Goodbye Tadhg!

[connolly]

Of give over FFS - you've done nothing but whinge on here for the past few weeks about the Irish and the 2 'contracts'

There have only been 3-4 serious players that have come over from Ireland sice 1984, Jim Stynes, Kennelly, Setanta and Marty Clarke. No one else has really made it.

Seriously - if the Sydney Swans (or indeed Aussie Rules Football) are reliant on whether or not a bare minimum of Irish imports ever make it in the game, then you all might as well give up - the game of AFL is obviously @@@@@@.

It's a fantastic sport that has huge potential and 1 or 21 Irish lads heading home is not going to change that.

Have you nothing more important to be complaining about?

You are having a leg pull right? The point is the dishonesty and cynicism of people who sign contracts and then break them. And the abject weakness of a club administration that waives its rights. Too difficult to grasp?

[connolly]

You're too funny Connolly.
Bags buying you a beer or three when I'm in Melbourne next.

Will look forward to it Annie. The way the pre season has shaped up will be seriously on the turps. Need more than three

[swantastic]

Will look forward to it Annie. The way the pre season has shaped up will be seriously on the turps. Need more than three

@@@@ yeh only 3 will just touch the sides.lol

[jamesie]

Even bearing in mind that Tadhg has failed to honour the final year of his contract at the 11th hour, a terrifying number of the posts on this thread have been juvenile, graceless and obsessive. Give yourself 24 hours. If at the end of that time, you haven't moved through a few of the stages of grieving, and aren't prepared to acknowledge Tadhg's amazing contribution to the club and the sport, then you really are wasting your time following Aussie rules football.

+1

[Lucky Knickers]

Sad Knickers.
Thanks Tadhg. A nice bloke. I wish you all the best of luck. Favourite moment - you pantsing LRT! Still makes me laugh.
I really enjoyed watching you play in the red and white. A legend of the club!

[Bas]

The horrible thing about recruiting players and putting lots of time and effort into them, is that the risks are too great that they won't stay around and succeed at the club for whatever reason. Then we get zero back for all of those resources... that's right, zero. Where is the 'let's sue little Willo for the wasted development costs we put into him' bandwagon? .

?

One of the funniest things I've read on RWO for a while..

It's nice to have amused a small mind.

The really sad thing about Paul Kelly's time with the Swans, is that he denied a Sydney kid who could have played 234 games plus more, a place in the club. That Wagga-centric recruitment approach of the late '80s has been thoroughly discredited now.

Paul Kelly did COMPLETE his contract and playing commitments with the Swans. Wagga-centric approach???????? Yes, we have replaced with a more flawed model called the Irish-centric approach of the 00's.

Even bearing in mind that Tadhg has failed to honour the final year of his contract at the 11th hour, a terrifying number of the posts on this thread have been juvenile, graceless and obsessive. Give yourself 24 hours. If at the end of that time, you haven't moved through a few of the stages of grieving, and aren't prepared to acknowledge Tadhg's amazing contribution to the club and the sport, then you really are wasting your time following Aussie rules football.

?h you did notice that he refused to honour the last year of his contract. So just because a player plays 150 odd games and contributes to the Club, it gives him free license to do what he wants?

It has to do with principle. Look that up in the dictionary.

[BigD]

Thanks for the memories Tadgh.

I couldn't quite beleive it when I heard.
Rotten timing. Why couldn't he make his mind up before the draft.

[jono2707]

Thanks Tadgh for the service you provided the club, for the enjoyment you gave the fans, and for being an ambassador for Ireland. You've been great value to the club whilst you were here and I'm sad to see you go. I hope you win the title back home for your county, for your family, but most importantly, for yourself. You deserve it. Cheers mate - we'll miss you.

[Cardinal]

Even bearing in mind that Tadhg has failed to honour the final year of his contract at the 11th hour, a terrifying number of the posts on this thread have been juvenile, graceless and obsessive. Give yourself 24 hours. If at the end of that time, you haven't moved through a few of the stages of grieving, and aren't prepared to acknowledge Tadhg's amazing contribution to the club and the sport, then you really are wasting your time following Aussie rules football.

Have to love the emotional ups and downs of following your team and its quests for those elusive flags. I know as well as anyone that in the heat of battle we can lash out and say hurtful things but I?m sure we?ll all stick loyally by the team. At the very least, we?ll remain supportive of what?s left of the team.

