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Earlier today Brendon Goddard accepted a four year contract offer put to him by the Essendon Football Club. The move will likely be the biggest move of the AFL Free Agency Period.
Since the news broke the negative judgments of both player and club have been flowing in the true tall poppy spirit of Australia.
As a St Kilda supporter it would be easy to criticize the club, jump up and down and call someone incompetent. We could turn to incidents such as Luke Ball leaving in return for nothing, Ross Lyon jumping ship or St Kilda’s history of self imploding. It would be so easy and we, as St Kilda supporters, wouldn’t be setting ourselves up for more heartache.
So does Dermott Brereton. When asked what he thought of the Goddard move to Essendon he said, "I'll just say this: full respect to the St.Kilda football club."
I for one am very, very excited about the next five years.
Earlier today Brendon Goddard accepted a four year contract offer put to him by the Essendon Football Club. The move will likely be the biggest move of the AFL Free Agency Period.
Since the news broke the negative judgments of both player and club have been flowing in the true tall poppy spirit of Australia.
As a St Kilda supporter it would be easy to criticize the club, jump up and down and call someone incompetent. We could turn to incidents such as Luke Ball leaving in return for nothing, Ross Lyon jumping ship or St Kilda’s history of self imploding. It would be so easy and we, as St Kilda supporters, wouldn’t be setting ourselves up for more heartache.
Good stuff James -- I just read some of your other articles on Contested Footy.
But you need to get a date on them -- I'm not sure if I'm reading old rumours or new.
Earlier today Brendon Goddard accepted a four year contract offer put to him by the Essendon Football Club. The move will likely be the biggest move of the AFL Free Agency Period.
Since the news broke the negative judgments of both player and club have been flowing in the true tall poppy spirit of Australia.
As a St Kilda supporter it would be easy to criticize the club, jump up and down and call someone incompetent. We could turn to incidents such as Luke Ball leaving in return for nothing, Ross Lyon jumping ship or St Kilda’s history of self imploding. It would be so easy and we, as St Kilda supporters, wouldn’t be setting ourselves up for more heartache.
Good stuff James -- I just read some of your other articles on Contested Footy.
But you need to get a date on them -- I'm not sure if I'm reading old rumours or new.
The confirmed is updated daily. The rumours are all kept there.
hungry for a premiership wrote:Good post, I agree 100%.
So does Dermott Brereton. When asked what he thought of the Goddard move to Essendon he said, "I'll just say this: full respect to the St.Kilda football club."
I for one am very, very excited about the next five years.
Dermie is a bit biased given his connection with Scotty Watters...but don't disagree with him..
Holder of unacceptable views and other thought crimes.
I have no problems with Goddard leaving, no problems with the Saints for not offering him 4 years and no problems with the AFL for introducing the system that allows him to move to one of our rivals.
The way I see it, Brendon knew that he could set himself up with a lot more money by moving to a richer club while he was worth something. He's 27 years old and earning enough cash now to pretty much set up the rest of his life. If he maximises his current situation, his future (known in the football world as 'retirement') looks rosy.
He knows football is just a game, he's incredibly lucky to be good at something that is paid for so handsomely and when you look at it objectively, one club is pretty much like another when you get down to it. The Saints and The Bombers are both old clubs with a lot of soul and a passionate supporter base. He gets to stay near his family, he gets a kick up the arse which he will feel he needs after 2 years running round looking jaded and playing average footy, taking eyes off the ball and diving and getting suspended. His morale hasn't been up since the 2010GF, no matter what he said in the media, so it's clear he'll look forward to a new lease of life/change of scenery. After 10 years and 2 lost GFs, finals every year bar 2 or 3 but no Premiership, he probably feels, like Lyon did, that he tried his best at the Saints but it wasn't enough.
If we put ourselves in his situation, only the most loyal of us would ignore the promise of extra money, fresh start and (ahem) equal chances of winning a premiership to stay with our mates. Wouldn't we always be thinking 'What if?' Wouldn't we look at Luke Ball, with a Premiership medallion around his neck and think "What's the harm in trying again somewhere else?" He probably was upset at Bally at the time for leaving, but I'm sure that was only because he realised in his heart that it was the right thing for him to do, perhaps he was still torn at that stage, but I doubt he was this year.
