cyril4brownlow
Team Captain
- Mar 13, 2015
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I don't think i have ever thought of Suckling as a whipping boy. I've always notice him getting a lot of love from Hawks fans.
Toast Matthew Suckling
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Gunstall555
Club Legend
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Not entirely true. If another club is awarded a band 2 pick, this would come before our band 2 pick. If we were premiers and were awarded a band 1 one pick, then our pick would be the pick before another clubs band 2.
Davo23
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cyril4brownlow
Team Captain
- Mar 13, 2015
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You seem to have been here for a while yet still don't know how to check a users join date. That's embarrassing. You may also not have noticed that BigFooty only encompass' a small division of the Hawthorn community. I would still be very surprised to see a majority of BigFooty posters under rate Suckling he has been a very serviceable player for Hawthorn.
Not that i ever agreed with the 'whipping boy' idea anyway.
I like Suckling as a player, but ultimately he's the sort of player that you can replace quite easily. Losing him will not make us win any less. Give Hartung his spot and replace lethal kicking with more endurance running.
If that's what he's getting offered he'd be crazy not to take it. If he does, won't be too fazed and will wish him the best.
If that's what he's getting offered he'd be crazy not to take it. If he does, won't be too fazed and will wish him the best.
Davo23
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Just joking, mate.
Most posters here reckon Sucking is soft, useless and is easily replaced.
Not me, and I'm actually part of the Jordan Lewis mafia.
cyril4brownlow
Team Captain
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Surely most posters would then be exaggerating by calling him useless. He is one of our softer players and is one of the more replaceable members of our team. This is no disrespect to him, he still doesn't deserve the tag as whipping boy. That term is more generally used when a player is blamed on a regular occurrence for poor team performances which just hasn't true for Suckling.
Crankyhawk
Brownlow Medallist
Yeah, more applied to Schoe, or to Tom Murphy (when he was ours)...
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Greg Denham in The Australian
Hawthorn could lose a fourth premiership player to free agency as rivals are lining up to lure damaging defender Matthew Suckling at the end of the season.
Suckling, 26, is an unrestricted free agent, meaning he is eligible to field offers from other clubs and could move automatically to his club of choice without the Hawks having an opportunity to match an offer.
Suckling and his management, Elite Sports Properties, have deferred negotiations with Hawthorn, denying the Hawks the opportunity to make an initial offer.
The Hawks are close to their salary cap limit after attracting former Melbourne defender James Frawley last year. One of the most potent left-foot kicks in the business, Suckling has attracted interest from a number of clubs, including at least two non-Victorian clubs. While no formal offer is on the table from outside the Hawks, he can expect to earn up to $500,000 a year over four years by moving on, according to one club in the hunt for his services.
That offer, both financially and in the length of contract, cannot be matched by Hawthorn, even though their general manager of football operations, Chris Fagan, told The Australian yesterday the club wanted “very much” to retain Suckling.
“He’s a good player and we like to keep our good players,” Fagan said. “We don’t know that he is being pursued by other clubs but there is probably a fair chance that he is. That’s the nature of free agency. His management may have just put off negotiations on his behalf as a strategy.”
Suckling played in last year’s premiership side after missing the opportunity of winning back-to-back flags when he missed the entire 2013 season because of a knee reconstruction.
He almost missed again last year when he was sidelined by a knee problem in the final home-and-away game and a week later in Hawthorn’s qualifying final win over Geelong. Despite his backline role, he managed to kick goals in the preliminary final and grand final.
Fagan said: “We were very patient with him early in his career. We’ve been very loyal to him and we’d like him to finish his career with us.”
Suckling, who is on a modest salary, was an integral part of Hawthorn’s game-style last year, finishing in the top three of the club’s long-kick statistics, top-two in short kicks and led his club in defensive back-50 metre rebounds.
After initially being recruited as a rookie-listed player from NSW, Suckling has played 80 games since making his debut with one match in 2009.
