Though Kurt Tippett walked away from the SCG for the final time last week, the stink from his underwhelming time at the Sydney Swans remains.
The fallout for the Swans from its recruitment of Tippett – a rare misstep for a club with a modern day Midas touch – cannot be downplayed.
Looking back, Sydney’s big-money move for Tippett at the end of 2012 left many scratching their heads.
Fresh from an epic grand final win over the Hawks, Sydney was rightly being lauded for the latest incarnation of its famed ‘Bloods’ culture. This was a team renowned for honest toil and a club thought to boast a relatively egalitarian wage structure.
Contrast that with Tippett who, together with the Crows, was embroiled in a salary cap saga that ultimately saw him fined heavily and banned for the first half of the 2013 season for his part in the mess.
Throw in a reported $1 million per year salary with the Swans, coupled with the fact that Tippett, whose game was always based more on freak athletic ability for a big man, never came close to fitting the Sydney hard-as-nails mould.
Yet the Swans presumably recognised a rare opportunity to poach an experienced, highly skilled tall forward who could ease the burden on the ageing Adam Goodes and still green Sam Reid.
(James Elsby/AFL Media/Getty Images)
Tony Lockett and Barry Hall’s time in the harbour city had also demonstrated to the Swans the importance of star power in capturing the local public’s attention in rugby league heartland.
Not only that, any concerns held by the club about a perceived lack of physicality to Tippett’s game would have been dismissed in no small part by the continued presence of the club’s enforcer, ruckman Shane Mumford.
Yet if the Swans’ decision to recruit Tippett had initially been considered dubious, Buddy Franklin’s bombshell arrival in Sydney from the Hawks a year later made it look outright calamitous.
Suddenly the Swans had the key forward and transcendent star it could have only dreamed of.
Of course the kicker was that a huge chunk of its salary cap was now tied up with a key forward in Tippett, who the Swans would not have looked twice at had it known Buddy was remotely on its radar.
The first and perhaps most significant ripple was Sydney having no choice but to allow the out-of-contract Mumford to leave for cross-town rival GWS Giants.
Mumford stood virtually alone in remaining scary in the relatively comfortable surrounds of the modern sanitised AFL and the Swans never fully recovered from the loss of his steel.
(AAP Image/Paul Miller)
That Mumford’s arrival at GWS coincided with the fledgling Giants gaining what was then an unthinkable upper hand physically over the battle-hardened Swans was a testament to his impact.
But the most telling example of the void left by Mumford was the Hawks’ obliteration of the Swans in the 2014 grand final, a game punctuated by extreme Hawthorn aggression and precious little Sydney remonstration.
While hard-pressed to suggest a different result given the lopsided margin, it’s difficult to imagine the Hawks reprising the same schoolyard bully role with Mumford in red and white.
If Mumford has been the headline casualty from the Tippett and Buddy deals, the health of Sydney’s list more generally has been another big loser.
Concerns about a lack of squad depth were realised in Sydney’s 2016 grand final appearance, where many felt that the Bulldogs’ bottom six players were the difference.
Of course, all of this would have been largely overlooked had Tippett lived up to his billing.
But despite flashes of brilliance, a combination of injuries and more recent spells of poor form have ultimately blighted Tippet’s time in Sydney.
Unlike the Bulldog Tom Boyd, Tippett also spurned his ‘cure-all’ moment by laying an egg in the Swans’ 2016 grand final defeat after Buddy was hobbled by an ankle injury.
The silver lining for the Swans has been the spectacular form of Buddy, which has seemingly justified his monster nine-year deal and in large part pushed the failed Tippett experience into the shade.
Yet if Sydney is not able to win a premiership during the remainder of Buddy’s tenure, it will be difficult not to conclude that the Swans’ Buddy chapter was over a year before it began.
Lroy
Guest
The Swans mishandled Tippet . They should have left him at full forward, let him lead from the square. Instead they tried to use him as a backup ruckman / key forward. He stopped kicking goals and wasnt dominating the hit outs, his body wasnt used to the extra wear and tear that rucking provides, hence the increased injuries.. Hes been very unfairly maligned in my opinion.
Leonard
Guest
Never had any warm feelings for Fitzpatrick (quite apart from his playing for Carlton and the shared traditional Irish (actually, it's not) moniker. Always felt he evoked that famous children's question "What is he for?" Always seemed too smug and arrogant to be in touch with (whatever's left of) the Outer. Would happily put all the blame (well, most of it) on him for fans of the two Grand Final clubs being quota'd out of the MCG on their Biggest Day of the Year. C'mon, Mr CEO McLachlan - grow a spine and abolish that rort.