Brendon Goddard is a professional sportsman. He did not play footy for the Saints because his family did, or because he is passionate about footy, or because he is a loyal fan. He was a Carlton fan growing up and probably grew up hating Essendon, yet that didn't matter one bit to his career. He is on the Footy Show, probably because he likes being at the top of his trade, I wouldn't think he's that interested in entering a popularity contest. He is a hardened professional. Other posters have called him arrogant, but not everyone is a people's hero like Lenny. He's probably the Anti-Lenny if you like, you watch when he takes control in the Lunch With Lenny episode where he nicks the mic. He's taking the mickey out of it, for him it's nonsense. But I noticed something else in those few seconds. Even when he's joking, he's serious about winning.
All players say it, because they know people want to hear it, but Brendon Goddard is competitive above all else. He is loyal to a point, he'll do the right thing to a point, but he absolutely won't stop until he wins. Look at him in the 2010 GFs; he got everything out of himself to get over the line, and if the rest of the team was the same, we would have won. He inspires other players by his actions, but I don't believe he's capable of motivating other people in other ways. I don't think he would have been a communicative captain, had he had the chance. I doubt he would have put his arm round a struggling player's shoulder. He's an individualist at heart, despite being happy to play in a team game. The guy loves playing golf. Standing out there by himself, cooly taking care of business to try and win. With his mates or without, I wouldn't think he cares much.
If he tried his hardest at St Kilda and still failed, twice, then really anyone expecting him to stay doesn't really appreciate the situation fully. He may have even seen his teammates as liabilities, especially when the club does show loyalty to far less consistent or effective players. He might wonder about how serious the rest of the team really is about winning. Team talks are fine, but these blokes didn't help me get it done, he'd have thought. What is loyalty worth, he'd have wondered. I think it's remarkable that players like Roo and Lenny - who could walk into any side in the comp - stay for less money than they could get elsewhere when they've already tried and failed to get premierships with us. Both of those guys are far more into the people's hero side of the game than BJ is though. They actually connect with the pain of the Saints supporter, the desire to win. They live to give us what we want. They are true selfless Saints, but they have essentially sacrificed competitive desire for our cause, like Harves, like Leowe, like Baldock. Like those guys they are destined to end their careers unrewarded. That style isn't for everyone though, and even Lenny and Roo might have considered it if Free Agency had been around when they were worth considering at other clubs.
The club could have offered him an extra year, after all that would take him to the same age as Lenny is now. But if he's thinking about leaving, and he can get so much money elsewhere, money that we clearly need for other players salaries, and we can get adequate compensation in the form of a younger fresher and just as hungry player who is perhaps more of a team man then why force him to stay? If he absolutely wants to stay, then that's great, but if he doesn't buy into being a one-club player, then it's best for everyone if he moves on, with no hard feelings. He sees the club delist players that give everything for their club every year, so he probably takes the ideal of loyalty with a pinch of salt. Loyalty is for the fans, not the pros. This is his career. This is business.
His motivation is to be the best, and to set his life up for the 40-70 years that will come after he stops getting paid so well. If he felt that he could have done that with us, I'm sure he would have considered staying. The fact that he didn't says absolutely nothing about us as a club. It is not an inditement on our culture, it doesn't mean that we will never win a flag. Clubs that value individuals over teams go nowhere, and that's been our focus in the past. We've shelled out outrageous sums into messiahs in the form of players and coaches in the past rather than looking after the team. What did it get us? Jezza, Blighty, Foschini, plenty more, but zero premierships. Finally the Saints stand up for themselves, and unlike the Luke Ball situation, they played their cards well. In this system the only way we lose is if the AFL gives us less than a Band 1 pick, or if we use that pick poorly. Chris Pelchen did a good job this time last year, and I personally have faith that with the increased knowledge of our list he now has, he'll use those picks well.
