Confirmed INS and OUTS for season 2012

[mighty_tiger_79]

Mitch Sandery has left south, not sure if it was official earlier

[sjt]

Unless I missed it, I'm a bit surprised there hasn't been much said about Backwell's sacking. I though Jai's little snippet on him in this mornings MMCM was interesting. Nobody at North too fussed?

[The Sleeping Giant]

Nup

[robranisgod]

Unless I missed it, I'm a bit surprised there hasn't been much said about Backwell's sacking. I though Jai's little snippet on him in this mornings MMCM was interesting. Nobody at North too fussed?

Please explain. I read Jai's article, I read the article from North last week, I don't see anything to be too fussed about.

[Booney]

Unless I missed it, I'm a bit surprised there hasn't been much said about Backwell's sacking. I though Jai's little snippet on him in this mornings MMCM was interesting. Nobody at North too fussed?

Please explain. I read Jai's article, I read the article from North last week, I don't see anything to be too fussed about.

I agree sjt. FWIW, I guess you need to believe a good portion of Backwells comments for it to be considered news worthy. Very little was made of it though. Would be interesting to go back and see what some North fans said about him leaving West / Glenelg as he did.

Did he have his holiday booked before the training camp was announced?

If so, why didn't he tell the club earlier about his proposed getaway?

[Big Phil]

Did he (Backwell) have his holiday booked before the training camp was announced?

If so, why didn't he tell the club earlier about his proposed getaway?

From Localfootysa...

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/sport/afl ... 6420466687

BACKWELL FIRES BACK

Finally caught up with Brett Backwell during the week.

The 2006 Magarey Medallist who last month left a third SANFL club in less than ideal circumstances was back from a trip to Thailand he took to celebrate his partner Beck's 30th and her mother's 60th.

I can understand if some of you have already moved on from Backwell's sacking at North but given the quality of his career I felt it was important to hear his version of events.

For anyone that missed the news, Backwell was told by Roosters coach Josh Francou if he went to Thailand instead of attending a ``training camp'' in Victor Harbor last weekend he would no longer be a part of the North Adelaide Football Club.

Backwell took the trip and his SANFL career was over.

For most it seemed pretty cut and dry. It was easy to brand Backwell as selfish or a troublemaker given he'd been axed by Glenelg after a conflict over playing in the Northern Territory Football League and hadn't endeared himself to West Adelaide fans by leaving Richmond after just one year.

But in his defence Backwell raised the following points:

- His trip was booked before the Roosters informed players they'd be required to attend the camp
- He hadn't really had a break for three or four years because of work and football commitments
- There was a 22 day gap in between North's games
- He had been a dedicated member of the playing group and was also doing extra work helping out some of North's younger reserves players
- He'd also helped a handful of North players out by finding them apprenticeships with his business

Where Backwell admits he went wrong is not informing the club of his trip until only a few weeks before he was scheduled to fly out.

He said this wasn't intentional, it just didn't click with him that the trip and the camp clashed.

Even so, he felt blindsided by Francou's ultimatum.

``I spoke to Josh on the Monday night and he said `we can't wait to get you back in the side, after the break you're straight back in because we miss you...','' Backwell said.

``Then I trained Wednesday, trained Thursday night, the footy club asked if I'd sit on the bench and do the magnets for the board because the guy that normally does it was away.

``Then I spoke to the Twos coach (Craig Brooks) Brooksy and he asked - because I've been doing some work with the young kids in the Twos - if I was going to be there early and look at a couple of the boys for him...

``I was at work Friday morning when my phone rang about 10am. It was Josh... He said `hey mate, how you going? are you still going on this holiday next week?' And I said `yeah, it's all organised'. And he said `well then don't bother coming back to the North Adelaide footy club'. That was it, just whacked me on the head with a sledgehammer...

``I rang (Roosters chief executive) Greg Edwards and he said `I don't know anything about it, let me call Josh and I'll give you a call back'. About an hour later he called back and said `Josh is adamant, he's trying to change the culture of the footy club and doesn't want blokes going away midseason and that's it'...

``I've done the wrong thing by not telling the club early enough but play me in the Twos for a couple of weeks or sanction me another way, don't sack me on the spot.

``And then to come out and say I was given a choice, that's a bit harsh.''

Backwell has signed with Morphettville Park in the Southern Football League.

He sees himself as a Glenelg supporter but wants to get into coaching and is open to opportunities anywhere they present themselves.

But it's going to take him a while to get over how everything ended and the perception some may SANFL fans may now have of him.

``That probably hurts me the most,'' he said. ``People portray you as a bad egg who has done the wrong thing.
The worst thing I've done in 15 years of football is play one game in Darwin and gone on a holiday. And you get tainted as a troublemaker and someone who causes problems at the footy club which I've never ever done... I'm shattered.''

[Booney]

FWIW, I guess you need to believe a good portion of Backwells comments for it to be considered news worthy.