Mega Thread The Former Player Thread: Part 2

[Caj]

Good point.

I

I wonder if a long term view on preserving the young draftees bodies was taken after watching Hannebery grind down his body as a young inside mid

I’d be astounded if that was the case given Longmire’s habit of selecting unfit and injured players in the seniors

 

[Caj]

I love how nobody gave a s**t about Newman leaving for the past 5 years, but suddenly after having 1 good season at the age of 30 his depature was a mistake and put down to Horse playing favourites.

Actually he’s been an incredibly consistent player for the blues the whole time he’s been there.

There were plenty of us who bemoaned his departure at the time for nix because Longmire didn’t like him

 

[DobmusEdge]

Interesting to find out what happened behind the scenes years later. What happened to Newman seems a bit harsh, given Swans support for Pride round and inclusiveness. Maybe it became too much of a distraction from his football at the time.

Newman just wasn’t that good or rated that highly by the swans. Carlton, fresh off a two win season, came in with a much better and longer offer. Nothing to do with inclusiveness

 

[Bloods86]

I was unhappy at the time and made my views known then. Recall copping whacks for it.

He has had more than one good season at the Filth.

I wasn't happy with losing Newman, though wasn't even using BigFooty at the time.

 

[Banyo Bloods]

I was at the ressies GF where Newman was BoG in a losing side, sitting next to the man who awarded it. He played the intercept and exit role similar to how he plays at Carlton.
I was also a bit friendly with a friend of his who said that he really disliked Horse, possibly at the time he wasn't getting picked for seniors. Whatever.
My understanding is that he wanted to leave and we weren't that worried about keeping him.

Pure theory but I don’t think he took the Alex Johnson delisting well either which could have unsettled him ( ridiculous theory I know as Alex
got every chance) but I’ll never
Forget his tears for him though when Alex broke down again for the last time.

 

[DobmusEdge]

Yes. But if you look at how Horse has used him over his 2 years with us, it's been pretty sporadic. ToG usually low, in and our of the side, playing forward etc. And this has been happening whilst we have been struggling with clearances. Same goes for guys like Mitchell, Dawson and Hewett who would rack up huge numbers in the NEAFL but then get limited on ball time. All 3 have gone on to be very good to elite ball winners for their new clubs. I'm overall a big fan of Horse, always have been and happy he's our coach. Doesn't mean I agree with everything though.

He’s also been a teenager and had substantial injuries in both seasons

 

[Dubai Quacker]

I love how nobody gave a s**t about Newman leaving for the past 5 years, but suddenly after having 1 good season at the age of 30 his depature was a mistake and put down to Horse playing favourites.

Still can't believe we traded out Craig Bird.

He was worth at least 2.4 Craig Birds.

 

[DobmusEdge]

I legit thought he got delisted

Newman’s 2018 departure was part of the start of a major reset for the swans - same offseason we moved on hanners and Rohan while both under contract. And stopped giving AJ another contract after he’s sixth ACL. Robinson also went from finals starter to delisting overnight.

Drafted in that year Lizard, Rowbottom and J-Mac while Hayden picked up in SSP. Clarke traded in.

 

[Dan87]

Just needed to keep him on the list for five years to get one decent year out of him

What chumps we are

 

[Caj]

Just needed to keep him on the list for five years to get one decent year out of him

What chumps we are

Ridiculous post, you clearly don’t watch much football

 

[Andyjh]

Still can't believe we traded out Craig Bird.

He was worth at least 2.4 Craig Birds.

Haha i miss the old Crag Birds jokes

 

[Wheresbuddy]

He’s also been a teenager and had substantial injuries in both seasons

This is true. I'm the first to admit that team selections are not as simple as what may be apparent to the supporters.

I do however get the sense that Horse really makes you earn inside duties and once you get them, he's very loyal.

 

[SeanM]

Newman just wasn’t that good or rated that highly by the swans. Carlton, fresh off a two win season, came in with a much better and longer offer. Nothing to do with inclusiveness

I had no issue with Newman changing clubs. At the time I just assumed it was mutually beneficial. That he was looking for more opportunities and we were happy to let him go. But I had no idea what was going on behind the scenes and did not pay attention to what the rumours were.