Anyone crying about the modern game being soulless and all about money is better off following a less professional league like the VFL which has footy without the commercialism and the high-quality live TV broadcasts, huge crowds and cream of footy talent that goes with it. Such is life. You want the best, you have to pay the most. Best solution is to enjoy the game and remember that despite the passion it's just a game. If it's your life, then sort your life out. It's 32 young men dressed in weirdly coloured underwear chasing a ball around a park for 2 hours on each weekend.
I wish Brendon well, and hope that he ends up happy. I also wish that Saints supporters move on quickly, still view him as family, even if he's like the daughter that married into another rich family. I think he'll still be a Saint for life in the sense that he will never lose his past, especially when it contained so much success. I hope that other supporters will not allow their feelings of betrayal to give rise to bitterness and that we will all show confidence that we will still be competitive and have if anything a stronger chance of winning a flag. Respect for Goddard, one of us forever, and self-respect.
C'ARN SAINTS, 2013 & BEYOND!
Just My Opinion
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Austinnn wrote:
If we put ourselves in his situation, only the most loyal of us would ignore the promise of extra money, fresh start and (ahem) equal chances of winning a premiership to stay with our mates.
Exactly, the guy is a gutless squib. Don't worry about Roo and Lenny and a million other guys who've done the right thing for you BJ, piss off and count your money. Nothing but mercenary scum, Goddard and Essendon are made for each other.
BJ can play footy - he showed us that in 2009 and 2010 (with glimpses since) - but I'm not going to miss his petulant attitude towards team mates and constant diving, nor his ugly noggin.
So pissed off right now but I'm confident the club know what they're doing (despite what I might have written to them during a red mist when I got the initial email explaining why we're losing another top player)...
But why are we the only club who looks like losing a gun player to free agency? Why can every other club manage their finances and keep their required players together?
Austinnn wrote:
If we put ourselves in his situation, only the most loyal of us would ignore the promise of extra money, fresh start and (ahem) equal chances of winning a premiership to stay with our mates.
Exactly, the guy is a gutless squib. Don't worry about Roo and Lenny and a million other guys who've done the right thing for you BJ, piss off and count your money. Nothing but mercenary scum, Goddard and Essendon are made for each other.
BJ can play footy - he showed us that in 2009 and 2010 (with glimpses since) - but I'm not going to miss his petulant attitude towards team mates and constant diving, nor his ugly noggin.
So pissed off right now but I'm confident the club know what they're doing (despite what I might have written to them during a red mist when I got the initial email explaining why we're losing another top player)...
But why are we the only club who looks like losing a gun player to free agency? Why can every other club manage their finances and keep their required players together?
Like Ablett. By the way if you work would you stay at your job if someone else offered you 30% more?
plugger66 wrote:
Like Ablett. By the way if you work would you stay at your job if someone else offered you 30% more?
What the hell would you know about me mate? When I was captaining my club I knocked back a deal worth hundreds of dollars more a week to stay with my club and my mates, and that was when I was studying and had bugger all money - not the same as the hundreds of grand that BJs deals are worth but enough to be certain of my own moral compass when it comes to these things. Why don't you do us all a favour and piss off you sanctimonious d**khead... I fully believe you used to be an umpire, head up your ass and no idea about anything...
plugger66 wrote:
Like Ablett. By the way if you work would you stay at your job if someone else offered you 30% more?
What the hell would you know about me mate? When I was captaining my club I knocked back a deal worth hundreds of dollars more a week to stay with my club and my mates, and that was when I was studying and had bugger all money - not the same as the hundreds of grand that BJs deals are worth but enough to be certain of my own moral compass when it comes to these things. Why don't you do us all a favour and piss off you sanctimonious d**khead... I fully believe you used to be an umpire, head up your ass and no idea about anything...
Excellent response. Laughing actually. But yep a few hundred is alot different to in excess of 700-800k
Follow me for my expert opinions on Twitter @DanielClark93
I agree with most of the comments above but dont alike the way the AFL has set up the FA or the cash cow approach.
Unfortunately it is a St. Kilda player demonstrating the past culture of our club again when times get times he goes for money. The Club has set the correct standard here.
