Tell The truth, Do you really wish players going to other clubs - All The Best?

[The Underdog]

It's meant to look like one of those bobble dolls with an enlarged head.

Then mission accomplished.
I think Rd 1 next year should be Ben Hudson bobblehead day. Like they have at the baseball. Free Ben Hudson bobblehead's to the first 5000 people through the gates

[LostDoggy]

Do I wish our leaving players luck?
If its their choice, OF COURSE NOT.
And if their going to Richmond, then PFFFT, MORE THE REASON NOT TO.

Jordy dissapointed me.

[LostDoggy]

It depends on how they leave, Birss? Love the guy, I wish him all the best, he's probably my favourite ex-Bulldog. Nathan Brown? Well, I remember watching the game where he broke his leg, and I'd got caught up doing something and wasn't watching when it actually happened, and when the commentators were going on about Nathan Brown injured and it was out of screen I was yelling 'PLEASE BE THE RICHMOND ONE, PLEASE BE THE RICHMOND ONE' because it was against Melbourne, and then when I saw him I was so happy, and then I saw his leg, and felt sick...I wouldn't inflict that upon anybody, but if it happened to happen to someone, I'm glad it was him. And then they kept replaying it and replaying it, he was brave, I'll give him that. But even still there's no-one in footy I hate more than him, he left for every reason I hate- money, big crowds and 'success'...and now Jordy's left in the same circumstances, so he can join the list, although for some reason it's not as bad as the Brown case.

[LostDoggy]

Well it depends. If its a case of money- HELL NO. Even the low paid footy players are being paid very well, i dont see how they can complain, to tell the truth.
But if the players are moved along by the club, or there isnt room on the list or aren't getting a game very often, well sure, goodluck. Just as long as they dont
a.) have an absolute cracker against us, and,
b.) become better then what they were at our club.
that makes me tad angry because it makes me feel like the time and money spent on them at the Dogs was a waste!

But as for Nathan Brown.....i wont ever get over that, same with Terry Wallet. And Jordy's departure has left a sour taste in my mouth. Adelaide, i could understand. But RICHMOND?! Thats just ridiculous!

[mjp]

Well it depends. If its a case of money- HELL NO. Even the low paid footy players are being paid very well, i dont see how they can complain, to tell the truth.

Depends what you consider 'well paid' I guess. Average career is still only 3 years long - if you think earning $50k or so a year is well paid (draft picks - it is worse for rookies) when in 3 years you will be out on the street with no real skills or mechanisms to earn another income...well, I would strongly disagree with you.

Once players do start earning a decent living, you have to consider this - if you were able to earn an extra $50k or $60k per year in your job to change employers would you do it? I have changed jobs for far less than that. When your earning lifespan is so short, you need to earn the best contract (within reason) that you can. Yes, loyalty comes into it, but you need to remember that clubs play on this to try and keep players that they have 'developed' less, whilst offering pots of gold to potential recruits.

Another common reason for players changing clubs is around length of contract, with many clubs offering only one or two year deals, and players holding out for two (or three depending on the circumstances). Again, I dont blame them for this, because if you go out of contract at the 'wrong' time then you are again out on the street...

To me, it is not players leaving because of money that worries me - it is those who refuse to admit that they have left because of the money! Just own up.

[Mofra]

I don't really care in many cases.
I really wanted Shane Birss & Monty to do well.
I don't really hate Jordy for leaving, although I will still boo at the Tiges game because he seems mentally weak & it might give us an advantage.

As for Brown, to be honest I didn't like him at the Bulldogs (pr!ck of a bloke) but as a club we didn't support him either.

In his version, he increased his on field contribution and was rewarded with a reduced contract, despite winning AA.

In the clubs version, they had only enough money of keep a certain number of players, and keeping Murph was the priority (I agree with Murph being more improtant than Brown, but I digress). Browny had not done the full amount of off-field player contributions/appearances, so was always going to be the one let go if it came down to a choice.

Personally I think the club could have shuffled the cards a little better and made a higher offer to Brown, but at the same time if he was more involved in off-field activities the club would have been more willing to come to the party.

[LostDoggy]

I had no malice towards Bruce Reid, Chris Burton, Michael McKenna, Brad Hardie, Darren Baxter and Leon Cameron. The fact that Hardie didn't go for money means I couldn't hate him. Didn't agree with Darren Baxter getting the flick -ditto for Leon Cameron.

I came from a different era from most of you here. When I was a child in 1976 ,blokes like Laurie Sandilands, Gary Dempsey, Bernie Quinlan, Ian Dunstan, Kelvin Templeton, Ray Huppatz, Ken Newland, Ian Low, Ian Morrison, Alan Stoneham, Peter Featherby, Richard Murrie, Dennis Collins and a few others that aren't mentioned were heroes- because they were older so you looked up to them. They played for my team, the club my old man and all his relatives had indoctrinated into me.

