Lamb has gone to GWS

[Meg]

Loving the fact we are rolling the dice, it may not work out but it will not be dull. I love the blue collar ethos playing wise but the reality is that we have been a bit dull on the marketing front lately which, like it or not, is vital in Sydney. The column space that Buddy will fill next season will need to be seen to be believed. His first game at the SCG will be a match to remember

I think you are spot on MP. I am nervous about the risks involved in the Franklin recruitment but the more I have understood the reasoning behind it the more I have come to accepting it. Sydney loves the bold and brash (fireworks on the harbour anyone?) and has a low attention span for the conservative. In a city which is rusted on to NRL, has jumped on to the excitement of Del Piero and the Western Sydney Wanderers, and in which the AFL has a vested interest in not allowing GWS to fail, the Swans have to step up their headline-grabbing capacity in order to remain competitive. And with Lance Franklin they have done just that.

I too believe his first match at the SCG will be a match to remember.

[jono2707]

I wish people would stop saying two players will take up 20% of our cap space. They won't (for reasons discussed in other threads) not in Y1 and certainly not the further you look to the out years of their contracts.

Re Lamb, assuming report is correct, he was offered a contract by the Swans but preferred whatever has been offered by GWS. That suggests to me he was offered 'overs' by the Swans' analysis. Good luck to him but it is not a reason we should have felt compelled to match or out bid it.

Whatever they are getting paid will result in us having to offload players that we might otherwise keep in the next few years. 'Overs' to the Swans will be in the context of a large amount of our salary cap going to 2 players and hence fewer dollars to spread round youngsters like Jed who we should have been holding on to. Not happy if the reports of him going are true.

Both Buddy and Tippett will have to do some really big things for us next year for me to like the direction this club seems to be heading in.

[Meg]

Re Buddy, the only thing that worries me, and it really worries me, is the length of the deal. I know we had to offer it to get the deal across the line but I would feel a lot more comfortable even if it was 7 years. Time will tell.....

Yes I too would be much more comfortable with a shorter contract. But it is clear (and Colless effectively said it in tonight's ABC interview) that the Swans knew that the only way to stop Hawthorn from matching the bid was to make it a very long contract. In fact if reports are correct the Hawks offered more for a four year contract than we have for the first four years of our nine-year contract. If we get the huge marketing returns that the Swans are planning on in those first four years then the long-term cost will be worth it.

I am so pleased I've got a great Swans members seat reserved for me in the revamped whizz-bang SCG. I think there will be high demand for good seats in the next few years!

[swanspant12]

This is what happens when you offer a ridiculous 9 year deal. So we will lose Lamb, Everitt, Mumford, White all because of Buddy coming in. Horse better hope he's worth what he's paying him because were losing four blokes because of him. Everitt has had a very good season, Mumford is our best ruckman, White has come on in leaps and bounds, aswell as Lamb, yet were losing them all because we decided to put Buddy on a 9 year deal which I think is negligence in itself. That deal has Andrew Ireland written all over it.

[Mug Punter]

This is what happens when you offer a ridiculous 9 year deal. So we will lose Lamb, Everitt, Mumford, White all because of Buddy coming in. Horse better hope he's worth what he's paying him because were losing four blokes because of him. Everitt has had a very good season, Mumford is our best ruckman, White has come on in leaps and bounds, aswell as Lamb, yet were losing them all because we decided to put Buddy on a 9 year deal which I think is negligence in itself. That deal has Andrew Ireland written all over it.

No reason we shouldn't be able to replace Mummy. White has disappointed for a long time and whilst I am glad he got a chance he is not a bloke who I reckon can win us flags. Everitt a solid senior player at best, well suited to a bottom six club like GWS. Lamb being paid overs and not a key loss.

Buddy Franklin - an elite level player that will put bums on seats and give us the unpredictability we need to win a flag. A genuine superstar of the game, probably its BIGGEST name.

