Tweet
Akermanis most welcome: Ireland
5:02:38 PM Tue 24 June, 2003
Karen Collins
afl.com.au
Sydney Swans Director of Football, Andrew Ireland has said the club may be prepared to put aside its youth policy if Jason Akermanis was to indicate he was keen to play in the harbour city.
The Brisbane midfielder ? whose contract expires at the end of the season - stated last month he was keen to remain in Brisbane, but last weekend added that Sydney may provide him with a tougher challenge.
?I think the whole story started just out of a bit of fun,? Ireland said.
?Earlier in the year he did a radio piece with [boxer] Anthony Mundine and they were sparring on radio, and then Jason came out with some comments that if he was in Sydney he would be bigger than Mundine.?
Ireland is a former Brisbane chief executive and remains in regular contact with Akermanis.
?He is a very good player, and I guess the Swans are always interested in good players, but the fact is our main focus as we indicated last year is building our list from young players.
?That doesn?t mean that every year we are always just going to go to the draft for young players, because there will be times trading is the right option for the club as well.
?But that is the fundamental way we think we can develop our list, and the reality is, he is a Brownlow Medalist.
?I would assume Brisbane... one, would have to be interested in trading him - two, Jason would need to want to come here - and three, you would have to come up with a reasonable deal if that is what you want to do.?
?I think a lot of those things are going to make it very difficult but it is probably irrelevant anyway as Jason has indicated he wants to remain in Brisbane.
Sydney will lose the retiring Daryn Cresswell at the conclusion of this season, and Ireland hopes to replace him from within their list.
?Daryn has had an outstanding career with the club. He?s been a regular high performer in the club championship and was runner-up again last year.
?His form even at the end of last year, when he made the decision to retire, was first class and he has continued on with it this year, and if that form continues he is going to be very difficult to replace.
?Blokes who can play in the middle of the ground at the level he does aren?t easy to replace but you would hope that someone like Jude Bolton, who has already stepped up this year, might become a person who plays regularly in the middle of the ground rather than sharing the role.?
Ireland also added Adam Schneider could find himself in the midfield in the future, while the club hopes last year?s top pick, Jarrad McVeigh may step up.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
all i can say, is that they know best
i really hope that they dont go for him, he will be WAY too expensive... if it was a 2nd round draft pick like davis id be happy but the chances of that hppening is nought... unless brizzy are that tight on their salary cap that that is the only way out maybe thats all that they will settle for...
i do like what he says at the end though about schneider and mcveigh
we need KPP and ruckmen!!!
Comment