What do you really think?

[ImperialPurple]

Just been wondering.

Hawks supporters have had a pretty mixed reaction to the return of a certain Mr Croad. I would think that overall they are not too pleased about it. He is still, after 6 years or whatever in the AFL, a bit of an unknown quantity. He could be great, but fact is that he isn't.

We were all pretty excited to get a "big name" player after the 2001 annus horriblus, and trading away the #1 pick to get him seemed a reasonable, if extravagant, thing to do at the time.

Then he's off back where he came from, taking a pay cut to get there, and it's as if 2002 and 2003 never happened (despite the megabucks, the woeful form, the excuses from fans, the hope that he'll come good etc, etc). Personally I think we got the deal of the year getting Pick #10 for him (and I'm not counting that we gave up #1 for him as that was a different deal altogether).

But now he's gone - what do we hope happens with him? Do we wish him well and hope he burns it up as a brilliant CHB, or do we hope he is as bad playing as a defender for the Hawks as he was a forward for us? If he's a good CHB or HBF, will we be peeved that we traded him back, or will it be a case of "thank God we off-loaded him" no matter what happens.

Thoughts?

 

[Ripper]

Wish him well of course as I do Trent Carroll. I was thinking the other day about how similar they are. I would have actually thought that Trent Carroll gave as good a service.

I actually don't think we will miss him much on the field.

 

[Kenny_01]

I hope he goes really well.

 

[dockertor]

Originally posted by Kenny_01
I hope he goes really well.

Except of course when he plays us. That really burns when an ex Docker tears us up.

 

[Ripper]

Originally posted by dockertor
That really burns when an ex Docker tears us up.

And they usually do.

 

[ImperialPurple]

Of course we all wish him well personally. He seemed like a genuinely nice bloke who tried hard, made the best of the situation he was in, and was traded by his club not once, but twice. His attitude could never be faulted, even if the output didn't match the endeavour.

I'm talking about from a footy point of view. Are we glad he's gone regardless of what happens, or will be be peeved if he turns out to be the superstar backman that he could be. You know... why the hell didn't CC play him as a defender? We should have kept him. That sort of thing.

Or are we all secretly hoping - from a purely FFC point of view (not personal) that he is as average in that position as he was as a CHF / FF for us. To justify to ourselves that we did the right thing.

My initial post was a little clumsy, but that was what I was getting at.

The Koops trade is completely different of course. He went to "better his opportunities" and I would think that - from a purely FFC point of view - whether he burns it up at his new club, or is a spectacular failure has no bearings on how we view that trade at all.

Personally I would like to see Koopsy "burn it up" and Croady play well enough to keep the media off his back, but not that well that we think... "Doh.. what did we do". Although whatever happens I think he's better off where he is, and we are better off without him. I think that they are both well covered and neither will present a great loss.

BTW - I was never a Croad bagger.

 

[pav_is_god]

Croad for Dunn - laughin!!

 

[Ripper]

Originally posted by ImperialPurple
Of course we all wish him well personally. He seemed like a genuinely nice bloke who tried hard, made the best of the situation he was in, and was traded by his club not once, but twice. His attitude could never be faulted, even if the output didn't match the endeavour.

Well said IP, I don't think he ever got over the shellacking that the media and the talkback callers gave him early in the piece on Wally's "Saterday morning E-girls supporters Whinge" and 6PR's "E-girls supporters whinge tonight" .

I'm talking about from a footy point of view. Are we glad he's gone regardless of what happens, or will be be peeved if he turns out to be the superstar backman that he could be. You know... why the hell didn't CC play him as a defender? We should have kept him. That sort of thing.

We shouldn't be peeved as we are blessed with plenty of good defenders.
Whose spot could he have taken?

Or are we all secretly hoping - from a purely FFC point of view (not personal) that he is as average in that position as he was as a CHF / FF for us. To justify to ourselves that we did the right thing.

We did the right thing for FFC and Croadie IMO. He is back where he is happiest at the club he always barracked for and we have added another quality midfieder to our increasingly ominous midfield. Last year it was obvious to everyone that we were one big bodied midfielder short.

The Koops trade is completely different of course. He went to "better his opportunities" and I would think that - from a purely FFC point of view - whether he burns it up at his new club, or is a spectacular failure has no bearings on how we view that trade at all.

Win win he is better off where he is happy.

Personally I would like to see Koopsy "burn it up"

Same here, Starting Round 1.

 

[The Mission Man]

I know Connolly was only an assistant coach at Hawthorn when he was there, but we shouldn't overlook the fact that he had seen Croad at CHB from close up. He saw how Croad gave away the most frees in the competition. He saw how Croad lacked the nous to play the position on more experienced players capable of more than a straight lead. He saw him play CHB and he led the charge to have the guy traded. (The gag is that he ended up having to then coach the guy at the club to which he was traded.)

If he stars at CHB then maybe Connolly will appear to have made a mistake - but he did play Croad at CHB once or twice for us and the guy blew nuts. Remember against Richmond when Parker got crunched by Ray Hall and had to come off? Richo feasted on Croad that day. Feasted. I have never seen anyone so thoroughly out of position. He chases in the weirdest way possible. If his opponent ran in a circle, Croad would follow - he lacks the capacity to read play, especially going out. Straight lines he's adequate at. Anything more you can forgeddaboutit.

Anyway, he can do what he likes. He won't star - he's had ample opportunity to star and he still hasn't. He'll go alright. Hay and Croad make a good running backline pair. An even better calendar, but a good running backline pair.

We got him in for reasons other than just his footballing ability and Connolly struggled to find him a possie, if truth be told.

We certainly won't miss him and I'd like to think we wish him well - except when he plays us. Then I'd like to think his old room-mate will throw him a towel and remind him whose turn it is to do the washing up.

 

[Exeter]

Now if you put Haselby's head on Croad's body you'd have a real juggernaut.

The fraud squad's eyes light up every time Croad pulls on a footy jumper.

If I was a Docker's supporter I'd be of the view that the Hawks are welcome to him - let's see how long he lasts in the AFL.

 

[pav_is_god]

Originally posted by The Mission Man
If he stars at CHB then maybe Connolly will appear to have made a mistake - but he did play Croad at CHB once or twice for us and the guy blew nuts. Remember against Richmond when Parker got crunched by Ray Hall and had to come off? Richo feasted on Croad that day. Feasted. I have never seen anyone so thoroughly out of position.

In Croads defence, Richo feasted on everyone that day, including Pavlich.

 

[Ripper]

Originally posted by pav_is_god
In Croads defence, Richo feasted on everyone that day, including Pavlich.

True, but he really made croadie look way out of place.

I am not a croadie knoker either but if CC wanted to play him at CHB who would he replace?

 

[pav_is_god]

Originally posted by RIPPER_46
True, but he really made croadie look way out of place.

I am not a croadie knoker either but if CC wanted to play him at CHB who would he replace?

No one, our backline was pretty much concrete last season. Croad only went back cause Richo was carving us up and we were a tall short. If we still had him this season, then he could have taken over from Polak, but I would have preferred Croad to stay up forward. He just hasn't got the brains to be a backmen.

 

[Ripper]

Originally posted by pav_is_god
Richo was carving us up and we were a Macpharlap short.

 

[Kapow!!!]

Yes we did need Mcpharlin that day. Although if we had of kicked straighter and just got in front before the rain came it would have looked better.

Richo was just on fire that day. As were Richmond early in the season. And Just like The Tigers in 2003, Croad didn't get back up at all. Only difference was is that at least Richmond STARTED the year well and Croad didn't.