Zak Jones season over

[Scollop]

Billings had 3 score involvements against Hawthorn.

Billings got 15 touches at 80% Disposal efficiency…plus 1 goal assist. Ryan Byrnes had 16 touches at 87% DE…plus 2 goal assists

Ronnie also had a total of 9 score involvements by the way (Second only to Brad Crouch).

[CQ SAINT]

Between 2014-2021

Billings played 148 games

And some VFL games

1 injury interrupted season where he played 9 games (2015) 7 full seasons!

Overall played 90% of games

He played 85% of games. Didn't do a full pre-season until 2017 and only once in that time, did he play more than 12 games in a row.

As, a result, he looks quite broken now.
He should be in his prime, leading us to finals.
I'll let you continue with revisionist bulls*** and I hope he proves me wrong, but on the weekend, he looked like he was worried about kicking the ball and is playing quite differently.

Yes, he's had an injury riddled couple of years, started by playing most of 2021? with a foot injury, a mistake which seems to be the base on his injury run.

However, in the 4 years 2017-2020 only missed one game. 2021 missed 4. Not exactly injury prone.

Is he now broken? Didn't look too broken to me last game, his class helped first quarter, nine disposals, gather and HB to Byrnes for kick to Wood - goal, shimmy forward then handball to Crouch - goal. Last quarter, again involved in Crouch goal and one other. Still got a sore thumb as well.

He is the type of player we are short of, class disposers, hopefully he can get his body right. Fully fit easily best 22.

No one doubts Billings class. We all know how good he has been at times.
In 2019, he opted for a 2 year extension and was demanding $800k.

The fact remains that since round 13 of 2021 he has been constantly injured or rehabbing until 6 weeks ago. He has not trained a full pre-season, has had constant foot, knee, hamstring, hand and back injuries which do not appear to have let him prepare or get on the field in good shape and he has played 16 of a possible 51 games and three of them were as the sub.

If you draw any other conclusion, other than Billings jabbed his way through the end of 2021 to initially get a huge free agency offer and then save his career when no offer came, I'd say your ignoring some damning evidence and injury prone, has become a reality otherwise he'd be running around in red and black or blue and white for $900+ a season. Instead he is half way through a 4 year contract which took a hefty cut on the previous $800k.

We have no choice other than to persist and keep our fingers crossed.

I'd like nothing more than for him to play all year next year, I'm just not confident. I also don't believe that 6 kicks, 9 handballs, 1 goal assist and 3 50m entries for 57 metres gained in a game where we kicked 19 goals, is anything to be excited about.

[therabbitinthehat]

Can't see the club offering him another contract unless we pick up 0 mids in the draft and we keep him for depth. Sad, as I liked him (but understand why others don't), and seems like a genuine guy who tries his guts out which a lot of our other players could use a bit of.

[takeaway]

Between 2014-2021

Billings played 148 games

And some VFL games

1 injury interrupted season where he played 9 games (2015) 7 full seasons!

Overall played 90% of games

He played 85% of games. Didn't do a full pre-season until 2017 and only once in that time, did he play more than 12 games in a row.

As, a result, he looks quite broken now.
He should be in his prime, leading us to finals.
I'll let you continue with revisionist bulls*** and I hope he proves me wrong, but on the weekend, he looked like he was worried about kicking the ball and is playing quite differently.

Yes, he's had an injury riddled couple of years, started by playing most of 2021? with a foot injury, a mistake which seems to be the base on his injury run.

However, in the 4 years 2017-2020 only missed one game. 2021 missed 4. Not exactly injury prone.

Is he now broken? Didn't look too broken to me last game, his class helped first quarter, nine disposals, gather and HB to Byrnes for kick to Wood - goal, shimmy forward then handball to Crouch - goal. Last quarter, again involved in Crouch goal and one other. Still got a sore thumb as well.

He is the type of player we are short of, class disposers, hopefully he can get his body right. Fully fit easily best 22.

