Preview Gold Coast Suns Vs Brisbane Lions Round 22 Saturday 18 August 6.55pm

[jackess]

Based on the Suns reserves team they must of only had about 25 fit players this week.

 

[Ironmonger]

http://www.afl.com.au/news/2018-08-16/lion-slams-soft-suns-ahead-of-qclash

Fagan spoke on Melbourne radio station 3AW later in the day and made it known how unhappy he was with Robertson's comments.

"I had a chat with him this afternoon," Fagan said.

"I was none too happy at all because it doesn't reflect our view of the Gold Coast Suns, it's more Nick's feeling towards them.

"He's probably gone off and said those things and now regrets them. I think he'll learn a valuable lesson from this.

"He's going to front up on the weekend and it's going to be on.

"He's got to put his head over the footy and play hard and tough."

Fagan said Robertson would "take those words back" if he had his time again.

"It's obviously great motivation for the Gold Coast Suns and something we need to prepare ourselves for on the weekend," he added.

Well, that's awkward, isn't it?

Fagan must have been tempted to wave off Robertson's comments as a joke, but if the kid thought he'd do a bit of PR off his own bat - which seems to be what's happened - he has to be pulled into line.

I doubt those are actually Robertson's feelings about the Suns.

Why poke a sleeping bear???

More like poking a sleeping teddy bear. One missing a few limbs. We should beat Gold Coast regardless of how motivated they are and if we don't it will have nothing to do with Robertson's comments.

 

[spotthedog1]

Club statement if Nick went against the company line: "Nick was just trying to generate some buzz, he went to far. Every player at our club respects the Suns." (proper walk back - think Zorko on priority picks a couple of years back...
What Fages actually said: "it doesn't reflect our view of the Suns, it's more Nick's feeling towards them".

It's the old non-apology apology. Good cop, bad cop. He's quite diplomatically confirmed that players don't respect the Suns. He then followed it up with "He's going to front up on the weekend and it's going to be on".

You can tell a tree by the fruit it bears, and this has generated huge publicity and turned the media story from a dead rubber (and media conversation on the value of tanking) into a grudge match. No one is talking about tanking any more.

The only thing that makes me think that this might not have been planned is that it shows a bit more media savvy than we normally display. If it was planned, it was perfectly done.

 

[Jivlain]

vs

 

[werdna78]

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vs
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Jivlain,

Does the Suns competitiveness in 2013, 2014, end of 2016 and 2017 marry up when Gary Ablett was playing and not injured?

 

[Ironmonger]

Club statement if Nick went against the company line: "Nick was just trying to generate some buzz, he went to far. Every player at our club respects the Suns." (proper walk back - think Zorko on priority picks a couple of years back...
What Fages actually said: "it doesn't reflect our view of the Suns, it's more Nick's feeling towards them".

It's the old non-apology apology. Good cop, bad cop. He's quite diplomatically confirmed that players don't respect the Suns. He then followed it up with "He's going to front up on the weekend and it's going to be on".

You can tell a tree by the fruit it bears, and this has generated huge publicity and turned the media story from a dead rubber (and media conversation on the value of tanking) into a grudge match. No one is talking about tanking any more.

The only thing that makes me think that this might not have been planned is that it shows a bit more media savvy than we normally display. If it was planned, it was perfectly done.

I don't really believe it would have been planned. I doubt we deliberately set up a scenario that involved Fagan publicly criticising one of his own players.

Robertson speaking out of turn is the simplest and most likely explanation.

 

[spotthedog1]

I don't really believe that. I doubt we deliberately set up a scenario that involved Fagan publicly criticising one of his own players.

Robertson speaking out of turn is the simplest and most likely explanation.

Quite possible. I'm not saying "definitely engineered". I'm just saying, if the quote was in context, it was a pretty weak walk-back that kept the story going more than shutting it down.

Did Fagan really criticise his player though? The quotes I see are along the lines of "I had a talk with him", and "if he had his time again, he'd do it differently". He disagreed with him... or at least, he disagreed with him sharing it with the media...

 

[Ironmonger]

Quite possible. I'm not saying "definitely engineered". I'm just saying, if the quote was in context, it was a pretty weak walk-back that kept the story going more than shutting it down.

Did Fagan really criticise his player though? The quotes I see are along the lines of "I had a talk with him", and "if he had his time again, he'd do it differently". He disagreed with him... or at least, he disagreed with him sharing it with the media...

Oh, it's definitely a criticism. 'I was none too happy at all' doesn't leave much room for interpretation.

 

[Ironmonger]

What sucks a little is that Robertson's comments were pretty funny. I think some humorous banter between the two sets of players would have been a genuinely good PR exercise. I wish it was planned.

