No Oppo Supporters Sam Mitchell traded

[bigton08]

I've read he's going to ease the cap pressure...WTF??? Why did we go after vickery and co why sacrifice a legend for some spuds we don't know about ... This is madness.Hes leaving to help hawthorn what a crock of shit! O'meara better be bloody amazing oor the club will have a lynch mob at their doors.Pitchforks and all.This is bitter stuff!

 

[Goodo73]

However, for all of the logic, football is about passion

For supporters, yes. For clubs it's about on-field success and $$ (both of which are forever linked). I think too many fans forget that.

 

[Ned Ryerson]

I have had a day to mull this over - and I still don't like the thought of him playing elsewhere. I loathe it. The thought of us not being able to cheer him off in his last H&A game. Of seeing him in colours that aren't brown and gold. It shouldn't end like this - but it might. If it is under Sammy and our terms then that is at least a bonus.

You have to believe bigger things are at foot for this to be in the works. If the outcome is either of these things, or preferably both, then I can be a bit more content:

A) we are setting up for another big move this year or next that will really cement our rebuild.

And/or

B) Sammy will come back to take over from Clarko. I rate Sammy as a brilliant mind when it comes to this game. By the way he plays and the way he talks about the game. Great players aren't guaranteed to be great coaches - it hardly ever works out. I've got a feeling that he's going to buck the trend. I also don't like club heroes coaching the side as it makes them hard to sack if they are bad at it. However I'm willing to recant that for Sammy if he does his apprenticeship.

Either way - Sammy will always be an absolute club legend no matter who he plays his last game for.

 

[marklar]

I'm as shocked as anyone about this news, but now that I've had a few hours to process it, I'm all for it.

Watch the last 5 games of the season and watch how Sam goes.... he's cooked. Disposal is not up to his normal output and he gets caught in situations that even 10 games prior that he'd get out of. Maybe that was a result of finally copping a tag this season, maybe that was the proteins in his body finally denaturing, maybe that was the culmination of hundreds of cheap shots behind play... whatever, I think he will be lucky to see out a dozen games next year.

His value now is in the coaching role he can play after he's given up football, if his family wants to live on the left-hand coast and he can make a decent career of it, then he should absolutely grab the opportunity.

 

[HODGEYROAD]

I'm as shocked as anyone about this news, but now that I've had a few hours to process it, I'm all for it.

Watch the last 5 games of the season and watch how Sam goes.... he's cooked. Disposal is not up to his normal output and he gets caught in situations that even 10 games prior that he'd get out of. Maybe that was a result of finally copping a tag this season, maybe that was the proteins in his body finally denaturing, maybe that was the culmination of hundreds of cheap shots behind play... whatever, I think he will be lucky to see out a dozen games next year.

His value now is in the coaching role he can play after he's given up football, if his family wants to live on the left-hand coast and he can make a decent career of it, then he should absolutely grab the opportunity.

Sam will play 18+ games in 2017 & play in 2018 also.

 

[grumbleguts]

We should swap vickery to west coast instead that'd save us 500k a year.

 

[Bluey24]

Apologies for the intrusion, I've just awoken in the UK and coming to terms with this bombshell!

Sam Mitchell has been one of my favourite players of the past decade - a freak in close, beautiful user of the footy.

I honestly couldn't figure how you guys would even consider putting him up for trade. It reminded me of when Hodge took his captaincy, or the recent shamble between North Melbourne and Harvey.

I hope I've missed something because from the outside this simply looks disgraceful.

 

[striker]

I'm as shocked as anyone about this news, but now that I've had a few hours to process it, I'm all for it.

Watch the last 5 games of the season and watch how Sam goes.... he's cooked. Disposal is not up to his normal output and he gets caught in situations that even 10 games prior that he'd get out of. Maybe that was a result of finally copping a tag this season, maybe that was the proteins in his body finally denaturing, maybe that was the culmination of hundreds of cheap shots behind play... whatever, I think he will be lucky to see out a dozen games next year.

His value now is in the coaching role he can play after he's given up football, if his family wants to live on the left-hand coast and he can make a decent career of it, then he should absolutely grab the opportunity.

He's cooked? Wow, the veterans we kept won't even be walking by round 5 if Sam is cooked.

 

[kazzooka]

I just had a scary thought... What if we lose Mitchell and don't land O'meara. Gold Coast seem to be playing hard ball and we traded away our first pick. And then Vickery continues being Vickery next year instead of turning into Wayne Carey like his contract reflects. Or we get O'meara and he never makes it to the level.