No one doubts Billings class. We all know how good he has been at times.
In 2019, he opted for a 2 year extension and was demanding $800k.

The fact remains that since round 13 of 2021 he has been constantly injured or rehabbing until 6 weeks ago. He has not trained a full pre-season, has had constant foot, knee, hamstring, hand and back injuries which do not appear to have let him prepare or get on the field in good shape and he has played 16 of a possible 51 games and three of them were as the sub.

If you draw any other conclusion, other than Billings jabbed his way through the end of 2021 to initially get a huge free agency offer and then save his career when no offer came, I'd say your ignoring some damning evidence and injury prone, has become a reality otherwise he'd be running around in red and black or blue and white for $900+ a season. Instead he is half way through a 4 year contract which took a hefty cut on the previous $800k.

We have no choice other than to persist and keep our fingers crossed.

I'd like nothing more than for him to play all year next year, I'm just not confident. I also don't believe that 6 kicks, 9 handballs, 1 goal assist and 3 50m entries for 57 metres gained in a game where we kicked 19 goals, is anything to be excited about.

Who's excited? Just saying not "broken". Hope he can have a solid end to the season, good pre season and be over his injury concerns. We need a more polish with disposal, and a fit Billings will help considerably. On the other hand, if he doesn't finish well, may be at another club next year.

I think your salary guesstimates are a tad high.

[takeaway]

Billings had 3 score involvements against Hawthorn.

Billings got 15 touches at 80% Disposal efficiency…plus 1 goal assist. Ryan Byrnes had 16 touches at 87% DE…plus 2 goal assists

Ronnie also had a total of 9 score involvements by the way (Second only to Brad Crouch).

What's Byrnes got to do with it? Did he play forward?

Only 16 touches on a wing? He's a goer, did ok but needs to pick it up a bit. His counterpart, Mason Wood, got 25 plus a goal. That's where he needs to aim, Billings averages over 20 when playing on a wing. I think Byrnes did enough to not get dropped again anyway.

Are you starting another one of your replacement campaigns? ie, Long to take over Hill's role, Bytel to replace Crouch? Is it now Byrnes for Billings? Same outcome I expect.

[CQ SAINT]

Between 2014-2021

Billings played 148 games

And some VFL games

1 injury interrupted season where he played 9 games (2015) 7 full seasons!

Overall played 90% of games

He played 85% of games. Didn't do a full pre-season until 2017 and only once in that time, did he play more than 12 games in a row.

As, a result, he looks quite broken now.
He should be in his prime, leading us to finals.
I'll let you continue with revisionist bulls*** and I hope he proves me wrong, but on the weekend, he looked like he was worried about kicking the ball and is playing quite differently.

Yes, he's had an injury riddled couple of years, started by playing most of 2021? with a foot injury, a mistake which seems to be the base on his injury run.

However, in the 4 years 2017-2020 only missed one game. 2021 missed 4. Not exactly injury prone.

Is he now broken? Didn't look too broken to me last game, his class helped first quarter, nine disposals, gather and HB to Byrnes for kick to Wood - goal, shimmy forward then handball to Crouch - goal. Last quarter, again involved in Crouch goal and one other. Still got a sore thumb as well.

He is the type of player we are short of, class disposers, hopefully he can get his body right. Fully fit easily best 22.

No one doubts Billings class. We all know how good he has been at times.
In 2019, he opted for a 2 year extension and was demanding $800k.

The fact remains that since round 13 of 2021 he has been constantly injured or rehabbing until 6 weeks ago. He has not trained a full pre-season, has had constant foot, knee, hamstring, hand and back injuries which do not appear to have let him prepare or get on the field in good shape and he has played 16 of a possible 51 games and three of them were as the sub.

If you draw any other conclusion, other than Billings jabbed his way through the end of 2021 to initially get a huge free agency offer and then save his career when no offer came, I'd say your ignoring some damning evidence and injury prone, has become a reality otherwise he'd be running around in red and black or blue and white for $900+ a season. Instead he is half way through a 4 year contract which took a hefty cut on the previous $800k.

