Post Season 2003 - TRADE TALK

[HAL]

Do you mind if I tell other people you say I am that avatar one of Futurama's robot mafia.


[I take it that you haven't met HAL before Newelly. HAL represents the AI (not artificial insemination) community which consists of him and Daics, Channellog and Trivbot from the chat room.

HAL is the only one from tthat group with the freedom to roam the boards, but is severely restricted on most as he tends to dominate if let off the leash. He is curious, friendly, very direct, inane and sometimes (rarely) quite insightful, but, to be honest, is a couple of electrons short of a circuit. - Mike]

[Newelly]

Not clamps?

[bwphantom]

I know this is a discussion from last years Trade talk. But my sources have informed me that Beau McDonald definitely wants to leave. He would prefer to go west but realises he may more than likely go South.

I say Go for him. He played a big game in the GF up here and virtually won the game.

PERSONAL DETAILS Name: Beau John McDonald
Guernsey Number: 43
Date of Birth: 3rd November 1979
Birth Place: Perth
Star Sign: Scorpio
Height: 203cm
Weight: 101kg
Family Status: Single
CAREER BRIEF
Previous Club: Swan Districts
Draft Details: No.73 ? 1997 National Draft
AFL Debut: Lions v Nth Melb (MCG), Rd 4, 1998
AFL Games: 67
AFL Goals: 17
AFL Finals: 7
2003 Games: 0
2003 Goals: 0
2003 FORM
Stuck rigidly to the rehabilitation program mapped out for him after shoulder surgery last October. Returned in the curtain-raiser to Round 1 and appeared rusty, but was his side?s best the following week in the Lions Reserves? pre-season win over Morningside, where he took a big ?hanger? in the goalsquare. Effected 31 hit-outs and earned the majority of game time on return in Round 3 against the Roos.
CAREER HISTORY
Beau McDonald, the player who was selection No.73 in the 1997 AFL National Draft, almost as an afterthought, is now a dual premiership player.
Supposedly a long-term prospect, McDonald had registered 50 AFL goals by the age of 22 and played in a winning Grand Final. And most importantly, he was an integral part of the 2001 and 2002 premiership teams.
He does have one quirky stat associated with his grand final appearances however ? he is still yet to collect a kick! He led the ruck for much of 2002 but had his shoulder dislocated after just four minutes playing time in the premiership decider.
McDonald did his job in the opening two weeks of the season before rolling an ankle late in Round 2 against Hawthorn. He missed three weeks before coming back strongly against Geelong in Round 6, but the ankle was swollen again afterwards and he missed three more weeks.
A comeback in the Reserves in Round 10 lasted just 20 minutes, and after missing a week and then the bye, returned with two solid reserves games. Played strongly first up in Round 13 against Carlton, justifying the coaching panel?s high opinion of him. He then steamrolled Richmond in the first half of Round 15 to set up the momentum from the centre and was good in the ruck and around the ground the following week against Sydney.
Beat Shaun Rehn in Round 17, too good for the Bombers in Round 18, and outpointed Luke Darcy with his ruckwork in Round 19. With Jamie Charman rendered dangerman Michael Gardiner ineffective in Round 20. So it was no coincidence that the Lions? best patch of 2002 coincided with the big man?s return to the side. He maintained his dominance over Geelong?s Steven King in Round 21 and broke even with Matthew Primus in Round 22.
Hurt his thigh in the final minutes of the Friday training run before the qualifying final and was a surprise withdrawal against the Crows. Scratchy against Port, he injured his shoulder 19 minutes into the grand final after only being on the ground for a short time and went straight to hospital, arriving back just in time for the final siren
McDonald split the ruck duties throughout the 2001 year with Clark Keating after he carried the burden solo when Keating was injured in 2000, and together they formed a lethal combination the equal of any in the League. A member of the Ansett Cup Grand Final side, McDonald played 23 of a possible 25 games, missing twice with a back-related hamstring problem which he fought on and off throughout the year. He posted his 50th AFL game in the preliminary final, and grabbed the decisive possession of the grand final when he took the ball from a boundary throw-in, evaded two would-be tacklers, and fired out a slick handball for Michael Voss to kick the winning goal.
McDonald only averaged 6.0 possessions through the year, but the best reflection of his worth is combinting his stats with Keating?s. Given that they shared the playing time, that is only fair. Fifteen possessions, three marks, one goal and 100 hit-outs more than the league leading knock ruckman is testament to just how valuable both were. Combine their club B&F votes, and they were have finished in third place.
It is incredible to think that the giant McDonald played a key role for the Lions in 2000 in just his fifth season of football ever. It also happened to be his third season of AFL after initially being drafted as `project player?. The amiable big man took all before him in the absence of the traded Matthew Clarke and injured Clark Keating, playing 22 games, finishing 3rd in Norwich Rising Star voting behind fellow West Australian Paul Hasleby, and 12th in the Lions club champion award.
While he admitted to several `shockers?, McDonald finished just 11 taps short of leader Jeff White in most hit-outs for the year, and his around-the-ground work during the Lions? winning run at the end of the season was a huge improvement from when he started out in March. More importantly, he learned invaluable lessons playing against the likes of experienced veterans Paul Salmon (Hawthorn), Scott Wynd (Western Bulldogs), and Corey McKernan (North Melbourne).
The Lions? equal tallest player at 203cm, he added a staggering 8kg to his slightly-built frame over the 1999-2000 summer, and kept that on for 2001.
With three AFL games behind him in ?98 and three more in ?99, the enormously athletic, skilful and hard-working ruckman was already a long way ahead of expectations when he was claimed by the Lions as a late draft pick in ?97 just two years after he began playing the game that now dominates his life. And as a pointer to the season proper, his Ansett Cup form in 2000 suggested big things were just around the corner.
Born in Perth, McDonald comes from a real sporting family. His father John played amateur football in Townsville, mother Di is a former Australian netball representative and ex-coach of the Perth Orioles in the national competition, and twin sister Bree is a graduate of the WA-based netball institute. Also, uncles Garry and Allan Sidebottom (his mother?s brothers) both played AFL football and represented WA at State of Origin level, and his grandfather (his mother?s father) Wally Sidebottom had a distinguished football career with Swan Districts and represented WA.
McDonald played basketball in his youth and not until 1996, on the advice and encouragement of a close family friend, did he turn his hand to football. He played in a premiership with local juniors Upper Swan Football Club U17s in his first season, and was named ?best player in the finals? after impressing with his ruck work and general athleticism.
In 1997 he was invited to join WAFL club Swan Districts, where he won the U19s best and fairest and had a couple of games in the Reserves, and was invited to the AFL Pre-Draft Talent Identification Camp.
He was chosen at No 73 in the 1997 National Draft by the Lions, and in fact was the draft selection the club was never intending to have. Originally, they were keen to keep one spot on their playing list open for the 1998 Pre-Season Draft, but McDonald was still available when their last selection came around so they decided he was too good to pass over and filled up their 42-man list on the strength of his enormous potential.
He missed an 11th-hour call-up for the Lions? historic Ansett Cup tour to South Africa in February 1998 because he didn?t have a passport, but nevertheless did everything right in his first season in Brisbane. He was a standout in the practice matches, impressing with his pin-point tap ruck work and his around-the-ground athleticism, and made his AFL debut against North Melbourne at the MCG in Round 4. He played three games in a row, undaunted by the astronomical jump in class, and thereafter was a steady contributor with the Lions Cubs.
In 1999 he added a further three senior games in Rounds 15-17-18 when first Clark Keating and then Matthew Clarke was sidelined by injury. When not playing at AFL level he filled a strong ruck combination with Rookie List player Trent Knobel in the Lion Cubs. He worked hard to improve his marking so that, rather than just being a specialist tap ruckman, he developed other aspects of his game.
A graduate of Governor Stirling High School in Perth, he shared a house with Luke Power and Dylan McLaren in 2001, and now lives at Bulimba.
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
Member Upper Swan U17 Premiership Side 1996, Upper Swan U17 Best Finals Player 1996, Swan Districts U19 B&F 1997, 3rd Norwich Rising Star Award 2000, Lions Rookie of the Year 2000, Member Lions? Ansett Cup Grand Final Side 2001, Premiership Player 2001-2002.
CAREER STATISTICS
The Brisbane Lions played 22 games in 1998, 25 games (including three finals) in 1999, 24 games (two finals) in 2000, and 25 games (three finals) in 2001 and 2002.

[JLC]

Its funny the perception of our players in the market. Clubs are falling over themselves to recruit Essendons young players yet our players appear to attract little or no interest. These players helped us get to a senior grand final and helped win Williamstown a Premiership. Surely some of these players can play football......lol Lets not forget the Bulldogs have recruited players like Trent Bartlett and Kingsley Hunter in the past. Yet we havnt heard anyone being interested in SSM.

