Matty Clarke to the Saints

[Dutchy]

interesting intervoew on Ch9 tonight (by Ali Carle!) basically confirmed he will be playing footy next year and has spoken to a few AFL clubs, however I go tthe impression that he may just hang around in Adelaide and play for the bays...why got interstate on minimum salary (lets be honest Faint Kilda aint going to have much room in their cap) when he has the foot in the door with the media here also...

[Punk Rooster]

Some consistency as well chaps.
Most of us were quick to criticise MAL Michael and no one has
had a go at Matt Clarke for the same bullshit.

Well the Crows have given their blessing for a start. Clarke was told that he was 3rd in line (at best) for ruck duties next year.
Mal Michael wanted to go & save Papua New Guinea from self destructing, & had a year to go on his contract.
Huge difference, reflected by the 2 different public attitudes of the clubs involved.

Enough of your scurrilous statements!

[sydney-dog]

Mal

Mate, this will be our first disagreement for some time

It's very simple, Mal Michael was in contract and very much a required player at his club and in his clubs plans for 2007, while Clarke was out of contract and not a required player

Statement from Clarke

Clarke said he "paused" when ruck sidekick Rhett Biglands went down in the preliminary final defeat to West Coast, requiring a knee reconstruction which ruled him out for 2007.

"Then I gave some thought to continuing, but after talking with Craigy (coach Neil Craig) it was pretty clear, and I really think it is the best decision for the club, that they were going to go with youth,"

"While I might have been a short-term solution, the risk would have been that they definitely would have lost one and potentially two of the guys that they have put a bit of time into.

"You've got potentially 10-year players there and the reality is that I'm certainly not going to play for another 10 years, so it was a pretty obvious choice from the club's perspective - and the right call."

[Wedgie]

Maybe Matty's looking at an excuse to getting away from the missus?

[mal]

The whole system is what stinks.
Mals intentions may well have been to disasociate himself from the
Brisbane football club through a loophole in the AFL system.
Honourable no, effective yes.

Consider this.
The AFL wishwash system has cut short Ben Harts career

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Clubs can no longer guarentee loyalty to veteran players, so now players
like Mal dont have to show loyalty to clubs.
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The system in place is precipitating these instances.

If a system allowed 33 year olds like Clarke to be retained then he
might well have been allowed to stay with Adelaide
Or was he conviently advised he was not needed or whatever to fit in
with salary cap restrictions, or numbers on a list to make way for other players

I might be way off line in my above post, but stand to be corrected

[Punk Rooster]

Quite simple Mal-
Matt Clarke would be getting zero game time with the Cows...
Matt Clarke will be getting game time at your Aints...
do the maths

[Rik E Boy]

REB

Is Gardiner/Clarke/Rix better than Hudson/Meesen/Maric

well Gardiner has not played in the ruck for 2-3 season, while Hudson as we know is on the come back trail as well

the negitive for the the crows is Maric and Meesen in experience, but the upside is there development potential, this is the boys 3rd pre-season, they both had a full year of senior footy last year and I know Meesen is flying on the track at the moment

both Meesen and Maric will bring plenty of enthusiasm to the side, the ruck work wont be as good as clarke's at this stage, but they may give the crows a lot more around the ground

Good response there Sydney. One thing you must remember though is that Ruckmen often need more time 'in the oven' until there ready.

regards,

REB