 

[Bandicoot]

I think it is unlikely he stays. He should have been picked ahead of JMac for the final but was not. He would be livid over that and I would not blame him. It was a terrible decision by a biased coach. I don't think Longmire likes him. Longmire has pers and players he does not like.
These are players he did not like;

Aliir
Hewett
Newman
Jones
Rohan
Mitchell
Stephens

The way some of these players were treated was a disgrace to the footy club. For a club who prides ourselves on how we treat people some of these people were badly treated. Nick Newman was moved on because he was too vocal about GLBTI rights. Mitchell because Longmire hated him. Hewett similar. Jones definitely because Longmire did not like him. Rohan for footy reasons but with no explanation. He never had a clue that was coming. Aliir had always been a problem for Longmire. He simply did not like the kid. In fact he went out of his way not to play him. Then when he cemented himself and got injured he found every excuse not to play him when hd was fit. Then he insisted on playing him in the ruck or forward. Even after this was not needed. Longmire is human. We don't like everybody we meet. But as Leigh Matthews said about Akka, even though he thought him a dick he still played him for his ability. Matthews hated Akka. But he played in 3 premierships. If you are a coach you have to be above hatreds.

On CPH2471 using BigFooty.com mobile app

I know it's old news and it doesn't change anything but I can certainly confirm his dislike of Mitchell. I think hatred a=is a little over the top.
I was fortunate enough to have breakfast whilst on a cruise a few years ago with a couple who who immediate family members to Tom. I just mentioned that I was a Swans supporter and I notice a strange look between the pair of them. I pressed them on this and they were very reluctant to speak about but finally it came out that they were related to Tom Mitchell. I won't say in what way other than to say it was a direct relationship.
They were extremely angry with Longmire and the way Tom was treated by him and jettisoned from the club. They made it perfectly clear that Tom wanted to stay but Longmire would have nothing to do with it. A meeting had been called for the two of them to try to sort things out and Longmire failed to turn up.
For all those here who have labelled Mitchell a rat and he only left for the money, etc, etc this is nowhere near the truth. It is also why we got such a lousy trade from Hawthorn. They knew full well that we didn't want him.
For what it's worth. Mitchell has never been told to this day as to why he was not wanted.

 

[Olian]

If you watch the first quarter of last Fridays game. Newman kicks in after a behind only for Gulden to intercept the kick and go back and convert truly.

Newman is a solid player but his kicking still lets him down even from a set play like a kick in.

He’s had more coaches than Brownlow votes at the Blues.

 

[kneecapper]

I know it's old news and it doesn't change anything but I can certainly confirm his dislike of Mitchell. I think hatred a=is a little over the top.
I was fortunate enough to have breakfast whilst on a cruise a few years ago with a couple who who immediate family members to Tom. I just mentioned that I was a Swans supporter and I notice a strange look between the pair of them. I pressed them on this and they were very reluctant to speak about but finally it came out that they were related to Tom Mitchell. I won't say in what way other than to say it was a direct relationship.
They were extremely angry with Longmire and the way Tom was treated by him and jettisoned from the club. They made it perfectly clear that Tom wanted to stay but Longmire would have nothing to do with it. A meeting had been called for the two of them to try to sort things out and Longmire failed to turn up.
For all those here who have labelled Mitchell a rat and he only left for the money, etc, etc this is nowhere near the truth. It is also why we got such a lousy trade from Hawthorn. They knew full well that we didn't want him.
For what it's worth. Mitchell has never been told to this day as to why he was not wanted.

My general sense is that Longmire respects players that are flexible and willing to sacrifice personal stats and preferred positions for the sake of the team. I don't think he likes players that are individualistic or mercenary in their approach to footy. He wants players willing to round out their games so they can play roles required by the team. Mills, Hayward, Heeney, Blakey are all examples of players who work well under Longmire's approach. They want to be challenged. Mitchell, for all his talent at racking up possessions, is a one dimensional footballer and has been unable or unwilling to add more strings to his bow. I'll be interested to see how Stephen's career develops but I have no doubt he'll end up a very different footballer than he would have been if he'd stayed with the Swans.

 

[tombomb]

I know it's old news and it doesn't change anything but I can certainly confirm his dislike of Mitchell. I think hatred a=is a little over the top.
I was fortunate enough to have breakfast whilst on a cruise a few years ago with a couple who who immediate family members to Tom. I just mentioned that I was a Swans supporter and I notice a strange look between the pair of them. I pressed them on this and they were very reluctant to speak about but finally it came out that they were related to Tom Mitchell. I won't say in what way other than to say it was a direct relationship.
They were extremely angry with Longmire and the way Tom was treated by him and jettisoned from the club. They made it perfectly clear that Tom wanted to stay but Longmire would have nothing to do with it. A meeting had been called for the two of them to try to sort things out and Longmire failed to turn up.
For all those here who have labelled Mitchell a rat and he only left for the money, etc, etc this is nowhere near the truth. It is also why we got such a lousy trade from Hawthorn. They knew full well that we didn't want him.
For what it's worth. Mitchell has never been told to this day as to why he was not wanted.

I'm not dismissing your story, I just struggle to believe that Longmire would have had a borderline irrational dislike for one of our players.

And I don't understand how Mitchell putting contract talks on hold in the middle of the season and rejecting a 5 year contract offer, reconciles with him supposedly wanting to stay and being forced out by the coach.

 

[Jewelsbon]

I know it's old news and it doesn't change anything but I can certainly confirm his dislike of Mitchell. I think hatred a=is a little over the top.
I was fortunate enough to have breakfast whilst on a cruise a few years ago with a couple who who immediate family members to Tom. I just mentioned that I was a Swans supporter and I notice a strange look between the pair of them. I pressed them on this and they were very reluctant to speak about but finally it came out that they were related to Tom Mitchell. I won't say in what way other than to say it was a direct relationship.
They were extremely angry with Longmire and the way Tom was treated by him and jettisoned from the club. They made it perfectly clear that Tom wanted to stay but Longmire would have nothing to do with it. A meeting had been called for the two of them to try to sort things out and Longmire failed to turn up.
For all those here who have labelled Mitchell a rat and he only left for the money, etc, etc this is nowhere near the truth. It is also why we got such a lousy trade from Hawthorn. They knew full well that we didn't want him.
For what it's worth. Mitchell has never been told to this day as to why he was not wanted.

I'm not dismissing your story, I just struggle to believe that Longmire would have had a borderline irrational dislike for one of our players.

And I don't understand how Mitchell putting contract talks on hold in the middle of the season and rejecting a 5 year contract offer, reconciles with him supposedly wanting to stay and being forced out by the coach.

I'd also add - and I'm not disbelieving of your story Bandi, but as a direct relation to Tom, they are hardly going to say he's a money hungry dick are they?

 

[Kiama Chris]

My general sense is that Longmire respects players that are flexible and willing to sacrifice personal stats and preferred positions for the sake of the team. I don't think he likes players that are individualistic or mercenary in their approach to footy. He wants players willing to round out their games so they can play roles required by the team. Mills, Hayward, Heeney, Blakey are all examples of players who work well under Longmire's approach. They want to be challenged. Mitchell, for all his talent at racking up possessions, is a one dimensional footballer and has been unable or unwilling to add more strings to his bow. I'll be interested to see how Stephen's career develops but I have no doubt he'll end up a very different footballer than he would have been if he'd stayed with the Swans.

I wouldn't be so sure about that last bit. Dyl's technical shortcomings might improve but I kind of doubt it. In 4 years they haven't much. He still fails to spot targets, kick to advantage and so on. If it works with North game style well and good.

 

[momentbymoment]

I really like Newman but I thought he may have been a bit too slow. However, his role at Carlton shows that there is a place for a player like that to make an impact and I still think he is a good player. I just think his departure from the Swans was more to do with us trying to transition the club to one with more leg-speed and he was a casualty of that.

I always thought he left bc we had Loyd in the role.
They play a similar, distribution type game.

 

[.Shotties.]

I'm not dismissing your story, I just struggle to believe that Longmire would have had a borderline irrational dislike for one of our players.

And I don't understand how Mitchell putting contract talks on hold in the middle of the season and rejecting a 5 year contract offer, reconciles with him supposedly wanting to stay and being forced out by the coach.

Yeah, sorry, what kind of club do people think is being run here? Do you think the club would set up a mediation then just accept the coach refusing to turn up?

In all information we have about Longmire, what paints him as the kind of irrational megalomaniac he's portrayed as in some of these fan-fictions?

I keep repeating it with Mitchell, but we had to bid on him to get us to choose us over GWS, he got contract extensions well before he'd finished his early rehab stints, he played almost every game in the last two seasons he was with us and got minutes on a midfield group that had multiple AA players as the starters.

What, in any of this, shows an irrational hatred and refusal to work with Mitchell?

 

[tombomb]

Yeah, sorry, what kind of club do people think is being run here? Do you think the club would set up a mediation then just accept the coach refusing to turn up?

What, in any kind of discussions or views on the coach available anywhere have him painted as the kind of irrational megalomaniac he's portrayed as in some of these fan-fictions?

I keep repeating it with Mitchell, but we had to bid on him to get us to choose us over GWS, he got contract extensions well before he'd finished his early rehab stints, he played almost every game in the last two seasons he was with us and got minutes on a midfield group that had multiple AA players as the starters.

What, in any of this, shows an irrational hatred and refusal to work with Mitchell?

It doesn't sound believable to me.

I used to have a girlfriend who I got tired of trying to convince that her boss didn't hate her and if she just showed up on time, all her issues would go away ...

In the end I would just nod and say 'yeah, your boss sounds crazy' and tune out.

We aren't together anymore.

 

[mtooler]

I know it's old news and it doesn't change anything but I can certainly confirm his dislike of Mitchell. I think hatred a=is a little over the top.
I was fortunate enough to have breakfast whilst on a cruise a few years ago with a couple who who immediate family members to Tom. I just mentioned that I was a Swans supporter and I notice a strange look between the pair of them. I pressed them on this and they were very reluctant to speak about but finally it came out that they were related to Tom Mitchell. I won't say in what way other than to say it was a direct relationship.
They were extremely angry with Longmire and the way Tom was treated by him and jettisoned from the club. They made it perfectly clear that Tom wanted to stay but Longmire would have nothing to do with it. A meeting had been called for the two of them to try to sort things out and Longmire failed to turn up.
For all those here who have labelled Mitchell a rat and he only left for the money, etc, etc this is nowhere near the truth. It is also why we got such a lousy trade from Hawthorn. They knew full well that we didn't want him.
For what it's worth. Mitchell has never been told to this day as to why he was not wanted.

Thank you for sharing, I love cruising and as a result completely believe you. I always blamed Longmire for Titch's departure. He was my favourite player.

 

[mtooler]

My general sense is that Longmire respects players that are flexible and willing to sacrifice personal stats and preferred positions for the sake of the team. I don't think he likes players that are individualistic or mercenary in their approach to footy. He wants players willing to round out their games so they can play roles required by the team. Mills, Hayward, Heeney, Blakey are all examples of players who work well under Longmire's approach. They want to be challenged. Mitchell, for all his talent at racking up possessions, is a one dimensional footballer and has been unable or unwilling to add more strings to his bow. I'll be interested to see how Stephen's career develops but I have no doubt he'll end up a very different footballer than he would have been if he'd stayed with the Swans.

My memory, which may be Rose coloured glasses, was Tom Mitchell's bow was top finals performer 1 goal a game, 30 odd possessions a game and match winner. Oh and Brownlow medallist shortly after departing.

 

[Caj]

I'm not dismissing your story, I just struggle to believe that Longmire would have had a borderline irrational dislike for one of our players.

And I don't understand how Mitchell putting contract talks on hold in the middle of the season and rejecting a 5 year contract offer, reconciles with him supposedly wanting to stay and being forced out by the coach.

How much football have you played tombomb?

I’m yet to encounter a club where there aren’t coaches pets, and others that are
inexplicably frozen on the outer.

You’re kidding yourself if you think it doesn’t happen at AFL level, in fact Sam Gray did an interview last year where he said the Swans coaches (ie Longmire) basically stopped talking to him in his second season at the club.

I don’t care whether you’re Errol Gulden or Caleb Mitchell, no player deserves to be frozen out by a coach