Analysis Is Rocky the Right Man for the Job?

[brizrider]

If Rich is worth 5 yrs $3 million then what is Rockliff worth?

 

[CarloLion]

If Rich is worth 5 yrs $3 million then what is Rockliff worth?

Exactly the same I would have thought.

 

[T Rick]

The Rocky-Lambo run in could explain why Craig was so frustrated recently... I think Rocky's the heart & soul of the club and I would be shocked if he did leave. however, he would be well aware of what the likes of Rich and Beams are on and he probably expects to be compensated to a similar level

What "run in"?

 

[jackess]

It's not their output that dictates their worth it's their value on the open market.

 

[Cockliff38]

What "run in"?

From the Hammo story

But he can also be hot headed and the Lions yesterday had to hose down rumours of a major falling-out between Rockliff and welfare manager Craig Lambert who has the difficult task of keeping harmony at a club that has won just once this season.

Rockliff became enraged that Lambert accepted an invite to attend the Giants’ 100th game on the same day the Lions had a social outing.

News of the argument spread but officials insist the pair quickly made peace and remain on good terms.

 

[Haso]

I look forward to a very positive discussion.

For the record, I think he is under a lot of pressure that he doesn't know how to deal with, and is feeling the pinch. As a result, he is making mistakes and is not making a good account of himself at all at present. He seems extremely unhappy and stressed and doesn't know how not to show it.

It's a bad look indeed.

I also think that taking it off of him will make things worse for him.

 

[lioninthesand]

Rocky is coming off a spate of injuries, he has done nothing but bleed for this club - we were all raving about how much he was flying the flag for us this time last year.

The image of him grabbing the Lions Logo in 2013 against the dogs remains etched in my mind.

An element fan base are slowly turning on him, 4 weeks off re-occurring injuries, whilst averaging 37.5 possessions because they are not 'effective' (LOL) enough, whilst Leppa gets protected from any form of criticism with a million different excuses. If anyone in the world is worthy of being excused, its the blokes out on the front line, copping it week after week for the last 7-8 years..

I too have Rocky on watch, and am happy for the club to stand firm on the contract offer they see fit, but I ain't going to throw a legend of our club into the 'flames of blame' to protect Leppa.

EDIT: Suggesting any criticism of Rocky is to protect Leppa is probely a bit extreme, but it is part of the senior player bashing going on, sad it has got to this. Yes they deserve to be held accountable, but if Leppa is to be afforded literally every excuse under the sun, why arn't they?

If the plan was to totally bottom out in Leppas third year (Age wise) shouldn't those excuses apply Rocky and other senior players as well because they run out each week with no protection around them?

 

[Kevvo]

I look forward to a very positive discussion.

For the record, I think he is under a lot of pressure that he doesn't know how to deal with, and is feeling the pinch. As a result, he is making mistakes and is not making a good account of himself at all at present. He seems extremely unhappy and stressed and doesn't know how not to show it.

It's a bad look indeed.

I also think that taking it off of him will make things worse for him.

Given this topic seems to be right in your wheelhouse, I'm interested to know why you think this?

Note: sincere question, not loaded or combative.

 

[jjami15]

Oh man, this is going to goooood!

 

[Bucking Beads]

I'm not sure what the situation with Rocky is but I do think it has to be resolved ASAP and he needs to have signed an extension before Next year to retain the Captaincy. It really is slim pickings when it comes to leaders at our club though. A few young guys have the leadership qualities but it is unfair to lump the responsibility on them. I'd be giving it to Zorko if we need to find a new skipper.

 

[patfullfankezz]

I'm probably going to get shouted down for this, but IMO this is why we should have kept Jed for another year as Rockys mentor. Someone who's held the position and can help Rocky through these things. Also someone he can blow off steam to who has the experience to understand that he's a young man with the Club on his shoulders, and maybe help take some of the burden from him.

While people might point at Robbo or even Zorks, you need to remember where Robbo came from (I hate carlton, okay? So do most of you) with his own issues and Zorks is too young and too all-over the place for Rocky to rely on. All the rest of our leaders aren't being very leadery at the moment. He's really on his own right now, and it's showing. If we could get an older ex-leader in the trade/draft for Rocky to lean on and to help guide him through possibly the darkest time in the Clubs history, I reckon in 12 months we'd have our old super-Tom back.

 

[Haso]

Given this topic seems to be right in your wheelhouse, I'm interested to know why you think this?

Note: sincere question, not loaded or combative.

Not knowing him personally, he seems like he has the traits of a person who needs to be a part of everything and to maintain some control of his context and environment, and having that removed might make him feel as though he has failed, thus elevating already towering anxiety levels and affecting his football and public performance. When you are in that much trouble you just can't seem to do anything right and end up feeling worse and worse unless there is a circuit-breaker in there somewhere.

Just a gut feel based on what I see, of course. No inside knowledge here.

 

[Leemas]

Lol at the rocky hate. The bloke has given his all for the club since he's gotten here. Loyalty goes both ways. 800 000 over 5 isn't much especially with the cap increasing. Pretty disappointing seeing what I thought were the 'cooler heads' around here have some pretty shocking knee jerk reactions to that article. Turf rocky.... Yeah we'll be in a real good state after that.