Paul Matters
Roar Rookie
Tippett had a career basically blighted by injuries. And Longmire's defensive slow ball movement style. He was not recruited as a ruckman but a key position forward. Only Franklin's brilliance has managed to prevail over the Longmire defensive game plan where the ball is moved so slowly that big forwards are covered and double teamed by the opposition. Also Longmire has the best forward in a generation basically playing as a wing man a significant part of the game. For Tippett with less mobility than Franklin this was not a style suited to his physical limitations in regard to mobility. . As for Mumford winning the Swans a grand final that is a stretch. He played in two previous Grand Finals and was a missing person in both of them. There is absolutely no evidence that Mumford was ever a "big" game player. He was always beatable due to his lack of marking and tap work. Good against smaller and younger opponents. Not so good against the big blokes.
Maggie
Guest
Birdman, I don’t disagree that if winning premierships was the only reason Buddy chose the Swans rather than GWS then that might prove to be the wrong choice. I thought that when he said it and have said so on The Roar before. He made the comment in answer to a question in a press conference where he was unlikely to spell out all his reasons. But note he did also say he was excited by the opportunity to play alongside Adam Goodes. Given he approached the Swans (not vv) when he started thinking about moving to Sydney it seems he was attracted to them before any negotiations commenced. My guess is there were a range of reasons: a ‘known’ club with recent playing success versus the ‘unknown’ of a relatively new club, some players he already knew, its location in the eastern suburbs, etc. And then they made him a nice offer. What he never said, yet some keep repeating, is that he left Hawthorn to win more premierships with the Swans. Footballers are not just sporting robots, they are also human beings who deserve happy personal lives as much as the rest of us. And Buddy had very strong personal reasons for moving to Sydney. I can understand that Hawthorn fans were very upset to lose him (just as I would have been if, say, Adam Goodes had moved to another club) but to keep attacking him by misrepresenting his comment about premierships, or with personal attacks (“motivated by financial and personal greed” by andy112) is so disrespectful for a wonderful player who played spectacular football for Hawthorn and who remains intensely loyal to your club. His tears at the end of the 2013 GF I suspect were very much an expression of his mixed emotions when he knew he was leaving. Some of his closest friends appear to be present & past Hawthorn players. The Hawthorn players show no animosity to Buddy for his move, perhaps it’s time some Hawthorn supporters followed their lead and let go their hostility towards him.
Ryan Geer
Roar Pro
Tippett was brought in as a key forward like he was at the Crows. A big monster that would command attention and kick goals for the Swans and for the most part he did that in his early career in Sydney. In his first three seasons at the Swans Tippett played 48 games kicking 113 goals which is averaging better than his last three seasons at the Crows. We only seem to be judging Tippett on his past two seasons when he has been plagued by injury and playing mainly as a ruckman which he had never before in his AFL career. So you could say Tippett worked for what he was brought in to do but failed when injuries started and he was playing out of his preferred position. I wanted him to succeed and wished the Swans had put him back as key forward only. Unfairly judged.
Stewie
Guest
"If Mumford has been the headline casualty from the Tippett and Buddy deals, the health of Sydney’s list more generally has been another big loser. Concerns about a lack of squad depth were realised in Sydney’s 2016 grand final appearance, where many felt that the Bulldogs’ bottom six players were the difference." I'm sorry, WHAT?! At the end of 2015, the Swans lost Goodes, Bird, Jetta, Pyke, and Rhyce Shaw. We blooded something like 11 debutants in 2016, a large number of whom became best 22 players, or have great potential (Hewitt, Papley, Mills, Naismith, Aliir). And that year we made a grand final. Squad depth my ass.
Harsh Truth Harry
Roar Rookie
I love buddy Angela, but he was offered 9 million sweet $ and took it and laughed all the way to the bank, good luck to him, wish we had him at the bombers as he could join in the flag this year.
Harsh Truth Harry
Roar Rookie
I agree with the Birdman on this one. If Buddy went to GWS they would have beaten the doggies in that prelim and won the flag. Buddy made the wrong call. He left, watched his loved Hawks win two more flags and has not tasted ultimate success since. His was a "sliding doors" moment and he went in the wrong door. Ultimately the Franklin deal and Tippet deal for the Swans are a failure as they never got that flag and never will now. The Doggies on the other hand through the cheque book at Boyd and if he never plays another game it has already reaped the rewards. The Tigers too stuck with Dusty and rode his tattooed back to a flag. Buddy, Dusty and Judd are the best three players last ten years and only Carlton missed a flag with their recruit. Ironically, Judd would have got at least one flag with his sliding doors moment when he chose the Blues over the black and white mongrels. Maggie, sorry but the Franklin deal is a flop.
andyl12
Guest
And it's beyond opinion that he would've won more flags by now if he'd stayed at Hawthorn. So either (or both) he's very bad at predicting the future, or he lied about his reason for moving and was purely motivated by financial and personal greed.
