Rumour Buddy Watch 2013

[Power Raid]

HF: Darling, Franklin, Masten
FF: Hill, Kennedy, LeCras

Sure it'd cost us millions, but f**k me.

Go for it guys. I go to 4 or 5 WCE games per year as I am based in Perth.

I would love to see Buddy return to WA. Your forward line would go down in history as the best ever!

 

[Suma Magic]

It's a hypothetical situation that I don't think will happen, but if he was interested...

It's not a case of deciding if we recruit Franklin or some gun mids. It's a case of deciding if we recruit Franklin or whoever else is available, which may be no one good. There may not be a single top end mid who is willing to come to West Coast and who we can sort a trade for.

Or the other way of looking at it could be that it's a case of recruiting Franklin or hanging on to the young gun players we already have.

I think he will cost too much, but if he is interested we'd be mad not to offer what we considered to be his fair value. If that's not enough to get him, then so be it.

 

[greennick]

I'm of the opinion that in 2-3 years Darling will be better then Franklin ever was.

While I don't think we need Buddy, I just don't see Darling being better. Buddy is pretty ******* special.

He just won't be worth getting in a s**t fight with Freo over.

 

[greennick]

It's a hypothetical situation that I don't think will happen, but if he was interested...

It's not a case of deciding if we recruit Franklin or some gun mids. It's a case of deciding if we recruit Franklin or whoever else is available, which may be no one good. There may not be a single top end mid who is willing to come to West Coast and who we can sort a trade for.

Or the other way of looking at it could be that it's a case of recruiting Franklin or hanging on to the young gun players we already have.

I think he will cost too much, but if he is interested we'd be mad not to offer what we considered to be his fair value. If that's not enough to get him, then so be it.

This hits the nail on the head IMO!

 

[Ian Dargie]

That's public enough for me to realise that if Buddy even contemplates leaving we will make a play.

This could get very very interesting the longer it plays out.

Not sure how you can infer anything from that article.

Is it really going to get "very very interesting"? I doubt it.

"We could squeeze Buddy into the line-up, but the other issue is being able to afford to fit him into your squad," Worsfold told 6PR.

"When the time is right, we’ll get a list of all players that may be interested in moving clubs and available to us.

"There are so many factors that you have to take into account that it’s not something I worry about until we get down to the crunch time."

And that gets headlined as us "confirming interest"?

If anything, Worsfold is batting away the question and saying it's too early for such discussions.

A classic misleading headline to get people to click on the story online. OMG! Eagles want Franklin! Oh, nothing newsworthy at all.

I just think people should put all Franklin discussion on ice for six months. Nothing is going to happen between now and then.

 

[pantskyle]

Nothing will happen but the talk and rumours will be rife until he decides.

 

[Suma Magic]

I think my previous post oversimplifies the situation, but still think we should entertain it if given the chance.

I'm not holding my breath but hopefully once the hangover from winning the flag starts to wear off in early October we have a good trade/fta period.

Listening to Woosh on the radio then reading the article is pretty funny, he was just having a laugh really.

 

[Lyyynnnchy]

Would rather we bring in 2 gun mids for the price Franklin will cost.

Can you name 2 gun mids that would come to WC for $500,000 each?

 

[pantskyle]

Can you name 2 gun mids that would come to WC for $500,000 each?

Let me check supercoach prices.

 

[Jarlcorbz]

Do not need/want.

End of story.

The reasons are obvious and have already been mentioned, lets focus our attention on some midfield talent.

Really hope Woosh & the club are playing it up to make Fremantle panic & offer him even more $$$

I will start a riot on Roberts Rd if we officially go after him come October

If we can see through this then I'm sure Freo would.

 

[dajesmac]

If he says he is coming back to WA then we will be all over him.

But we won't try and entice him. We'll wait until he wants to come home.

 

[TOA.]

I'm of the view that if he is available then you have to go for him. You play this game to win premierships, if we got him, we would be extremely good chances of winning a premiership over the next 3-4yrs.

While there will be free agents in the future, Buddy being a key forward is a different beast. Midfielders come and go, forwards that can win games by themselves do not. We will not have a chance at a slot in and win premiership type over the next 5yrs IMO. Rich, Coniglio, Bennell wont come in and increase our chances of winning a premiership anywhere near like Buddy would.

 

[Matera92]

Woosh was taking the piss on the radio, as usual some hack journo has heard it and taken it out of context.

