Past players - what are they up to?

**bloodspirit** · 21st February 2019, 05:01 PM

Barrett has followed up in this podcast - PODCAST: Why St Kilda's leadership decision stunned the Swans - AFL.com.au - saying Swans "nearly fell off their chairs" when they heard Hanners has been made part of the Saints leadership group. I view this assertion with great suspicion. After all he was part of our leadership group last season and has been recruited to a relatively young and inexperienced club in large part for the leadership he can offer.

I know others here have regularly criticised Damien Barrett and now he has lost some credibility with me too and will lose more if his reports are contradicted. Quite apart from the fact that he often comes across as an arrogant smart arse who believes he is entitled to have his views and questions taken seriously.

**Odysseus** · 21st February 2019, 07:14 PM

Originally Posted by bloodspirit

Barrett has followed up in this podcast - PODCAST: Why St Kilda's leadership decision stunned the Swans - AFL.com.au - saying Swans "nearly fell off their chairs" when they heard Hanners has been made part of the Saints leadership group. I view this assertion with great suspicion. After all he was part of our leadership group last season and has been recruited to a relatively young and inexperienced club in large part for the leadership he can offer.

I know others here have regularly criticised Damien Barrett and now he has lost some credibility with me too and will lose more if his reports are contradicted. Quite apart from the fact that he often comes across as an arrogant smart arse who believes he is entitled to have his views and questions taken seriously.

I wonder if Barrett's defence might be that he didn't quite say that the Swans "nearly fell off their chairs"; what my (somewhat deaf!) ears heard was "I put it to you that ...". Now, the suggested defence may be just semantics, or bush-lawyering, but much of what Barrett does in the article and the podcast is more through innuendo than through direct statement. Which is perhaps all the more open to censure as being mischievous.

But what he does say is that Dan's recruitment to St Kilda was questionable. Of itself, so bland as not to be worth stating: surely every recruitment is subject to question. But, allowing it to have a bit more substance, I don't think too many of us would disagree. Few of us were prepared to say outright that the Swans letting Dan go was a poor decision, but rather we hoped that we wouldn't be embarrassed by his returning to his glory days.

Barrett also talks of Dan's enjoying the off-season; again, the innuendo is mischievous. Why shouldn't Dan enjoying socialising in the off-season? But Barrett is right to imply that the leadership Dan might give - and someone else's report a few weeks ago was along the lines, When Dan speaks, the Saints players listen - won't cut it, or do so for long, without on-field performance.

To me the Swans' decision to let Dan go is looking better and better. With all the incentive he has had, and apparent determination as well, to get his body in best shape for his new club, if he's suffered "hamstring awareness" at this stage, I'll be incredulous if he gets anywhere near his past performance. I'll be surprised if the Saints get a good year out of him, let alone five.

**Blood Fever** · 21st February 2019, 07:32 PM

Originally Posted by bloodspirit

Barrett has followed up in this podcast - PODCAST: Why St Kilda's leadership decision stunned the Swans - AFL.com.au - saying Swans "nearly fell off their chairs" when they heard Hanners has been made part of the Saints leadership group. I view this assertion with great suspicion. After all he was part of our leadership group last season and has been recruited to a relatively young and inexperienced club in large part for the leadership he can offer.

I know others here have regularly criticised Damien Barrett and now he has lost some credibility with me too and will lose more if his reports are contradicted. Quite apart from the fact that he often comes across as an arrogant smart arse who believes he is entitled to have his views and questions taken seriously.

Barrett has become a gossip monger and is no longer a serious journalist

**Mel_C** · 21st February 2019, 07:53 PM

Originally Posted by Blood Fever

Barrett has become a gossip monger and is no longer a serious journalist

Yes I agree. I've heard some rumours about Hanners and I assume Barrett has heard the same. However, unless there is evidence I don't think it's fair what Barrett writes.

**Aprilbr** · 21st February 2019, 11:22 PM

The Swans certainly traded out Hannebery for next to nothing. There is little doubt that he was a shadow of his former self in 2017 and 2018. A player being paid as elite on a long-term deal who had declined to the point that he was lucky to hold his place in the team. To me he had lost a yard of pace and was being caught and struggling to have an impact. Perhaps it was merely injuries and he will regain his past impact? Time will tell but I suspect that the Saints will really struggle to get 5 good years out of him.

I sincerely hope that I am wrong as he served our Club well for so many seasons. I recently watched a replay of the 2012 GF. He was instrumental in our win that day.

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**liz** · 22nd February 2019, 12:40 AM

Originally Posted by Blood Fever

Barrett has become a gossip monger and is no longer a serious journalist

He's a complete scumbag.

I find it hard to believe that the Swans would make any comment about another club's choice of leadership group. I sullied myself by listening to the couple of minutes of the podcast that discussed Hannebery, and there's a mumbled bit in there that makes it unclear whether Barrett is actually quoting the Swans or suggesting he thinks they would have fallen off their chairs. I suspect it's the latter (for the reason stated in my second sentence). If Barrett fell off his chair, that's his downfall. But to put the opinion in another club's mouth is pretty ordinary "journalism".

**stevoswan** · 22nd February 2019, 06:38 PM

Originally Posted by liz

He's a complete scumbag.

I find it hard to believe that the Swans would make any comment about another club's choice of leadership group. I sullied myself by listening to the couple of minutes of the podcast that discussed Hannebery, and there's a mumbled bit in there that makes it unclear whether Barrett is actually quoting the Swans or suggesting he thinks they would have fallen off their chairs. I suspect it's the latter (for the reason stated in my second sentence). If Barrett fell off his chair, that's his downfall. But to put the opinion in another club's mouth is pretty ordinary "journalism".

Spot on.....I was also unimpressed by AFL.com.au's respective headline "PODCAST: Why St Kilda's leadership decision stunned the Swans".....like it's fact. Well, it is the 'fake news' era.....journo's and websites becoming very comfortable with being 'loose with the truth' and in this league, often where the Swans are concerned.