Players who’ve say played 7+ games for their team during season should get medal if team wins GF

[Andrew Mc]

That's life. No play no medal

Totally agree. IF clubs want to give players in the squad a ring or some memento, they can do that.

I think it's important that those players have something for them alone. Stuff being inclusive of everyone, those 22 deserve something unique for doing the job on the day.

 

[Wallaby]

I don't think we should give premeirship medallions.

You're part of a club - the whole club gets the cup and the flag.

How do you measure the contribution of, say the centre-half-forward vs the club doctor? Both are important, the premiership could not have been won without either - it's up to each individual to look at the cup (or the flag) and understand in their own mind as to the individual contribution.

Let's take the extreme - Billy James. Played for Richmond in the 1920 GF. Entire career - 1 game, 1 kick, 1 goal. I would argue the lady who washed the jumpers that season was probably as important. Billy James was a contributor, sure. It's up to him, and every richmond club member and supporter to be happy with acknowledging his contribution - however they measure it. Of course, people will distinguish between those who played the GF and those who didn't. But it's variable, and doesn't need some official sanction.

We don't need 'official' recognition which inevitably some worthy recipients (like the club doctor, or the jumper washer) will miss out on because of some imaginary line - 'this side is worthy, and that side isn't'. 7 games? What about the poor bastard who plays 6, does a knee, and acts as an assistant coach all year?

 

[Gysberts2Bate]

The medal is meaningless unless you ca attribute something value to it personally that you didn’t get from your non-selection. Arguably it has even less meaning than the text under a player’s bio on their Wikipedia page which says ‘Premiership player XXXX’. Players don’t play for medals they play for flags. At the end of the day only you can define what it means for you to be on a list which wins a flag if you don’t make the final 22 for the GF. Probably for someone like Bob Murphy it was still incredibly meaningful even if he didn’t get to play (though he’d obviously have preferred to), and giving him a medal isn’t going to add to that. How do you equate giving a medal to someone who played 22 games and got injured to giving one to someone who played in all 5 of the team’s losses for the season, a few middling ones, and then was dropped to the VFL for the rest of the year? Or if they miss because of a suspension for betting or drugs or punching a player in the face?

 

[Goggin Our Best]

I think they have to do something alot better than they do presently- re recognition

Jason Dunstall 1987 would have been a good example ( Hawks made GF but got beaten ) he missed the GF because of injury - he kicked 94 goals for the year - so he has nearly kicked 100 goals - it would be fair to say he was crucial in alot of Hawthorns wins - if the Hawks win the GF he gets absolutely nothing - yet youve got players like i think Bortalotto of Carlton in 81 - sits on the bench for the whole game - does not play one second - yet he gets a medal

 

[Shane Heard]

Every year someone brings up this old chestnut.

The players who miss out on selection or can’t play in a gf because of injury wouldn’t want a medal.

It’s not the Australian way and I wish people would just forget the whole idea.

Because it’s a stupid idea.

 

[Shane Heard]

The whole squad should get something, I don't know exactly what maybe a ring, mug or certificate or something.
But the 22 GF match day 22 get the medals.

A bottle of port would be better..

 

[Brain Power]

Should be if they've played a game in the finals. During the season would mean s**t all to the players in question, however a Jack Graham who was integral in his side going through to the GF despite playing injured should be awarded with some sort of recognition for their efforts.

This is a great idea, would give the true hard-luck stories of the AFL like Brendan Whitecross a well-deserved reward, while filtering out attention seekers like Bob Murphy.

 

[halalsnackpack]

The club can organise some kind of medal, ring, watch or whatever when they win a flag and award it to whoever they like, but only the 22 on the day should get a premiership medal.

 

[TheStinger]

Half a season and you have my vote.

 

[Rotayjay]

What about a Brownlow-worthy player who busts his gut for 10+ years but just so happens to play for a side that never wins a flag, maybe plays in a couple of losing grannies?

Premiership medals are precious partly because there is some luck involved and brilliant players have to miss out because they never had the opportunity to run out on GF day for a winning side. It's horrible for some people but it's life. A premiership medal recognises playing in a winning grand final.

Of course part of the injustice is that a brilliant player for the winning side who missed out on playing is without a medal while a fringe player who replaced him gets a medal even if he has a quiet game in the winning GF side.

 

[RonnieRaven]

It needs to be more games but agree you can’t get to the gf without a decent home and away
Take modra in 97 wins the Coleman goes down in the prelim doesn’t get one
Aaron Keating starts on the bench doesn’t get a kick gets a premiership medallion to go with glittering 6 game career

 

[Kavliaris69]

Maybe not a premiership medal but some kind of a team championship medal for the rest of the team and coaching staff.

 

[demondavey]

Bit like how Robert ‘all about me’ Murphy got his from Beveridge when the WB won?

No, it’s one of those special moments reserved for the 22 that played. Even if you did nothing and were a 4 game player prior, and replaced a star, you were still picked over plenty of others and were seen as worthy to earn you lr spot.

If you miss you miss. No medal. Players who miss know they contributed if they were dropped or injured. It’s the internal club recognition. Save the medals for the 22, otherwise I think it diminishes the value.

