Fremantles approach to List Management

[Cyberdoggie]

I think Chris Bond also might have been one of the architects with their focus on State League footballers.

He would of been a fantastic coach for us if he was given the chance.

Still today one of the best i've had the pleasure of listening to at vfl level.


Freo has also focussed on keeping it's list young. They got rid of Tarrant at the right time, and they have found a good vfl full back with plenty of potential in Faulks.

Where as we tend to hold on to our senior players until they can't walk anymore. I'm not saying this is wrong but it does create list management and team selection issues.

[chef]

He would of been a fantastic coach for us if he was given the chance.

Still today one of the best i've had the pleasure of listening to at vfl level.


Freo has also focussed on keeping it's list young. They got rid of Tarrant at the right time, and they have found a good vfl full back with plenty of potential in Faulks.

Where as we tend to hold on to our senior players until they can't walk anymore. I'm not saying this is wrong but it does create list management and team selection issues.

Tarrant walked, they would happily kept him over picking up Faulks.

[LostDoggy]

Where as we tend to hold on to our senior players until they can't walk anymore. I'm not saying this is wrong .

How can this NOT be wrong?

[Sockeye Salmon]

How can this NOT be wrong?

It fosters the'club' aspect as compared to a bunch of professional athletes who just happen to wear the same colour jumper each week.

The minute we start treating our players like commodities we relinquish any right to expect any kind of loyalty in return.

If we want the likes of Griffen and Cooney to turn their backs on big $$$ contracts then we have to give them something back - what we give them is the knowledge that the minute their pace starts to drop off we won't throw them out like last seasons fashions.


Obviously the time comes when you have to give them the tap on the shoulder - and some players have to be dragged out kicking and screaming - but to offload them to another club before they're finished just because you get a good offer for them is wrong.

By all means you can let them know they might struggle to get a game next year and for the good of their careers they should look around - Mitch Hahn, perhaps, but you don't shop around a Daniel Cross, Lindsay Gilbee or Matthew Boyd unless you genuinely think they won't be in your best 22 next year.

[chef]

It fosters the'club' aspect as compared to a bunch of professional athletes who just happen to wear the same colour jumper each week.

The minute we start treating our players like commodities we relinquish any right to expect any kind of loyalty in return.

If we want the likes of Griffen and Cooney to turn their backs on big $$$ contracts then we have to give them something back - what we give them is the knowledge that the minute their pace starts to drop off we won't throw them out like last seasons fashions.


Obviously the time comes when you have to give them the tap on the shoulder - and some players have to be dragged out kicking and screaming - but to offload them to another club before they're finished just because you get a good offer for them is wrong.

By all means you can let them know they might struggle to get a game next year and for the good of their careers they should look around - Mitch Hahn, perhaps, but you don't shop around a Daniel Cross, Lindsay Gilbee or Matthew Boyd unless you genuinely think they won't be in your best 22 next year.

Nice post SS and I agree with this.

[LostDoggy]

Good post SS, and I don't think we're talking about the same thing -- you're talking about loyalty and respect, I'm talking about keeping and playing players that are clearly past their use-by date.

There are many ways to show loyalty and respect that doesn't damage our ability as a club to win on the field -- there are always assistant coaching positions, assistance with getting to another club of their choice etc. or, as you said, a gentle tap on the shoulder and a post-season chat about the next two, three years. I wasn't entirely happy about the Scott West situation, for example (agree he had to retire, disagree with both parties about how it was handled) and I never suggested shopping your loyal sons around -- that WOULD be disrespectful.

But keeping players on your list that are no longer able to play the game -- it's both counter-productive AND disrespectful to these players' legacies. As much as I loved watching Brad go around in the Semi and Prelim, his legacy should never have been tarnished by those last, limping games.

Mitch Hahn is no longer an AFL player by ANY metric, yet he may end up next year lining up on a half-forward flank, or worse, a half back flank, and we will watch him get a new one torn every week and yell and write obsceneties about him. A loyal servant whose body just can't do the job anymore doesn't deserve that.

[Nuggety Back Pocket]

Any chance we can get him back at some stage in the nearish future? He left to further his coaching ambitions but now seems content with a more managerial role. I wonder how much of a role he had in the trades with GC.

From an outsider's point of view he seems ideally suited to a list management role, which could suit us down to the ground...

Chris Bond was very highly regarded by our senior players who all spoke very well of him during his time at the WB. He was also instrumental in the recruitment of Barlow after he was overlooked by other AFL clubs. I believe he would be ideal in a list management type role or as football manager.