Opinion Hurn... is he the right guy for captain?

[frenchconnection]

Worth it. But think it will be closer to 1m

Don't forget it's Hackdorn making those comments. Obviously we will need to offer Gov what he's worth but can't see him moving to Freo, particularly now that Mitch decided to stay at Adelaide. It's just Hackdorn trying to be controversial.

 

[DanWCE]

Hurn survives. Surely his last.

 

[Carbine Chaos]

Moving my thoughts to the relevant thread.

#newera

New stadium, complete rebrand, exciting talents to come in this year. It made sense to make the change now, and would have generated more momentum in terms of excitement for 2018 and the changes we’ll hopefully see with the team and style of play.

 

[Dark Sharks]

Oh for *sake, why????

Terrible spineless decision to not let Shuey usher in the new era. Personally i find it takes some of the gloss off what's going to be an exciting season.

 

[arfadunger]

Good decision, he's led the club well. Shuey's time will come.

 

[Carbine Chaos]

Good decision, he's led the club well. Shuey's time will come.

His reign will always be sullied by that shot in the Grand Final for me, sadly.

 

[getgaff]

Good decision, he's led the club well. Shuey's time will come.

Couldn’t have said it better myself Arfa.

Shuey is captain in waiting for sure and I think Hurn will have l one last year for a good crack at it.

 

[archiemoses]

Perfect time for a change. Disappointing outcome, he's not an onfield leader and just wastes a transitional year for us where Shuey could have been learning the ropes.

Typical west coast move.

 

[The wily weagle]

The decision to keep Hurn as captain is wrong, for a number of reasons:

First, this decision reeks of tenure, which seems to be the thing at West Coast. We are going to keep him on as captain because he has "seniority" and he has been there for a while and its easy to keep the status quo. This is the exact same reason why guys like Le Cras or Priddis never got dropped when they deserved to, because they have been at the club for a while and they have "credits in the bank". This working under the "old mates act" does not promote a culture of excellence, rather, it enforces a culture of mediocrity. Which brings me to my second point:

Performance as captain. Hurn is a nice guy. In a team full of nice guys. West coast likes nice, clean cut guys, especially after the cultural fallout of the Ben Cousins and Co years. And Shannon seems like a ripping bloke. But a being a nice guy doesn't make you a good captain. In fact, a lot of the time the complete opposite can be true. I have long said that Hurn is the quintessential "fair weather captain": He is visible when the game is going our way, but goes absolutely missing below deck when the game is going south. I cannot in recent memory remember him stepping up and marshalling those boys when the games momentum was against us. If you want examples, last season is perfect in that how many times did we blow a last quarter lead that lead to a loss where Hurn stepped up to the fore? I sincerely cant recall any. In fact, a hell of a lot of times he was in the group of senior players who went absolutely missing. And this guy is meant to be captain?

Is it a bit harsh because he had certainly wasnt alone, but on the biggest stage of all, the grand final in 2015, he was really nowhere to be found. I cant help but have the image in my head where the game is still up for grabs, Hurn has a set shot, blows it, only for the ball to go straight down the other end to the opposing captain Luke Hodge, who slots it, and it was just about game over at that point. The good captains of this game can either marshall the troops when the going gets tough, or step up to the plate and take the game by the scruff of the neck themselves and lead by example. The truly great captains can do both. And whilst i think the Shannon is a great guy, that doesn't necessarily make him the right man for the job.

After all Simpsons tough talk of a review last season, i truly thought it was Shueys time to step up to the plate. This decision, whilst nice and neat for the footy club, still smacks of weakness.

In essence, Hurn is:

-A fantastic club man, whos loyalty can never be questioned
-A ripping bloke and a really nice guy who will always be fondly remembered at the west coast eagles
-But, IMO, not the best man for the job of captaincy in 2018

 

[amazingjoshy]

Good decision, he's led the club well. Shuey's time will come.

I'm not sure it will, Shuey's 28 this year.

 

[wirra44]

From a person looking from the outside he's only the captain because he's great bloke, doesnt seem to ooze captaincy qualities, shuey does, I cringe every time he has a interviews, its like listening to an old farmer

 

[Woobla Stainz]

Shuey is vice captain and can show on field leadership and lift the boys when needed, there is no rule saying only the captain can do this. While i too would like Shuey to be captain lets not pretend its the difference in winning or losing games.

