Akermanis plans finale and his flight to freedom

[aker39]

http://www.realfooty.com.au/news/new...ntentSwap1p://

CONTENT now that 2009 would be his last year playing football, Jason Akermanis said yesterday he was still trying to convince his club that he should be free to speak and forecast he would sit out some games next season.

After a season review with Rodney Eade (that the Brownlow medallist described as "negatively based") led to the Western Bulldogs coach apologising to him, Akermanis, who needs to play eight senior games to reach his 300-match milestone, said his simple goal was to play them as soon as possible.

"Anything over that will be a bonus. I want to play the eight as fast as I can to try to get 300," he told The Age.

"I played all 25 this year, so there's no doubt I can play, it's just whether they (the club) can just help me with my training a bit and not sort of make me train and do everything. I need a bit of help there."

Asked whether he felt confident that he could reach the milestone, Akermanis, who will turn 32 before next season, said: "I do. But I don't know if they do.

"Certainly in my last year, I'll play as much as I can, but I might say, 'I'm pretty tired this week', and I'm sure they'll be happy to say, 'Have the weekend off, don't travel or we'll put this young guy in' and then everyone will win."

The matter of the triple premiership player's media commitments — a delicate issue since he left the Brisbane Lions and took up at the Whitten Oval in 2007 — clearly remains a point of difference between player and club.

"I'm trying to work with them," Akermanis said yesterday.

"I could probably do nothing next year and probably be assured of doing something afterwards in some capacity in what I like doing.

"But I still think there's a part of me that says, every club wants players to go to uni and get experienced, well, this is my job. This is what I want to do. And it's not what they want, they don't deal with it that well … but big deal.

"This being my last year, I think it's really important to be doing work because footy's not forever and then I want to set it up afterwards and that's more sort of my goal. They've got a different philosophy on it, as footy clubs do, so I'm just trying to work with them on that one. We'll see how we can resolve it."

Akermanis has clearance to continue writing newspaper columns, which are vetted by the club before publication, next season but has been told he should give up other appearances such as the regular radio slot he held this year.

Dejected after his meeting with Eade and other Bulldogs officials following the Dogs' preliminary final loss, Akermanis said he felt compelled to initiate a follow-up with the head coach.

"There's nothing worse than thinking they don't want you to play when that's not the case. I went back and had a chat to him (Eade) after and just sort of clarified it," Akermanis said.

"It was a little bit of a miscommunication from both ends, more from a miscommunication from their end.

"I just think they'd had lots of meetings and they wanted to just say, 'This is the point' and they went straight to the point and they weren't as positive as I thought they'd be and I felt it was negatively based. And Rocket said, 'I'm sorry, I didn't mean that', and we clarified and we cleared the air and I was sweet after that."

[The Coon Dog]

We knew what we were getting when we got Aker, but gee I just wish he'd button it sometimes.

[Go_Dogs]

Whilst Aker might not have finished the season as well as he started it, he still had a pretty good year. At the half way mark he was nearly a lock for AA.

I'd be happy to nurse him through the season and build him up slowly for one last finals campaign.

[aker39]

Why does he feel the need to repeat comments from private conversations with Rocket.

[The Bulldogs Bite]

We knew what we were getting when we got Aker, but gee I just wish he'd button it sometimes.

Agreed.

He's a likeable character and I've enjoyed watching him play for our footy club, but at times he really can iritate with some of the comments he makes.

[Dry Rot]

Sounds like Eade gave him the impression that he may not be an automatic selection next season.

Interesting.

I wonder what Eade said to Welsh and Eagleton?

[bornadog]

well at 32 years of age, he will be fighting for his position.

I find that article poorly written and desperate to fill space in the paper and make something out of nothing.

[Go_Dogs]

Sounds like Eade gave him the impression that he may not be an automatic selection next season.

Interesting.

I wonder what Eade said to Welsh and Eagleton?

He probably wouldn't have been as nice.

I for one am glad reputation will mean nothing, we've really got to develop our young list, and if that means dropping senior players down on form, so be it.

[MrMahatma]

Competition for spots will be red hot next year. Aker, Eagle, Welsh are going to be fighting with the likes of Grant, Addison, Stack, Hill, Harbrow et al for places. I dare say youth will win in most cases.

[BulldogBelle]

I find that article poorly written and desperate to fill space in the paper and make something out of nothing.

Agreed, Aker news always sells papers the journo's tend to be a little more colourful in depicting their own spin on what Aker has said.

I have always been a big Aker fan, love reading about anything he has to say.

[DroopyDog]

not sure why aker gets such a bad rap. rocket should cut him some slack.
he is not even in the top 10 oldest players in the league.

richo, fletcher, simpson, brad johnno, mcleod, edwards, hudghton, kirk, o'loughlin to name a few that are older.

[Dogs 24/7]

not sure why aker gets such a bad rap. rocket should cut him some slack.
he is not even in the top 10 oldest players in the league.

richo, fletcher, simpson, brad johnno, mcleod, edwards, hudghton, kirk, o'loughlin to name a few that are older.

I agree that Aker should be given a bit of slack but he is far too experienced to run his mouth off like he does sometimes. He needs to meet the club half way.
By the way could you use capital letters with the players names ?

[strebla]

I agree that Aker should be given a bit of slack but he is far too experienced to run his mouth off like he does sometimes. He needs to meet the club half way.
By the way could you use capital letters with the players names ?

Agree Aker needs to meet club halfway but it is a two way street and we were aware what we were getting.
In saying this I also believe as a senior player he needs to set a better example of what he says as a lot of our younger players and some of our senior players look up to him.

[Mofra]

I for one am glad reputation will mean nothing, we've really got to develop our young list, and if that means dropping senior players down on form, so be it.

Ray & McMahon would have classed themselves as automatic selections once.
Hahn has been dropped by Eade before, as was (then senior player) Matty Robbins.

Eade has a track record of playing guys on form/effort rather than reputation (Sam Reid in Rd 22 last year is an example) which is probably part of the reason we have been improving under Rocket. In cases like Hill, Harbrow and Addison, it has paid off bigtime.