 

[Jarlcorbz]

My cousin went to the same High-School as Buddy, apparently he was a jerk.



Yeah.

 

[Forward Press]

My cousin went to the same High-School as Buddy, apparently he was a jerk.



Yeah.

But if he joins us, he becomes our jerk. Our f***ing talented and athletic jerk.

 

[the harry]

Would rather we bring in 2 gun mids for the price Franklin will cost.

Yeah we could really add a bit to the mid field. Plus there are far more than 1 suitable option too. Surely it's not just Cripps and Wellingham that want to get to West Coast.

 

[bombard]

Buddy's a top notch player, undeniable. We're working to a plan though, and as it happens a KPF is pretty close to the bottom of our shopping list. It will be unfortunate to watch if ends up in purple (although I think he'll stay at Hawthorn), but that's life. Sure, Cripps wasn't part of our plan, but he was an opportunity in that he was someone who fit a description we needed, available at below market rate. Buddy is someone we don't really need, at exactly market rate or MORE. Leave him be.

And, if you think we're all sick of Buddy talk by now, imagine how you must feel as a Hawks fan. It wouldn't be dissimilar to the period when we all knew Judd was going to show his lack of spine, heart and intestinal fortitude. Dude was basically a jellyfish by the time he announced his departure.

 

[pantskyle]

But we won't try and entice him. We'll wait until he wants to come home.

Agree, as Woosha said and has said before if you are a player who wants to play for us we will have a look.

 

[Byron_Clanger]

I wouldn't mind him in the team but I don't how how he'd fit in our current forward line unless they move Darling to the middle

 

[Eastern Rangers]

I'm of the opinion that in 2-3 years Darling will be better then Franklin ever was.

Looking forward to him kicking 100+ goals in his 4th season.

 

[Shupe]

Why get buddy? Who are we gonna drop to fit him in?

Crazy talk. Don't kid yourself. Buddy > Everyone else in our forward line. It's not a tough decision to 'fit in' one of (if not) the best players in the competition.

Whilst i rate Buddy as the best player in the comp...

there is no way we would be able to keep all of Gaff, Shuey, Darling etc who will be commanding some super wages in the not too distant future.

Pass up a 26 year old superstar now in the hope that a couple of our players become superstars in the future? What happens if Gaff decides to go home? (not about $ for everyone). What about if Shuey does a knee and can't get back to his best? We've just lost out on Franklin because of something that 'might' happen in the future. You deal with those circumstances then, not now. Don't get me wrong, planning for the future must be considered, however we will also be without the contracts of Kerr/Cox/Glass. Clubs often manage to keep a team together.

Do not need/want.
End of story.

Same, I'd hate to have one of the best players in the competition playing for my team

 

[Seadog]

Premierships are a rarity. Buddy may or may not increase our chances of winning one but it would be good fun watching him run around in blue and gold for a few years.

 

[Jarlcorbz]

I think we should have a go. Glass leaving will free up some cap space, and dependig how Nicoski goes this year with injury, he might be in his last year (though I doubt and hope not). Will also obviously de-list some players come 2013-14 pre-season.
So we might have the cap space, but if he's after money then Freo have the upper hand. No idea where Pav is at regarding his retirement, so that could be a factor as well.

 

[pantskyle]

Looking forward to him kicking 100+ goals in his 4th season.

Yeah me too.

 

[fryzie]

I'm of the view that if he is available then you have to go for him. You play this game to win premierships, if we got him, we would be extremely good chances of winning a premiership over the next 3-4yrs.

While there will be free agents in the future, Buddy being a key forward is a different beast. Midfielders come and go, forwards that can win games by themselves do not. We will not have a chance at a slot in and win premiership type over the next 5yrs IMO. Rich, Coniglio, Bennell wont come in and increase our chances of winning a premiership anywhere near like Buddy would.

Think Sydney just showed that a good game plan carried out by a solid team can beat a team of highly skilled individuals in a Grand Final, even if one of those highly skilled individuals is Buddy Franklin.

If we can get him an retain our entire list that has been built over years of hard work including having to cop a wooden spoon then sure, let's get him. But Buddy is a restricted free agent and at this point we would have to sacrifice a minimum of what Hawthorn offer him, before we even consider beating what other clubs bid and Hawks have reportedly opened negotiations with a 4 year contract worth $1mil a year.

This is a bidding war will very quickly grow to be too rich for our blood.