Media Thread, 2025: Insightful, Inciteful and Incomptent

[Donkers]

came across my YT suggested, decided to reminisce

these boys made it look so easy

Whenever anyone is feeling bad this is a great watch.

 

[chip23]

Tom Barrass wanted to be an Eagle for life, despite walking out on the club just weeks later, but the premiership defender has no regrets over his messy exit.
Barrass was vice-captain and contracted for another three seasons, but amid the Eagles’ struggles, he was lured across to Hawthorn following a pitch from Sam Mitchell in his living room.
The 29-year-old revealed he was already unhappy with where his career was going, and it just needed Mitchell’s push to make a change.
“I think it was his general vibration and energy really. I wasn’t particularly happy in my life. I wasn’t feeling like I was growing, changing or developing,” he told The Herald Sun.
“And then the equivalent of Ron Barassi walks into your lounge room and offers you a great job, offers you mentorship, offers you a new way to look at things.
“And I think it was pretty quickly after that meeting, I started to realise that there was a bit of a hole in what I was trying to do with my career. And I was a bit dissatisfied. So it was his leadership, his presence, his humour, almost, that helped me to make the decision.
“It was an extremely hard decision, and it’s the hardest thing I have ever had to do to farewell my best mates and a club I love and grew up supporting, but ultimately I reviewed my values enough to know who I was loyal to, and that’s my young family and wife and myself.

“It became really obvious pretty quickly that I’d be leaving a very, very good opportunity on the table out of the interests of some people that aren’t my immediate family. And I thought, ‘I’m not going to make that sacrifice any more’.”
Despite his misgivings, he makes no apologies for his public recommitment to the Eagles despite his closed-door negotiations.
“It’s a very interesting and sometimes difficult scenario, because the media is quite intrusive, and they want to know everything. And sometimes you don’t know everything,” Barrass said.
“And there’s lots of things that go into negotiating contracts, and you learn in business that sometimes handshake agreements aren’t real agreements.
“And so with this big soup of changing variables, at some stage you have to just make a decision.
“And if it was not what you said previously, you just have to put your hand up and cop it for however long it is, from whoever it is that in reality, in your life, you don’t see, I don’t see too many people coming up to me screaming hate at me.
“You can look for it (on social media) if you want to find it. But at the end of the day, you have to have some conviction with your decisions and not take life too seriously.”

His trade drama was followed by snaps of Harley Reid pictured sitting next to Mitchell at his wedding, sparking fury amongst Eagles fans that he was helping Mitchell poach the Eagles’ biggest star.
“Oh, look, I don’t read into it too much. I knew that it would be controversial if anyone did take a photo of him with any of the boys,” says Barrass.
“I think Oscar Allen wasn’t seated too far away. I think when you’re actually in the industry, and when your friends are in the industry and your support networks are in the industry, you can understand what is important and what’s just a story or some clickbait, and so I don’t think anyone would be taking that too seriously, even though it was quite the story.
“I don’t waste my energy thinking about those kinds of things.”

---

Comparing Sam Mitchell to Ron Barassi is... something.

He's since corrected himself said he meant to say Ron Jeremy not Ron Barassi.

 

[KERRPOW]

If that was WC and Mini & Harley did what they did... you could imagine the finacial sanctions.

"do west coast have a problem with women"

 

[amazingjoshy]

"do west coast have a problem with women"

"Culture"

 

[flyinghi64]

Trying to find out what Bailey Smith

3

Bailey Smith

Age

25

Ht

185cm

Wt

86kg

Pos.

M/F

Career

Season

Last 5

D

18.3

5star

K

8.5

3star

HB

9.8

5star

M

2.3

2star

T

3.8

5star

CL

2.7

4star

D

19.8

5star

K

9.6

4star

HB

10.2

5star

M

1.8

2star

T

3.2

4star

CL

3.2

4star

D

14.8

4star

K

7.6

3star

HB

7.2

5star

M

2.0

3star

T

3.4

5star

CL

1.6

4star

was fined or what sanctions he got.
Nobody is really forthcoming with how the AFL sanctioned him. Because he would have surely been sanctioned somehow.
At least 1k fine for the finger and something for the abuse to a Media person who had every right to do what they were doing.
Wonder when he fronts the media to apologize for his actions like every player does, you would surely think it would be before their game this week.