 

[spotthedog1]

Oh, it's definitely a criticism. 'I was none too happy at all' doesn't leave much room for interpretation.

Maybe. I saw it more as pretext for distancing himself from Nick before confirming that our players don't have a lot of respect for Gold Coast.

Again though, I've only seen the quotes pulled into the article - I could be way off base.

 

[spotthedog1]

What sucks a little is that Robertson's comments were pretty funny. I think some humorous banter between the two sets of players would have been a genuinely good PR exercise. I wish it was planned.

Me too. Maybe why that's why I'm theorising it being deliberate. It's been genuinely good PR all round. It'll even arch up the back of the Suns supporters and get them to turn up to the game. No downside really. I don't know whether it's more likely that we planned good PR, or whether we've just stumbled on it.

 

[irel]

This is 100% manufactured, feigned, set up, simulated, deliberate by our club and I love it.
Fagan knows the last thing our team needs is a meaningless, soft, no pressure, no contact, go through the motions game especially late into the season and with six first and second year players in the starting line up. He wants this team tested in every possible way, and playing under intense conditions. Our group needs to experience and grow under finals type conditions and atmosphere. Robbo just delivered the message, the plan was conceptualized elsewhere.

 

[bungalow_bill]

This is 100% manufactured, feigned, set up, simulated, deliberate by our club and I love it.
Fagan knows the last thing our team needs is a meaningless, soft, no pressure, no contact, go through the motions game especially late into the season and with six first and second year players in the starting line up. He wants this team tested in every possible way, and playing under intense conditions. Our group needs to experience and grow under finals type conditions and atmosphere. Robbo just delivered the message, the plan was conceptualized elsewhere.

Agreed. And if it fires up the Suns enough to beat us then hello Walsh or Smith. No real downside,just upside

 

[Haso]

I still believed this was stage managed. Including Fagan's response.

I liked it all the same though, because it's a touch less obvious than our usual fare.

 

[lions27]

Why poke a sleeping bear???

Crowd numbers, tv audience, inspire some rivalry, get the juniors revved up.
And to back it up with us flogging them this weekend?

 

[brizrider]

Driving down for the game. Where’s the best place to park and ride please? Can’t remember where I parked previously. I do remember it was a kind of long and slow shuttle to the stadium.

 

[Viceregal]

Crowd numbers, tv audience, inspire some rivalry, get the juniors revved up.
And to back it up with us flogging them this weekend?

And if we lose we get to blame NRobbo?

For some posters that would be a win-win!

 

[lions27]

There’s only 2 guys that could have made those comments and back it up this weekend with little effect on their own game.
Mitch Robinson would have been to obvious.
That only left Nick Robbo, I highly doubt it wasn’t put to him to stir the pot.

 

[kylegee28]

I still believed this was stage managed. Including Fagan's response.

I liked it all the same though, because it's a touch less obvious than our usual fare.

The 'sledging' ahead of that first QClash was woeful.

 

[Hollow Knight]

It couldn’t be more scripted and planned in advance. Just like the time they sent Simon Black of all people out there to take a shot at them.

I find it all really cringeworthy and insulting to the intelligence tbh. Not too far removed from WWE wrestlers yelling pre-written taunts into the microphone. It’s kinda put a cringy pall over the match for me now, rather than building my enthusiasm.

 

[Nick Lions]

Driving down for the game. Where’s the best place to park and ride please? Can’t remember where I parked previously. I do remember it was a kind of long and slow shuttle to the stadium.

Believe there is parking at Boowaggan Rd, Carrara/Merrimac. Or Nerang park and ride near the station.

 

[snooplions]

It couldn’t be more scripted and planned in advance. Just like the time they sent Simon Black of all people out there to take a shot at them.

I find it all really cringeworthy and insulting to the intelligence tbh. Not too far removed from WWE wrestlers yelling pre-written taunts into the microphone. It’s kinda put a cringy pall over the match for me now, rather than building my enthusiasm.

How much enthusiasm were you expecting to be built purely from the contest ahead given the two side's standings? Regardless of whether it was scripted, the game will likely be a step up in intensity to what it otherwise would have been.

 

[jackess]

Poor scheduling to have the game this late in the season when both teams supporters have probably mostly lost interest.

 

[brizrider]

Believe there is parking at Boowaggan Rd, Carrara/Merrimac. Or Nerang park and ride near the station.

Cheers. I think it was that Boowaggan thing we went to last time from memory.

 

[brizrider]

Not too far removed from WWE wrestlers yelling pre-written taunts into the microphone.

Suns just drew the wrong card:

They need to counter it with one of these:

Note that trash talking requires no fortitude and does no damage while countering trash talking requires 8 fortitude. There's a Q-Clash lesson in that for all of us.