The Bring Back Solly Thread

[daffo]

If we could get Soloman back through PSD he would be a better back up player then Pev....
I hope Peverell gets delisted this year, and we trade NLM.

 

[loopy_cam]

If we could get Soloman back through PSD he would be a better back up player then Pev....
I hope Peverell gets delisted this year, and we trade NLM.

What do you think we would get for him?

I don't think it'd be enough to justify the decision to trade him.

 

[kelvin_sheedy]

Damien Hardwick got picked up by Port as a 30 year old and was instrumental in getting them a flag.

Solly could possibly do the same in the next few years for us.

 

[abers47]

He has done so much better at Freo than I thought he would.

 

[The Dustbin]

Damien Hardwick got picked up by Port as a 30 year old and was instrumental in getting them a flag.

Solly could possibly do the same in the next few years for us.

Being the operative word. Hardwick stepped into a pretty handy Port team. The same can't be said for us at the moment.

 

[bOmBeR_BoY1]

I loved Solly - he was just way too undisciplined though, especially towards the end of his career with us... and I think we're more focused on developing youth now...

Hope we can return to the club in some other capacity in the future.

 

[The Donners]

Yes we already are and have been - Houli, Hislop, Jetta, Reimers, Dempsey, Lonergan, Ryder, Myers, Pears, Daniher, Neagle + 6 new draftees all are either getting games or will in the next two years.

The reason we kept JJ and Pev on the list is to add some hardness and experience to teach the kids. Unfortunately they are not up to it anymore but someone like Solomon can still play.

He'd compete with the likes of Slattery, NLM, Welsh for a spot and in all fairness he'll offer a bit more than them.

Even though the game has changed a fair bit one thing remains the same - the bigger bodied teams are still at the top.

Wasn't JJ at least still under contract and that's why he was kept? Pev was offered a contract though wasn't he!

Solomon would not offer more than NLM or Welsh. NLM and Welsh can play at both ends... Solomon has done FA up forward. Welsh can also play in the middle.

 

[The Dustbin]

Wasn't JJ at least still under contract and that's why he was kept? Pev was offered a contract though wasn't he!

Solomon would not offer more than NLM or Welsh. NLM and Welsh can play at both ends... Solomon has done FA up forward. Welsh can also play in the middle.

Yep. Unless a miracle occurs, you would have to say neither will get offered a contract for 09.

 

[nesski47]

I'll have him back....i did have little plan in my head last year that harvs would come coach and bring solly back with him.....

 

[Pevers-Legend]

Yep. Unless a miracle occurs, you would have to say neither will get offered a contract for 09.

Because you are such a balanced poster on this issue, I will take your opinion as lore

Who will be your whipping boy next year? McPhee or Lovett or Dyson?

 

[MarkJohnson#1]

Damien Hardwick got picked up by Port as a 30 year old and was instrumental in getting them a flag.

Solly could possibly do the same in the next few years for us.

But Hardwick was still dominating at the time and was a very solid backman. Solomon is neither at this point in time.

 

[kelvin_sheedy]

But Hardwick was still dominating at the time and was a very solid backman. Solomon is neither at this point in time.

Hardwick averaged 15, 13, 11 possessions in his 3 years at Port

Solly averaged 16 last year and was one of Freo's best.

 

[MarkJohnson#1]

Since 2003/04 Solly's career has been on a downward trend. Yes he has improved slightly at Fremantle and been in their better half of players, however that is no great achievement considering where they are at the moment, ie. he's not exactly looking like he's going to take them to a grand final or premiership for that matter.

Hardwick at the time was an experienced, tough defender who got the job done and fitted into the Port lineup perfectly as they were on the verge of winning a premiership. We are not exactly in a position to have a solid crack at a premiership so IMO it would be pointless to recruit a top-up player.

My reasoning is that it would be far more beneficial to take the road of youth at this point in time as we still have a core group of leaders who can teach a thing or 2 to the younger guys, for eg. Lloyd, Fletcher, Lucas, Michael and also have a few players that are either stepping into that mould, or are not too far away, for eg. Hille, McVeigh and McPhee. I can't really see Solomon bringing anything to the table in regards to on field performance or help in a leadership role and thus my opinion stands that he should not be considered for a return to Essendon.

 

[kelvin_sheedy]

^^^ It took Hardwick and Port 3 years to win a flag. Are you saying we can't win a flag in 3 years?

Solly was played out of position by Sheedy the past few years. He was good in the midfield in 04 and won us that final against Melbourne.

He was very good last year.

At the moment I'd prefer Solomon over Dyson, Monfries, Welsh, Slattery in our side.

 

[MarkJohnson#1]

^^^ It took Hardwick and Port 3 years to win a flag. Are you saying we can't win a flag in 3 years?

Solly was played out of position by Sheedy the past few years. He was good in the midfield in 04 and won us that final against Melbourne.

He was very good last year.

At the moment I'd prefer Solomon over Dyson, Monfries, Welsh, Slattery in our side.

Are you forgetting the injuries we have at the moment? I would prefer Gumbleton, Jetta, Dempsey, Hocking, Hislop, Lonergan, Lucas and McVeigh ahead of Solly, not to mention Welsh, Dyson and Monfries (who I'd rather give more time to develop). That's 8 players currently not in our side that I would prefer ahead of Solomon not to mention the rest of the players in the team now. Even Solomon Vs. Slattery would be a lineball decision.

It would be a waste of time having Solomon vying for a spot in the team when we have the option to give youth the time to develop. All I could see Solly doing is what Mercuri and Misiti were doing a few years back and that is holding up the development of our younger players.

EDIT: You can also throw Neagle, Myers and Daniher into the mix of players that when fit, I would rather have out on the field developing their game rather than Solly.

 

[LukeParkerno1]

Rich is far superior to Gibbs.

Ditto and as long as we play the kids this year getting the no2 pick- seeing Melbourne will come last will not be a bad option as it probably would get us Rich!

 

[kelvin_sheedy]

Are you forgetting the injuries we have at the moment? I would prefer Gumbleton, Jetta, Dempsey, Hocking, Hislop, Lonergan, Lucas and McVeigh ahead of Solly, not to mention Welsh, Dyson and Monfries (who I'd rather give more time to develop). That's 8 players currently not in our side that I would prefer ahead of Solomon not to mention the rest of the players in the team now. Even Solomon Vs. Slattery would be a lineball decision.

It would be a waste of time having Solomon vying for a spot in the team when we have the option to give youth the time to develop. All I could see Solly doing is what Mercuri and Misiti were doing a few years back and that is holding up the development of our younger players.

EDIT: You can also throw Neagle, Myers and Daniher into the mix of players that when fit, I would rather have out on the field developing their game rather than Solly.

You can only develop players that are actually up to it. Monfries.. Dyson.. hmm

Pretty hard to develop all of Gumby, Neagle, Daniher, Pears when we still have Lloyd, Lucas, Fletcher, Ryder. Mal + 2 ruckman all there. They will only get a good run if we have injuries else we'll be too top heavy.

Youth develop better when they have the right support structures. We are a man or two away from the hardness required to be a really good side.

Unless Hislop and Hocking really come one we might get caught short there. If we can get Solly pretty cheap via the PSD then it could be the difference between top 4 over the next few years.

You just need to look at the Hawks and how they went for Stewie Dew, Hardwick and Mahoney at Port, Chick at the Eagles.. all examples of older experienced guys helping out a side get to the top.

 

[kelvin_sheedy]

Ditto and as long as we play the kids this year getting the no2 pick- seeing Melbourne will come last will not be a bad option as it probably would get us Rich!

Why is Rich superior to Gibbs?

Wasn't Gibbs hailed as one of the best talents ever. He kicked 6 goals in a SANFL match as a 17 year old. What has Rich done?

Is Rich better because we've now seen Gibbs in the AFL?

 

[jdwood]

Ditto and as long as we play the kids this year getting the no2 pick- seeing Melbourne will come last will not be a bad option as it probably would get us Rich!

You're an absolute joke dude... If we kept finishing in the bottom 2 every year we might draft a team full of great talent, but we'd still be in the bottom 2.

 

[bomba4eva]

Rich is far superior to Gibbs.

Forget about Rich. We would have to finish in the bottom two to get him. So start hating him as he will DEFINITELY be an opposition player next year. I already detest the kid

 

[MarkJohnson#1]

You can only develop players that are actually up to it. Monfries.. Dyson.. hmm

Pretty hard to develop all of Gumby, Neagle, Daniher, Pears when we still have Lloyd, Lucas, Fletcher, Ryder. Mal + 2 ruckman all there. They will only get a good run if we have injuries else we'll be too top heavy.

Youth develop better when they have the right support structures. We are a man or two away from the hardness required to be a really good side.

Unless Hislop and Hocking really come one we might get caught short there. If we can get Solly pretty cheap via the PSD then it could be the difference between top 4 over the next few years.

You just need to look at the Hawks and how they went for Stewie Dew, Hardwick and Mahoney at Port, Chick at the Eagles.. all examples of older experienced guys helping out a side get to the top.

Solomon wouldn't offer any more than Monfries and Dyson. His best is beyond him, he wasn't played out of position at Essendon he just lost the knack. Gave away countless stupid free-kicks and constant turnovers, not a result of being played out of position.

I'm also not arguing that Hardwick, Dew, Chick etc were valuable pickups for their respective teams, but the point is they had/have something to offer the team. Dew is an example of adding the icing to the cake, Hawthorn have laid the foundations with a strong mix of youth and experience and Dew is someone who could help them seal the deal. We are still a good 2-3+ years away from being solid premiership contenders. Besides Solomon is no good, may have a strong body, but so does Chris Tarrant who is equally as useless.

We've made errors in the past of using top-up players or old players past their prime to keep in touch with the top 8, it is time to look to the future and suffer the short term pain for long time gain.

 

[LukeParkerno1]

Why is Rich superior to Gibbs?

Wasn't Gibbs hailed as one of the best talents ever. He kicked 6 goals in a SANFL match as a 17 year old. What has Rich done?

Is Rich better because we've now seen Gibbs in the AFL?

Rich is quicker than Gibbs for starters and pace was a concern for Gibbs. It was hoped that Gibbs would improve that pace. Rich has better footskills as well.

 

[Merv]

Rich is quicker than Gibbs for starters and pace was a concern for Gibbs. It was hoped that Gibbs would improve that pace. Rich has better footskills as well.

No he doesn't.

Not only does Gibbs have better disposal , he is doing it in the pressure environment of AFL level, not running around free playing against kids.

 

[LukeParkerno1]

Rich is not only playing against kids- I hope we take him or Swift with our first pick. I will be dead set livid if one of those two if availiable are not drafted by us at season end

 

[Spikey]

I don't get the talk about Rich. Mainly cause its round 5. Way too early to talk about draft picks....