Of those above mentioned names- all left and went elsewhere- although Newland did return to his old club Geelong, then Ian Salmon went back to the bush (so he at least didn't play against us like all the other names)

It was hard as a child trying to make sense of why all these blokes would leave my club? I thought the Footscray Football Club was the greatest thing in the world. No adult ever gave me an answer that I considered satisfactory. As the 1978 season moved into full swing, I was left wondering why there was no Sandilands, Quinlan, Huppatz or Collins out there anymore?

Then at the end of 1978 our captain- just like our previous two captains (Thorpe and Sandilands) decided to move on to play in a Premiership team. This really shattered me- the great Gary Dempsey leaving for North Melbourne. This was probably the ultimate betrayal to the masses- this was a bigger stink than Nathan Brown moving to the Tigers.

I guess I learned to tolerate players moving on. I could never hate Templeton he was God. The great man's departure overshadowed Ian Dunstan's which was also a shame as Mocca was a fine player.

Moving along Edmond went for money, that was unfortunate, my old man knew him pretty well- so we couldn't hate him.


As for being bitter? I don't dislike Dempsey- these days I can somehow tolerate why these bloke left- Sandilands, Huppatz, Quinlan and Dempsey all frustrated with the club's infighting. Yet sadly I have to confess to a slight satisfaction that Dempsey never played in a Grand Final back in 1984 when he retired. Also I confess that Bernie Quinlan NOT kicking his 100th goal at the Western Oval in 1983 - we prevented him doing it that day and also beat Fitzroy- with the tv cameras in attendance to see both- also gave me a warm inner glow. It didn't matter as he kicked his 100th the following week at their then home(the Junction Oval) against Collingwood.

Nathan Brown- well he has made loads of money out of the Tigers- good luck to him for that despite collecting his 3rd wooden spoon. Can I hate him? No for the reason that I was became so accustomed to what he did when I was a child, so it was nothing new.

Maybe we don't recognise Whitten junior, Steve Power Geoff Jennings and Terry Wheeler from that era and applaud them as we should- for what they didn't do- which was NOT to leave.

[GVGjr]

Terrific post Godwin.

I'll add Tony McGuinness as a player that I wished all the best to when he departed. I really rated him as a player and wanted him to stay but his reasons for leaving were fair enough.

[DOG GOD]

Depends on the circumstances in which they left us.

I don't want to see Jordy succeed, likewise for Brown.

I was annoyed with Luke Penny when he buggered off to St.Kilda, same goes for Gary Dempsey, Jim Edmond & Kym Koster.

Others, I wasn't too upset, just as long as they didn't go too well against us. This includes, Monty, Shane Birss, Barry Round & Michael McKenna.

YEP!!! totally agree with your post coondog. I hope jordy joins brown for numerous wooden spoons and no finals success. Harsh but true to my feelings.

[Sockeye Salmon]

I came from a different era from most of you here. When I was a child in 1976 ,blokes like Laurie Sandilands, Gary Dempsey, Bernie Quinlan, Ian Dunstan, Kelvin Templeton, Ray Huppatz, Ken Newland, Ian Low, Ian Morrison, Alan Stoneham, Peter Featherby, Richard Murrie, Dennis Collins and a few others that aren't mentioned were heroes- because they were older so you looked up to them. They played for my team, the club my old man and all his relatives had indoctrinated into me.

Low, Morrison & Murrie never went to other clubs, did they?

Didn't Peter Featherby go back to Perth before coming back the following year and joining Geelong? I know he was still tied to the Dogs because we traded him for a 17yo forward called Paul Hood. Hood was 6' 5", could run, jump, mark, kick - he had everything. He also broke his leg Jason Snell style in his first training run and never played again.

[benny]

was happy jordan went dont need girls in our team

[The Coon Dog]

Low, Morrison & Murrie never went to other clubs, did they?

Ian Low - 12 games for Collingwood in 1980.

Ian Morrison - 3 Games for Essendon in 1981.

Richard Murrie - 35 games for Geelong 1982-85 & 8 games for Richmond in 1983.

[BulldogBelle]

Depends on who the players are and the circumstances - the only one that still bothers me is Nathan Brown probably because I was always a big fan of his - I saw him once walking along Chappel St ( this was a few weeks after he left us) and as I walked past I rolled my eyes and he said to his friend..."Bet she is a Bulldogs supporter"

Jordie and Sam I don't wish any bad towards - Sam was saddened to leave the Dogs and mentioned that whereas Jordie seems to have an axe to grind. At the end of the day they are gone we have new guys coming in and hopefully a lot to look forward to.

[The Underdog]

Life's too short. Am I disappointed? Hell yeah, but I've got nothing but hope riding on this, whereas Jordan makes his living and has to protect that. I hope he has a shocker against us next year though. Sam, well good luck to him. he was only going to be a fringe player and hopefully he gets a few games for the Roos next year.

[LostDoggy]

Low, Morrison & Murrie never went to other clubs, did they?

Didn't Peter Featherby go back to Perth before coming back the following year and joining Geelong?

I was very young at the time but was told Fetherby wentback to WA saying he didn't like Goggin then goes to Geelong with Goggin?