Personally I think it's marvellous that the old guard having served their purpose are leaving. The Swans will be able to blood some youth and set up a sound foundation for a tilt at the flag in say around 2015-16. Of course our membership, crowds and finances, not to mention league position will probably have to bottom out - but at least we will not the stigma of that Cousins character who has taken drugs playing for us.

[connolly]

Thanks Tadhg for the service you provided the club, .

I take it you don't mean loyal service but an equine kind of service as in shagging the club

[Mr Magoo]

A couple of points I see on the issues raised so far :

1. I dont think there is any point from a personal performance perspective in making these guys perform their contracts. What good would an uncommitted Tadhg have been for 2009. I think the club is smart not wasting money forcing someone to perform (in legal fees etc). Really what benefit did Hawthorn for example get out of forcing Everitt to stay in 2006 other than feeling good about themselves.

2. On the flip side , not very good player management on their part to not have made sufficient contingency for losses like fosdike , Tadhg etc. Shows that the club has been too easy on its premiership stars.

3. Its now time for the club to forget any premiership credits and start playing a harder line on its aging players - if they start getting continual injuries - delist them at seasons end, if they arent as fit as they should be - drop them, if they arent in form - drop them.

4. I have loved Tadhgs contribution to the club but the timing couldnt have been worse and from the outside shows true disrespect to the club and everything it has done for him. It would have been far more graceful to have done this before the lists are finalised and unless it is a case of his previous injuries just not standing up to the preseason rigours then you cant convince me that he only just decided in the last week or so. Once he committed past list finalisation he should have had the moral fibre to play out the year.

[connolly]

?

?h you did notice that he refused to honour the last year of his contract. So just because a player plays 150 odd games and contributes to the Club, it gives him free license to do what he wants?

It has to do with principle. Look that up in the dictionary.

Bas how dare you raise this irrelevancy in such a peurile and infantile manner. Simon holds the Sir Owen Dixon chair of legal pontification on this site and knows everything about the law. You see contracts with big strapping heroic fellows (otherwise known as professional footballers) shouldn't be subject to the unpleasantness of enforcing terms and the vileness of courts. If the big strapping fellows don't want to be bound by the contract we should not be beastly about it. Simon says.

[connolly]

[QUOTE=Mr Magoo;425880]A couple of points I see on the issues raised so far :

1. I dont think there is any point from a personal performance perspective in making these guys perform their contracts. What good would an uncommitted Tadhg have been for 2009. I think the club is smart not wasting money forcing someone to perform (in legal fees etc). Really what benefit did Hawthorn for example get out of forcing Everitt to stay in 2006 other than feeling good about themselves.

QUOTE]

Hawthorn is a club that is tough about its contracts. They won a premiership didn't they? We are a club that is a joke in regard to its contracts. Reckon we can win another premiership with that attitude? Ireland (the manager) didn't have a clue about Kenneally's intentions last week. Ireland (the whole bloody country) knew everything about Kenneally's intentions last week. That should tell you something about the qualities of our management and Kenneally's character.

[hammo]

There really is little value of recruiting Irish players. There is always the risk they will go home and when they do the Club gets zero for all the time and effort the have put into them.

The same could be said for recruiting any interstate player (e.g. O'Keefe). I'd say the club got more than a decent return on their investment in Kennelly.

[caj23]

A couple of points I see on the issues raised so far :

1. I dont think there is any point from a personal performance perspective in making these guys perform their contracts. What good would an uncommitted Tadhg have been for 2009. I think the club is smart not wasting money forcing someone to perform (in legal fees etc). Really what benefit did Hawthorn for example get out of forcing Everitt to stay in 2006 other than feeling good about themselves.

2. On the flip side , not very good player management on their part to not have made sufficient contingency for losses like fosdike , Tadhg etc. Shows that the club has been too easy on its premiership stars.

3. Its now time for the club to forget any premiership credits and start playing a harder line on its aging players - if they start getting continual injuries - delist them at seasons end, if they arent as fit as they should be - drop them, if they arent in form - drop them.

4. I have loved Tadhgs contribution to the club but the timing couldnt have been worse and from the outside shows true disrespect to the club and everything it has done for him. It would have been far more graceful to have done this before the lists are finalised and unless it is a case of his previous injuries just not standing up to the preseason rigours then you cant convince me that he only just decided in the last week or so. Once he committed past list finalisation he should have had the moral fibre to play out the year.

Hear hear