Life of Brian

[azabob]

RE Lake - Once a player starts talking about going or hinting they want out surely the club should look to trade them out.

What is debatable is did we get a good deal for him?

By posters looking at the Hrovat trade in isolation perhaps we didn't get enough for him, but I'm sure the club did not just look at the trade in isolation, they would have looked beyond 2013, they would've looked to 2015 and beyond.

They would've taken into account by trading Lake give's us 3 top 20 picks and by all accounts all 3 players we drafted look like they will play a lot of senior football for our club and the draft overall for us looks very promising.

They would've looked at if Lake stayed and left at the end of 2013, what would we get for him? Is the draft as strong this in 2013 or 2014?

His salary, can we spend the money on a free agent or on a 25 year old who will help our "age profile"?

Would Lake have changed the course of our year? Would we win 8 games instead of 7?

Brian Lake was a champion for our football club, no doubt, but he would not have improved our ladder position this year or next.

He would've have taken Tom Campbells spot in the forward line or Michael Talia's in the backline.

I am comfortable we bit the bullet and traded Lake, and I am also comfortable that Lake showed he is a big game player, just like he did when he played with us.

[anfo27]

RE Lake - Once a player starts talking about going or hinting they want out surely the club should look to trade them out.

What is debatable is did we get a good deal for him?

By posters looking at the Hrovat trade in isolation perhaps we didn't get enough for him, but I'm sure the club did not just look at the trade in isolation, they would have looked beyond 2013, they would've looked to 2015 and beyond.

They would've taken into account by trading Lake give's us 3 top 20 picks and by all accounts all 3 players we drafted look like they will play a lot of senior football for our club and the draft overall for us looks very promising.

They would've looked at if Lake stayed and left at the end of 2013, what would we get for him? Is the draft as strong this in 2013 or 2014?

His salary, can we spend the money on a free agent or on a 25 year old who will help our "age profile"?

Would Lake have changed the course of our year? Would we win 8 games instead of 7?

Brian Lake was a champion for our football club, no doubt, but he would not have improved our ladder position this year or next.

He would've have taken Tom Campbells spot in the forward line or Michael Talia's in the backline.

I am comfortable we bit the bullet and traded Lake, and I am also comfortable that Lake showed he is a big game player, just like he did when he played with us.

The issue i have here is Lake was never going to stay. No matter what transpired in trade week Lake was going to be traded & the hawks were desperate to get him. All this crap about 'if Lake stayed we would get buggar all compo' was a bluff that i would call every day of the week.

I'm happy for Brian as he had nothing more to achieve with us in his limited time in the game. What does annoy me is that the hawks get a Norm Smith medalist for a 6 pick down grade. Lake winning the Norm Smith just highlights how little we got out of the deal.

Any woofers take the 80-1 odds for Lake to win the Norm Smith?

[BulldogBelle]

I managed to show my bulldogs hat to Lake as he walked up the line during the post game celebrations, he was stunned and smiled and laughed. It's in the herald sun apparently

[Sedat]

Lake for pick 21 on its own would have been about right - I objected at the time (and still do) to throwing pick 27 back to Hawthorn as a sweetener, but at least we used pick 21 on a draft slider and not a reach player who would have been available at pick 27. And anyway he would have won the Norm Smith and become a Hawthorn premiership player regardless of exactly what last years trade ended up being.

Apart from 2011, he gave us fantastic service and was a true big game player for us. I will never blame him for that disgusting free kick that Shane McInernay gave Riewoldt in 2009 - without Lake and Morris that night, we wouldn't have stood a chance of beating them. I can forgive one poor season from a player who busted his arse for our club for 10 years, and I cannot begrudge him at all for his share of the spoils yesterday.

[LostDoggy]

Lake for pick 21 on its own would have been about right - I objected at the time (and still do) to throwing pick 27 back to Hawthorn as a sweetener, but at least we used pick 21 on a draft slider and not a reach player who would have been available at pick 27. And anyway he would have won the Norm Smith and become a Hawthorn premiership player regardless of exactly what last years trade ended up being.

Apart from 2011, he gave us fantastic service and was a true big game player for us. I will never blame him for that disgusting free kick that Shane McInernay gave Riewoldt in 2009 - without Lake and Morris that night, we wouldn't have stood a chance of beating them. I can forgive one poor season from a player who busted his arse for our club for 10 years, and I cannot begrudge him at all for his share of the spoils yesterday.

Well said mate.

[bornadog]

Any player that no longer plays in the RWB, to me is the enemy, Lake included.

[Bulldog4life]

Any player that no longer plays in the RWB, to me is the enemy, Lake included.

Agree. He is a Hawthorn player now. End of story.

[Topdog]

what about when he retires?

[Bulldog4life]

what about when he retires?

Have to ask him that. Depends which Club he supports.

[AndrewP6]

what about when he retires?

He can be spoken of as a former Dogs player, but that's it.

[craigsahibee]

He was always going to be leaving us at the end of this season anyway. By trading him last year we got more game time into our young defenders, drafted Hrovat and are starting to see the emergence of Tom Campbell up forward (possibly a position that might have been clogged up by Brian).

In September of 2019 when we are well entrenched into what many experts will be calling a "Dynasty", Lake will not be the name on everyone's lips. They will be talking about and comparing our defense to great Geelong teams of the 2000's.

[bornadog]

what about when he retires?

Not sure, depends what he does? Its like when Gary Dempsey left I was gutted. These days I only think of him as a Bulldog great. Brian, well I can't have the same affection for him, especially now after a premiership. Call me selfish, but I don't care.

[Twodogs]

Not sure, depends what he does? Its like when Gary Dempsey left I was gutted. These days I only think of him as a Bulldog great. Brian, well I can't have the same affection for him, especially now after a premiership. Call me selfish, but I don't care.

Dempsey was a club captain who left for more money, Lake left for less.

Dempsey should never had been allowed back within ten milles of Whitten Oval. His crime was far worse than Lake's.

[westdog54]

Dempsey was a club captain who left for more money, Lake left for less.

Dempsey should never had been allowed back within ten milles of Whitten Oval. His crime was far worse than Lake's.

Agree with this wholeheartedly.

At the end of the day I view Brian's departure as mutually beneficial to everyone involved.

[LostDoggy]

I didn't know how to feel about Brian playing in a grand final on Saturday.

But the champagne did the talking and I was very happy when he won the Norm Smith medal.