Could be the most disastrous trade period ever.

When we traded croady we knew that ball, judd and hodge would all be superstars and the hodge punt paid off big time.

We are now taking the punt that we can A: compete without our best player for the last ten years.
B: Vickery will come good.
C: O'MEARA gets back to full fitness and is the superstar predicted.
D: tom Mitchell isn't Langford mark II and drops off after an early peak.
E: Gibson, hodge, lewis, Burgoyne don't fall off the cliff with form. (i think hodge and Gibson are already halfway down and Lewis at the edge.
F: Roughead will make it back. We could be forgiven for telling rough to focus on his health and have his contract paid off outside the cap (afl would allow it)

Sent from my SM-G900I using Tapatalk

 

[The Lemon]

We will land Omeara.

 

[HODGEYROAD]

I just had a scary thought... What if we lose Mitchell and don't land O'meara. Gold Coast seem to be playing hard ball and we traded away our first pick. And then Vickery continues being Vickery next year instead of turning into Wayne Carey like his contract reflects. Or we get O'meara and he never makes it to the level.

Could be the most disastrous trade period ever.

When we traded croady we knew that ball, judd and hodge would all be superstars and the hodge punt paid off big time.

We are now taking the punt that we can A: compete without our best player for the last ten years.
B: Vickery will come good.
C: O'MEARA gets back to full fitness and is the superstar predicted.
D: tom Mitchell isn't Langford mark II and drops off after an early peak.
E: Gibson, hodge, lewis, Burgoyne don't fall off the cliff with form. (i think hodge and Gibson are already halfway down and Lewis at the edge.
F: Roughead will make it back. We could be forgiven for telling rough to focus on his health and have his contract paid off outside the cap (afl would allow it)

Sent from my SM-G900I using Tapatalk

Yeah things could go massively **** up for us but that was always the case, this is just gutting because it means our flag chances for 2017 are over and Sam won't retire a 1 club player like he should.

 

[Watsclarkosmob]

Has Hill said he only wants to play for Freo? Could Mitchell and Hill for West Coasts first round be possible? Add that to next years first round and send to GC for O'Meara. All parties happy...apart from the short term feelings of Hawthorn supporters.

 

[11sjw]

In 3 years GWS will be an unstoppable force and we'll have lost 7 or 8 of our best 15 players

2017 is the window for us.

In the last two years we've been smacked by GWS twice. The Dogs had our measure as well. If all were in tact we'd be competing for 5th to 8th at best IMO.

 

[HODGEYROAD]

Has Hill said he only wants to play for Freo? Could Mitchell and Hill for West Coasts first round be possible? Add that to next years first round and send to GC for O'Meara. All parties happy...apart from the short term feelings of Hawthorn supporters.

Hill has pretty much said he only wants Fremantle.

 

[PhatHQ]

Thanks Sammy!!
2017 won't be the same....
One soldier goes... another steps up to take his place.

I hope he gets that Brownlow before he leaves us proper.

 

[MrPremiership]

Has Hill said he only wants to play for Freo? Could Mitchell and Hill for West Coasts first round be possible? Add that to next years first round and send to GC for O'Meara. All parties happy...apart from the short term feelings of Hawthorn supporters.

Hill said he ONLY wants to play for Freo

 

[Hawkboy62]

Heeney please

Could be a million dollar/ year man!

 

[Buckemenico]

This is insane stupidity.

He is our best player, our B&F, leading Brownlow vote-getter, the leading Brownlow vote-winner of all-time for goodness sake. How on earth is it a positive thing that he play for another team? His ability to use the ball and his vision is a once-a-generation skill.

I am used to Sam being under-rated by outsiders (AA selectors), but not by our own. He is the important player there. Without him we are lost.

He can get an assistant coaching gig anywhere at anytime with his pedigree. I just fail to see any benefit to this deal at all. Pick 33? That is a joke. Salary cap space? Since when was that a benefit? It should've been a known quantity going in to trade period, not after....

This is just to cover up some errors by HFC, bringing in unknown average players on high salaries and they stuffed up the salary cap. They just don't want to admit to these new players there has been a stuff up.

The only person who would listen to leaving hawthorn was Mitchell because he was sold a lemon:... you can ease into an assistant coaching role there... what garbage. He could have that role wherever and whenever he wants....

This is deplorable and anyone thinks it is a win-win is either deluded or has been entirely misled by media types who need something to talk about.

It is just about HFC covering their stuff up.

Furious.

Sorry for the rant.