 

[Carbine Chaos]

Shuey is vice captain and can show on field leadership and lift the boys when needed, there is no rule saying only the captain can do this. While i too would like Shuey to be captain lets not pretend its the difference in winning or losing games.

Shuey ought to be the face of the club and the new era, though.

 

[Shuestar13]

I agree with those wanting Shuey to take over and it certainly made sense that it should be now, the beginning of a new era for the club.
But from reading the article, the first endorsement is from the playing group themselves. Are we asking management to overrule the playing group’s choice? Or should management have been encouraging Hurn to step down?

 

[Boohemian]

Last year's final against Port Adelaide showed just how effective Hurn was as a captain.

Who consulted with the umpires when the siren sounded with scores level? Who rallied the troops? It was Mitchell, cutting Hurn's grass big time. From that moment on, should have been obvious that it was time for a new captain.

 

[FatPizza]

I agree with those wanting Shuey to take over and it certainly made sense that it should be now, the beginning of a new era for the club.
But from reading the article, the first endorsement is from the playing group themselves. Are we asking management to overrule the playing group’s choice? Or should management have been encouraging Hurn to step down?

Pretty much what I was going to post.

 

[WCErevival]

Shuey is vice captain and can show on field leadership and lift the boys when needed, there is no rule saying only the captain can do this. While i too would like Shuey to be captain lets not pretend its the difference in winning or losing games.

Exactly what I was going to say. I would rather Shuey captain but it's not going to make much difference. It's not like Hurn is going to be dropped once Shuey is made captain so it will be much of the same.

 

[Carbine Chaos]

Exactly what I was going to say. I would rather Shuey captain but it's not going to make much difference. It's not like Hurn is going to be dropped once Shuey is made captain so it will be much of the same.

I think it's a sign of our conservative nature, which often attracts the ire of our fans re: selection etc.

 

[WCErevival]

I think it's a sign of our conservative nature, which often attracts the ire of our fans re: selection etc.

If everyone is happy at the club with Hurn being captain then I don't see an issue. The fans can bitch all they like.

 

[Woobla Stainz]

Shuey ought to be the face of the club and the new era, though.

Agree

 

[sambutlerfan]

I saw Hurn speak after the decision, he sounds a bit more clearer and confident than he used to. I think it was always going to come down to him anyway. If he wasn't happy to step aside, it was going to create a weird vibe in the club if he got overtaken. I'd say he'd realise Shuey will be it next season, if not, then you could say, alright Shannon, you've had your run, Shuey's in now.

I don't buy that he's too much of a nice guy as well, I think he'd be a pretty straight talker and would tell the guys when it's their time to put their heads over the ball. Perfect? No, but decent enough for the club I reckon.

 

[FKASC]

Pretty ambivalent about this. Not like Shuey is Voss or anything

 

[Dark Sharks]

Hurns onfield leadership is non existent, and in a season where we'll have so many young players, it's a dumb idea

So what, say it's only for 1 season and Shuey is made captain in 2019.. He'll have 3 years of captaincy in him before it will once again be handed over to somebody else.

Personally i would have liked to have seen Shuey own the responsibility in a new era and get first crack. He's been our most damaging/game changing midfielder for a number of years now. Pretty much since he came on the scene, and definitely been playing a lone hand in the guts since Kerr left.

 

[greatwhiteshark]

Hurns onfield leadership is non existent, and in a season where we'll have so many young players, it's a dumb idea

So what, say it's only for 1 season and Shuey is made captain in 2019.. He'll have 3 years of captaincy in him before it will once again be handed over to somebody else.

Personally i would have liked to have seen Shuey own the responsibility in a new era and get first crack. He's been our most damaging/game changing midfielder for a number of years now. Pretty much since he came on the scene, and definitely been playing a lone hand in the guts since Kerr left.

Not much you have said here I don’t agree with but the reality is that the players think and feel differently. They want Hurn as captain and voted as such to keep him in the role. The players obviously think he is good at all the things you say he is bad in.
As an on field leader you say he is non existent yet he is one of if not our most consistent contributors. He stands up most of the time, it is easy to compare him to blokes like Woosha etc but Hurn does not have the luxury of running around with 21 quality players as other so called good captains have.
I am yet to see a poor captain lift the premiership cup, that might have more to do with the list though than the captain.

 

[Royals]

I thought at times despite his best endeavours he looked tired and slow last year,
but it is a popularity vote by the players then sanctioned by coaches so they must know more than us.