#37

[CureTheSane]

Same here. They never really retire numbers anyway, they just stop using them for a few years until a young gun comes along. Saving it for an indigenous player is a poor precedent. Do we start allocating numbers for people of particular races? Because, that's what we would be doing.

For me it's not about an indigenous player getting the jumper.
Personally I would see that as not being helpful to acceptance, equality and working towards us all being Australians. It contradicts the whole end goal by once again making a point of difference.
However I understand perhaps why in the short term that perpetuating a racial difference may be of benefit to some parts of society.

What I don't like about holding the number for a 'star' (as has been implied many times on this board) is that it diminishes the value of the number.
What made it special is that it wasn't handed to Paul Kelly because he was seen as the next big thing.
It's a lower number, and they tend to go to the better players, of those who have been on the list for a few years.
But handing it to say Heeney, who is likely going to be our next 'ultimate hero' is just reserving it for those who are worthy, and that's what the number will become.

I would have liked to have seen it kicked straight back into action (Or maybe retire it for only a year) and see how the player wearing it goes.
Could be that they do a couple of years and get traded. Maybe forced out with injury etc. But then someone else gets it and maybe they will turn out to be special.

[stevoswan]

......and here endeth this thread, thanks to posts 18 and 19 and the resulting deleted posts. It's sad when even Swans fans can't talk about Adam Goodes without someone 'getting offended' or 'being offensive' or FFS, pre-empting offense and trying to shut any discussion down. May I say, that last point was where it all started to sour......maybe there's something to learn there.

[YvonneH]

It's funny how a simple question 'will #37 be in play this year' degenerated into I don't know what.

[stevoswan]

It's funny how a simple question 'will #37 be in play this year' degenerated into I don't know what.

Exactly.....

[Bloods05]

Thanks Liz. Saved us from another round of people being attacked.

Deleted. Reason: off-topic/baiting

[stevoswan]

It's over everyone.....move on . We'll try this again sometime down the track...... maybe by just congratulating the starry eyed kid who is lucky enough to end up with the great man's number on his back, whoever that ends up being.