How can a guy win his fifth best and fairest for a club one week and be shipped out the very next?
I don’t exactly know where to start with the Sam Mitchell trade. The realities of 21st century footy are that once a team becomes too successful, their stars make more money, the successful team can no longer afford all their stars under the salary cap and the team breaks up.
They fall, and the wheel turns.
It was what limited dominant teams like North Melbourne, Essendon and Brisbane at the turn of the century to a genuine premiership window of only three to four years. But Hawthorn and Geelong defied this, reaching the top at the opportune moment when free agency kicked in and staying there for good, à la Manchester United for 20 years.
Geelong’s time had come, until they recruited Patrick Dangerfield and suddenly they weren’t finished after all. Hawthorn are looking at the same idea this summer.
Hawthorn are clever. The teams at the top these days are there because of excellent management rather than the dollar-wash of the 1980s. Hawthorn, needless to say, won three consecutive premierships.
They had one chance to win the iconic fourth, but will not submit to a middling second year-after in which they are no longer the team to watch. No point having a dead year now that the other teams have evidently caught up.
Time to renew. To renew, you need salary cap space.
They are probably making the ‘right’ move, I guess. Hawk fans would more remember another premiership with Jaeger O’Meara than a year coming fourth with Mitchell, winning a semi-final against West Coast and then losing a prelim to GWS by five relaxed goals. Change is good, etc.
But wouldn’t Hawthorn be missing a piece of themselves? Would it have the same ‘feel’?
Fans move on. I was spitting chips when Adam Cooney left the Bulldogs. I wrongly blamed the club. But look where we are now.
Still, I read a commenter online succinctly state, “Sad day for the club. You should never trade your icons.”
I think of Geelong. While they have had thirteen (!) years of almost uninterrupted success, the only Cats team to have got all the way to the grand final is the ‘organic’ team of 2007-11, the home-grown one. Even the 2013 team of new boys that came through the club like Jordan Murdoch, Josh Caddy, Nathan Vardy and such anonymous names (at the time) almost nipped Hawthorn’s three-peat in the bud, which is more than I can say about the 2016 team.
They could bargain their way to near the top again, but not to the top. In the same way the New York Yankees, to take a wild tangent, have had literally double the budget of every other team in Major League Baseball, but only the home-grown boys of the 1990s consistently won titles. The Yankees since have only won one championship in sixteen years despite buying every top player who ever put on a mitt.
I also think of Sydney, who were the last chance for my Bulldog dream to go kaput. They won in 2012 because, as alluded by Jay Croucher here on The Roar, they had an identity. Guys like Ryan O’Keefe, Ted Richards, Lewis Roberts-Thompson and of particularly Adam Goodes gave every last piece of sweat to just hold off the team of the decade, a magnificent win.
Perhaps such a nail-biting win from third place was unrepeatable anyway and they needed to top up, but it’s kind of not the same with Buddy and Tippett, as great as Buddy’s been.
Since then they have won two minor premierships but lost two grand finals. The spirit is different. In 2016 in particular the Swans lacked a spark when the moment of truth arrived, blowing last-second games against Richmond, Hawthorn and the Bulldogs and getting blown out by GWS come finals time.
Geelong and Sydney both lacked the je ne sais quoi when it mattered. Hawthorn were of lesser quality than those two this year but having the belief and understanding in who they are enabled them to steal many matches they should not have (Grrrr!). A successful conversion from Isaac Smith, and who knows?
In the middle of all that was, naturally, Sam Mitchell dishing off handballs.
So Hawthorn may win next year (though I’d suggest it’s not their world anymore, it’s GWS’s). But will it feel as complete without their equal-most iconic player of the last decade?
richo
Guest
playing for less at Hawthorn than what Vickory will get is not a professional decision, its an emotional one centred around the success of the team and the club. I sincerely hope that Vickory and O'Meara end up being complete duds and the whole shenanigan wont be repeated.
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
Surely Perry the other consideration is where the players were in that team, and how the team performed. North limped into 8th. None of the 4 delisted players were in the top 5 of the B & F count. The team clearly wasn't where it needs to be and even then the older players weren't top players consistently. Players like Harvey had dipped in form during the season. Hawthorn were good enough to finish top 4 and both Mitchell and Lewis were good enough to be considered their top 2 players in the B & F count. Hawthorn may have higher aspirations but perhaps much of the team around Mitchell and Lewis needs to pick their game up?
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
Exactly right. There's certainly no place for sentiment. The club was hard nosed to 2 players who stayed for less. What happens when they ask the next guy to stay for less?
Penster
Guest
There were 2 other picks lower than "2 fat ladies 88" but I take your point. I wonder if this would have happened on Chris Fagan's watch, but I can see what they're doing and commend them on a significant and difficult piece of list management: Mitigating a mass exodus on retirement of all those veterans and making way for the future. Sam had 1 year left at the Hawks, by his own admission he was going to WCE in 2018 to coach. I don't like it but it's brutally practical.
dave
Guest
Eagles win Michell wins the only losers are the Hawthorn football club. There would have been many ways to free up the salary cap. This move was done to give a favourite son Sam Mitchell a good boost as his career nears the end. At first It seems ruthless but then you look at it and realise Hawthorn haven't gained anything but are looking after one of their best players. Staring to understand why so many want to play for the Hawks.
Tim Holt
Roar Guru
Not either hot or cold Birdman, just tell it how I see it The Mitchell scenario was pure and simple a salary purge. The class of Sam means he is towing 'the company line' despite being shamefully treated
Birdman
Guest
and authentic and sincere.
Birdman
Guest
great post but some 'Hawks fans' will have you belive that Sam is pretending he's happy about it - sheesh!
Birdman
Guest
jeez Tim - you talk about Hawks fans being hot and cold but you're happy to line up the club when it does something you don't agree with despite delivering regular flags over 6 decades including 4 in the last decade. Some people need a grievance to nurture I guess,
Republican
Guest
.......yeah right. A good mate of mine who supports the proud Soccer club i.e. Celtic tells me there is not a Scottish Player to be seen in this 'club'. These players have didddly knowledge of the clubs history or DNA while their branding is expedient of the cultural property for what purpose exactly? What a complete farce.
Republican
Guest
....therein lies the philosophical difference between what you see as 'just a game' and those who perhaps relate to Australian Footy as more than this. I view our indigenous code as a cultural institution that is sadly governed by the equivalent of a multi national and as such has been compromised of all virtue, meaning and quality, because all that is left is the almighty dollar.
Republican
Guest
'This club'? Don't delude yourself by referring to these as clubs in any way or form rather they are brands. Those of your persuasion who might justify the culture of money, which has rendered any semblance of loyalty and tribalism extinct, are in reality consumers unlike the writer of this article, who clearly holds some sentiment of virtue in respect of loyalty and as such is more akin to the dying breed of supporter - truth be told.
AB
Guest
I agree NYH, it's a very sad day for Hawthorn supporters. Personally, I'd put Mitchell right near the very top in the pantheon of Hawthorn greats, behind only Matthews and equaled by only Dunstall. He's certainly been Hawthorn's greatest player of the 21st century. Equal-highest Brownlow vote winner of all time and 5 club B&Fs in a very strong team. Just missed out on the Brownlow three times and the Norm Smith twice. Had the dice rolled his way on those occasions, he wouldn't have been so vastly under-rated by non-Hawthorn people, as he has been his whole career. As sad as I am to see him go, I don't buy this argument that he was pushed. Clearly he's excited about moving towards the next phase of his career; and clearly he'd still be playing at Hawthorn in 2017 if he wanted to be. Even at 34, he's still easily Hawthorn's best player and gets tagged more often than just about any other player in the AFL. Of all the ageing Hawthorn stars, he's always looked likely to play the longest, even though he's the oldest. So I read this as Hawthorn doing the right thing by one of their veterans, by offering him an opportunity that he clearly wants to take. It's the complete opposite of how the rabble at Arden St treated Boomer.
Sunny Sam
Guest
essence comes and goes, essence ebbs and flows, just like money and players and fans. theres not an unhappy party involved with this trade, so why the fuss, ok some disgruntled fans aside. that argument for a organic homegrown team vs. a concocted patched together mutant dollar team , had occurred to me. but it really doesnt hold up under closer inspection. there are many organic teams who dont get near a GF. How rare a beast are the Dogs? All teams are patched together now and moreso in the future it seems, like U.S sports teams. Lets hope it doesnt get to the in-season turnover rate like 'Moneyball'. I understand the soulless thing, the Swans strike me as being a bit like that now - an ad hoc steampunk team. maybe thats just me. as an eagles supporter i'd preferred to see a younger player come through, or a younger gun traded into midfield position-and organically bloom, but Mitchell does have a lot of upside.
cowcorner
Roar Pro
The club will say that you need to be hard-nosed. I think hard-nosedness is over-rated. You end up chipping away at loyalty of players and fans.
Tim Holt
Roar Guru
Yes, getting pick 88 for him underlines the 'smarts' I think the club messed up big and have been flip flopping after the season due to the finals shock
Penster
Guest
Re-signing him kills off distracting speculation during the year and increases his market value due to being a contracted player and not an unsigned desperado like the North Melbourne veterans. Clever play by the best in the business I reckon.
Tim Holt
Roar Guru
The only thing I am upset with as a Hawks fan is the club messing up by signing all the vets and then coming up with these elaborate stories when pushing them out. If, this idea was floated to Sam last year as suggested, then why re-sign him midseason??? Why not say, this is his last year with him pursuing a coaching career as of 2017?
Gecko
Guest
There does seem to be a strong element that both club and player were happy with this deal. I'm sure if Sam had wanted to stay on, the Hawks would have agreed (he was signed for another year) and if he'd been unhappy about leaving, he would have at least shopped himself around to Melbourne clubs. Instead, he seems happy to have rejoined Adam Simpson, whom he knows well. Fans can be upset if Sam was pushed but shouldn't be upset if, after years of great service, he starts thinking about a coaching career.
Tim Holt
Roar Guru
I agree Perry and the gullible media and most fans have fallen for it The 'propaganda' over Sam from all involved is galling