Buddy - Halfway through his contract and almost at 100 games for the Swans

[footyfan1978]

You forget the Cyril, Gunner, Burgers, Bruest, Strats and Sicily constellations with new star systems coming out of the Burton, Hardwick, O’Meara and Impey nebulas. You need to give your footy telescope a polish

Telescope will not work. That is a black hole and Cyril just about at the event horizon. Even he does not have the escape velocity to avoid where this is going.

 

[Tedeski]

A part of me thinks Mitchell will be back in Swans colours in a year or two.

No way.
Never! Florent & Hayward mean we don't miss him.

 

[Tedeski]

Signed up to win flags

Thus far its a huge bust

Loving it.

 

[Tedeski]

Sydney wanted their mummy in 2016

Imagine him in Hawk colours this weekend.
Oh never mind.

 

[Tedeski]

At this point I'm more concerned about the remainder of Hannebery's contract than Franklin's.

Every team having a dip has contracts that concern them, either because they aren't long enough to keep a player or too long for their output.

 

[Big Blood]

No way.
Never! Florent & Hayward mean we don't miss him.

And Heeney and Lloyd. Remember Lloyd kept Mitchell out of the team for most of his first season.

 

[SBD Gonzalez]

Lets see his medical records
One of the worst cover up jobs since Essendon* 2012.

You’re entitled to someone’s confidential medical records???!

Now I’ve heard everything.

Check out this great new game - Ultimate Keyboard Warrior.

 

[SBD Gonzalez]

In fact this beautiful song could be sung by Buddy. She remembers a starry romantic night many years ago but now laments it all and there are No Stars.

Could be “No Flags”.

Oh sheesh.

 

[AG]

10/10 so far. Has been well worth the investment but the real judgment needs to be made in the last few years of his contract.

Judging him on premierships is ridiculous. I don't understand the whole argument that we acquired him to win premierships. Aren't all players acquired to assist teams winning premierships?

Yes, we invested a lot in him but that's because he is a generational player. If the AFL had a luxury tax like the NBA where teams can pay beyond the salary cap, then I'd agree that you would need to win premierships to justify the extra investment. However our total player payments are within the same salary cap as every other team.

If people judge on premierships then I assume they would rather Boyd over Franklin on output so far. I assume they don't rate Lockett or Ablett snr either. Judging players, or the acquisition of players, based on team achievements makes no sense.

 

[Damon_3388]

To me, anything you get from a player after the age of 33 is a bonus, which takes him through 2020 and year six of the contract.

I think people initially expected him to be slowing down significantly and barely get past this point, while it actually looks like he'll be playing at a high level for a long while yet.

 

[Syd]

.....many were ok with it, thinking he was going to GWS, then furious it was Swans - not just because of being a major rival, but because of the Swans specific advantages in salary cap.

GWS Cap concessions were greater than Sydney's plus there would have been a massive Ambassador component to extend that further

IF Bud had joined GWS they would have had 1 or 2 flags already (which is why the AFL we're engineering the move)

No one was happy Sydney recruited him instead, especially the year after Tippett and the biggest act of bastardry in the Trae Ban (for not breaking any rule) created

The immediate removal of the COLA for Sydney only simply another act of vengefulness by Fitzpatrick & crew

Ufortunately forcing us to draft seems to be paying dividends in the youth area so finals look likely for a few more years, hope Bud gets another flag or two at Sydney in that time

 

[threesixpio]

Oh sheesh.

C’mon SBD. Sing along -I’ll supply the bouncing ball on the lyrics:

“Noooooooo Flags...”

 

[threesixpio]

I remember Hawthorn supporters being all "well that's life" and serene when they thought he was going to a s**t team then going apeshit when they realised it was the Swans.

Lol - that was me. Any team but them (youse and Cats excepted).

Boy oh boy 2014 was good

 

[threesixpio]

I am not sure how underrated it is as I think everyone knows Buddy is lethal when kicking it into the forward 50, but he is even more lethal when he is in the forward 50.

Alright alright Buddy’s great and everyone knows

But will such greatness reach its potential (flag wise)

 

[legend166]

All well and good but you are viewing this from within a Hawthorn slant on what "Success" is.

Hawthorn, perhaps more than any other team are focused purely on winning the Premiership as a measure of success. You only have to look at how Clarkson treats H&A games, focusing on strategies/tactics and development rather than the W/L column. (His view being if you are good enough to be a contender, you will win the 13+ games anyway).

Sydney aren't. Their first charter is to be 'successful', EVERY year - they have to be. Mainly from what they are and (more accurately) WHERE they are. Sydney (the town) isn't Melbourne - a much larger proportion of their members/crowds/fans/support are there for 'entertainment' - not religion. A Swans team currently in finals is necessary for their market - perhaps even more so than a recent premiership.

The dogs could finish last for a decade and their fans would (mostly) not care. They have a premiership, and that cannot be taken away from them. Their origins and historic lack of success means that those members/fans/support they have is much more about tradition, heritage and culture than it is about the Premiership cup.

Buddy has been an almost unmitigated success for Swans because he is exactly what they needed. Marketability, merchandise, draws casual fans through the gate - creates a spectacle that is easily digestible. He's also a generational player, and can win (and has won) games off his own boot.

