averse to even think about the possibility. Just about every other club could have afforded Buddy under this plan, its not a Cola issue but a balls issue.

Some people need to get some.

 

[kickthething]

The cola hasn't been able to be included with cap funds in with lodged contracts since 2007, when the AFL declared it had to listed as additional service fee.

His contract MUST fit under the cap the cola like the marketing money isn't part of cap money.

Depending how the contract is worded we would still have to pay him his cut of the cola, but it has zero impact on the cap no matter what.

This was my view as well, however listening to McLachlan on SEN today it is either wrong or he does not know how that works.

If the above is correct, then what I don't understand why Hawthorn would have to match the amount with CoLA included, that just does not make eny sense and whilst I am not sure if it is correct, McLachlan indicated it was, it seems to be the view of everyone in Melbourne. This is an anomoly that the AFL should fix and is a large basis for the CoLA misunderstadnings I feel.

 

[CM Sean]

Great get. Congrats. Buddy's a freak. How anyone can be upset about that pick-up is beyond me (sydney supporters, I mean). If Buddy was at Melbourne, I'd be doing backflips! lol

 

[JBSwan]

From Swans site,

A live press conference with Franklin will be available to stream on sydneyswans.com.au tomorrow morning from 10.30am (subject to change) plus full coverage throughout the day