Callan Ward joins the Giants

[fairdinkum]

Are 'learned' men seriously trying to argue that relatively poor fixturing and broadcast scheduling does not have a substantial commercial impact on the club in question? Seriously?

Do you really think that high levels of FTA exposure (particularly in prime-time slots) does not enhance a club's appeal to prospective sponsors and supporters?

Don't be stupid.

 

[Eagle87]

Equalisation payments are there to compensate for a rigged fixture. A team stuck on sunday foxtel twilight games is not going to get the exposure to sponsors as a team playing Friday night or on Anzac Day.

What, like West Coast?

 

[Scotland]

Are 'learned' men seriously trying to argue that relatively poor fixturing and broadcast scheduling does not have a substantial commercial impact on the club in question? Seriously?

Do you really think that high levels of FTA exposure (particularly in prime-time slots) does not enhance a club's appeal to prospective sponsors and supporters?

Don't be stupid.

A 'fair' fixture and removal of AFL safety nets would only make things worse for the smaller Victorian clubs.

Of course a 'fair' fixture is not what fans of those clubs are after.

And back on topic, boo Callan Ward, boo.

 

[Gus]

Can't believe the Bulldogs still selected him. No wonder their culture is a mess.

Well, seeing as he hasn't officially announced anything then he's still in.

Would suck if he's actually still considering it, but we drop him on the whim of a news article and innuendo so he cracks the shits and leaves.

 

[krisholio14]

There is no conclusive proof that Vic is an oversaturated market. If all Vic clubs were on a level playing field and there were clubs still struggling, that would be proof. The current set-up doesn't allow that theory to be tested. Until it is tested, your "oversaturated market" theory is just that - a theory.

WC aren't an advantaged few? They get to play 12/22 games per year at their preferred home ground in consistent popular timeslots. NM & WB would kill for that deal.

and they'd still get crap crowds.

North have had their chance with prime time slots, big ground, quality team, marquee players, and it made no difference.

You could give North the world, and they'd still always struggle. It's just easier for the footy communists to blame the AFL than face the truth.

 

[stui magpie]

Geezus GWS are going to get belted next year.

GC did a season in the VFL playing a decent standard, and recruited some mature bodies to mark time for the kids. GWS is going young and paying overs.

 

[wian]

Soulless, welcome to the world of AFL (Australian Franchise League).

Well Mr Demetentio, you can stick your AFL where the sun don't shine. I'm done with your rigged draw, and new franchises.

Hope all the players go on strike and there is no games next year.

F*#k you AFL.

I agree ! F**K YOU AFL and DEMETRIO !

The competition is F**N Rigged and favours the wealthy teams !

Screw you Ward too - If i was coach, you wouldnt be playing saturday for my club !

 

[PP34]

A lot of money to pay for such a young guy. Interesting to see who else GWS land.

 

[Pure Pop]

Can't believe the Bulldogs still selected him.

Ruck him all day against Sandilands and then send him off to GWS with the Bulldog's blessing

 

[Gazza_11]

Soulless, welcome to the world of AFL (Australian Franchise League).

Well Mr Demetentio, you can stick your AFL where the sun don't shine. I'm done with your rigged draw, and new franchises.

Hope all the players go on strike and there is no games next year.

F*#k you AFL.

Why would they strike when this actually gives them an opportunity to earn more? I can tell you Callan Ward loves GWS (as all of the GC recruits do with their team).

 

[fairdinkum]

A 'fair' fixture and removal of AFL safety nets would only make things worse for the smaller Victorian clubs.

Of course a 'fair' fixture is not what fans of those clubs are after.

Those points are both debatable, but neither of them answer my question. Given how basic my question was, I wonder why you haven't answered it.

 

[liam_13]

I agree ! F**K YOU AFL and DEMETRIO !

The competition is F**N Rigged and favours the wealthy teams !

Screw you Ward too - If i was coach, you wouldnt be playing saturday for my club !

These are the type of posts that make me want to see Ward stay...same with some of the Melbourne posters saying oh well Scullys knee is s**t, he won't last 5 years.

Please, for me, Scully and Ward stay. Then watch these posters do another 360

 

[Starburns_]

Yeah losing our best talent under the age of 21 (or close enough too) in consecutive years is getting off scot-free.

Get real.

To be fair, this year has shown Harbrow up to a massive frontrunner who you're probably better off without long term (especially considering the money he'd have asked for). Ward is a huge loss though.