How many neutrals would watch Hawthorn's 2012-16 rigid 18-man zone and marvel at the effort that went into creating and managing it? Footy tragics yes - the ones that deliberately sit high in the stands to watch the play unfold - the ones who aren't looking where the footy is, but what's happening 50m away, how teams are setting up, etc. Casual fans are there for the high-mark, the long run, the big hit, etc.



Hawthorn wanted to keep Franklin - economically he was easily worth the contract demands as his merchandise/marketing alone exceeded the contract. It just couldn't justify it within the restrictions on the salary cap, and many were ok with it, thinking he was going to GWS, then furious it was Swans - not just because of being a major rival, but because of the Swans specific advantages in salary cap.

What a load of crap.

 

[Leg End]

In isolation the buddy deal was a good one but it had much wider ramifications.

The reason they made it such a long deal was to try and get around the rules of free agency and not allow hawthorn a realistic option to match and force a trade. They were able to do this due to the extra 10% in their salary cap which was being banked for superstars rather than applied to all player contracts as intended.

The AFL then gave them the option of playing by the same rules as everyone else if they wanted to continue being allowed to trade and they refused so effectively banning themselves from trading for a couple of years.

So he also cos them an extra 10% every year that was a massive advantage and they were getting away with it for a long time before they pushed it too far.

But another artificial advantage was just around the corner for Sydney with their academy where they now have three top 5 draft picks they’ve received all whilst finishing up near the top of the ladder.

You sum up so many Melbourne fans so well: ignorant conspiracy theorists - clueless.

COLA was applied per contract. Not allowed to be pooled. So you have no clue.

Swans put millions into our academy. We deserve every high pick we've already paid for. How else do we grow the game you insular moron.

If the Swans had yourpokies blood money and some Friendly umpires like your mob, we would have at least 2 more flags.

You should learn facts before spouting.

 

[SterlingArcher]

I must admit I intended to create this thread last week but I completely forgot but last week Buddy was officially halfway through his 9 year contract and while the Swans have not won a premiership in that time (of course disappointing) it is still bloody hard to say that Buddy has been anything other than a success at the Swans.

I also should say that when the initial deal was announced I was less than happy, as I did not want Buddy for such a long contract, and such a big contract but it has been such a pleasure seeing him in the red and white and now when I think of Franklin I don't think "ex Hawk". I think he is a Swan through and through and think he is just as much a Swan as Brett Kirk, Adam Goodes or Paul Kelly.

So the stats since 2014

98 games
309 goals
3 times All Australian
4 times Sydney's leading goal kicker
2 Coleman medals (2014 and 2017)

He is also 111 goals from reaching the 1000 goal mark.

So, how have you rated his time at the Swans, and since he has another 4 and a half years to go on his contract how many years do you see him going? Also would you like to guess how many goals he will end up with (currently on 889)?

ALso for reference, he is 31 and a half.

1056 is my tip. Think the last couple of seasons might be tough for him but he's got 60-70 seasons for a couple more years left in him yet, then take a back seat and probably slightly more injuries.

 

[SterlingArcher]

Also think he has been a massive success at Sydney and they have been and are a better team than if they had kept the guys they supposedly lost because of Buddy's contract (Mitchell, Mumford, Jetta, Malceski? Membrey?).

 

[Troystenvic]

Possibly has some regrets about his last contract

Probably not. Look at what he sleeps next to most nights. He went for the woman and there just happened to be 2 clubs where the mrs come from that wanted to throw a tonne of cash at him

 

[Borough Blood]

Fantastic player, carried Sydney on his back in many games.

your team​

At least he’s got broad shoulders, don’t know how poor little Titch does it for you blokes.

 

[SBD Gonzalez]

C’mon SBD. Sing along -I’ll supply the bouncing ball on the lyrics:

“Noooooooo Flags...”

To do that I’d first have to click on your dumb video, and even on a public holiday, I just don’t have enough time in my day to do that.

 

[SBD Gonzalez]

Also think he has been a massive success at Sydney and they have been and are a better team than if they had kept the guys they supposedly lost because of Buddy's contract (Mitchell, Mumford, Jetta, Malceski? Membrey?).

Malc was at the end of his stellar career. We were sorry to lose him and wished him well but he hardly set GCS alight.
Jetta was a straight swap for Callum Sinclair. (And right now you’d have to say we one that one anyway.)

 

[The King!]

Does anyone ever come into bigfooty and discuss something and change a view?

 

[Smithdogmaddog]

You sum up so many Melbourne fans so well: ignorant conspiracy theorists - clueless.

COLA was applied per contract. Not allowed to be pooled. So you have no clue.

Swans put millions into our academy. We deserve every high pick we've already paid for. How else do we grow the game you insular moron.

If the Swans had yourpokies blood money and some Friendly umpires like your mob, we would have at least 2 more flags.

You should learn facts before spouting.

Clearly COLA wasn’t applied per contract if you had the cap space to recruit tippet and Franklin two years after winning a flag.

Every club would put millions into an academy if they had the option.

2 flags is about right for their achievements, no more no less.

It’s good for the competition to have Sydney up there to get more money for the TV rights.

I understand why they play by different rules than the rest of the comp but let’s not pretend it doesn’t exist.

Just got to be careful to not over cook the advantages that’s all.

 

[DarkPhoenix]

I don't think the question was ever "Is he going to be any good at the Swans?" it's always been "Can he see out the length of the contract at the Swans?"