Traded #10: Aaron Francis - Traded to Sydney w. Pick 42 + Future fourth rounder for Pick 37. Thanks Frang!

[RedmanWasHere]

Heading in to his prime years and his 5th season.

5th season?

Gee that's gone rather quickly.

 

[boncer34]

I hope Franga doesn't read this forum.

Sent from my F3115 using Tapatalk

Agreed.

Pretty average comments being made in here. Time for thread bans for the nuffies Doss

 

[yaco55]

With Aaron's well documented and fair request to return to SA at the end of last season (for real and obvious family reasons) I'm not sure that Essendon have acknowledged his mental health issues at the right time or more so puting the club first until his breaking point has/had been reached.
In saying that I hope Aaron returns to full health and continues to play footy at the highest level wherever that may be but after he has his more important issues addressed.

*not trying to start a shit fight!*

Such a naive post - You can believe the media that it was Francis who initiated the trade and maybe consider neither Adelaide club had an interest in Francis.

 

[yaco55]

Have posted previously that some don't have the genetics to reach AFL fitness standards - Francis won't be the first or the last player to confront this issue.

 

[KGBeast]

I hope he gets through.

 

[Big Fresh]

Feel sorry for Aaron. I don't blame him, a lot of people go through the same stuff, but if he feels that being a star AFL player - which he could 100% be - isn't worth it, I wonder where else he could find this level of validation. Maybe the humble life where you make a concrete contribution to your local community suits him more.

 

[Burzum]

Agree. Seen it all before. I’d be amazed if he plays half a dozen games this year if at all. We should just count our losses & get what we can at years end, while he still has some sort of currency.

I'd be amazed if he plays another game.

 

[DapperDon]

Kid has more important things to focus on than kicking a footy. I hope he can find himself and get his life back on track with or without football, as really, it's just so unimportant in the grand scheme of things.

 

[Seagrave_Holmes]

Best wishes to Aaron in this difficult time, I hope he gets the help he needs to get his life back on track. Football shouldn't really be a priority for him by the sounds of it.

 

[quotemokc]

I think its a bit narrow minded to say "its only footy".

This is a (young) mans livelihood that he has been working hard towards for years which has probably also been his dream since he was a child.

Doing his best to get back to his job (footy) should be one of his top priorities not just for the club's sake but for his, having a good footy career sets you up for life in so many ways once your journey is over.

 

[freddy mercury]

Health
Family
Work

In that order. No doubt the young fella has plenty of support. If he requests a trade again at seasons end, i hope for his sake he gets his wish.

 

[Doss]

I think its a bit narrow minded to say "its only footy".

This is a (young) mans livelihood that he has been working hard towards for years which has probably also been his dream since he was a child.

Doing his best to get back to his job (footy) should be one of his top priorities not just for the club's sake but for his, having a good footy career sets you up for life in so many ways once your journey is over.

Sometimes the pressure of trying to get that footy career to work and prosper is what leads people to 'crack', though.

We can only speculate as to what has led Aaron towards being where he is now, obviously, and while you do have a point to an extent, nor should the game being seen as a cure-all.

 

[hotkorma]

Sometimes the pressure of trying to get that footy career to work and prosper is what leads people to 'crack', though.

We can only speculate as to what has led Aaron towards being where he is now, obviously, and while you do have a point to an extent, nor should the game being seen as a cure-all.

Well said.

He is also the opposite of a whipping boy. So much hope and expectation would not help.

Mental health doesn’t discriminate, rich, poor, skinny, fat.

Being in the spotlight must be ridiculously tough. If I’m not going well I can quietly slip away for some time and 100’s of 1000’s of people aren’t speculating on what korma is doing.

Best wishes Aaron.

 

[Pweter]

This is not good news at all. I hope Aaron can find that place where he's content and happy. If it means footy falls by the wayside, so be it. If he finds it and returns to footy then great, but his health and well being has to be his priority.

 

[avignon]

Best wishes to Aaron. He was probably under a lot of pressure to measure up and feels it's a bridge too far. So much potential.

 

[Runk]

I love you A-A Ron.

 

[Milanista28]

Staying in Melbourne apparently, Hope we get around him as much as needed, He's our boy forever.

 

[Dave]

All the best Aaron, hope you can work through it and get to your happy place. More to life than footy.

 

[DapperJong]

Are you not a human supporter?

What species are you?

I'm a football.

 

[TheGreatBarryB]

Bit harder for introverted types to move interstate at such a young age, especially in a football environment. No doubt caused the kid some stress. Think Scache was similar.

Good luck to the kid

 

[calyam]

Do you guys think this is purely based on not getting a trade to SA?

I really hope for the young man it's as simple as that.

Saw a few people compare him to Hodge pre draft so be good to see him fulfill that potential.

Francis issues began a long time before he requested a trade to SA. It is quite likely that he'd be on personal leave even if a trade had been found.

Did a trade not get done because of no interest or the asking price was too high?

I feel like I remember hearing there was no interest which I find hard to believe but both SA clubs had very busy trade periods.

Why is that hard to believe? Francis hasn't done anything on a footy field in his two years that indicate that he can make the grade. Both Adelaide and Port Adelaide have pretty good lists and given Francis' history he was certainly a risk to take on.

 

[Dave]

Why is that hard to believe? Francis hasn't done anything on a footy field in his two years that indicate that he can make the grade. Both Adelaide and Port Adelaide have pretty good lists and given Francis' history he was certainly a risk to take on.

Shh, it's easier just to harp on about being hard to deal with.

 

[Towno78]

All the best to him

 

[ant555]

I think the continual soft tissue issues and dealing with being away from his mates / support after the family issues he has had have worn him down.
I do not confess to be in the know but I would say that the pressure , injuries and the on going grief have lead to him being depressed and just wanting to go home. You never say never but at this stage I would say if he wants to play footy then his future may well be back in SA.

It is not great for the club but in the end I just hope he gets well enough to play again and if that is back in SA then so be it. We lose but there is not a lot that could be done about it. It is a fact of life that some people just have to be around family and friends to help them deal with the issues of life while others like myself can cut the ties and venture off on our own without the need for family support.

Sometimes it does not work out.

 

[Liberator]

All the best to the big Franga!
Unconditional support from all here at Liberatorville...

 

[JayDon]

I love you A-A Ron.

That was De-nise.