Mitch Brown and de-listing

[Eski3]

Didn't West Coast also do this exact same thing to Priddis this year?

 

[Macca81]

so the story goes:
Browns a fringe player who spends last 2 years of his contract mostly injured.
Gets offered another contract but doesnt sign because his Mrs gets a job in Victoria.
Eagles withdraw offer when Sam Mitchell requests to come to Perth.
Brown now lives in Victoria with his Mrs.

Am i meant to feel sad for him or something? Got to play AFL footy for 10 years probably earning over 150k per season. Has a hot woman. Can buggerize around in Victorian suburban league footy cos AFL has lined his pockets with cash.

Sorry Mitch, but you were an average player at best, and when Sam Mitchell wants to play for 1-2 years that in itself is a much greater contribution than you can offer. Add to that Mitchell wants a coaching role with us next year and beyond... what are we meant to forgo that because of some loyalty logo you read on the walls at West Coast HQ? Toughen up.

 

[JackOutback]

Its a business and clubs make business decisions... players also need to make business decisions.

Yep, which is why I don't blame players that leave their clubs for a better deal. So many players back their club in when they ditch a player but turn on a player immediately if they choose to leave for a better deal.

 

[Connoisseur]

It isn't just West Coast that has delisted him. The fact that no other club has showed any interest in signing him is evidence that he's no longer an AFL standard player and capable of playing at that level.

Footballers should be looking at getting paid for kicking a ball (a hobby for little kids essentially) as a privilege and an honour. Too many treat as it is 'career' when it is nothing of the sort and should be preparing for life after football the moment they set foot on a footy club.

Everyday they wake up they be should grateful they get to live out a dream that 99.999% of the population never get to experience.

To me a professional sport career is more akin to a temporary genetic lottery ( that can last anywhere between 2 to 20 years with the average football 'career' being closer to 2 years) and not something that's sustainable for 40 odd years which is the correct definition of a job (usually mundane drudgery) that everybody else has to do.

Too much entitlement from players who think making it as a 'fringe' footballer is a gateway to some Hollywood lifestyle and riches. That's the case in a huge market like the US and Western European countries where players are paid millions due to the size of their respective populations but certainly it does not apply in a rather smallish country population-wise like Australia.

 

[helter skelter]

He never did have the makings of a varsity athlete.

Small hands, that was his problem.

 

[master bate]

Sounds like the Eagles didn't handle this as professionally as they could've. Which also sounds like AFL clubs list management 101.

He wasn't going to get a contract. His wife made the tough choice to leave Perth. He was offered another contract, they then pulled it at the last minute. The more professional way to do it surely would've been to say from the start he's a slim chance to get another contract after the trade period and to then not offer a firm commitment until the rest of the list was finalised. Surely the Eagles weren't really worried about him getting poached from another club?

Either way, I find it strange that Mitchell took his spot on the list. I would've thought that his only value would've been in the break if needed 4th string forward/ruck role and after Vardy and Petrie were picked up he was no longer needed.

 

[JackOutback]

so the story goes:
Browns a fringe player who spends last 2 years of his contract mostly injured.
Gets offered another contract but doesnt sign because his Mrs gets a job in Victoria.
Eagles withdraw offer when Sam Mitchell requests to come to Perth.
Brown now lives in Victoria with his Mrs.

Am i meant to feel sad for him or something? Got to play AFL footy for 10 years probably earning over 150k per season. Has a hot woman. Can buggerize around in Victorian suburban league footy cos AFL has lined his pockets with cash.

Sorry Mitch, but you were an average player at best, and when Sam Mitchell wants to play for 1-2 years that in itself is a much greater contribution than you can offer. Add to that Mitchell wants a coaching role with us next year and beyond... what are we meant to forgo that because of some loyalty logo you read on the walls at West Coast HQ? Toughen up.

Neither agreeing or disagreeing, but the idea he lined his pockets with cash and is set for life would be well wide of the mark. He had a 10 year career, the first two of three of which would have been on minimum wage. He was a mid tier player who would have made decent coin. Given the lifestyle, he would have been well off, better if he saved a bit, but would still need to work.

 

[SSSSSS]

A post by Kane Lucas popped up in my LinkedIn feed yesterday linking to a similar article written by Xavier Ellis.

http://www.perthnow.com.au/sport/af...s/news-story/0bb352a2bd03d464033fbd414d0cf85d

Ellis' writing is pretty underrated. Think he's one of the better footballers turned journo.

Great read.

 

[Macpotata]

Small hands, that was his problem.

ehhhhhhhh!!!!!

 

[sprockets]

It may have already been said but a contract isn't a contract until it's been signed. WCE didn't know if he was going to sign or walk so took control of the situation.

 

[Benji85]

That's some quality player management there from West Coast.

Obviously it's a cutthroat business and tough decisions are made, but to flip flop on a guy like that who has been with the club 10 years just seems like a jerk thing to do.

You'd think the AFLPA would get involved in something like that but they're a toothless tiger so no surprises.

