"No Special Favours" for Swans - Eddie

[Guzzitza]

3/6/05 - "No special Favours"
(no link - see Daily Telegraph pg. 96)


Eddie Mcguire - "there is no way the other clubs would allow AFL to give the Swans priority picks and other unique concessions to ensure they remained competitive"


Eddie - "This is a football competition not a marketing exercise and thats just bad luck"



"McGuire believes the Swans overestimate their importance to the AFL sydney market. "This stuff about sydney being more important than everyone else...come on, that sounds like (George Orwells) 'Animal Farm': some pigs are more equal than others""

I dont understand how Eddie McGuire can seriously argue that the current system is fair for Sydney. I'm not asking for gift priority draft picks, but everyone knows the father-son rule is a farce, and that Melbourne clubs have a huge advantage over other clubs.
Also, if the Sydney Swans isn't important to AFL in Sydney, then what team is?? One would think that the only team in Sydney, let alone NSW, would be important to the AFL market in the state and the city? Or is that just too blindingly obvious?
When you talk about pigs being more equal than others, Eddie McGuire and Collingwood have to be the greatest Swine in all the land!!

[Legs Akimbo]

Poor eddie. Things not going so good of late.

1. Footy team is crap
2. Footy show is going down the toilet
3. No one watching his game show anymore
4. His best buddy at Nine got the flick
5. His network is probably going to lose the TV rights - no more footy commentating for Eddie

Rooster one day, feather duster the next.

[hammo]

I know this doesn't come as news but Eddie has lost the plot.

Sydney has a very strong case to argue for a regional pick of NSW talent in a draft.

Also, the Swans are the AFL in Sydney or has Eddie forgot the lamentable attempt by the Roos to gain a foothold here.

If he thinks by having the Magpies swanning into western Sydney once a year during the pre season is enough then he is kidding himself.

[Snowy]

On father-son though, I don't see how Victorian clubs have an advantage over Sydney or Brisbane. The latter has the pick of Fitzroy and ex-Brisbane players, Sydney has South Melbourne in addition to the ex-Sydney blokes who should be starting to produce. Unfortunately Gerard Healy has 3 daughters (well for footy purposes anyway). I think the advantage of Victorian clubs lie more in being able to attract and keep players in the centre of footy's universe.

[Nico]

Yep, and while we are playing ultra crap footy the draftees will be cringing everytime the words " Sydney, Round # Pick" at the National Draft are uttered.

[Schneiderman]

Originally posted by Nico
Yep, and while we are playing ultra crap footy the draftees will be cringing everytime the words " Sydney, Round # Pick" at the National Draft are uttered.

Funny. It didn't phase Deledio, Tambling, Franklin or Roughhead. This notion of players not wanting to come here because we are "playing poorly" is a stretch.

[robbieando]

Originally posted by Schneiderman
Funny. It didn't phase Deledio, Tambling, Franklin or Roughhead. This notion of players not wanting to come here because we are "playing poorly" is a stretch.

It didn't phase them because they were going to clubs that were active in trying to improve their sides and knew that they would get solid gametime from year one and not have to wait until year 2 or 3 for their first game. Also that and they were seen as savours means I bet none of them are unhappy they ended up at the clubs they did.

[liz]

Not only are Ed'n'Mick going to object strongly to any reinstatement of a Sydney zone, they are already gunning for the extended rookie list available to Brisbane and Sydney.

On the F&S rule, it may be available to every club in theory but the fact is that some clubs, due to success achieved in a past era where recruitment and retention were very different kettles of fish, will have a far greater pool of players who played over 100 games. Whether these players produces sons who can also play is luck of the draw but if there is a bigger pool of fathers, the chances are that there will be more quality F&S options available. Which clubs it most benefits is thus partly random but it still ties future recruiting to past history and thus is a distortion of the draft system.

Eddie is as hypocritical as it comes when talking about wanting drafting - and recruiting more generally - to be a level playing field. He did not deny that Collingwood had approached Jon Brown's representative a few weeks back. Nor did he deny reports that one of the premises of Collingwood's "offer" to Brown was that he could significantly supplement his salary-cap-regulated income in Melbourne with off-field activities. And there was a clear implication that, if Brown were to chose Collingwood, there would be an even greater chance of Ed making available his media contacts to promote Brown's off-field earning potential.

So is it really a level playing field Mr McGuire?

He conveniently ignores the fact that there are so many inequalities inherent in different clubs' specific circumstances and that any concessions granted to individual clubs are designed to counter other real disadvantages.

It is one thing to debate if a specific concession - whether it be in the draft or the salary cap - is the best way to address an inequality but his insistence on a level playing field in every possible instance, except where Collingwood is inherently at an advantage, is hypocrisy at its finest.

[Guzzitza]

well said liz.

[Schneiderman]

Originally posted by liz
Nor did he deny reports that one of the premises of Collingwood's "offer" to Brown was that he could significantly supplement his salary-cap-regulated income in Melbourne with off-field activities. And there was a clear implication that, if Brown were to chose Collingwood, there would be an even greater chance of Ed making available his media contacts to promote Brown's off-field earning potential.

Whilst correct, I think you are far too diplomatic in your criticism.

Collingwood was offering a contract in the order of $1.2M per year, made up of $700k salary and $500k (!!!) of media committments. Article here (http://www.realfooty.theage.com.au/realfooty/articles/2005/05/05/1115092629046.html)

This compares to a $600k salary package and bugger all endorsements permitted by the AFL that can come from Brisbane.

The ability for Victorian powerhouse clubs like Collingwood to abuse the salary cap is f...ing ridiculous!

[EMJ]

I am sick of Eddie and his righteousness for Sydney but anything goes for him.
They can spend what they like and still come out smelling like roses.
They can ride roughshod over us - this man has to take a dive soon.

[ROK Lobster]

Does Sydney play Collingwood soon? ;)

[cruiser]

Originally posted by ROK Lobster
Does Sydney play Collingwood soon? ;)
Good point. He's actually good value when it comes to marketing that game. And the way Collingwod are playing now ...:eek:

[Diego]

No one listens to Eddie no more, hence why he has to make a big fuss. Seriously no many people can stand what McChins has to say down here.

Its like "Oh no Eddies opened his mouth again whining...Collingwood must be winning then"

Havent you noticed that when the pies where last he kept quiet thus all the attention being taken off the magpies horror season. Even on his show no one mention was made of how poor collingwood were playing

Now that the magpies are winning Eddie is back and so is his big mouth.

As for the picks who gives a frig what ed n Mick have to say, its the AFL who make the decisions at the end of the day...but at the same token Andy is Eddies puppet so thats worrying.

[dimelb]

Originally posted by cruiser
And the way Collingwod are playing now ...
They will cause us problems. And If they get Buckley back they will cause us even bigger problems. Two weeks ago this game looked like a gimme. Now it looks like a dogfight.