I trust our board. I believe our culture and our development process and list management can mitigate a number of the risks. There will be downside to this deal but its a measured risk assessment to what the upside is....

Rather than death-riding it why not go along for the ride? The Buddy deal has the potential to catapult the Swans into the big league commercially in Australia and win us a flag or two in the process. I reckon it is a risk worth taking.

[Triple B]

I'm overseas so relying on Twitter, but as soon as I saw the news my immediate thoughts were that Everitt will probably stay now.

This has sort of come from left field as we thought Lamb had committed to a new deal, but if that is not the case I'm expecting Dre will stay. It was pretty obvious one of them needed to move on due to salary cap pressure. Lamb has made the decision for us...

[Mug Punter]

I'm overseas so relying on Twitter, but as soon as I saw the news my immediate thoughts were that Everitt will probably stay now.

This has sort of come from left field as we thought Lamb had committed to a new deal, but if that is not the case I'm expecting Dre will stay. It was pretty obvious one of them needed to move on due to salary cap pressure. Lamb has made the decision for us...

Could well be the case but GWS have quite a bit of spare cash and Dre would be a more than useful signing for them.

[Swansinger]

Baa-Baa-baa
Baa-Baa-ba-Lamb
That's left me rockin' an' a -reelin'.
Baa-ba-Lamb

I hope the Swans' decisions are proven correct.
But at this rate , we'll have nobody left. Baa Franklin , that is.

[Ludwig]

I can't imagine what GSW are doing with all these players. Their playing list must be close to 100 by now. What kind of angst there must be in the Giant's camp with yet another crop of top draft picks competing with the last 2 crops, only to be edged out by assorted stars and has-beens from other clubs.

If they end up with Shaw, I can't see where Dre would fit. The already have Curtly Hampton and Buntine. It's hard to see where Dre fits.

I would much prefer to lose Lamb if it means we keep Everitt. He's a handy tall utility and he's improved a lot this year. I think Dre may need to feel that he will get enough playing opportunities with 4 tall players returning from injury.

[bloodsbigot]

Jesus no.

[BillyRayCypress]

In light of recent trades then pick 76 is looking very promising.

At least GWS will be getting Lamb whilst he is still in mint condition. Although a baaaaaaad loss to the Club, I'm sure that the Swans won't be totally fleeced in this deal.

[Legs Akimbo]

Negotiating and locking in the Mummy deal first means wer'e screwed. looks like GWS and Lamb pulled the wool over our eyes. A case of the silence of the Lamb.

[DA_Swan]

I can't imagine what GSW are doing with all these players. Their playing list must be close to 100 by now. What kind of angst there must be in the Giant's camp with yet another crop of top draft picks competing with the last 2 crops, only to be edged out by assorted stars and has-beens from other clubs.

If they end up with Shaw, I can't see where Dre would fit. The already have Curtly Hampton and Buntine. It's hard to see where Dre fits.

I would much prefer to lose Lamb if it means we keep Everitt. He's a handy tall utility and he's improved a lot this year. I think Dre may need to feel that he will get enough playing opportunities with 4 tall players returning from injury.

Pretty easy to imagine really - build up a good stock of players to trade with and with fee agency cherry pick players like the swans have done - not surprised that Lamb has gone - we look after our "older players" - keeping a player like McGlyn and losing a player like Lamb does not make sense to me

[liz]

I am not sure I see why / how Lamb fits GWS's need for an injection of senior experience. He's been in the AFL system three years, which is the same length of time the Giants 17 year old concession players have been in the system. In terms of AFL experience, he has considerably less than their top tier of players and no more than pretty much every player whose been on their list for at least a year. He may or may not become a regular senior player for the Giants but I don't see how he's going to add what they need to transform themselves in the short term from an onfield basket case into something vaguely competitive.

[Primmy]

This one shocked me. Not happy about this.

Hope now Drey stays, and Tony.

Shoot.....