Past #10: Ben Cunnington - will retire from the AFL after * game - 238 games/95+ goals/2x Syd Barker Medalist/Shinboner - thanks for everything Cunners

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He'd be a perfect bloke to drop for a "statement".
 
kangaspurs said:
He hasn't been at his best this year but calls to trade him are, frankly, absolutely ludicrous. When he's at his best he is one of the very best clearance mids in the league and has shown that over the last two seasons. Half a year of average footy shouldn't outweigh 2-3 years of quality.
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I wouldnt entertain the thought of trading him or Ziebell.

But the balance is clearly out of whack. Dumont is the one Id be dangling for some outside class.
 

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kangaspurs said:
He hasn't been at his best this year but calls to trade him are, frankly, absolutely ludicrous. When he's at his best he is one of the very best clearance mids in the league and has shown that over the last two seasons. Half a year of average footy shouldn't outweigh 2-3 years of quality.
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It's only one poster who has said he should be traded though isn't it?

Let's not let this diverge into a "All The Calls for Ben to be Traded" shitfest that it currently isn't.
 
Grogg said:
It's only one poster who has said he should be traded though isn't it?

Let's not let this diverge into a "All The Calls for Ben to be Traded" shitfest that it currently isn't.
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Nah a few different posters across a number of threads.
 
kangaspurs said:
He hasn't been at his best this year but calls to trade him are, frankly, absolutely ludicrous. When he's at his best he is one of the very best clearance mids in the league and has shown that over the last two seasons. Half a year of average footy shouldn't outweigh 2-3 years of quality.
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We have too many players like him and he is the only one besides Jack who is worth anything. He needs to be considered as a trade option
 
Jack Bradley said:
We have too many players like him and he is the only one besides Jack who is worth anything. He needs to be considered as a trade option
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We have no one that has his composure and skills in traffic when he's at his best. I'd actually say his style is fairly unique on our list. Swallow is a goer, has good agility but average skills, Jack is a powerhouse who is a great kick when in space but lacks composure in close. Besides all being a bit slow and predominantly inside mids they're not really alike at all. And Cunnignton is the best midfielder of the lot, it would be mental to trade our best player in that particular position.
 
He had some good moments last night, where he just looked the pure, natural footballer that we know he is. Unfortunately, those good moments were too few and he went missing for a lot of the game, as he has done most of the season.

He must be carrying an injury, so continuing to play him is the wrong call. Like Goldy since the Dogs game. Like Waite for a month after he was injured. Like Black in 2014. Nothing good ever comes from doing this, so we need to take players out of the team when the injuries happen.
 
kangaspurs said:
We have no one that has his composure and skills in traffic when he's at his best. I'd actually say his style is fairly unique on our list. Swallow is a goer, has good agility but average skills, Jack is a powerhouse who is a great kick when in space but lacks composure in close. Besides all being a bit slow and predominantly inside mids they're not really alike at all. And Cunnignton is the best midfielder of the lot, it would be mental to trade our best player in that particular position.
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OK well we can't have ziebell, Cunnington and swallow in the same midfield. You pick the one to go.
 
I don't think we should trade him. Hes struggling at the moment but is an absolute gun inside mid when fit and when he is the main man. Our balance is way off at the moment though and as much as i love the guy, swallow is very limited with ball in hand and incredibly slow. I don't think we can have both Cunners and Swallow in the same team, it doesn't work.

It would want to be a dead set gun to let go of Cunners
 

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Out for Dumont. Whether it's injury or attitude or a bit of both, keeping him in isn't working. And I really hate to say it because he is so good with his clearances, handballs, marks and kicks. But we are not seeing it enough now.
 
Kidd Vicious said:
He was ordinary prior to the Geelong injury as been poor since. Something has been wrong with him all year.
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Not for one second disagreeing that something is, as Body-slide puts it, "nqr" with Cunners.

But just a small point of order - he went okay against Adelaide the week after the Geelong game. Collected 26 disposals (and registered some other useful stats), and was voted our 2nd best player by the esteemed judges on the Votes thread.

Saying that, s**t can change. And I have no idea where he's at injury-wise or what kind of duress he may currently be playing under.
 
Are people actually debating which of Swallow, Cunnington & Ziebell we would offload if we had to choose one? I know it appears that way at times but we are not a retirement home. I'd pack Andrew's suitcase for him all the while thanking him for his service.
 
All this talking about dropping players hasn't happened ever under Brad so it's never going to happen no matter if they are barely walking, out of form, injured, unfit

I love cunners but he is clearly spent and doesn't want to be out there because he is **** struggling
 
57% game time on the weekend. For 20 disposals and 4 clearances.

He is sore. Has to be. That is the lowest TOG he has had other than the Cats game when he was crocked.
 
B Tron said:
57% game time on the weekend. For 20 disposals and 4 clearances.

He is sore. Has to be. That is the lowest TOG he has had other than the Cats game when he was crocked.
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I thought they got rid of the sub rule. :huh:

Must say, courtesy of the seats given to the daughter and yours truly by the magnificent Kanga1996, we were in spitting distance of the interchange bench. Cunners was even struggling to get off the ground at times and looked flat as a tack. Goldy was the other one who stood out when he was on the bench, looking completely dickless, with none of the fire of last year and the early season. The injury hasn't just taken away his midfielder ability, it has killed his intensity and interest too. Only Boomer and LT seemed to have fire in the eyes as they came off the ground.

I can understand the selectors wanting to keep our two recent Syd Barker winners in the side, but after watching the team dynamic from up close, I reckon that playing them underdone is the thing that might be killing us as much as the injuries themselves. Scott et al are going down a dangerous path, bullshitting their way through pressers and the like with the argument that "we only play fit players". Not only do the supporters and media know that this is crap, it also affects the team culture. They are effectively telling Dumont that he is valued less than a 57% Cunners and Maj that he is rated below a Goldy tapout statue. Sends a shocking message to the team. Shameful leadership.
 
the big lebowski said:
Can't work out cunners game on sat night.

At the ground I thought he was crap.

Nek minite I watch the replay and he's dominant.
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Agree with that, at the ground I was so frustrated with him, gets the ball clear then seemed to want to double back and create something, gets tackled and it was back to a 50/50 ball... Watching it on replay I didn't notice it as much.
 
scooby1279 said:
Agree with that, at the ground I was so frustrated with him, gets the ball clear then seemed to want to double back and create something, gets tackled and it was back to a 50/50 ball... Watching it on replay I didn't notice it as much.
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Completely agree. In saying that he's had a fairly average year, to his standards. Saturday night's game was his best in awhile. Some great handballs under pressure. So often this year, and again on Saturday night however he has been making lazy decisions that have cause crucial turnovers. And that includes the Saints game. Maybe he's been injured (not according to the coach) and when you couple that with a degree of arrogance to his game (which is awesome when he's in form) then it unravels in a way that's not pretty and borderline rage inducing agrovating. Still rate him as one of our most important players though when fit and mentally switched on.
 
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