 

[Bender_]

Trying to find out what Bailey Smith was fined or what sanctions he got.
Nobody is really forthcoming with how the AFL sanctioned him. Because he would have surely been sanctioned somehow.
At least 1k fine for the finger and something for the abuse to a Media person who had every right to do what they were doing.
Wonder when he fronts the media to apologize for his actions like every player does, you would surely think it would be before their game this week.

Funny thing is that West Coast club legend Lachie Neale has been contacted by the AFL regarding flipping the bird whilst walking off the ground after last week's loss, yet haven't heard anything about Bailey Smith.

Maybe Dillon had a chat to Bailey when he popped by his house for a bonfire with roasted marshmallows this week? Or the AFL will massage this one to say coz it's training it's not their grounds to sanction him?

 

[Big_Birdy]

Funny thing is that West Coast club legend Lachie Neale has been contacted by the AFL regarding flipping the bird walking off the ground after last week's loss, yet haven't heard anything about Bailey Smith.

Maybe Dillon had a chat to Bailey when he popped by his house for bonfire with roasted marshmallows this week? Or the AFL will massage this one to say coz it's training it's not their grounds to sanction him?

Also only got done because Tom Morris dibba dobbed him into the AFL after a fan sent him the footage.

 

[RustyShacklefordFalcon]

Kingy on the money. But we all know why

Another day, another reason to hate Geelong

 

[The Dodger]

"Yeah it's bad but we just love the way Scotty goes about it - he's just a passionate operator! Anyway let’s jump into how good Big Jez - the All Australian captain mind you! - was on the weekend."

“It’s good for footy”

 

[flyinghi64]

Another day, another reason to hate Geelong

and the AFL hierarchy

 

[flyinghi64]

Geelong the new/next Hawthorn.

 

[Ambrose Burnside]

AFL news 2025: Adelaide Crows rebuild, Tom Morris column, analysis on how struggling club turned fortunes around

Once it was agreed that Adelaide's first ever full scale rebuild was required, they estimated it would take two years to turn the list over. Modelling was presented which showed the success rate of top 25 draft selections.

Top three picks were seen as having a 70 per cent chance of becoming star players, picks 3-10 were 50 per cent, 10-20 were a 35 per cent chance, and teenagers taken in the 20-25 range were a 20 per cent chance of turning into stars.

Meanwhile we trade away top 3 picks

 

[the harry]

AFL news 2025: Adelaide Crows rebuild, Tom Morris column, analysis on how struggling club turned fortunes around

Meanwhile we trade away top 3 picks

Good thing we get one every year

 

[Barrybran]

Tom Barrass wanted to be an Eagle for life, despite walking out on the club just weeks later, but the premiership defender has no regrets over his messy exit.
Barrass was vice-captain and contracted for another three seasons, but amid the Eagles’ struggles, he was lured across to Hawthorn following a pitch from Sam Mitchell in his living room.
The 29-year-old revealed he was already unhappy with where his career was going, and it just needed Mitchell’s push to make a change.
“I think it was his general vibration and energy really. I wasn’t particularly happy in my life. I wasn’t feeling like I was growing, changing or developing,” he told The Herald Sun.
“And then the equivalent of Ron Barassi walks into your lounge room and offers you a great job, offers you mentorship, offers you a new way to look at things.
“And I think it was pretty quickly after that meeting, I started to realise that there was a bit of a hole in what I was trying to do with my career. And I was a bit dissatisfied. So it was his leadership, his presence, his humour, almost, that helped me to make the decision.
“It was an extremely hard decision, and it’s the hardest thing I have ever had to do to farewell my best mates and a club I love and grew up supporting, but ultimately I reviewed my values enough to know who I was loyal to, and that’s my young family and wife and myself.

“It became really obvious pretty quickly that I’d be leaving a very, very good opportunity on the table out of the interests of some people that aren’t my immediate family. And I thought, ‘I’m not going to make that sacrifice any more’.”
Despite his misgivings, he makes no apologies for his public recommitment to the Eagles despite his closed-door negotiations.
“It’s a very interesting and sometimes difficult scenario, because the media is quite intrusive, and they want to know everything. And sometimes you don’t know everything,” Barrass said.
“And there’s lots of things that go into negotiating contracts, and you learn in business that sometimes handshake agreements aren’t real agreements.
“And so with this big soup of changing variables, at some stage you have to just make a decision.
“And if it was not what you said previously, you just have to put your hand up and cop it for however long it is, from whoever it is that in reality, in your life, you don’t see, I don’t see too many people coming up to me screaming hate at me.
“You can look for it (on social media) if you want to find it. But at the end of the day, you have to have some conviction with your decisions and not take life too seriously.”

