Mike "C-Bomb" Fitzpatrick

[Doggy Dan]

Sydney were getting breastfed by the AFL for years. Then they got excited and bit the nipple.

They definitely made the deal with Buddy as long as possible thinking the AFL would no way enforce a COLA change on retrospective deals. Unfortunately for the Swans they were too smart by half.

When you're on a good thing, best to remain inconspicuous, Sydney acted like a bank robber who went out and bought a Ferrari.

 

[krisholio14]

Wow, a bit of argy bargy between administrators? That has never ever happened before now has it?

 

[Jaeger]

It was a punishment for being successful and poaching Buddy off GWS. It's pretty baffling people try and argue otherwise.

Sydney would never be successful without COLA. It was punishment for signing the two most expensive key forwards in consecutive years exposing the corruption in our game.

You poached Buddy from Hawthorn. The AFL tried to do the same thing so I'm not sure why you think the trade ban was to appease Newbold. Putting Hawthorn at a disadvantage to benefit the NSW teams is still happening and I suspect it always will.

 

[bungwahl]

Sydney need to decide whether they are genuinely interested in promoting the expansion of the AFL code across the nation or are they like every other club where expanding the code comes a distant, distant second to the interests of the club.

From the “Boo a Roo” campaign through their landing Buddy and Tippett (noting GWS were going after both) it is clear they are no more wedded to national expansion than any other club. It must be wonderful for them to be able to cloak every act of self-interest with claims of “supporting the national interest of the code”.

If Fitzpatrick was calling Colless out on this hypocrisy then good on him – should be more of it.

Regards

S. Pete

Colless is no longer at Sydney. However, any attempts to expose these shenanigans by the AFL should be warmly received by the AFL fan base.

A regulatory body breaking their own rules and tampering with player movements to try to push big name players to clubs that they themselves own? Time for Fitzpatrick to go I think

 

[bungwahl]

Sydney would never be successful without COLA. It was punishment for signing the two most expensive key forwards in consecutive years exposing the corruption in our game.

You poached Buddy from Hawthorn. The AFL tried to do the same thing so I'm not sure why you think the trade ban was to appease Newbold. Putting Hawthorn at a disadvantage to benefit the NSW teams is still happening and I suspect it always will.

Hawthorn at a disadvantage? The AFL gave you Matt Stevic!!

 

[legend166]

Sydney need to decide whether they are genuinely interested in promoting the expansion of the AFL code across the nation or are they like every other club where expanding the code comes a distant, distant second to the interests of the club.

From the “Boo a Roo” campaign through their landing Buddy and Tippett (noting GWS were going after both) it is clear they are no more wedded to national expansion than any other club. It must be wonderful for them to be able to cloak every act of self-interest with claims of “supporting the national interest of the code”.

If Fitzpatrick was calling Colless out on this hypocrisy then good on him – should be more of it.

Regards

S. Pete

What does this even mean? We should have passed on Buddy for the 'good of the game'?

 

[something]

I distinctly remember reading that Sydney were in the race to sign Frawley. Whether or not that's true, or journalists just assuming that Sydney would yet again pull off another big signing based on previous evidence, I'm not sure.

If sydney were in the race for Frawley you would have seen talent traded out of the club to make cap space. For example Jetta would be living somewhere in Perth now if that kind of signing eventuated.

 

[legend166]

Sydney would never be successful without COLA. It was punishment for signing the two most expensive key forwards in consecutive years exposing the corruption in our game.

You poached Buddy from Hawthorn. The AFL tried to do the same thing so I'm not sure why you think the trade ban was to appease Newbold. Putting Hawthorn at a disadvantage to benefit the NSW teams is still happening and I suspect it always will.

It's amazing any club ever won anything without a cost of living allowance considering it is apparently impossible.

Even more amazing that the time we did actually beat you in the GF was when we didn't have the big recruits.

 

[JackFlash]

"You said what"?

 

[Jaeger]

It's amazing any club ever won anything without a cost of living allowance considering it is apparently impossible.

Never said it's impossible. Cleary we've done it.

My point is that you haven't.

 

[BruceFromBalnarring]

It's amazing any club ever won anything without a cost of living allowance considering it is apparently impossible.

Even more amazing that the time we did actually beat you in the GF was when we didn't have the big recruits.

Also amazing that the list that won the 2012 flag was widely considered not capable of making finals by most commentators.

 

[ziad]

well done Mike, poor poor Sydney being treated like 16 other clubs

 

[Stumpy Pete]

Colless is no longer at Sydney. However, any attempts to expose these shenanigans by the AFL should be warmly received by the AFL fan base.

