Mega Thread The Former Player Thread: Part 2

[The King!]

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

He didn't quite say they stopped talking to him , I agree there would be favourites etc, human nature. But seemed covid etc affected Gray - in a different state to the coach etc

He said

Gray was asked whether he received much feedback from John Longmire and Sydney’s coaching staff throughout the year.

“Probably not as much as I would’ve liked at times,” he replied.

“Understandably, they (Sydney) were going through COVID. They were away and I was back in Sydney.

“Probably not up to what I would’ve wanted. Coming from Port, they were pretty good at it, so that’s what I’m going off.”

 

[caesar88]

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

I think you're spinning things a bit there. What Gray said is that he felt like the coaches stopped giving him feedback and helping him develop his game by his second season at the club. And I'm not surprised. He was a 29 year old who had been in the AFL system for the better part of a decade who was giving ordinary defensive efforts and looked average in the variety of positions we trialled him in.

I'm sure the coaches were still friendly and nice with him, as if they weren't that wouldn't fly with the other players at all, who would be closer to Gray as a player than they would be with Horse. But as far as helping him with his footballing and his career, there's actually only so much they can do, and I think there is a point a coach reaches where there's no longer anything they can do to further a player's development. They've either got it or they don't and it was apparent that by well into Gray's second year, he didn't have it.

 

[tombomb]

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

I was too busy picking up chicks on Saturdays to waste time with Football.

But yes, I am skeptical that Longmire, for no reason at all, decided to treat Mitchell awfully.

I am not saying everyone would get along with the coach.

Maybe Longmire was hard on Mitchell. Maybe he thought he wasn't accountable enough defensively and wasn't buying into the team first culture. Maybe Mitchell didn't like being told what to do. Maybe Longmire didn't like telling someone what to do and them not doing it. I have no idea.

What I do know is that I have seen zero evidence that Longmire is some kind of irrational megalomaniac who randomly picks on young players for no reason.

And I don't believe that Mitchell wanted to stay with us and was forced out. I think he wanted to be in Melbourne and Hawthorn offered him a very good contract so he left.

 

[Bandicoot]

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 don't know where you get the 5 year contract offer from although it may have been the case but on minimum $$. I am only relating what I was told and I had absolutely no reason at the time to disbelieve what they were saying. They truly seemed quite bitter as to how it all came about.

 

[kneecapper]

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.

The Brownlow famously and unfairly favours accumulating mids. imo he's rarely been a player that puts genuine fear into the opposition or individually turns games.

 

[tombomb]

I don't know where you get the 5 year contract offer from although it may have been the case but on minimum $$. I am only relating what I was told and I had absolutely no reason at the time to disbelieve what they were saying. They truly seemed quite bitter as to how it all came about.

How Tom Mitchell became a trade bargain

Inside the week that saw the Hawks swoop on the ball-magnet mid

www.afl.com.au

'The first point to make here is Sydney genuinely tried to keep him. It tabled a long-term offer for the midfielder – believed to be five years – and put together what it believed to be a fair salary package.'

 

[Bandicoot]

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?

I was just referring to the number of people here who have labelled him money hungry and that was the only reason he left. They did say that he wanted to stay but it was made very clear that he was not wanted, I remember the media reports at the time did say that the Swans offer to him was very lowball.

 

[.Shotties.]

His time in the 2s.

That occured well before his trade at a time when Mitchell himself said he wasn't working on his defensive game at all despite being asked?

 

[.Shotties.]

I was just referring to the number of people here who have labelled him money hungry and that was the only reason he left. They did say that he wanted to stay but it was made very clear that he was not wanted, I remember the media reports at the time did say that the Swans offer to him was very lowball.

Yeah, nothing says "you're not wanted" like a five year contract as part of a midfield rotation with Parker, Hannebery, Jack and Kennedy.

Maybe the offer was less than what he wanted, but the Swans' perspective could have very reasonably been "we'd like you to take unders on this contract to keep the midfield core together".

 

[Grand Uncle Horace]

Yeah, nothing says "you're not wanted" like a five year contract as part of a midfield rotation with Parker, Hannebery, Jack and Kennedy.

Maybe the offer was less than what he wanted, but the Swans' perspective could have very reasonably been "we'd like you to take unders on this contract to keep the midfield core together".

bwahaha…. and the other four offered to adjust their contracts down?

 

[.Shotties.]

bwahaha…. and the other four offered to adjust their contracts down?

I suppose you didn't look at the contract status of the other players nor the stats in the first half of 2016 when these offers were being made and signed?

Anyway, to address your question: Did the other four players, most multiple AAs, most of who signed contracts while Mitchell's was sitting on the table take unders to help keep the team together? It's possible. Again, Mitchell was getting the same length of contract offer as Parker and Hannebery and longer than Kennedy. Maybe he wasn't getting as much in money, no one knows, but he certainly wasn't forced out.

But Mitchell got what he wanted. He went to Hawthorn, got to be the main man, get plenty of accolades and be well-paid. Good for him!

Edit: I should add, what's tiresome about all these 'Longmire did 9/11' is that when pushed, I'm yet to encounter a poster with receipts of their beliefs before the trades were announced. Some crap their dacks when the trade is announced, but find me anyone on this board who, at the start of 2016 would suggest we should have pushed out Hannebery, Parker, or Kennedy to pay Mitchell.

 

[Tedeski]

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.

We had an offer on the table.
Not $ure why he didn't want to $tay but perhap$ he wanted to be number one midfielder without doing the hard yard$.
Ju$t $aying.

 

[GoTheSwannies]

How Tom Mitchell became a trade bargain

Inside the week that saw the Hawks swoop on the ball-magnet mid

www.afl.com.au

'The first point to make here is Sydney genuinely tried to keep him. It tabled a long-term offer for the midfielder – believed to be five years – and put together what it believed to be a fair salary package.'

