Daisy plans on staying a Pie

[ClokingDevice]

COLLINGWOOD star Dale Thomas hopes to remain a Magpie beyond next year.


COLLINGWOOD'S DALE THOMAS AND NRL STAR BILLY SLATER DURING THEIR TOUR OF BARCELONA.

Coach Nathan Buckley has predicted Thomas's contract negotiations could end up the same as the Travis Cloke circus, which haunted the club's finals campaign.

"Hopefully I can have a good year and stay where I am," said Thomas, who becomes a restricted free agent next year.

"The Collingwood Football Club has been fantastic to me. I signed a two-year deal a year ago and that was when the Greater Western Sydney franchise was coming in, but I was lucky enough to stay.

"A lot of my teammates have done the same thing, we have stayed as a group.

"For me it is about getting fit for the start of the year, having a good season personally and hopefully that results in the team having a great year.

"At the end of the season you never know what is going to happen, but hopefully I can stay where I am."

Thomas also spoke for the first time about the death of his good friend and former teammate John McCarthy.

He admitted to struggling to play in the days after the tragedy in Las Vegas in September but it later helped him to put life in perspective.

"It was huge," Thomas said.

"It happened after the first week of the finals and I played like an absolute turd in that first final.

"I literally couldn't have played any worse. So I was still a little bit disappointed and feeling down and then you get news like that.

"It pretty quickly puts the whole football life and life in general in perspective.

"For our group we probably didn't realise how close we all were until after that week and how we got through it.

"The way the group carried themselves, everyone was there for one another.

"At times it takes something as unfortunate as that to happen for blokes to realise how lucky you are and how many good mates you really do have."

Thomas recently returned from a trip to Spain with Melbourne Storm's Billy Slater where the pair featured in promotional shoot for the adizero F50 boot that launches next month.

"I had a ball," he said.

"Just walking around the streets of Barcelona and soaking up the atmosphere, it does make you realise how lucky you are.

"Since the end of the season it's been a pretty good adventure.

"We had a week in Melbourne with the boys just relaxing and enjoying our time together.

"Then I got away to the Telo Islands and Mentawai surfing for a week.

"I spent five nights in Bali then I went to West Timor to a little island called Rote and went surfing again.

"Then I headed back home for a day for my sister's fiance's bucks party - and then it was back on the plane to London for four nights and then here for four nights in Barcelona."


http://www.news.com.au/sport/afl/dale-thomas-plans-to-stay-at-collingwood/story-fnelctok-1226517701907

[Johnno75]

Hopefully he signs in the frist half of next season otherwise all the rumours will start and MM and his carlton scumbags will declare they want him.

[Darkstranger]

Gee - "Hopefully I can have a good year and stay where I am,"
Gee - "At the end of the season you never know what is going to happen, but hopefully I can stay where I am."

Man up and say I want to sign with the Pies because blah blah... what's wrong with being loyal??? who's playing like a turd now???

If that's the attitude then F OFF.

The last thing I want to see / hear is this Cloke crap all over again... its actually embarrassing for the player.

[Nick - Pie Man]

That's what his media training has taught him to say.. nothing at all

[4everpies]

I can't see Daisy signing early in the year, history shows he waits until other offers are made (as is his right) before making his decision.

I just hope lessons have been learnt from the Cloke debacle and this contract negotiation is less public. Although Paul Connors (Daisy's manager) is no David Cloke.

[The Prototype]

And the question "Who will be the next Travis Cloke" has been answered.

Come on down, Dale Thomas.

You are the next contest on "The Media Circus" all you have to do is sign now, or you can play The Media game.

[4everpies]

^Buddy Franklin is also a free agent at the end of 2013, so with any luck all the media focus will be on him.

[swoop42]

And so it begins.

[Scotch]

Some pathetic replies in this thread, oh well. To be expected I suppose.

[Joel]

[Scotch]

What's supposed to be said?

If Daisy told the media to piss off or that he doesn't want to comment, the comments on here and in response by the media would be exactly the same. If he said he wanted to stay, everyone would say 'but you haven't signed yet so you're lying'. He can't do anything, none of the players can do anything except sign and get it over with, but it's not our business to make that happen prematurely.

It's a paradox created by the media that for some reason almost everyone buys into. Then they'll get one in ten correct and call themselves clairvoyants.

[Lutts]

Why can't he tell it like it is. Compared to 2010 & 2011 he had a very average season 2012, not the best scenario going into contract negotiations. To obtain the best contract he needs a bottler of a year 2013. He needs some personal achievements, to finish higher up in the Copeland, ANZAC Day Medal, Norm Smith, All Australian, Brownlow votes. Any, some or all of these would make a significant difference in his contract. Why not come out and say that he wants to wait to see how he goes this year with some personal goals before signing on the dotted line.

[warburton lad]

On my recent Irish sojourn, spent ten days with a guy whose buddy is well-connected at the Dockers. He suggested to me that Buddy will sign a five year $7.5 million dollar deal with Fremantle.

As for Daisy, I'm confident he will sign. I base this confidence on nothing I have heard, but I think Daisy would recognize as a, potentially three or four time Collingwood Premiership player, he can earn a tidy living by staying in black and white...

Keep the faith Magpie brothers and sisters, the draft is six days away.

The flag is only ten months away

[Scotch]

Because people would still dig into him regardless of what he says. It'd be nice for the not-so-gullible supporter to hear but really that sort of thing should be going through every players mind before every contract negotiation. Doesn't matter if it's Daisy or Sinclair, achieving any of all of those things would be at the top of their to-do list before finalizing payment.

[The Prototype]