A regulatory body breaking their own rules and tampering with player movements to try to push big name players to clubs that they themselves own? Time for Fitzpatrick to go I think

I wonder if you would have held the same views back in the 1980's when, in assisting the Swans to maintain a competitive side, the league determined a fee for the transfer of Bolton, Williams and Toohey from Geelong to Sydney. Worth noting the fee was less than half what Geelong wanted and even worse less than what Sydney were offering.

Regards

S. Pete

 

[BruceFromBalnarring]

Never said it's impossible. Cleary we've done it.

My point is that you haven't.

Yeah but we managed our flag without tanking for priority draft picks.

 

[BruceFromBalnarring]

well done Mike, poor poor Sydney being treated like 16 other clubs

16 other clubs have trade bans in place???

 

[Stumpy Pete]

What does this even mean? We should have passed on Buddy for the 'good of the game'?

Yes.

Your club has criticised other clubs for poaching players, questioning the COLA etc and claimed that they are stuck in an old Voctorian-centric mindset when really those clubs just want what is best for them.

To then effectively steal Buddy under GWS' nose is just rank hypocrisy.

Walk the talk I say.

Regards

S. Pete

 

[Procrastinator35]

Hawthorn at a disadvantage? The AFL gave you Matt Stevic!!

Looks like its becoming Sydney/Goodes/Press vs the AFL & 17 other clubs....Lets cut this cancer loose for the good of the game & the comp.

Yeah but we managed our flag without tanking for priority draft picks.

LOL....2005 & 2012 CUPS SAY HELLO....No AFL intervention, no cups!

 

[telsor]

Sydney were getting breastfed by the AFL for years. Then they got excited and bit the nipple.

They definitely made the deal with Buddy as long as possible thinking the AFL would no way enforce a COLA change on retrospective deals. Unfortunately for the Swans they were too smart by half.

When you're on a good thing, best to remain inconspicuous, Sydney acted like a bank robber who went out and bought a Ferrari.

That and they 'stole' Buddy from the AFLs new lovechild, GWS after the AFL had gone to all the effort of lining that deal up.

 

[Jaeger]

Yeah but we managed our flag without tanking for priority draft picks.

Priority picks never ensure success. Plenty of teams have had them and not won premierships.

If you give any team an academy, COLA, along with many other benefits they'll soon be in the frame to contend for premierships.

Your club knows it too. Instead of being willing to stand on their own two feet and try to be successful they are defending their advantages and kicking up a huge stink when there's talk of losing them.

 

[telsor]

well done Mike, poor poor Sydney being treated like 16 other clubs

Nah, they still get an academy, and COLA-lite...The poor things. It's like daddy only buys them a BMW every year instead of the Porsche they're used to.

 

[NewMelbournian]

Yeah....Nah....Sorry, you're wrong.

They've had a cap advantage for all those years & it was high time it ended....The only thing that changed was Demetriou (their protectorate) leaving....And with his departure also went their unfair advantages..... And all the moaning & bitching from em aint gonna bring old VLAD back.

Including attacking the AFL commission & the competition generally, in labeling us all racists....Totally pathetic, gutter journalism tactics you'd expect from Sin-city....Nufin but flamers & whiners the lot of em.

I am not defending COLA or saying it should have continued. I am not arguing it was fair. But there are fair ways to undo an unfair system and there are unfair ways. COLA should have been phased out without a trade ban.

 

[Banyo Bloods]

And for one second, on top of the knee slides, staging and a GF loss, has anyone considered this is why Hawthorn supporters have been so vitriolic towards Goodes and not racism? Hawthorn fans have been looking for a poster boy to hate on Sydney with and Goodes has provided it!

Except you are posting a week too late to give your excuse why you boo and or hate. Just making it up as you go along.

 

[Ironmonger]

Wow, a bit of argy bargy between administrators? That has never ever happened before now has it?

This.

It doesn't surprise me at all that the AFL commission would be POed at what the Swans did. It created a difficult situation for the AFL.

Colless is probably exaggerating at least a little. The Swans' PR work on the reduction in COLA has been marvellous, and I'm sure this is part of the broader plan to make themselves appear to be martyrs to Victorian vindictiveness.

My own club are nowhere near as good at this stuff.

 

[telsor]

I am not defending COLA or saying it should have continued. I am not arguing it was fair. But there are fair ways to undo an unfair system and there are unfair ways. COLA should have been phased out without a trade ban.

They tried to phase it out...But the Swans took the piss, so the AFL slapped a ban on.

 

[BruceFromBalnarring]

Priority picks never ensure success. Plenty of teams have had them and not won premierships.

If you give any team an academy, COLA, along with many other benefits they'll soon be in the frame to contend for premierships.

Your club knows it too. Instead of being willing to stand on their own two feet and try to be successful they are defending their advantages and kicking up a huge stink when there's talk of losing them.

Neither does COLA you clown. It went some way to arresting an inherent disadvantage.

But of course, advantages for Victorian clubs are "tradition".