His trade drama was followed by snaps of Harley Reid pictured sitting next to Mitchell at his wedding, sparking fury amongst Eagles fans that he was helping Mitchell poach the Eagles’ biggest star.
“Oh, look, I don’t read into it too much. I knew that it would be controversial if anyone did take a photo of him with any of the boys,” says Barrass.
“I think Oscar Allen wasn’t seated too far away. I think when you’re actually in the industry, and when your friends are in the industry and your support networks are in the industry, you can understand what is important and what’s just a story or some clickbait, and so I don’t think anyone would be taking that too seriously, even though it was quite the story.
“I don’t waste my energy thinking about those kinds of things.”

---

Comparing Sam Mitchell to Ron Barassi is... something.

Yeah, he's done himself no favours here. Some of his comments come off very w***erish. If he had just said "the management changed, my situation changed and Hawthorn offered me more security", I don't think anyone would complain at that. But this is Rioli-lite stuff.

 

[Cuzz09]

Seems like a cretin who thinks he's a thinker.

 

[RustyShacklefordFalcon]

Tom "A Beautiful Mind" Barrass. Always thought he was a w***er anyway.

 

[Seadog]

Tom "A Beautiful Mind" Barrass. Always thought he was a w***er anyway.

I'm sure he's broken hearted that some w***er on BF thinks he's a w***er.

 

[RustyShacklefordFalcon]

I'm sure he's broken hearted that some w***er on BF thinks he's a w***er.

Broken up as I am about it, I don't think he's reading what I write on BigFooty fella.

 

[InTheWings]

I remember listening to an interview with him about halfway through 2019 when he shared that, since winning the premiership, he'd lost a lot of motivation in playing.

May have been harsh from me at the time but I thought, 'What a selfish tool." Maybe he has reached the pinnacle, but how about playing for his teammates like Shep, Gaffy, and Nic Nat?

 

[Cuzz09]

I remember listening to an interview with him about halfway through 2019 when he shared that, since winning the premiership, he'd lost a lot of motivation in playing.

May have been harsh from me at the time but I thought, 'What a selfish tool." Maybe he has reached the pinnacle, but how about playing for his teammates like Shep, Gaffy, and Nic Nat?

I was thinking this the other day, not about TB but the whole club, Willie especially, should've been absolutely hammering in for NicNat to win one especially.

They all looked off from rd1 2019

 

[ukurrie]

I thought the Barrass mention of Ron Barrassi was either AI slop or bad Google translate

 

[ukurrie]

And I bet you Bailey did not get fined for the same ‘compelling medical reasons’ as Izak Rankine

23

Izak Rankine

Age

25

Ht

179cm

Wt

82kg

Pos.

M/F

Career

Season

Last 5

D

13.0

3star

K

9.0

3star

HB

4.0

3star

M

2.7

3star

T

2.7

4star

CL

1.7

4star

D

13.0

3star

K

9.0

4star

HB

4.0

3star

M

2.7

3star

T

2.7

4star

CL

1.7

4star

D

13.0

4star

K

9.0

4star

HB

4.0

3star

M

2.7

3star

T

2.7

5star

CL

1.7

4star

 

[Shuestar13]

I thought the Barrass mention of Ron Barrassi was either AI slop or bad Google translate

I honestly can’t get over it. The resemblance between the two (Barassi and Mitchell) is just uncanny

Tom might have received and imbibed in a supply from his former teammate Willie before that interview methinks!

 

[Selurs]

AFL news 2025: Adelaide Crows rebuild, Tom Morris column, analysis on how struggling club turned fortunes around

Meanwhile we trade away top 3 picks

Actually, if you go by the odds it might make a gamble worth it.

If you trade pick 2 for (random example) 8 and 12, your dropping form a 75% chance of one star to a 67.5% chance, but in return you now have a 17.5% chance of getting TWO star players where that's never going to happen with just the single pick. Is it worth it? That's the subjective part. Clearly we have thought it is...

 

[ukurrie]

I honestly can’t get over it. The resemblance between the two (Barassi and Mitchell) is just uncanny

Tom might have received and imbibed in a supply from his former teammate Willie before that interview methinks!

I suspect he’s going for what a great orator and motivator Mitchell is but, apart from noting that Barassi has 10 flags to his name, I can’t be bothered giving it any further thought

 

[wce4premiership]

Barrass is smarter than all of you combined.

I asked him.