While the Hawks have benefited from free agency and clever trading in recent years they have also lost their share of premiership players, headed by star forward Lance Franklin’s defection to Sydney at the end of 2013. In the first year of free agency they lost Clinton Young to Collingwood as an unrestricted free agent and Tom Murphy to Gold Coast under the same scenario. And the following year they lost unrestricted free agent Xavier Ellis to West Coast.
But their gains have been good, securing Frawley and 2013 premiership player Jonathan Simpkin from Geelong as a delisted free agent.
In the same year as trading in back-up player Matt Spangher, Hawthorn also secured veteran Western Bulldogs full-back Brian Lake a season before he became a free agent. Spangher played in last year’s winning grand final side, while Lake, the 2013 Norm Smith medallist, has played in two premiership teams in as many years at his second club.
Hawthorn have eight players recruited from other clubs who have won premierships as Hawks.
At the end of last year, they traded out Mitch Hallahan to Gold Coast and Kyle Cheney and Luke Lowden to Adelaide.
Hawthorn could lose a fourth premiership player to free agency as rivals are lining up to lure damaging defender Matthew Suckling at the end of the season.
Suckling, 26, is an unrestricted free agent, meaning he is eligible to field offers from other clubs and could move automatically to his club of choice without the Hawks having an opportunity to match an offer.
Suckling and his management, Elite Sports Properties, have deferred negotiations with Hawthorn, denying the Hawks the opportunity to make an initial offer.
The Hawks are close to their salary cap limit after attracting former Melbourne defender James Frawley last year. One of the most potent left-foot kicks in the business, Suckling has attracted interest from a number of clubs, including at least two non-Victorian clubs. While no formal offer is on the table from outside the Hawks, he can expect to earn up to $500,000 a year over four years by moving on, according to one club in the hunt for his services.
That offer, both financially and in the length of contract, cannot be matched by Hawthorn, even though their general manager of football operations, Chris Fagan, told The Australian yesterday the club wanted “very much” to retain Suckling.
“He’s a good player and we like to keep our good players,” Fagan said. “We don’t know that he is being pursued by other clubs but there is probably a fair chance that he is. That’s the nature of free agency. His management may have just put off negotiations on his behalf as a strategy.”
Suckling played in last year’s premiership side after missing the opportunity of winning back-to-back flags when he missed the entire 2013 season because of a knee reconstruction.
He almost missed again last year when he was sidelined by a knee problem in the final home-and-away game and a week later in Hawthorn’s qualifying final win over Geelong. Despite his backline role, he managed to kick goals in the preliminary final and grand final.
Fagan said: “We were very patient with him early in his career. We’ve been very loyal to him and we’d like him to finish his career with us.”
Suckling, who is on a modest salary, was an integral part of Hawthorn’s game-style last year, finishing in the top three of the club’s long-kick statistics, top-two in short kicks and led his club in defensive back-50 metre rebounds.
After initially being recruited as a rookie-listed player from NSW, Suckling has played 80 games since making his debut with one match in 2009.
While the Hawks have benefited from free agency and clever trading in recent years they have also lost their share of premiership players, headed by star forward Lance Franklin’s defection to Sydney at the end of 2013. In the first year of free agency they lost Clinton Young to Collingwood as an unrestricted free agent and Tom Murphy to Gold Coast under the same scenario. And the following year they lost unrestricted free agent Xavier Ellis to West Coast.
But their gains have been good, securing Frawley and 2013 premiership player Jonathan Simpkin from Geelong as a delisted free agent.
In the same year as trading in back-up player Matt Spangher, Hawthorn also secured veteran Western Bulldogs full-back Brian Lake a season before he became a free agent. Spangher played in last year’s winning grand final side, while Lake, the 2013 Norm Smith medallist, has played in two premiership teams in as many years at his second club.
Hawthorn have eight players recruited from other clubs who have won premierships as Hawks.
At the end of last year, they traded out Mitch Hallahan to Gold Coast and Kyle Cheney and Luke Lowden to Adelaide.
- Dec 31, 2008
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Thanks Cyrillic, that sheds some light, nice points re:the time/faith we have put into him.
