Murray MiddletonScrooge McFevola
July 6th 2008 11:52
On ‘The Footy Show’ last Thursday night Craig Hutchison revealed that Brendan Fevola had been offered a contract by Sydney. The deal was reportedly worth three million dollars over four years. Although Fevola denied the story (in unconvincing fashion), many other people have come forward and said that Fevola boasted openly about the deal during the recent Jeff Fenech fight. The prospect of Fevola going to Sydney must now be taken seriously.
The Swans have a habit of pinching key forwards for the final third of their careers, as has been the case with Tony Lockett and Barry Hall. Any deal with Fevola would make good sense. No club will ever get Fevola to stay out of trouble, but the Swans do seem like as gooder fit as any. Fevola would benefit from the diminished scrutiny that would follow a potential move to the Swans.
If anything, the deal is testament to the stupidity of the footballer in question. He seemed to be angry when Hutchison broke the story on Thursday night and has been angered by the consistent speculation about his contract talks in the media. What does he expect? Fevola has unashamedly dragged his contract talks on for months. This would have done nothing to please coach Brett Ratten or captain Chris Judd. If he does not pull his head into line soon, the Blues may well say good riddance to bad smells.
Fevola has made no secret of his desire to make more money than the Blues are offering him. He also wants a four year contract as opposed to the three that Carlton are offering. No club in modern football would be advised to offer any more than a three year deal. The likes of Jonathon Brown and Daniel Kerr are currently fighting the same loosing battle with their clubs. Any more than three years is simply too risky for the club involved. What if Fevola got drunk on a Saturday night and was struck by a tram? It is not beyond the realms of possibility.
While Fevola says that his next contract must set him up for retirement, he is neglecting two crucial points. First, there is less honour in being a two-club player. Nothing is as nice as being chaired off the ground after a long career at one club. See James Hird and Glenn Archer last season. Second, Fevola is clearly (and rather unfortunately for the public) going to have a career in the media when he finishes football. He will be able to generate an income for the majority of his life based solely on his football exploits. He will not starve if he stays at the Blues, regardless of the impression that he is giving.
Nick Davis – a player who has fallen out of favour at Sydney this year – could be involved in any deal between the Blues and Swans. His omission from the Swans line-up shows the problematic nature of an individual placing their own agenda ahead of the team. The recent success of Geelong shows the benefits of placing the team ahead of the individual. Fevola is in career-best form. His club has been down for the past five seasons. They have won seven matches this season and remain a legitimate chance to play in the finals. If he were to leave now, having done all the hard work ‘bottoming out’, it would truly attest to his stupidity.
The odds are still with Fevola staying at Carlton in 2009 and beyond. With Judd, Murphy, Gibbs and Stevens feeding him, Fevola will kick plenty of goals. Carlton cannot offer much more than they already have. It is up to their spearhead to see the light, which has been a problem in the past. There is a very small chance that Fevola intentionally leaked his dealings with the Swans in an attempt to increase the next offer from Carlton. If this is the case, Fevola is more stupid than first thought. He ought to stick to the one thing in life that he is good at: kicking goals for Carlton.
The Swans have a habit of pinching key forwards for the final third of their careers, as has been the case with Tony Lockett and Barry Hall. Any deal with Fevola would make good sense. No club will ever get Fevola to stay out of trouble, but the Swans do seem like as gooder fit as any. Fevola would benefit from the diminished scrutiny that would follow a potential move to the Swans.
If anything, the deal is testament to the stupidity of the footballer in question. He seemed to be angry when Hutchison broke the story on Thursday night and has been angered by the consistent speculation about his contract talks in the media. What does he expect? Fevola has unashamedly dragged his contract talks on for months. This would have done nothing to please coach Brett Ratten or captain Chris Judd. If he does not pull his head into line soon, the Blues may well say good riddance to bad smells.
Fevola has made no secret of his desire to make more money than the Blues are offering him. He also wants a four year contract as opposed to the three that Carlton are offering. No club in modern football would be advised to offer any more than a three year deal. The likes of Jonathon Brown and Daniel Kerr are currently fighting the same loosing battle with their clubs. Any more than three years is simply too risky for the club involved. What if Fevola got drunk on a Saturday night and was struck by a tram? It is not beyond the realms of possibility.
While Fevola says that his next contract must set him up for retirement, he is neglecting two crucial points. First, there is less honour in being a two-club player. Nothing is as nice as being chaired off the ground after a long career at one club. See James Hird and Glenn Archer last season. Second, Fevola is clearly (and rather unfortunately for the public) going to have a career in the media when he finishes football. He will be able to generate an income for the majority of his life based solely on his football exploits. He will not starve if he stays at the Blues, regardless of the impression that he is giving.
Nick Davis – a player who has fallen out of favour at Sydney this year – could be involved in any deal between the Blues and Swans. His omission from the Swans line-up shows the problematic nature of an individual placing their own agenda ahead of the team. The recent success of Geelong shows the benefits of placing the team ahead of the individual. Fevola is in career-best form. His club has been down for the past five seasons. They have won seven matches this season and remain a legitimate chance to play in the finals. If he were to leave now, having done all the hard work ‘bottoming out’, it would truly attest to his stupidity.
The odds are still with Fevola staying at Carlton in 2009 and beyond. With Judd, Murphy, Gibbs and Stevens feeding him, Fevola will kick plenty of goals. Carlton cannot offer much more than they already have. It is up to their spearhead to see the light, which has been a problem in the past. There is a very small chance that Fevola intentionally leaked his dealings with the Swans in an attempt to increase the next offer from Carlton. If this is the case, Fevola is more stupid than first thought. He ought to stick to the one thing in life that he is good at: kicking goals for Carlton.
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