willowupfront wrote:countryfootyfan wrote:Half Back Flanker wrote:Heard a pretty big whisper that Ian and Andy Pryor are leaving Gumeracha and heading back to Ardrossan next year. Anyone confirm or deny?
Yeah have heard that's true HBF, being zero point players for Ardrossan would have made them appealing. Believe they still have a shack at pt Clinton/ price as well...
Boys,boys,boys.....
CFF as much as I respect your opinion saving points aint the be all and end all to everything my friend!!!!!!
And having a shack actually worked against the club by all accounts???? More interested in the fishing side of things rather than socialising within the club????
Dont know the Pryor boy's personaly and im sure their fantastic lads...But what i do know is through my nephew's friendship with them as well as a group of mutural friends we know. Salisbury West boy's...
Fact one the committee didnt want their services anymore and thought there was enough local talent at the club to fill the same positions the pryor boys were being paid to play...Fringe role's...Their words not mine so why would that change given the core of the committe and local players will be the same????
Fact two some of the committee and players made comments about the pryor boy's not knowing many of the local players names due to the fact when they did train they would be straight out the door after to put their boat in the waters to fish. same thing after games.
Fact three the committee stated this was a part of the culture they wanted changed. Where players didnt train and still rocked up for a game..And then expected to be paid and not make themselves available to the social side of the club..Again their words..
Fact??? Having driven up from Adelaide to training one night with a young local boy doing TAFE in town and hearing stories of how one of the boys abused him because he didnt give him the ball and the other bro hearing this also joined in on the abuse only to ostacise the kid for the rest of the game..he was 18 when he spoke to me so I assume he was only 17 at the time..Asked him what the coach did and he said nothing....This kid will one day captain that club and needs people around him to develop that...on field in particular.
Fact??? When they came bk to town they were seen posting on facebook their availability for any club that was willing to pay and ended up in the hills. Ardrossan needs a long term plan with stability....
Fact??? After 4 yrs coach quits hills team half way through and he (the coach) constantly ringing me to find out more on the pryor boys as he puts it they were difficult to coach...his words
fact???? now after one yr in the hills and with a new coach they still want a new home somewhere else??? Close to the shack!!!
hey like I said dont know the boy's directly and good luck to them if they can get the coin...Just not sure why the club would ever think to go back there when they are focussed on moving forward...Only an opinion...
I believe that if you can get players (locals) or 0 pointers at the club, it is a positive thing. Extra numbers for a start and frees up points for recruiting. Just depends on how much money the 0 pointers cost.
Re the Pryor boys I can provide a bit of info to the above comments. Yes, they were at Salisbury West. Yes, they love footy. Yes they love fishing. Ian played 3 years and Andrew 2 at Ardrossan. Both were in Ardrossas best 6-8 players in B&F counts each year they played. They have a cousin who has a shack at Port Clinton and they probably used it twice in the seasons they were at the club.
From a member of the committee, they were at 90% of trainings, a lot more than some of the locals, and after training if the weather was good, they would go fishing.
Re the facts above - The club spent a heap of money compared to what they had in the past on new arrivals to the club. Therefore they put an offer to the Pryors to play but for not alot of money. Pryors chose to go elsewhere.
I think you will find that the players would have known the Pryors. I as a spectator got to know them over the years. Yes, they didn't attend many social nights after the games. Both have very young children and went back to Adelaide after the games. So maybe if the players didn't know much about them, the players weren't at training often enough.
Re the culture -Where players didn't train and still rocked up for a game and expected to be paid. From what I have seen in the past, they would have had to forfiet the B grade each week if that was the case. 25 at training for 2 teams. I didn't see the culture change too much this past season. 3 recruits that rocked up and hadn't trained to often. Pryors at least attended most trainings.
Re the lad (future captain) that said he was abused by them. Yes aparently that did happen. I was told by many players that the following week at training, Ian Pryor stood in front of the playing group and apologised for his behaviour and everyone moved on from there. I agree, it shouldn't happen, but it did but it was also sorted out.
Re the facebook - who knows. possibly could have. Wouldn't be the first and won't be the last players to do that.
Re the hills coach, if you are referring to the Gumeracha coach that actually got sacked, but the committee did a sweetheart deal to help him out and quoted that he quit, maybe that's why he got the sack. Coach left as did a couple ex Salisbury West lads, but to the Pryors credit, they stayed out the season at Gumeracha. They could have gone back to SW with the others but didn't.
Yes, they are looking for a new home. Possibly S/W and possibly Ardrossan depending on a few things.
Good luck to them.
I agree with willowupfront post that the club will need to recruit key position players. He spoke about a FF, CHF, Ruck, CHB. I reckon most country and city clubs would love to do that. If you get one or two of those position players in a year that is a bonus. Recruiting will be critical for the club to survive this season and beyond. My opinion they need to target a lot of their good locals that are playing elsewhere, a couple of them can play the key positions, and if the Pryor boys are part of that, why not.
I was tagged by one, easiest 40 kicks I've had in my life.
And yes far to much more said on this topic than need be. 
