Bulldogs' $50,000 Ward mistake - Herald Sun

[Sedat]

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/af...ff6042f46d2e6f

Yep, it still stings after all these years. And it was so unnecessary to low-ball such a small amount on your best U-21 player on the list in any event.

JMac has been a fantastic list manager - shame he came on board too late to stop this piece of amateur hour idiocy.

[bulldogtragic]

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/af...ff6042f46d2e6f

Yep, it still stings after all these years.

And some people blame him for leaving... How some kept their jobs or reputation after that is mind boggling. If we do have the reported $800,000 set for Hurley, I'd have Ward back in a heartbeat. What a god damn cluster *!*!*!*!.

[bornadog]

Some people on this forum wondered why a bunch of us never liked Fantasia - this story is proof of our lack of list management and incompetence at the time.

[KT31]

Fantasia and Clayton had continued at our club, I very much doubt we would still exist.

[jeemak]

I think I'm glad this story is behind a pay wall. My cat certainly is.

[KT31]

I think I'm glad this story is behind a pay wall. My cat certainly is.

Your cats behind a paywall ?

[azabob]

$285K offered, he wanted $335K. Last minute ditch attempt we offered $400K but was too late.

[BulldogBelle]

I think I'm glad this story is behind a pay wall. My cat certainly is.

INSPIRATIONAL Greater Western Sydney skipper Callan Ward would still be a Western Bulldog if not for $50,000 per season and a bungled contract negotiation.

Insiders have lifted the lid on the talks that broke down in 2011 and allowed the Giants to swoop with a godfather offer.

Ward, a lifelong Dogs fan raised in Yarraville, was desperate to stay at Whitten Oval and would’ve recommitted for $1 million over three seasons.

Contract talks were put off by Ward and his manager, Paul Connors, after the Dogs proposed a complicated deal dependant on a rise in the salary cap and the additional services allowance.

Ward, 26, is earning about $800,000 per season at the Giants and will lead them in Saturday night’s blockbuster qualifying final against Sydney.
Callan Ward leading out Greater Western Sydney against the Western Bulldogs. Picture. Phil Hillyard

The Herald Sun has been told the Dogs former administration lowballed Ward with an offer of about $285,000 per season.

Ward was prepared to stay for about $335,000 a year.

The delay allowed GWS to blow the Dogs out of the water.

By the time the Bulldogs panicked and upped their offer to $400,000, Ward had already committed to the Giants.

“He wanted to stay and he would’ve stayed,” a source close to the negotiations told the Herald Sun.

“But it was too late. He’d already committed.”

The Dogs received a first-round pick as compensation, which they used on wingman Jack Macrae in the 2012 draft.

Melbourne received two first-round selections for the loss of Tom Scully to the Giants, helping land powerful spearhead Jesse Hogan.

The Dogs argued they were short-changed in comparison, with list boss Jason McCartney — who was not at the club at the time — believing a second first-round pick was warranted.

The Bulldogs and Adelaide (Nathan Bock and Phil Davis) were the only clubs to lose star players to both expansion clubs in a list management disaster.

The year before Ward’s exit hard-running defender Jarrod Harbrow was poached by Gold Coast, while GWS also pinched Sam Reid.
Callan Ward playing for the Western Bulldogs in 2010.

Former football boss James Fantasia and chief executive Campbell Rose were in power at the time.

Rose departed in December, 2010.

The Dogs are the league’s best contested footy side, but Ward has won more contested ball and more clearances than every Bulldogs player this season.

Ward has played 105 out of a possible 110 games for the Giants and was their inaugural captain and best-and-fairest winner.

The Dogs also handed former Geelong player Nathan Djerrkura a three-year contract in 2011 and previously cost themselves extra dollars in the salary cap when re-signing Brian Lake, Daniel Cross and Tom Williams.

[BulldogBelle]

l had heard rumors that this was a total balls up by Fantasia and co, which has now been confirmed.

[bornadog]

I remember Rocket warned Fantasia we will lose him and the reply was it was all in hand. Cam Rose was no better when it came to players and he should never ever have been involved in anything on the football department side.

[Bulldog4life]

Calum was a bumber fan but why spoil a good story etc etc etc

[hujsh]

We got a pretty good player in return at least.

[Webby]

Calum was a bumber fan but why spoil a good story etc etc etc

That's correct. He was a Bumbers fan. His grandfather played with the Swans and coached Yarraville, whilst his dad played for the Dogs U/19's and later Yarraville. Local kid from Williamstown, but just another kool-aid drinker.

Shouldn't have lost him, but hindsight's a wonderful thing. Macrae (or is it Jakey? - we'll never actually know) was reasonable compo.

[KT31]

Press seem to have a infatuation with our player payments and our stuff ups, hardly a mention on Fevs Multi million Brisbane deal or other teams @&$: ups.

[jeemak]

Is this really all the HUN could throw at us on the eve of our first final? They must be saving the Tom Boyd contract canning for week two if we make it, or Friday morning if we don't.

Yes we knew we low balled Ward, and botched it. Yes, we figured it wasn't a huge amount, less than $100k per season at the time. But this has been done to death and we are a better club now than we were then.

The fact the HUN bullshits about him being a Dogs fan, and not from a Kevin Sheedy fan boy family leans to the relevance of this matter at this particular time.