 

[WhiteLionFeva]

The only circuit breaker we need right now is a win. Amazing how many things that fixes.

 

[Hollow Knight]

Lol at the rocky hate. The bloke has given his all for the club since he's gotten here. Loyalty goes both ways. 800 000 over 5 isn't much especially with the cap increasing. Pretty disappointing seeing what I thought were the 'cooler heads' around here have some pretty shocking knee jerk reactions to that article. Turf rocky.... Yeah we'll be in a real good state after that.

Anyone who lacks nuance to the point where they talk of "haters" isn't worth taking seriously imo.

But if you think it is a reaction to one article you simply haven't been paying attention or are being overly reductionist for the sake of a chest thumping argument....

...again.

800,000 over 5 years is not nothing, cap increases or not.

Run the maths. Beams, Hanley, Zorko Martin and Rich would be on about 3 million a year between them, chuck in Rocky and you are looking at about 33 percent of our cap space on 6 players. That's a sizeable investment for a list that is nowhere near finals contention and needs to recruit some serious talent, ward off poaching raids on Schache et al and front load contracts to allow for future growth.

The salary cap isn't an abstract concept, it is real and if you don't plan ahead you can't build a premiership list.

The suggestion among some around here that the club should just pay anyone what they want is just incredibly out of touch, especially in a world where players are actively exploiting the go home 5 in negotiations.

 

[Leemas]

Anyone who lacks nuance to the point where they talk of "haters" isn't worth taking seriously imo.

But if you think it is a reaction to one article you simply haven't been paying attention or are being overly reductionist for the sake of a chest thumping argument....

...again.

Once again TBD jumps into the thick of it clutching at straws to put someone down....

....again.

 

[royboys4eva]

When Jed was captain everyone was on here saying Rocky should be captain and he is made for the job. Now all of a sudden he isn't good enough. The guy is out there playing at 70% doing his best with the youngest side in the comp.

 

[Leemas]

When Jed was captain everyone was on here saying Rocky should be captain and he is made for the job. Now all of a sudden he isn't good enough. The guy is out there playing at 70% doing his best with the youngest side in the comp.

Also when did Hammo become such a beacon of truth? I can't remember a time where anyone took anything Hammo has written seriously until this article. I feel with the state of the team everyone's cracking and looking for someone to blame. What if there's no one to blame and we are just a very very young team with senior players not fully fit and under-resourced with below par facilities.... As normally happens as we mature we will become better and earn more money and therefore be able to spend more at the footy department and get better facilities. I think we need to stop with the pointing of fingers and just support the boys.

 

[patfullfankezz]

Lol at the rocky hate. The bloke has given his all for the club since he's gotten here. Loyalty goes both ways. 800 000 over 5 isn't much especially with the cap increasing. Pretty disappointing seeing what I thought were the 'cooler heads' around here have some pretty shocking knee jerk reactions to that article. Turf rocky.... Yeah we'll be in a real good state after that.

I'd take it over my current $43k p.a. any day of the week.

I'm not saying turf Rocky. I'm suggesting he might want to be a bit more reasonable given the current state of affairs.

 

[Kent Brockman]

and Zorks is too young

He's actually older than Rocky iirc

 

[patfullfankezz]

He's actually older than Rocky iirc

Got me there.

But they're both still younger than me and I am WAY too young to be Captain of a footy club!

 

[Sherrinator]

It's not their output that dictates their worth it's their value on the open market.

If he is a true clubman it is the former.

 

[Leemas]

I'd take it over my current $43k p.a. any day of the week.

I'm not saying turf Rocky. I'm suggesting he might want to be a bit more reasonable given the current state of affairs.

We still have to pay 95% of the cap each year. I'd rather be rewarding the few who have stuck by then over paying the young guys.

 

[patfullfankezz]

We still have to pay 95% of the cap each year. I'd rather be rewarding the few who have stuck by then over paying the young guys.

That's the problem. Rewarding someone for staying even if they're not giving everything that we need them to is a recipe for disaster. It breeds contempt and encourages laziness. At the end of your career and want to make a few more quick $$$? Play for the Lions!

 

[Gadzorks]

Leadership isn't a random art anymore - there are research journals full of how to identify and train leaders. I am sure that the club would have done due diligence before appointing rocky and w know he has put work into seeking out mentors and developing these talents.

I am sure that his injuries and not actually getting onto the field with the team regularly have frustrated him. This situation added to the current team performance pressure could easily have him at breaking point. Not sure anyone in that situation would be looking great right now.

W desperately need some wins to reset everything. I agree with Browny- the afl provided a disgusting draw that had pushed everyone to breaking point. A couple of wins early while our confidence was up and players healthy would have made a world of difference. Instead the arseh***s have us the toughest first part of the season which increased the likelihood of us going into the second half carrying lots of injuries (bodies getting very tired from constantly pushing against the best are more likely to get injured). It makes every role from player on field roles, leadership, coaching and player welfare harder and subject to greater scrutiny. Which creates more pressure. Which feeds the downward spiral.

How can w send a message to the afl without screwing up our own team?