How did the Swans get Tony Lockett?

RUNVS

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Thread starter #1
Ive been thinking about this and have looked it up on the internet but havent really found any information so i thought id ask some of our older forum members who might know (as i was 6 at the time).

Does anyone know HOW the Swans manage to sequire Tony Lockett's services. Did Swans management approach him or did he approach Swans management? This was arguably the biggest trade deal of the 1990's and i know next to nothing about it.
 

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TheMase

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#2
I think it was a case of Lockett not liking the Melbourne media spotlight, and both parties saw an opportunity. I am not 100% sure of who approached who ... but I think Lockett signals his intentions and the Swans gave him a good option.
 

Benevolent Ert

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#3
Come the end of '94 Tony decided he needed a change of scenery and declared his intentions to leave St Kilda.
Richmond, Collingwood and the Swans were the front-runners for Plugger, and he declared that his preference was Richmond.

However the Tigers couldn't put together a deal suitable to the Saints, so it was between the Swans and Collingwood.
Swans put together an acceptable deal, and Collingwood decided they couldn't match it, so they pulled out, sending the big fella to the Harbour city.

I can't exactly remember the players involved, but I do recall that the likes of Simon Minton-Connell and Jayson Daniels were keen to return to Victoria. There were also draft picks involved, which allowed St Kilda to pick up the likes of Joel Smith, Austinn Jones and Darryl Wakelin if I recall correctly
 

liz

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#4
I don't think it was a case of the Pies not matching the Swans offer. As I understand it, he plumped for Collingwood but the Pies board voted against recruiting him (by a narrow margin).

So the Swans were almost his last choice. I think that in one of his books he talks about his apprehension in coming up here because of the "special relationship" he had with the Sydney crowd.

I do remember a story told by Barassi that he sat at that fateful game in 1994 when Lockett singlehandedly won the Saints the game in the final term and also knocked out Peter Caven, he became determined to get him up to Sydney for the following season. He tells it that pretty much his first comment (to Aylett??) after the game was that getting Lockett had to be their mission for the off-season.
 

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#5
I think the fact that Ron Barassi was coaching was also an incentive for the big fella. He later said that was one of the things that helped him decide. Luckily Sydney were so crap those days we had plenty to bargain with too.
 

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#6
I do remember a story told by Barassi that he sat at that fateful game in 1994 when Lockett singlehandedly won the Saints the game in the final term and also knocked out Peter Caven, he became determined to get him up to Sydney for the following season. He tells it that pretty much his first comment (to Aylett??) after the game was that getting Lockett had to be their mission for the off-season.
There was a story like that in Paul Kelly's book, I think Barassi's wife said "How are you gonna stop Lockett the next time you verse him? and Ron replied by saying "We'll sign him".
 
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#7
They got draft picks jason danials back and david strooper, i also think there was another kid called robbie neil sent the saints. not sure if thats his correct name. he was the kid Bukenarra made do a camando crawl across the mude moore park and the infections put him in hospital
Try this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgJ0Sn7cn3E
how good was that day i only got tickets to the grand final cause my next door neighbours misss won 2 tickets at work and he knew i was a mad swans supporter
 
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