 

[Churros]

No sadder than Buckley or Headland leaving Brisbane, White leaving Fremantle, Rocca leaving Sydney.

And nowhere near as bad as Geelong losing Ablett.

I don't get the idea that players have to be wedded to their clubs - when the same clubs would cut them in a minute if they got offered a better deal.

Definitely. The pain of that was unbearable for a while.

Golden boy of the whole town of Geelong. Everyone knew who he was, and loved him. He was pretty much everyone's favourite player. I have never walked around Geelong and missed a person with an Ablett guernsey on. He didn't have to leave. Geelong would NEVER, EVER have left him poor. It sucks to see him captain another club.

I think the golden boy is Selwood now though. His future is looking miles brighter than how Ablett's was at 23. I'm sure Joel won't leave. Rejected millions from GC as well as GWS and made Ablett look superficial.

Sad, but this stuff happens to clubs, and the Dogs were unlucky to lose talent like Ward at such a young age. I imagine it would be really hard to see him develop into a superstar player at another club.

 

[blaze036]

how can u call somone soulless for wanting a pay rise.... seriouslly who here wouldn't leave their workplace for a doubled wage somewhere else? especially when ur "work life" its only 10-11 years approx if ur very lucky. No prospect of future success at the dogs, and perhaps he didnt have very many mates down there (just hypothetically) seems like the completely right option for him to leave. Bulldogs will get tier 1 compo they can use in the superdraft and help them a lot to reaching their next premiership. If they use their compo picks well this is actually a GOOD thing for the dogs.

 

[Pigdog]

To be fair, this year has shown Harbrow up to a massive frontrunner who you're probably better off without long term (especially considering the money he'd have asked for). Ward is a huge loss though.

Harbrow has actually been ok in a team getting belted most weeks, his defensive skills aren't great, but his run & carry has been sorely missed.

I like most Bulldogs would take him back in a heartbeat.... I would have him before Ward to tell you the truth.

 

[blaze036]

These are the type of posts that make me want to see Ward stay...same with some of the Melbourne posters saying oh well Scullys knee is s**t, he won't last 5 years.

Please, for me, Scully and Ward stay. Then watch these posters do another 360

haha wouldnt a 360 seem them facing the same way? and therefor same opinion

 

[WCE_phil]

how can u call somone soulless for wanting a pay rise.... seriouslly who here wouldn't leave their workplace for a doubled wage somewhere else? especially when ur "work life" its only 10-11 years approx if ur very lucky. No prospect of future success at the dogs, and perhaps he didnt have very many mates down there (just hypothetically) seems like the completely right option for him to leave. Bulldogs will get tier 1 compo they can use in the superdraft and help them a lot to reaching their next premiership. If they use their compo picks well this is actually a GOOD thing for the dogs.

Tier 1 compo my arse. Get your hand off it. If scully gets tier 1 compo its the biggest joke since the barry hall getting off his striking charge in the 05 prelim. Ward is somewhere between tier 2 and tier 3 and its likely that it'll be classified as tier 2.

 

[Ron The Bear]

Tier 1 compo my arse. Get your hand off it. If scully gets tier 1 compo its the biggest joke since the barry hall getting off his striking charge in the 05 prelim. Ward is somewhere between tier 2 and tier 3 and its likely that it'll be classified as tier 2.

What compo would you want for Naitanui? Same age, ~50 games each, both showing undoubted potential without being the finished article.

 

[Churros]

Each to their own but the line between "loyalty" and "idiocy" gets pretty blurry given the facts ...

Compare and contrast, let's.

Point 1: THE MONEY.
Joel Selwood is earning around $700k-$750k here at Geelong. GWS and GC offered him $1mil - $1.5 mil a year.

That's a max difference of $800k.

That is quite a lot of money, especially to a 23 year old, is it not?

Point 2: THE LOCATION.
Where would you rather live? Geelong that is metaphorically ashamed to be called the 2nd largest town in Vic, boasting one of the most disgusting beaches I've ever seen? Not to mention the litter, roads, hospital, weather and smells?

Or would you rather live in the Gold Coast, one of Australia's most popular tourist destinations with great shops, beaches, surf, weather and women!

Far out, even Greater Western Sydney trumps more than Geelong as a place to live.

