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Simmonds deal

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sabre_ac

sabre_ac

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I did a quick search and couldnt find any discussion on the trade on this board so I thought it warranted a thread that could be revisted over the years.......

How do you guys see the deal thus far?
 
We got Black in that deal, he has been suprisingly very good for us this year. As for Simmonds, well I have seen him play for Richmond and hardly has changed to become a better player.
 
There has been some talk on the Richmond board about him maybe not being worth the 5 year deal... well duh - I liked Snake (past tense - footballing mercenary money hungry soulless disloyal snake in the grass that he is), and was worried about our ruck stocks when he baled - still am.

We have been lucky really. Touch wood!! Sandi - who I wasn't sold on at the beginning of the year - is developing well, so we have the extra ruck option, although I would be much more comfortable with an extra guy 195cm+ in reserve too.

I reckon we have done well. Blackie has been awesome, and I know he was dragged back to WA by the short and curlies, but I reckon his heart lies with Freo and it's great to see him playing such great footy in purple again. I think the saints getting Fiora were the biggest losers in that trade - but I don't reckon they would mind that much as they have a pretty decent list with or without him.

But Blackie has been an awesome "re-recruit" for us and I'd rather have him delivering his 50-60m pin point passes onto the chest of Pav or McPharlin (and bombing the goals through form 55m out - how much do we all love to see that!!) than have someone else passing to Simmonds only to see the ball bounce off his chest in a failed marking attempt....
 

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I think the Simmonds trade was best for us. He was a big loss, but in the long run it's made us restructure our forward line, a move that has really paid off for us. I'd hate to think we would be playing the same type of footy as we were last year. The visions of the ball bouncing off Simmonds chest was a frustration that I can live without. I'd much rather see Pav in there.

Pavlich at the start of the season a lot of people were saying "could" be a superstar, but wasn't quite there. He's since changed all that, he is a superstar!

It also meant Sandilands is getting more game time, and given time to develop.

Besides losing Simmonds, and that in itself was a bonus, we also gained back Heath Black who has been nothing short of sensational this year. He'd have to be right up there in the best and fairest at the club this year. Black may have been haunted from old memories from the past on a few occasions (ie. the Richmond game), but overall I think he has confidence in the club moving forward. I sense he's still not sold, but is hell bent on getting the club there.

So all in all, I think we won out on this one.
 
Schwab held his nerve and said Freo wouldn't be "pushed" into a 5 year deal with Snake. Takes the money and runs to Wallettown.

Simmonds did ok early for Richmond, but has disappeared off the radar screen of late.

Please bookmark this down as a Freo trade positive.
 
ImperialPurple said:
I liked Snake (past tense - footballing mercenary money hungry soulless disloyal snake in the grass that he is)
Click to expand...
So you liked him at Melbourne, but not at Freo, and now not at Richmond? Interesting.
 
mickeyjuice said:
So you liked him at Melbourne, but not at Freo, and now not at Richmond? Interesting.
Click to expand...

I spent the years 1997 - 2000 living O/S, so until he came to Freo, to be honest, I hadn't even heard of him. He also came to Freo chasing opportunity - he went to Richmond chasing $$$ and a lo-o-o-o-o-o-ong contract. That's what I find "interesting".

Who's your club BTW mickeymouse - and why do you care what I think about Simmonds if you can't even state where your loyalty lies?
 
Its not as if we had a choice. There was no way should have tried to match that kind of deal. If it was match that deal or get Heath Black for three then we've come up winners. In terms of the limited perceptions you get of players, Heath Black seems to have grown up a lot.

I wrote at the time that Greg Miller at Richmond is a great thing for the other 15 clubs. I think the guy is a bit of a maniac. Offering Simmonds a 5 year deal was incredibly risky given that he's not exactly a superstar, plays well under his weight and has had dicky knees.

But as a solid, consistent performer week in week out he's been value for both clubs. Its not like Simmonds is so bad you can leave him on his own. He can kick a bag if you don't put a decent tall defender on him which then takes pressure off Richo. And that probably explains why he's not having a bad year.
 
You lot made out like bandits in the end, because finally someone had the guts to put McPharlin forward to cover the one thing you needed Simmonds for.
 
He has actually been quite good this season for us. He has provided structure and a big body for the likes of kraks, pets and browny to work off. He has struggled a little since brown's broken leg (sigh) but has the athleticism and the baulk which one can structure a forward line around. Perhaps you guys required a player more like Black than simmo, but in my opinion we required one more like simmo than Black so perhaps a win-win for both richmond and freo, and a miserable trade for the saints!lol
 

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To think that freo offered him 4 yrs is mind boggling. Good luck to tigerland, stuck with a 5 yr contract for an average footballer. Youngun's in Tatter & Johnno have far more promise and at present are much cheaper.
 
Simmonds must be in elite company with a 5yr deal. I always thought he was best suited to the No.1 ruck role where he can use his mobility rather than his rubber chest efforts up forward.
Anyway, it's not as bad as Jade Rawlings on a 4yr deal at the Dogs, at least Simmonds can walk. I'm just glad we're not paying both Rawlings and Holland for being cr*p.
 
mickeyjuice said:
So you liked him at Melbourne, but not at Freo, and now not at Richmond? Interesting.
Click to expand...
At Melb he played 2nd fiddle to White. We gave him the opportunity to be a first string ruckman. Unfortunately for him, JLo and Sandi developed to again push him back to a 3rd string ruck/KPP.
I don't hold any grudges for him to want to move on... it's the length of the deal that surprises all of us. Players of the class of Pavlich, Jon Brown, Aker, Riccuito, Buckley, Tredrea, Hall... real game breaker, headline players, you might put on 5 year deals. Not a 3rd time lucky backup ruckman.
 
The only way we could get him was on such a long deal. He's not on a heap of cash each season so I wasn't that upset by it. Plus getting him before the PSD enabled us to pick up Knobel as well.

I had alot of time for Snake up untill he was out bodied for a mark against Cornes. Shake my head at you Simmonds. Big guy big body just needs some fire in the belly.
 

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