 

[Toump Ass]

Players who've say played 17 games for the team during the previous two seasons should get a medal if team wins gf.

I can’t help but feel so sorry for the players that get injured right before the round 1 and can’t play but have contributed to their team’s success during the year. (Or happen to get dropped but have contributed for years).

It takes a lot of work to get to GF day and those players who’ve contributed should also be recognised in my opinion.

 

[juss]

Not sure how I feel about this one. Sure it's a nice gesture for unlucky players like Graham/Coniglio or Davis(?) where only horrible luck kept them out, but they still didn't play in a premiership 22.

It kind of cheapens the medal when a bunch of players who haven't played for months get one. Everyone on the list contributed, but the player medal is something special.

 

[Madison]

I'm undecided on this one. It's very much an AFL thing to only give out medals to those that played on the day. I've mentioned it to people here in Canada and they think it's stupid that we do it that way.

Jack Graham missing out (if we win) really highlights this for me. Put in a huge effort in the prelim, somehow playing out a game despite dislocating his shoulder, finishes the game with the second most tackles and the most pressure acts, but now he misses out on the chance to be a 2019 premiership player.

What other sporting codes do it this way?

The American codes don't (NHL, NBA, NFL), football (soccer) doesn't. Even in the Champion's League which has a one off final, they give out 40 medals and the winning club can give the to whoever.

 

[Bomberboyokay]

There's no reason to keep the status quo than "that's the way it's always been done". Not at all normal in other sports.

 

[Marstermind]

We’re probably overestimating the worth of the physical medals to players. You hear stories of blokes losing them, accidentally throwing them out, selling them, or generally disregarding them - “Oh, it’s in a drawer somewhere. Not sure”. And that’s the guys who earned them. The actual medal itself is possibly low on the level of importance when it comes to remembering and honouring achievements.

If the club wants to honour players who didn’t play that’s up to them. Otherwise, it’s not necessary. As for the losers getting a medal, that’s totally pointless. “Here you go - a shiny medal to remember the most miserable day of your football career.”

 

[Kangapirate]

I’d give a premiership medallion to every player on the list, losing grand finalists I’d give runners up medals. What that means to each individual is up to them. Should athletes not receive a silver medal at the olympics because they came 2nd? I just like the idea of the 2 teams that made it to the big game rewarded, if a list clogger walking up in trackies to get a premiership medallion wants to throw it in the bin so be it, likewise a runner up.

 

[basashi]

Some US sports do this. It might be NFL that gives a ring to pretty much every employee in the organisation if they win the superb owl

 

[Bomberboyokay]

Some US sports do this.

Soccer does it too.

 

[The Cryptkeeper]

Completely and utterly disagree. Imagine one of your key players (idk say Zorko or Neale) busts their gut week in week out to help your team win but sustains an injury in the prelim. Now Brisbane go on to win the GF. Tell me how it’s fair that only the players that run out on the day get acknowledged? What if the injured player was actually instrumental in getting your team into the grand final in the first place.

Regardless of what the players may or may not feel about it being REAL or FAKE - in my opinion it’s a mark of respect to acknowledge their contribution.

Agree with this.

GWS could win the flag this weekend and if Coniglio doesn't play he will have missed out on a medal despite leading their Brownlow count.

Or, say Richmond take a punt on Marlion Pickett and win the GF. Pickett gets a medal and Jack Graham misses out.

Unarguably both Coniglio and Graham will have contributed more to their team winning the premiership than the guys who have come in to replace them.

 

[Madison]

Agree with this.

GWS could win the flag this weekend and if Coniglio doesn't play he will have missed out on a medal despite leading their Brownlow count.

Or, say Richmond take a punt on Marlion Pickett and win the GF. Pickett gets a medal and Jack Graham misses out.

Unarguably both Coniglio and Graham will have contributed more to their team winning the premiership than the guys who have come in to replace them.

Just to add to this, Kamdyn McIntosh and Jack Ross had to sit out of the VFL GF on the weekend as we waited to see what happened with Broad and Graham. Broad has been cleared to play and so now KMac may miss out altogether, and Ross is no guarantee after Pickett was BOG in the VFL GF. It's incredibly harsh on both those guys that they miss out on their chance to play because they put the team first, and they'll walk away from the season with nothing while potentially both teams may end up premiers.

 

[greatwhiteshark]

Just to add to this, Kamdyn McIntosh and Jack Ross had to sit out of the VFL GF on the weekend as we waited to see what happened with Broad and Graham. Broad has been cleared to play and so now KMac may miss out altogether, and Ross is no guarantee after Pickett was BOG in the VFL GF. It's incredibly harsh on both those guys that they miss out on their chance to play because they put the team first, and they'll walk away from the season with nothing while potentially both teams may end up premiers.

They didn’t put their team first they did what they were told to do be their employee.

 

[kreglze]

A squad wins a premiership not 22 players.

Do what the PL does, if you play 5-10 games you get a medel and you can join in.

This archaic views that only the 22 should get a medel and recognition seems real out of time.