I dont see this occurring at other clubs in the same way or in the same frequency as at St. Kilda. This is disppointing to me. Even more than Brendon leaving. However, this was coming from 6-12 months ago despite what was said. He decision to hold off definitely set the scene for the change in clubs. I am gald he is gone because I still want loyalists who want to be part of the team and success of the team. Brendon made his choice. I look at Lenny and think would Goddard cut it as ther captain? I would have never supported that for the loyatly part was just not there despite several media circuses over the year involveing Goddard.
March on the St Kilda club to victory.
Midfield clearances and clear winners are needed to make an effective forward line.
You need to protect the ball handler to increase posession efficiency
plugger66 wrote:
Like Ablett. By the way if you work would you stay at your job if someone else offered you 30% more?
What the hell would you know about me mate? When I was captaining my club I knocked back a deal worth hundreds of dollars more a week to stay with my club and my mates, and that was when I was studying and had bugger all money - not the same as the hundreds of grand that BJs deals are worth but enough to be certain of my own moral compass when it comes to these things. Why don't you do us all a favour and piss off you sanctimonious d**khead... I fully believe you used to be an umpire, head up your ass and no idea about anything...
Excellent stuff especially after such a tough question. I take you havent had a root in a while. Surely if you had taken the extra money you could have paid for one. Now please settle down and go to bed. take a sock with you.
Austinnn wrote:
If we put ourselves in his situation, only the most loyal of us would ignore the promise of extra money, fresh start and (ahem) equal chances of winning a premiership to stay with our mates.
Exactly, the guy is a gutless squib. Don't worry about Roo and Lenny and a million other guys who've done the right thing for you BJ, piss off and count your money. Nothing but mercenary scum, Goddard and Essendon are made for each other.
BJ can play footy - he showed us that in 2009 and 2010 (with glimpses since) - but I'm not going to miss his petulant attitude towards team mates and constant diving, nor his ugly noggin.
So pissed off right now but I'm confident the club know what they're doing (despite what I might have written to them during a red mist when I got the initial email explaining why we're losing another top player)...
But why are we the only club who looks like losing a gun player to free agency? Why can every other club manage their finances and keep their required players together?
I am saying that most of us would not stay, so are we all gutless mercenaries? Anyone here been working for the same job in the same position for all of their career? Congrats on being loyal to your club. Maybe if the difference was HUNDREDS of THOUSANDS, money that would guarentee your kids and wife could all live comfortably no matter what you did after retirement, then you might have considered moving. But thanks for that window into your world.
Just My Opinion
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Dr Spaceman wrote:Well the reality is the deal is done so that leaves each of us with 4 options:
1. Continue to support the Saints
2. Support the Goddard infused Bombers.
3. Follow another AFL club altogether.
4. Cease to follow the AFL.
Only option 1 is palatable to me.
And by supporting the Saints I mean supporting them in the decisions they make.
It's not because BJ is gone that I'm looking forward to 2013. But BJ has gone. And I am now looking forward to 2013
I fear that your words of absolute sense are floating far above the heads of a lot of posters doc. But that's only because they're looking down, not because they're short.
Just My Opinion
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Just wanted to say a big thank you to James Rose and Austinnn for your well thought-out posts - I really enjoy reading you both. Miserable day here in Hampshire.
Harves Man wrote:Just wanted to say a big thank you to James Rose and Austinnn for your well thought-out posts - I really enjoy reading you both. Miserable day here in Hampshire.
Look, let's be honest. BJ bled red white and black while he was a saint. Yeah he was sometimes petulant, yeah he wasn't at peak form this year but bloody hell, he wasn't Robinson Crusoe there in either case. Good player, good servant, good bye and good luck BJ. He's an opposition player now, we move on.
Potentially we get Caddy for the pick we get for BJ, he's a quality 150-200game mid. That's 350-400 games (and 2 lots of father/son picks) out of one pick from the early 00's.
Personally, at 32 myself, I find it hard to be mad at a 27 year old, with maybe 5-7 years left in his chosen profession, who thinks of money and perceived career opportunities first. If my career was about to end (now at my age) I'd be looking at the decisions I'd made along the way and asking did I make all the best choices to set.myself up for a future.