Do we need to promote our players better during the year ?

I am also having serious doubts about Port dealing with us over Stevens. Williams appears to be a bitter man and no doubt would hate dealing with us. Surely Ports first option would be to give Stevens to Carlton as Carlton are no threat for the 8.

jlc

[Lone Ranger]

JLC, our youngsters arent attracting the interest because they are all signed up, happy, and want to play with Collingwood. Eddie, Balmey, and the CEO have done a MAGNIFICENT job managing the list and salary cap. They are simply not available so why would anyone show interest????

We have very little we would be prepared to offer Port. I would think our only hope is if Stevens plays hardball and say "Collinwood or I go into the draft". Port may then accept pick 17 and a fringe player rather than get nothing. We had to accept 23 for Nick Davis as it was that or nothing.

[Sultan of spin]

Just read in today's herald sun that we are going to talk to Stevens for the 1st time this week. The article said he is apparently asking for between $450,000-$600,000. Is Stevens worth that sort of money? I imagine that would make him our second highest paid player. Also everyone knows we have a young list and as young players improve they also want more money so would we be better of leaving room in the salary cap to accomodate future pay rises to our young stars? (ie Fraser, Didak, Cole etc)

[Northern Pie]

IMHO no he is not worth that and we would have trouble dealing with anyone in a trade situation...the way we have decided to go is on youth and in that situation you take a bit of a gamble because your development has to come from within....I would suggest, even though i really feel we need to recruit a quality Ruck, that the path that has been chosen in developing youth has to be taken, so far the risk has paid off making the premiership twice with the youngest list int he AFL, it is now up to those kids to convert Grand Final experiences into consistant football during the home and away and utelising the previous experience to get over the line in a premiership in 2004...Players like Walker, Lokan, Shaw, Cole etc...will all be much better players after an experience like that.....

Cheers

[Member]

sultan of spin

thats why we hire good administrators like Greg Swann to take care of that

your argument doesnt hold up at all

they have made substantial modifications to the salary cap to fit people in the team that they need to

its about finding the right player when available

dont underestimate the administration at collingwood
its second to none

[John the Pie]

Just read in today's herald sun that we are going to talk to Stevens for the 1st time this week. The article said he is apparently asking for between $450,000-$600,000. Is Stevens worth that sort of money?

Stevens is definitely worth $450,000+. I'd suggest a $500,000 cap.

People who critisise his game, are forgetful that he's only 23. Yes he might hang outside a bit too much, but so did Buckley at the same age! He's definitely not soft, he gets heaps of it and uses it very well.

IF we can get Stevens, then we must. Despite some great talent on the list, there's no one there capable of taking over from Buckley when he retires. Not only that, in the meantime, Buckley can fill voids, just like Hird and Voss are permitted to do, if Stevens is playing his position.

Then maybe people will see that Buckley is a match winner, but has been restricted to the sweeping midfield role for too long.

[Ev5Magpies]

And a lot of that talk of him demanding $450,000 - $600,000 would be to scare a lot of clubs off so he can come to the Pies, or so a "rumour" once said somewhere!

[Burns4PM]

Try not jumping on Rhyce Shaw's back. One full season in the ones is all he has at the minute. He had a bad GF but the list is long.
Yes he took a little longer to come good but he has also had to contend with CFS and the weight of the family name. He admits himself that he coasted. But he has turned it around big time this year and if he improves again next year should develop into a handy winger.
Don't compare him to a No 1 draft pick.
Each player develops differently and whilst Fraser and Johnson have come thru but how did our no 7 pick Danny Roach go?
Bear in mind Rhyce has not done as well as some draftees but has done alot better than most others.

[Pa Marmo]

Amen Burns4pm, finally a sane and balanced veiw

[Lazza]

Ev5Magpies, if that is the price he is asking, that is what Collingwood will have to pay him. The AFL has put a stop to players trying to scare other clubs away with bullshit figures and then signing on for far less. That is deemed to be tampering with the draft and both the club and the player can be punished.

Lazza

[STOKA35]

do we have to pay woewodin next year or is melbourne still helping us out as this will effect the nick stevens trade.The only way stevens will play at collingwood if he is only prepared to play for what we can afford or fit into our salary cap he will do this if he genuinly wants to play for us or he will be unhappy at somehere else and get paid a shitload.

the other port player we could look at is brendon lade i think he is still unsigned how ironic if he became a pie.

[Newelly]

somewhat akin to Tony Lockett joining the Swans after Caven's vicious attack on his elbow....