Between the Rounds - Should I Stay or Should I Go?

It's the Bye round and with only six games to preview, no sex scandals, drug allegations or racism rows to distract us or keep the legion of footy writers engaged in their usual moral hectoring, the media last week reverted to its default topic for 2013 – which team will Buddy play for next year?

Not only that, but the ‘reported’ offers rose to $10 million overnight – a degree of hyper-inflation not seen since Germany between the wars.

Campbell Brown suggested that Buddy might like to get out of the spotlight in Melbourne, and Royce Hart agreed that yes, Buddy could be useful at Richmond, which as far as stating the bleeding obvious goes, is a bit like observing that Lionel Messi would fit nicely into Melbourne Heart’s starting line-up.

Of course the footy press gallery have shown themselves to be every bit as susceptible to fanciful rumour and flippant suggestion as the Canberra press gallery when confronted with a whisper of yet another ALP leadership spill, and the journos have dutifully proceeded to churn out great tracts of text around every conceivable outcome. How Freo would use Buddy, where Buddy would fit into the Carlton salary cap, what sort of drawcard Buddy would be for GWS, what sort of compensation Hawthorn would receive for him, could he play alongside Tippett at the Swans?

The only possibility I haven’t heard canvassed is of Buddy becoming a code crosser and playing rugby league or union. But perhaps I just haven't been paying attention.

Given that there hasn't been one single utterance from Buddy or his management about this issue since the original announcement that he was putting off contract talks until the end of the season, and therefore no material development in the story, you have to admire the ability of our footy media to type themselves into a frenzy over nothing. Imagine if they used all that energy for good?

While I find the whole Buddy saga quite distressing, for my own part I don’t think the AFL is going far enough with free agency. If this was free agency in its purest form, Buddy would be free to play for a different team each week. Perhaps he could be some sort of super-sub, or wildcard selection each week The team he represents could be determined on a needs basis, which lowly club needed him the most that week, or where he might draw the best crowd. There could be some sort of bidding process, or perhaps Rebecca Judd could pop on that red frock and draw a team from a hat in a special ceremony at AFL HQ?

Imports versus Exports

All this talk of whether Buddy will stay or go has led me to reflect on other great players who have left Hawthorn, and indeed, on some of the great players who have joined the club.

Just look at our current backline: Gibson, Lake, Guerra – all imports from other clubs. Then look at Sydney’s current midfield boasting Kennedy and McGlynn – both ex-Hawthorn.

If you line up those who have joined Hawthorn over the years against those who have left Hawthorn, who would win?

In the spirit of Bye week and naming composite representative teams - see 2012's best blondes to play for Hawthorn - this season I present two representative teams: Imports versus Exports.

Players are selected on the basis of their first club in the VFL/AFL.

Imports

B: Josh Gibson (NM) – Brian Lake (WB) – Brent Guerra (St.K)

HB: Joel Smith (St.K) – Stephen Gilham (PA) – Cameron Bruce (Mel)

C: Stuart Trott (St.K) – Shaun Burgoyne (PA) – Russell Greene (St.K)

HF: Stuart Dew (PA) – John Barker (Fitz) – Darren Kapler (Syd)

F: David Hale (NM) – Jack Gunston (Adl) – Aaron Lord (Gee)

FOLL: Paul Salmon (Ess) – Norm Goss (Sth) – Tony Woods (Coll)

Int from: Peter Everitt (St.K), Anthony Rock (NM), Lance Piccone (NM), Luke McCabe (Coll), Michael Byrne (Mel), Kyle Cheney (Mel), Danny Jacobs (Ess), Shaun Rehn (Adl), Darren Spangher (WC), Andrew Demetriou (NM).

Coach: Allan Jeans

The Imports team is largely selected based on their level of performance with Hawthorn rather than for their original club, with the exception of Cameron Bruce who gets in based on his performances at Melbourne, and because I needed a half decent half back flanker and Danny Jacobs just wasn't going to cut it. Likewise, Andrew Demetriou, whose career at Hawthorn was unremarkable, to put it kindly, has really has only been selected because he’s the CEO of the AFL and we might need him on side.

In other points of interest – the current back line takes its place, and it's plain that all our best ruckmen since Don Scott have been imported, with Paul Salmon arguably our greatest import. OK, well other than Stuart Dew that is. Also, it seems over the years that Hawthorn has used St.Kilda pretty much as our own development squad.

Ablettt!

Exports

B: Brad Scott (Bne) – Kelvin Moore (Rich) – Peter Welsh (Rich)

HB: Mark Graham (Rich) – Trent Croad (Fre) – Campbell Brown (GC)

C: Russell Morris (St.K) – Terry Wallace (Rich) – Clinton Young (Coll)

HF: Darren Jarman (Adl) – Dermott Brereton (Syd) – Paul Hudson (WB) * 91 premiership HF line

F: Mark Williams (Ess) – Gary Ablett (Gee) – Daniel Chick (WC)

Foll: Greg Dear (Rich) – Barry Rowlings (Rich) – Josh Kennedy (Syd)

Int from: Matthew Robran (Adl), Ben Allan (Freo), Brent Renouf (PA), Luke McPharlin (Freo), Ben McGlynn (Syd), Zac Dawson (St.K), Jade Rawlings (NM), Jonathan Hay (NM), Steve Malaxos (WC), Kevin Heath (Car), Ian Scrimshaw (Rich), Kelvin Matthews (Gee), Alan Martello (Rich), Nathan Thompson (NM), Paul Barnard (Ess)

Coach: David Parkin

Zsa Zsa rides again

The Exports have been selected also based on how they played for the Hawks rather than their adopted club, and it's true that many left after their best days had passed: Brereton, Wallace, Martello, Moore, Heath, Hay, Williams.

There are a couple of obvious exceptions, such as Gary Ablett, Matthew Robran, Luke McPharlin and Josh Kennedy, all of whom you’d have to say did okay after they left the Hawks. But after Robran’s tantrum in 1991 after being left out of the Grand Final side for Brereton - I mean, Brereton, the greatest Grand final player of all time - who would you pick? I’m pleased then that I couldn’t find a spot for him in this side either, losing out to guess who, Brereton again.

Yet for all of the criticism you might level at Hawthorn for letting Ablett go, as my friend Phillip once observed, we did make seven consecutive Grand Finals immediately after he left, so it's hard to argue that we needed him. Of course the main problem with letting Ablett go is only now becoming apparent, and that is that we missed out on Gary Ablett Jnr. under the father/son rule.

Also worth noting is that if St.Kilda is our academy, Richmond became pretty much a retirement home for successful Hawks.

Were these two teams to compete, I suspect Jaimee Rogers would have the Exports as short priced favourites. While the Imports might have the edge in the ruck with Salmon, Hale, Everitt and Rehn, on even an average day, you’d back at least one of Brereton, Ablett, Hudson, Jarman , Chick and Williams to fire. Meanwhile the Imports forwards of Gunston. Lord, Barker and co might struggle against the miserly combination of Scott, Moore, Brown and Croad.


Not all of our exports have been wildly successful: