From the moment Nathan Freeman’s request to be traded to St Kilda became official on Wednesday, he became public enemy number one to every Collingwood supporter in the country.
He and manager Paul Connors would have expected the backlash, given Freeman has yet to play a senior game for the Magpies since being taken at pick 10 in the 2013 National Draft.
That he has not made an appearance at senior level is hardly Freeman’s fault. Constant injuries, most notably of which have been to his hamstring, have given him little or no chance to show what he has to offer as an AFL player.
Understandably though, the Collingwood faithful are up in arms that a player the club has invested so heavily in without getting anything as yet in return, decides to leave – just as he gets his body right.
What makes Freeman’s decision even more unpalatable for the Magpie army is that most believe he is leaving for more money. Reports in the media suggest St Kilda have offered him a five-year deal worth $300,000 per season.
Connors has denied this. He said on SEN that his client’s decision to leave is based on opportunity rather than remuneration, but of course that is to be expected. His job is to paint his client in the best possible light to get him the best deal he can.
However even if this is true, it still does not say much for Freeman. Despite Connors describing him as “a ripping young bloke”, if he is not prepared to back himself to play senior football at Collingwood, what makes him think he can do so elsewhere?
Yes, the Magpies will have a strong midfield next season, particularly if the trade for the Greater Western Sydney Giants’ Adam Treloar gets done. But with Dane Swan certain to spend more time forward in 2016, and the added possibility of Scott Pendlebury playing a sweeping role off half back, the opportunities are there for someone willing to take them. Apparently Freeman is not.
Some have described Freeman as a similar type of player to Patrick Dangerfield. The comparisons may prove to be justified on the playing field sometime in the future, however at this stage the two appear poles apart as individuals.
If he did not have it already, Dangerfield has earned the respect of the entire football world this season with the way in which he has handled not only the death of Phil Walsh, but also the constant speculation that he would be heading home to Victoria at the end of the season.
Even after the announcement that he was leaving Adelaide became public on Wednesday, the vast majority of Crows supporters took to social media to thank him for his contribution to the club and to wish him all the best for the future. Which is hardly the case with Freeman.
Freeman may very well be the ripping young bloke that Connors says he is, he might also end up being a player in the mould of Dangerfield – adored by his own club’s fans and respected by the majority of others.
Yet no matter how good he becomes, either as a footballer or person, he will remain a villain to most Collingwood supporters for the foreseeable future. And there is little doubt they will vociferously let him know of their feelings for years to come.
As far as the Magpie Army is concerned, Freeman’s request to leave the Holden Centre was tantamount to a declaration of war. To them he is now an enemy of the state and will be treated accordingly.
Hopefully Nathan Freeman has a thick skin.
Pumping Dougie
Guest
Maybe there's a personality conflict between Freeman and Buckley, or one of the players. This article and all the comments here presume the reason is money. Given we're talking about a powerful club with a bright future who will give Freeman plenty of support, it seems very odd. Also odd that Saints would throw significantly more money at a midfielder who was only pick 10 and has only played 4 VFL games (no AFL) in his first two years. I don't believe it - there must be more to this story. I'm speculating he slept with the coach's wife and saw the writing on the wall!
Not Likely
Guest
Collingwood supporters have more than heard of Freeman; we have been waiting patiently for him to make a contribution to the club, after having wasted pick 10 on the recruitment of a croc, a failed decision the responsibility for which must now be borne by the likes of Buckley, Pert, Hines and Co. Freeman will hopefully enjoy his 'career' at the bottom of the ladder, which may well be cut short by further serious hamstring injuries, which the Pies worked so hard to help him overcome. Time for the Pies to push the flush button on Freeman and focus on achieving success for the club.
jason k
Guest
As a St. Kilda fan, I'm not sure I'd want him either. Sounds like a bit of a flakey guy.
jason k
Guest
I wonder if there are bigger commissions involved for the manager if a player switches clubs.
Johnny
Guest
Only goes to support my point. I never said I thought what Buckley did was any better.
deccas
Guest
Pies who dis freeman but are happy to have james aish should take a good hard look at themselves IMO.
SM
Guest
Good bit of business from the kid's manager. It is interesting to see hypocritical Pies fans frothing at the mouth over a player the majority would not have heard of a few days ago.
Alicesprings
Guest
Can't blame the poor kid for wanting to get out!
Laze
Guest
Was thinking this exact thing!
Paul D
Roar Guru
Like I said – he’s a #10 draft pick, so clearly has a fair bit of identified talent. Still very young. I make no comment on what St Kilda are offering him apart from to say it’s certainly not excessive by any standards, and the fact that you always will need to pay more to entice a player out of their existing club, otherwise why move. How is the Boyd example disingenuous? I think it’s a very relevant example of the currency of young potential talent these days, and the currency these guys can command. It also illustrates that St Kilda’s $300K for Freeman is perfectly reasonable. You have no idea as to the state of Freeman’s body, or his attitude and approach. Maybe he doesn’t like it at Collingwood. Maybe he is chasing money and St Kilda are offering the most. Maybe he sees more opportunities there. Who knows. I don’t pretend to know either, but I’m wary of making assumptions and guesswork when trying to determine why a course of events has panned out the way that it has. Finally, since we’re talking trades, I remind you as well that Collingwood last year threw a massive deal at Levi Greenwood to entice him out of North Melbourne because he wasn’t guaranteed game time there and would have had to “work hard to earn a spot”…I don’t see anyone from Collingwood calling him a money chaser, or a villain.
Paul G
Guest
As a Pies supporter, if Nathan Freeman is potentially half as good as Dangerfield down the track, I'm a bit disillusioned the club didn't work harder or smarter to retain him with a better offer in light of commercial realities. Given a $10 million plus salary cap, an extra year or $100K was surely worth it. Even though he hasn't played, I think it's questionable list mngt. on the Pies part. This one might haunt us come finals time in the future.
Nicko
Guest
He may have spent 2 years in the "system" but almost all of that time he has been injured or in rehab...he has played 3.5 VFL games. Across the AFL the average salary is around $280k...so a guy that has been injured for two years, has not set foot on the arena, is worth more than the average player...this makes sense to you? To suggest that this is not a bad deal by throwing up Boyd is disingenuous...just because two people do something stupid does not make it right. it is also very surprising that Richardson would go this way,..he is all about culture and handwork... As i said, good luck to the kid...clearly chasing money is more important to him than working hard to earn a spot...so be it.
Edgar Slosh
Roar Guru
Judd, Ryder, Dangerfield to name a few
Brisvegas
Guest
Hmmmm I think back to a certain Collingwood Coach who did a very similar thing, chased the cash over the glory and his club. Instead of having 3 premiership medals he has none.
Paul D
Roar Guru
You can’t seriously have a go at St Kilda over this. Western Bulldogs paid a million a year for Tom Boyd who’s played only a handful of games. So it’s not just a St Kilda thing by any means. $300K isn’t a huge outlay in a $10 million cap for a #10 draft pick either. The correct conclusion to draw from this is that elite talent is hard to come by, and even potential talent is worth taking a punt on. Players and their managers know this, hence why so many movers at trade time are the young draft talent who’ve spent 1-2 years in the system.
Nicko
Guest
At a football skill, at a mental and at a physical level he has not proven himself an AFL player. The fact that St Kilda wants to pay a guy that has yet to play 1 game $300 000 says something about St Kilda and the state of the game in general. I agree with the comment that AFL careers are short and they should take the money on offer...I just suspect that his career might be shorter than most.
Johnny
Guest
Extremely disappointing situation. He could have stuck around and become apart of what's looking to be a really strong young team and midfield and he has chosen stability and cash over glory and his club. If you just want to make as much cash as you can and not be challenged then why even play professional sport? Get get a white collar job and jump around workplaces all you want. Sport should be about team first and making something bigger than yourself. Achieving glory and having that feeling the rest of us only dream of. Collingwood has top flight facilities and a program heading for greatness. Yet he still wants more....some ripping bloke.
Wilson
Roar Guru
who else has he got to move clubs?
Dalgety Carrington
Roar Guru
Get over yourselves. You're going after Treloar and have been linked to just about every other youngster that wants to get out of their club and already have a fair number of pilfered youngsters on your list. Oh and the only people I have heard him say he's comparable to Dangerfield are Collingwood people.
Paul D
Roar Guru
As you say, the notion that the opportunities aren't there at Collingwood is bunk. He definitely would have got his chances in the midfield. Therefore, it is only about money. Can't fault the player for chasing it, senior AFL careers are very short, on average. But he'll need to take the boos on the chin, not complain, and focus on silencing his detractors with his football. He's got a target on his back now, that's for certain. Plenty of people will be lining up to knock him if he flops.