He had a one year contract extension in his hand and chose to sit on it for a month while he went on holiday and put his name out to other clubs. This was a guy who missed basically 3 years through injury, and was at no time in his career cemented in the best 22 of club. He was given the contract out of loyalty from the club to the player, and while he didn't throw it in their face he chose to only accept it when every other club he put his name out to declined to have him on their list. You expect West Coast to let Mitch Brown, a fringe player at best, dictate terms to them while Sam Mitchell waits on a decision? Laughable

West Coast have "best practise" in the comp as quoted by Gil when it comes to player management (stemming from 2006), were the first club to implement indigenous liaison and mentoring officers and are renown as one of the best clubs to deal with come trade time.

Typical garbage trotted out on queue when eagles get past the first week of finals.

 

[Upgrayedd]

I didn't take it as a dig at West coast. One of my friends who thought he was going to be delisted ended up with a 2 year deal at the bulldogs. Then a 1 year deal.

Another close friend got cut pretty harshly when he basically asked +team+ not to draft him since he had assurances from both adelaide clubs and wanted to basically continue studies in adelaide or at worst melbourne. After 2 years was offered a third year deal start pf the year was pulled out and he eventually was delisted for a free agent who told a club mid year he wanted to join them


Happens at all clubs. Teams and players need to look after themselves

 

[kranky al]

Hmmmm asked to be traded a few years before after the club was loyal and kept him on despite endless injuries

 

[Jafa]

Didn't West Coast also do this exact same thing to Priddis this year?

Depends on who you talk to - but no. Priddis signed a contract this year for the 2018 season. He may not however have been guarenteed game and he retired.

 

[Hellgood]

Think a lot of people just jumping to conclusions without bothering to read the article, Brown was pretty level head about certainly did not come across as having a whinge.

At the end of the day, the Eagles made the right decision to accommodate bringing in Mitchell and Brown was the unfortunate one left standing when the music stopped. If he played his cards differently he may well still have a spot on the list, but being realistic he didn't have much top level football left in him and was ready to comfortably make a move into post-footy life.

 

[EagleMan87]

Feel bad for Brownie, he was a good clubman and had his career derailed by injuries, but that's Footy. Hell, that's any professional sport.

 

[hotkorma]

Think some West Coast fans need to take the rose coloured glasses off.

Conversation is simple 'browny, we have one spot left on the list, if we don't get a player who fits our needs more than you during trade period you get the contract, but have a sniff around in Melbourne in the meantime'

 

[hotkorma]

It isn't just West Coast that has delisted him. The fact that no other club has showed any interest in signing him is evidence that he's no longer an AFL standard player and capable of playing at that level.

Footballers should be looking at getting paid for kicking a ball (a hobby for little kids essentially) as a privilege and an honour. Too many treat as it is 'career' when it is nothing of the sort and should be preparing for life after football the moment they set foot on a footy club.

Everyday they wake up they be should grateful they get to live out a dream that 99.999% of the population never get to experience.

To me a professional sport career is more akin to a temporary genetic lottery ( that can last anywhere between 2 to 20 years with the average football 'career' being closer to 2 years) and not something that's sustainable for 40 odd years which is the correct definition of a job (usually mundane drudgery) that everybody else has to do.

Too much entitlement from players who think making it as a 'fringe' footballer is a gateway to some Hollywood lifestyle and riches. That's the case in a huge market like the US and Western European countries where players are paid millions due to the size of their respective populations but certainly it does not apply in a rather smallish country population-wise like Australia.

That's a pretty good point except for the difficult in getting prepared for the real world whilst committing yourself 100% to achieve a premiership. The loyalty on the walls isn't written at uni or trade school.

 

[Altum Volantes]

Shouldn't have been offered another contract anyway and should have jumped at any chance to have a contract to sign.

He was cooked as an AFL player - bad luck doing his knee, and things really didn't work out for him post his St Kilda trade request - but there is a reason nobody else had a list spot for him.

 

[Altum Volantes]

That's a pretty good point except for the difficult in getting prepared for the real world whilst committing yourself 100% to achieve a premiership. The loyalty on the walls isn't written at uni or trade school.

Did you see the game Brown played in our final against the Dogs last year?

I'm pretty sure the only club he was 100% committed to seeing win a flag was the Bulldogs. Mission Accomplished.

 

[eastfreo75]

AFL players must be the softest professional athletes in the world.

Soccer and Basketball teams make harder decisions all the time. Players get moved on during the season.

 

[Anja_Nees]

Did you see the game Brown played in our final against the Dogs last year?

I'm pretty sure the only club he was 100% committed to seeing win a flag was the Bulldogs. Mission Accomplished.

To be fair he did kick a Joe the goose goal that he could have sprayed.

 

[the harry]

Was on our list about 7 years too long.
If we kept a guy on our list who probably played his best game in his first over Mitchell then a broom should have been put through the place and hired someone competent.

 

[rideclutch]

Good read.

I didn't take it as a shot at the Eagles, but it was an interesting read about a journeyman footballer's life anyway.

Glad he's enjoying his footy and post-AFL life.

 

[Timmy from Thomastown]

You never have a job until you have a signed contract, ireespectoive of verbal promises.

Verbal contracts arent worth the paper they are written on