 

[A Cut Above]

For supporters, yes. For clubs it's about on-field success and $$ (both of which are forever linked). I think too many fans forget that.

Decisions like this one are precisely why so many long-time supporters like me are turning away from the game which has become all about $$$ and nothing else.

We just told our best player and one of our greatest ever servants to finish his career at another club..... to free up cap room for a certified ****wit in Vickery??

Sorry but there is no way to spin this as a good decision. Its an utter train wreck, I just hope it doesn't harm our culture the way Sydney shafting O'keefe for the Bondi Billionaires did theirs.

Oh, and good luck preaching loyalty to guys like Bruest & Cyril when he comes out of contract now that we've just told our former captain & reigning B&F winner he no longer has a place at Hawthorn. People perform better when they enjoy a measure of job security and footy players are no different. Now everyone on our list will be wondering for how much longer they're safe.

 

[muff73]

Which

Could be a million dollar/ year man!

That means Sydney can't afford him with Buddy and Tippett locked in still. At last, a happy thought for the day...

 

[HODGEYROAD]

This is insane stupidity.

He is our best player, our B&F, leading Brownlow vote-getter, the leading Brownlow vote-winner of all-time for goodness sake. How on earth is it a positive thing that he play for another team? His ability to use the ball and his vision is a once-a-generation skill.

I am used to Sam being under-rated by outsiders (AA selectors), but not by our own. He is the important player there. Without him we are lost.

He can get an assistant coaching gig anywhere at anytime with his pedigree. I just fail to see any benefit to this deal at all. Pick 33? That is a joke. Salary cap space? Since when was that a benefit? It should've been a known quantity going in to trade period, not after....

This is just to cover up some errors by HFC, bringing in unknown average players on high salaries and they stuffed up the salary cap. They just don't want to admit to these new players there has been a stuff up.

The only person who would listen to leaving hawthorn was Mitchell because he was sold a lemon:... you can ease into an assistant coaching role there... what garbage. He could have that role wherever and whenever he wants....

This is deplorable and anyone thinks it is a win-win is either deluded or has been entirely misled by media types who need something to talk about.

It is just about HFC covering their stuff up.

Furious.

Sorry for the rant.

Don't apologise.

 

[HR Roughnstuf]

I'm pretty sure Mitchell hit a trigger to get his new deal. Maybe he's on a lot more than Gibson, Hodge and Burgoyne who signed extensions this year taking less.

Mitchell himself in the SEN interview this morning said he has had 6 1 year deals in a row. Didn't sound like a trigger clause.

 

[Pessimistic]

December AGM could be the occasion to farewell Mitch I

If omeara doesnt come off, he might go round for us one more time.

Maybe this is to get us used to the Idea

 

[Clarkos_Soldier]

From what I've heard, West Coast had approached Sam before the start of this season regarding the possibility of coaching at the end of this season. It seems it was expected he would end his career this year but he was offered another year. Halfway through this year. However, I think Clarko has done a full review of the list and carefully assessed Hawthorn's position going forward. Most likely his own health and longevity given what he has gone through and seen with Roughie and decided when he will call it a day.

To ensure the future of the club he has a succession plan in mind and Mitchell is at the heart of it. So he has fast forwarded his plans by a year given our straight sets exit and soon to be young list. He is sending Sam to experience playing at a different club and see things from a players perspective and then get some experience coaching before returning to take on the senior role with Hodge by his side.

I hope that is a big part of his decision but two things:

1. Despite forward planning this hurts more than the 2012 loss. Mitchell has given his everything in every way possible to this club and it really hurts to see him play his final season at a different club interstate.

2. If Clarko is thinking of moving on in three years or so I dont know how I could get over that as well. I hurt just imagining it.

Sam, I wish I could thank you in person and tell you that you are not only one of the greatest champions I have ever followed in any sport but you have been an inspiration to many people, including me. Thank you for your service, your dedication, your selflessness and for giving us so much joy since arriving at this great club, which you helped rise from the ashes and find its way once again as one of, if not the greatest, AFL club in the land.

 

[Gralin]

We are not booting Mitchell to pay for Vickery

Clarko asked Mitch if he'd thought about leaving for WC a year early, Sam spoke to his wife and they thought it would be good for the kids with school to do it

We've offered Mitch one year, WC apparently offering two plus a coaching gig (which was already on the table) so he gets a bit more security maybe more $$ who knows

He seemed genuinely excited by the prospect on SEN this morning

None of that sounds to me like a player being forced out, a f%ck up by the club or an issue with not being able to fit under the cap next year