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Blues set deadline in Bradley standoff
By Damian Barrett And Scott Palmer
Saturday, January 19, 2002
CRAIG Bradley has been given seven days to decide if he wants to enter a 17th AFL season or retire.
The latest Bradley-Carlton standoff is believed to stem from the captain's disenchantment with Blues president John Elliott.
Their strong relationship is understood to have waned in the past two months. Bradley felt the club had failed to honour what he believed to be a previously agreed financial package.
Carlton chief executive Don Hanly said he had told Bradley a decision had to be made soon to allow the club to make plans for the 2002 season.
''I suggested to him that we, the club, would like to know by a certain time,'' Hanly said, without revealing the deadline. ''Our position is this: there is an offer before Craig and it is a decision whether he accepts that offer or he retires. It is as simple as that.''
Carlton coach Wayne Brittain is becoming increasingly anxious with the Bradley contract delay.
The Blues are scheduled to play their first preseason competition match on February 16. While Bradley, 38, would not be involved in that series unless the club qualified for the semi-finals or final, the match committee is pushing the club to resolve the matter by the end of the week.
''In an ideal situation, you would like your senior players back training, but the scenario is that he is 38 years of age and it is unprecedented, in the modern history of the game, for someone to still be playing at that age,'' Hanly said.
''We do respect we can't put the demands on him that we do on the younger players and he understands what is required to play at this level.''
Bradley was reluctant to discuss his future when contacted this week, but said an answer would come on his 2002 plans soon.
''I've been training pretty hard and I'm pretty fit at the moment,'' he said. ''I've done a lot of running around parks and there is a gymnasium I've been going to, so we'll see what goes on in a week's time.''
Blues set deadline in Bradley standoff
By Damian Barrett And Scott Palmer
Saturday, January 19, 2002
CRAIG Bradley has been given seven days to decide if he wants to enter a 17th AFL season or retire.
The latest Bradley-Carlton standoff is believed to stem from the captain's disenchantment with Blues president John Elliott.
Their strong relationship is understood to have waned in the past two months. Bradley felt the club had failed to honour what he believed to be a previously agreed financial package.
Carlton chief executive Don Hanly said he had told Bradley a decision had to be made soon to allow the club to make plans for the 2002 season.
''I suggested to him that we, the club, would like to know by a certain time,'' Hanly said, without revealing the deadline. ''Our position is this: there is an offer before Craig and it is a decision whether he accepts that offer or he retires. It is as simple as that.''
Carlton coach Wayne Brittain is becoming increasingly anxious with the Bradley contract delay.
The Blues are scheduled to play their first preseason competition match on February 16. While Bradley, 38, would not be involved in that series unless the club qualified for the semi-finals or final, the match committee is pushing the club to resolve the matter by the end of the week.
''In an ideal situation, you would like your senior players back training, but the scenario is that he is 38 years of age and it is unprecedented, in the modern history of the game, for someone to still be playing at that age,'' Hanly said.
''We do respect we can't put the demands on him that we do on the younger players and he understands what is required to play at this level.''
Bradley was reluctant to discuss his future when contacted this week, but said an answer would come on his 2002 plans soon.
''I've been training pretty hard and I'm pretty fit at the moment,'' he said. ''I've done a lot of running around parks and there is a gymnasium I've been going to, so we'll see what goes on in a week's time.''
