Our Biggest Turncoat?

[1eyedog]

Re: Our Biggest Turncoat?

Cooney and Lake shouldn't really feature, as they were effectively pushed out by the club. Both were asked to play roles different to those they were accustomed, and both left in lieu of not wanting to play those roles.

Griffan stands out as the most pathetic performance to me. Approached by the current captain he accepts the role for the coming season. Six months in he starts a dalliance with a bimbo of a club, and not being able to get his overly comfortable and poorly cultured mates into line he complains about the coaching panel to the administration saying if things don't change he's out because the playing group (i.e. his mates) have had enough. A map for change is presented to him, and he accepts it as a way forward and advises the club he's good to go. Two weeks later he comes home from a holiday and leaves, and then goes on another holiday to avoid the fallout.

I agree with Sedat and other posters who suggest he played the best football under finals pressure we've probably seen as a supporter group. It's such a pity he turned out to be so naive and weak as piss off the field in his final months with our football club. Letting his mates dominate him trashed his reputation among a very large group of people who adored him.

Is that what you call being pushed out of the club, a change in roles? Cooney had a hissy fit because he was asked to play a different role, he didn't get pushed out he was expected to be able to adapt to our needs and he would continue to be paid very handsomely to do so. Brian knew we weren't playing in a premiership and he wanted an opportunity to play in one before he retired. It was an excellent decision by Brian who went on to be the best player in a Grand Final. Cooney in effect has left thinking the Bombres offer a better chance to play in a Grand Final as well. Stupid.

I honestly find it hard to be upset about anyone leaving, we had our chance with Ward and didn't take it and Lake leaving wouldn't have meant the difference between finals or no finals. Cooney is not a big loss, on the contrary he has freed space in the cap and as others have suggested his best is well behind him. Griffin would probably play finals with us again as a 31 year old but his type is not as critical as the type of player Boyd could be as a 23/24 year old. The only player that really cut for me was Brown, partly because of the level of smugness he went out with but also because he would have been 30 in 2008 and would still have been tearing it up.

As for Lake being our best finals performer behind Griffin that is a pretty sad state of affairs given the stupid St. Nick shove as well as the toweling Buddy gave him in the 08 Qualifier (I know Buddy kicked a heap on Moz too). Lake pushing Riewoldt potentially cost us the game and so did Buddy's first quarter in 08.

[Flamethrower]

Re: Our Biggest Turncoat?

For me it is still Callan Ward, followed by Jim Edmond and Terry Wallace.

Kelvin Templeton and Adam Cooney were my favourite players when they left, but their knees were/are shot. I never liked Nathan Brown.

Ryan Griffen is the interesting one...what he did to the club was disgusting, and I am going to hate seeing him wearing a guernsey that will make him look like a US felon on death row this year, but we now have Tom Boyd on our list because of it.

If Griffen overcomes his back injury and leads a Giant surge up the ladder and Boyd turns into another disappoinment, then Griffen will rocket to number one on my list.

If Griffen struggles and the Felons win the spoon, and Boyd becomes the next Dunstall/Carey/Gretzky/Babe Ruth/Bradman (no pressure Tom) then the turmoil of the offseason will be forgotten, and Ryan will be remembered for all the right reasons.

[soupman]

Re: Our Biggest Turncoat?

As for Lake being our best finals performer behind Griffin that is a pretty sad state of affairs given the stupid St. Nick shove as well as the toweling Buddy gave him in the 08 Qualifier (I know Buddy kicked a heap on Moz too). Lake pushing Riewoldt potentially cost us the game and so did Buddy's first quarter in 08.

Sorry to be pedantic but Morris was on Buddy the entire first half. I remember thinking Lake wasn't a viable option, and we were stuck with Morris on him, which apparently the coaching staff agreed with until the damage was done. From memory Lake actually did really well on him in the second half all things considered and that was the beginning of the period where Lake was Buddy's regular opponent.

[1eyedog]

Re: Our Biggest Turncoat?

Sorry to be pedantic but Morris was on Buddy the entire first half. I remember thinking Lake wasn't a viable option, and we were stuck with Morris on him, which apparently the coaching staff agreed with until the damage was done. From memory Lake actually did really well on him in the second half all things considered and that was the beginning of the period where Lake was Buddy's regular opponent.

He went on him half way through the second and he actually kicked 4 goals on Lake in 2 1/2 quarters going by the highlights. But yes the game was gone at quarter time and Moz was on him for that period. Cheers.

[Twodogs]

Re: Our Biggest Turncoat?

While your watching what quarter is it that Buddy gives away two 50 metre penaltys in the same play? I can remember looking at him laughing while he was doing it and thinking how humililiating it was. The game must have been over by then.

[1eyedog]

Re: Our Biggest Turncoat?

While your watching what quarter is it that Buddy gives away two 50 metre penaltys in the same play? I can remember looking at him laughing while he was doing it and thinking how humililiating it was. The game must have been over by then.

The second and they were up by 29 points. He got dragged for it.

[soupman]

Re: Our Biggest Turncoat?

He went on him half way through the second and he actually kicked 4 goals on Lake in 2 1/2 quarters going by the highlights. But yes the game was gone at quarter time and Moz was on him for that period. Cheers.

I'll concede that one. Sorry for forcing you to endure the highlights Maybe I've managed to erase more of that night from my memory than I thought.

[Twodogs]

Re: Our Biggest Turncoat?

The second and they were up by 29 points. He got dragged for it.

thanks for checking. I am suprised we were that close because it felt like the Hawks owned us early on.

I'll concede that one. Sorry for forcing you to endure the highlights Maybe I've managed to erase more of that night from my memory than I thought.

Youre not alone. I could have swore that Lake was on Buddy all night.

[Bornadog]

Re: Our Biggest Turncoat?

thanks for checking. I am suprised we were that close because it felt like the Hawks owned us early on.



Youre not alone. I could have swore that Lake was on Buddy all night.

Silly Coaching move to have Morro on Lake in the first half. Poor old Morro was monstered.

[Greystache]

Re: Our Biggest Turncoat?

Silly Coaching move to have Morro on Lake in the first half. Poor old Morro was monstered.

Especially when in the years to follow Lake actually made Buddy his bitch. He'd got into his head so much about being stronger and better in the air that Franklin stopped doing what made him good which was run, and instead tried to wrestle Lake every time. It reminded me of Carey vs Jakovich, one player who got into a champions head so much he totally changed the way he played.

[The Doctor]

Re: Our Biggest Turncoat?

Surprised no one has mentioned Mark Athorn.

[Twodogs]

Re: Our Biggest Turncoat?

Surprised no one has mentioned Mark Athorn.

Did he end up playing in a premiership? Or am I thinking of Mathew Hogg?

[azabob]

Re: Our Biggest Turncoat?

Did he end up playing in a premiership? Or am I thinking of Mathew Hogg?

Athorn lost one in 1993 and Hogg won one in 1995.

[bulldogtragic]

Re: Our Biggest Turncoat?

While your watching what quarter is it that Buddy gives away two 50 metre penaltys in the same play? I can remember looking at him laughing while he was doing it and thinking how humililiating it was. The game must have been over by then.

Yep. I recall the 50's he gave away were the only two passages of play we moved passed centre for 10+ minutes. Worst footy match ever. Ever. Ever. (Outside prelim heart breaks)

[Twodogs]

Re: Our Biggest Turncoat?

Yep. I recall the 50's he gave away were the only two passages of play we moved passed centre for 10+ minutes. Worst footy match ever. Ever. Ever. (Outside prelim heart breaks)

The first final against Hawthorn in 1985 was worse. I've never been as shell shocked as I was that day.