To me 'fair salary package' suggests we didn't have a whole heap of money to spare and offered him what we could. Hawthorn probably outbid us by at least 100k per season imo (pulling figures out of thin air here).

I remember the discussions at the time. We had one of the better midfields in the league at the time. And perception was that Mitchell was very one dimensional compared to the others ahead of him and if push came to shove he was seen as surplus to our needs, so the offer to him would have been aligned with that point of view.

 

[J_Moore]

Look there’s definitely personality clashes etc. But they’re not always one-way, with the player a completely innocent party. I know the club was pretty dirty on Aliir before he was traded - but apparently Aliir hadn’t been covering himself in glory behind the scenes (football related, not off-field stuff)

 

[Tesla Tenet]

ROK was at the Hunter AFL GF yesterday and looked fit as any AFL player playing now.[emoji846]

Sent from my SM-G990E using Tapatalk

 

[sthmelb_dimmies]

Popped over to the Dees board to read the options for Grundy and there's no dedicated Grundy thread on the first three pages.

What gives? Do they ngaf?

 

[Jewelsbon]

ROK was at the Hunter AFL GF yesterday and looked fit as any AFL player playing now.[emoji846]

Sent from my SM-G990E using Tapatalk

That seems an odd place to see him, any idea on the connection?

 

[bedford]

That seems an odd place to see him, any idea on the connection?

He works for NSW footy in a coaching pathway role

 

[Tesla Tenet]

That seems an odd place to see him, any idea on the connection?

Working with NSW AFL.

Sent from my SM-G990E using Tapatalk

 

[Jewelsbon]

Working with NSW AFL.

Sent from my SM-G990E using Tapatalk

Thanks for that.

 

[Kiama Chris]

Interesting to read the piece in AFL.com about Jesse Hogan

23

Jesse Hogan

Age

30

Ht

196cm

Wt

100kg

Pos.

Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D

15.0

4star

K

9.3

4star

HB

5.7

4star

M

6.4

5star

T

1.4

3star

G

1.9

5star

D

10.3

3star

K

6.0

2star

HB

4.3

3star

M

5.3

5star

T

0.0

1star

G

0.0

1star

D

13.0

4star

K

9.0

4star

HB

4.0

3star

M

6.4

5star

T

1.4

4star

G

1.8

5star

quoting Jeremy Laidler

Jeremy Laidler

Age

36

Ht

190cm

Wt

91kg

Pos.

Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D

14.4

4star

K

7.6

3star

HB

6.8

4star

M

3.7

4star

T

2.0

4star

MG

201.4

3star

No current season stats available

D

14.4

4star

K

7.0

3star

HB

7.4

5star

M

3.8

4star

T

3.4

5star

as GWS Forwards Line Coach. I had thought he was their VFL coach. Good for him building his resume. Sounds like he might have learned from Horse too.

 

[Wolftone]

The SANFL Grand Final has some Swans links today.

Swans Premiership player Marty Mattner is coaching Sturt in the GF. Marty knows what it takes to win premierships. But today I am in the opposition. Sturt are The Blues.

Glenelg too have Swans connections. James Bell

32

James Bell

Age

26

Ht

183cm

Wt

84kg

Pos.

Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D

7.0

2star

K

4.5

2star

HB

2.5

2star

M

3.5

4star

T

2.5

4star

G

0.5

3star

No current season stats available

D

7.0

2star

K

4.5

2star

HB

2.5

3star

M

3.5

4star

T

2.5

4star

G

0.5

3star

& Toby Pink will front up for the Tigers. Glenelg won their last Premiership coached by ex Swans mids coach Mark Stone in 2019.

On CPH2471 using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[Adnico26Parker]

Good article on Nic Newman

24

Nic Newman

Age

32

Ht

186cm

Wt

80kg

Pos.

Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D

19.7

5star

K

13.7

5star

HB

5.9

4star

M

5.5

5star

T

3.3

5star

MG

400.8

5star

D

7.5

2star

K

6.5

3star

HB

1.0

1star

M

2.0

2star

T

1.0

2star

MG

157.0

3star

D

22.4

5star

K

12.8

5star

HB

9.6

5star

M

5.4

5star

T

3.6

5star

MG

387.8

5star

from afl.com.au

Like a New man: The turning point that steered Blue on a path to success

Nic Newman felt like his career was at a crossroads after four years at Sydney but he relished the second chance after moving to Carlton with just minutes remaining before a trade deadline

www.afl.com.au

 

[Nool Carpenna]

The SANFL Grand Final has some Swans links today.

Swans Premiership player Marty Mattner is coaching Sturt in the GF. Marty knows what it takes to win premierships. But today I am in the opposition. Sturt are The Blues.

Glenelg too have Swans connections. James Bell & Toby Pink will front up for the Tigers. Glenelg won their last Premiership coached by ex Swans mids coach Mark Stone in 2019.

On CPH2471 using BigFooty.com mobile app

Big Toby made the SANFL Team of the Year as fullback… should’ve got another year here after he showed signs in the NEAFL down back.

 

[Wolftone]

Big Toby made the SANFL Team of the Year as fullback… should’ve got another year here after he showed signs in the NEAFL down back.

Not quite up to it. Very good lock down defender at that level though.

Interesting that a young second ruck from our Academy played for Sturt. James Bell had a great GF. 21 & a goal. I think he actually racked up about 26-27 but a lot of his HB in class seems to have been counted as a non stat knock on.

Lachie Hosie, who was at North until being delisted kicked 6 goals.


On CPH2471 using BigFooty.com mobile app