Point 3: HIS ROLE.
Joel is easily one of the best players in the comp, and his influence at a younger club would be bigger than at a club like Geelong, filled with older players. Joel would definitely increase their premiership chances, and most of our younger players, as well as those from other clubs, are modelling how they play around him.

Three huge life-changing, rep-changing points, and he came up with "I want to work through the next era at the Geelong Footy Club". Maybe he values success over the $$$, maybe he values a dump town over a hot spot, maybe he values waiting for a fully-deserved captaincy over getting it straight away, or maybe the line between loyalty and idiocy isn't as blurry as you think. It really depends on who the player is and their maturity/what they want out of life.

 

[TedDougChris]

Harbrow has actually been ok in a team getting belted most weeks, his defensive skills aren't great, but his run & carry has been sorely missed.

I like most Bulldogs would take him back in a heartbeat.... I would have him before Ward to tell you the truth.

When the articles came out that GWS were targetting Ward, Wood and Roughead from the Dogs, I knew which one we could most afford to lose...

 

[Starburns_]

Harbrow has actually been ok in a team getting belted most weeks, his defensive skills aren't great, but his run & carry has been sorely missed.

I like most Bulldogs would take him back in a heartbeat.... I would have him before Ward to tell you the truth.

Fraser and Krakouer aside (who were barely AFL standard players in 2010), IMO Harbrow has been the worst of the established players at the suns. The defensive pressure that you mention is one thing that stands out, he also doesn't seem hard enough at the footy. From the outside looking in, Ward seemed to have more grunt and upside then Harbrow, also Ward seems to have had a decent year this year in a much weaker side than the one Harbrow played in at the dogs.

In the end though, I think the AFL will rate them pretty much the same compo-wise. Which overall I think is a bit harsh because the dogs (like the crows) have effectively been double-dipped by the expansion clubs.

 

[TedDougChris]

Fraser and Krakouer aside (who were barely AFL standard players in 2010), IMO Harbrow has been the worst of the established players at the suns. The defensive pressure that you mention is one thing that stands out, he also doesn't seem hard enough at the footy. From the outside looking in, Ward seemed to have more grunt and upside then Harbrow, also Ward seems to have had a decent year this year in a much weaker side than the one Harbrow played in at the dogs.

In the end though, I think the AFL will rate them pretty much the same compo-wise. Which overall I think is a bit harsh because the dogs (like the crows) have effectively been double-dipped by the expansion clubs.

I understand your assessment and while I disagree slightly, two of the big issues we have had at the Dogs this year have been the loss of our defenders and lack of run/attack from defence. They are not the only issues mind you....

On that basis, Harbrow was a big loss for us.

I'm sure the AFL will bend us over again....

 

[Starburns_]

I understand your assessment and while I disagree slightly, two of the big issues we have had at the Dogs this year have been the loss of our defenders and lack of run/attack from defence. They are not the only issues mind you....

On that basis, Harbrow was a big loss for us.

I'm sure the AFL will bend us over again....

Good point, it's all about what type of player the team needs. From what I've seen of Ward he hardly plays a position where the dogs are light on talent, whereas the loss of Harbrow combined with the decline of Gilbee and Lake has left you with a bigger hole than what Ward might.

You'd hope they don't, but they probably will. They stuffed up the compensation first up and had to do a backflip when everyone found out what the cats would get for Ablett (which in the end probably was still less than he's worth) and now a precedent has been set with the first batch of Gold Coast signings which will probably screw the likes of the dogs and especially Melbourne. The AFL were happy to compromise 2 drafts for the new teams, why not the next 3 with better compensation picks.

 

[Scotland]

Those points are both debatable, but neither of them answer my question. Given how basic my question was, I wonder why you haven't answered it.

Your original question wasn't aimed at me, but OK.

Are 'learned' men seriously trying to argue that relatively poor fixturing and broadcast scheduling does not have a substantial commercial impact on the club in question? Seriously?

Do you really think that high levels of FTA exposure (particularly in prime-time slots) does not enhance a club's appeal to prospective sponsors and supporters?

Obviously poor fixturing and FTA exposure has a commercial impact, but it is overstated. West Coast gets a dud deal from the fixture every single year yet are continually successful on and off the field because of other factors.

If the AFL deliberately structured the fixture around sharing 'blockbusters' and prime timeslots etc. it would not be the panacea many make it out to be for the smaller clubs.