Is also very close with Punky and Issie, if he leaves he would want to go to a good side that benefit from his kicking but cover his defensive limitations.
Personally, I hope he stays, His skills complement our game plan and vice versa.
Is also very close with Punky and Issie, if he leaves he would want to go to a good side that benefit from his kicking but cover his defensive limitations.
Personally, I hope he stays, His skills complement our game plan and vice versa.
Gunstall555
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As a player Suckling has earned his spot in the 22 - however as a player ranked 15-22 on our playing list. As a club I'd like us to try and force Suckling and his management to sit down around the bye time to get negotiations rolling on a new contract. If they decided to stall at this time, we actually have some power to force their hand. Give him to round 18 or 19 to get a deal done, or give his spot to a kid and let him play out this year in Box Hill. The AFLPA would be furious but stiff s**t - our mighty club will not be held to ransom and shouldn't have to waste games on fringe players who don't commit to our club.
That's just not going to happen. Under the current system he has every right to wait until he hears offers from other clubs and he's not holding the club to ransom. Our club promotes stability, we don't go shooting from the hip when we're a bit pissed off about something. It's one of the reasons other players want to come to our club.
On another tangent, the compensation picks under the current system are a joke. They should just be ditched entirely.
cryptor
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- May 11, 2008
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The club prides itself on being a desirable location for players to be at and come too. We stand to lose a lot of that reputation in the pursuit of attracting new players if we are seen to be bullying and black mailing players into signing contracts.
TyHawk
Premiership Player
300 to 500 is a once in a lifetime jump. Malceski seemed to be warm to that idea very much. I don't think suckling will leave for a few quid more, it has to be a significant increase so, if he does leave I have no grudges against him whatsoever. Premiership player who actually played as well and physical as I've seen him in the GF.
Sydney
Gunstall555
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We have done a lot right by suckers as well to this point. We put a heck of a lot into his development, then stuck by him through his knee reco and even risked playing him in the GF last year when he might have been underdone based on another late season knee injury. Normally I don't believe in punishing players for wanting to move on, but we have only got 2 and a bit good years out of him out of the 7 he has been (maybe 3 and a bit by the end of this year) on the list and I think in this instance he owes us. If we are risking losing a kid late in the year who would be in any other 22 and he hasn't committed then and the kid is next in line then I know which one I'd be playing...
cryptor
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I agree with you on him owing us and also playing a kid who might leave us over him if he was looking like leaving. But I wouldn't want us giving him that ultimatum. It's not worth damaging the clubs rep over a borderline best 22 player who doesn't want to stay of his own volition
I have to admit I do like Suckers but the opposition have got him sussed. They herd him onto his right and he is getting caught to often like a dear in headlights. Having said that he just needs to work through it and come up with a plan B. Lacking a bit of confidence I think.
- Mar 23, 2007
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I wouldn't sign a contract if I was him on current form. Surely you wait until you hit a good patch and then ask for an extra 10%?
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Crankyhawk
Brownlow Medallist
If there still is one I'd sign now before Hawks change their mind.
bigton08
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Oh geez comedy gold!
Do we really want to trade one of the best kicks in AFL? could hurt us like when SYD took out one of the best midfielder and the best forward in the game.. If Syd picks up, im gonna go insane, already took our best midfield and forward, now if they take suckling, then thats a raid...
If he isnt a good defender, couldnt we play them in HFF? no need to defend, and can run into goal n have a shot or pass ?
sorry if i mentioned something ppl already said yet, too lazy to go thru it hehe, what makes him so soft? defending ? so put him in the forward half and launch inside 50's a bit
Blaze Storm
Brownlow Medallist
This.
I already feel like playing the Swans is like playing "BRAND NEW HAWKS ULTRA- SAME PLAYERS, NOW WITH 10% MORE SALARY CAP!"
Dixie Flatline
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Suckling is an unrestricted free agent. Unless Hawthorn sign him up before free agency opens, chances are he's going to whomever will give him a deal he wants. If that's Sydney, then we'll have to suck it up.