We have no choice other than to persist and keep our fingers crossed.

I'd like nothing more than for him to play all year next year, I'm just not confident. I also don't believe that 6 kicks, 9 handballs, 1 goal assist and 3 50m entries for 57 metres gained in a game where we kicked 19 goals, is anything to be excited about.

Who's excited? Just saying not "broken". Hope he can have a solid end to the season, good pre season and be over his injury concerns. We need a more polish with disposal, and a fit Billings will help considerably. On the other hand, if he doesn't finish well, may be at another club next year.

I think your salary guesstimates are a tad high.

They're not my guesstimates, they were the industry murmurings in 2019. He extended while in great form and maximised his free agency value with a solid 2 year pay rise. Win/win for a classy footballer hitting his prime and a club under threat of losing his class.

Billings was in our top 5 salaries and then COVID cut backs and reality took over.
Billings would have complimented a strong, clearance winning midfield, but not a that money.
I've heard his last contract was $2.5 for 4 years and he didn't leave for more. When he injured himself in 2021, the press were reporting he had played his last game for St.Kilda.
I'm guessing his medical files and physical examination was as far as he got in talks with the cashed up Kangaroos and his childhood club the Bombers.

But you are correct in suggesting I don't know anything for fact but it looked dodgy when it was happening and his fitness has been dodgy since.

[takeaway]

Who's excited? Just saying not "broken". Hope he can have a solid end to the season, good pre season and be over his injury concerns. We need a more polish with disposal, and a fit Billings will help considerably. On the other hand, if he doesn't finish well, may be at another club next year.

I think your salary guesstimates are a tad high.

They're not my guesstimates, they were the industry murmurings in 2019. He extended while in great form and maximised his free agency value with a solid 2 year pay rise. Win/win for a classy footballer hitting his prime and a club under threat of losing his class.

Billings was in our top 5 salaries and then COVID cut backs and reality took over.
Billings would have complimented a strong, clearance winning midfield, but not a that money.
I've heard his last contract was $2.5 for 4 years and he didn't leave for more. When he injured himself in 2021, the press were reporting he had played his last game for St.Kilda.
I'm guessing his medical files and physical examination was as far as he got in talks with the cashed up Kangaroos and his childhood club the Bombers.

But you are correct in suggesting I don't know anything for fact but it looked dodgy when it was happening and his fitness has been dodgy since.

Industry murmurings, you've heard, I'm guessing and press reporting eh?

I may have better sources.

[CQ SAINT]

Who's excited? Just saying not "broken". Hope he can have a solid end to the season, good pre season and be over his injury concerns. We need a more polish with disposal, and a fit Billings will help considerably. On the other hand, if he doesn't finish well, may be at another club next year.

I think your salary guesstimates are a tad high.

They're not my guesstimates, they were the industry murmurings in 2019. He extended while in great form and maximised his free agency value with a solid 2 year pay rise. Win/win for a classy footballer hitting his prime and a club under threat of losing his class.

Billings was in our top 5 salaries and then COVID cut backs and reality took over.
Billings would have complimented a strong, clearance winning midfield, but not a that money.
I've heard his last contract was $2.5 for 4 years and he didn't leave for more. When he injured himself in 2021, the press were reporting he had played his last game for St.Kilda.
I'm guessing his medical files and physical examination was as far as he got in talks with the cashed up Kangaroos and his childhood club the Bombers.

But you are correct in suggesting I don't know anything for fact but it looked dodgy when it was happening and his fitness has been dodgy since.

Industry murmurings, you've heard, I'm guessing and press reporting eh?

I may have better sources.

I think 16/51 is the best source either of us have. That's the measure of Billings prime years contract so far.
If we had recruited him from Sydney, we and apparently the whole industry, would have known he was cooked before we bought him.