Birdman
Guest
Maggie, It's only my opinion but I honestly think that had Buddy gone to the Giants instead of the Swans, he would have won at least one more flag (probably 2016) and would be a lot richer by now at $2m per annum. IMO his decision on which NSW club to go to was in large part influenced by his perception of which club would win a flag sooner which was fair enough but I think he miscalculated the rate of development at GWS.
Eddy Jay
Guest
Gosh, a lot of outlandish statements made in this article. "A reported $1 million salary"? Wrong, it was $800K. Sure, Tippett's recruitment didn't bear out what the Swans intended, but what an incredibly presumptuous article, where the writer seems to know what was inside Tippett's head and exactly what he was thinking. Tippett was injured for a lot of his time at the Swans. Who's fault is that? It didn't work out. Sometimes this happens in football. Mumford was waning at the Swans. He needed a new place to rejuvenate his career and he did that at the Giants. But not for long. Swans' lack of depth in the 2014 and 2016 grand finals? No, they just didn't play well enough on the day, including Tippett. And then finishing off with the usual inane comment alluding to Franklin's recruitment as a failure if the Swans don't win a premiership. Lazy writing, lazy ideas.
anon
Roar Pro
He was a decent players late 2015 when Franklin was out with mental illness. Or was he suspended? Can't remember. Played some good matches, nearly got Sydney over the line in the QF in Perth. Odd career.
Glenn
Guest
Shame I read everything down to here Paul, Maggie and Angela, notwithstanding all your previous comments and I won't be reading beyond the 3rd response to Paul as that one just starts the crap again. Yours are the worthwhile responses to this pointless article. The fact that these articles are never written by Swans fans is comical. I was ecstatic when the Swans recruited Tippett, only wish he could have avoided injury, couldn't give a stuff that they lost Mumford and accept that it wouldn't have mattered if the Swans had 5 Mummies beating up on the Hawks in the GF. As far as I and the Swans are concerned, neither of the Tippett and Franklin deals was a mistake. I'd rather 2 losing GFs than 2 years of not even getting there.
andyl12
Guest
"No idea why people still care about COLA, seems more like the usual Victorian sense of entitlement and the usual Victorian double standards that any help or advantage needs to be given to them,home of the VFL beggars,tin cans in hand." A typical MattyB whinge. Given that MattyB wants to kill off 8 Victorian clubs, it's no wonder that his definition of "Victorian sense of entitlement" is what it is.
Suzie the nudist
Roar Rookie
Paul, I was really taken aback to see you referring to me in a negative way here! I couldn't quite believe why! I have been nothing but positive about my footy. I love footy. I am not a hater of any clubs, I admire them all in different ways. I admire the great clubs of this era like the Cats, Swans and of course the fearsome Hawks. I also admire the tenacity of the fledgling clubs like Gold Coast and GWS. I am a positive person and think positively. I came in here to talk footy and I'm not quite sure what you are saying about me above but it is not fair and makes me feel most unwelcome here. If I knew how to do a sad face I would make it here.
Maggie
Guest
Ok, fair enough, we disagree on Tippett’s value to the Swans (although I think had the approach from Franklin come up first, the Swans would not have recruited Tippett). It turned out that Tippett ended up not being a great buy for the club - but in my view that was because of injuries for which neither he nor the club were to blame. And I don’t think the Swans thought they had made a mistake in Tippett’s two outstanding years of 2013 and 2016. Overall there was a lot of bad luck involved for both Tippett and the Swans, but that happens in footy.
mattyb
Guest
Some great comments and patience from the Swans supporters here. I can't see how anyone could think Franklin has been anything but terrific for the Swans and wonderful for the game that is going to be facing some enormous challenges in the coming years as we attempt to expand to survive. Franklin is going to retire as one of the games all time greats,I'm not sure how this can be seen as anything but great. Tippett though hasn't worked out but these things happen,clubs can't get every decision right,you just need to get more right than wrong,and the Swans have done that. No idea why people still care about COLA, seems more like the usual Victorian sense of entitlement and the usual Victorian double standards that any help or advantage needs to be given to them,home of the VFL beggars,tin cans in hand.
Aligee
Guest
I agree he doesn't deserve any bad will, but many people were of the same opinion about him - that he wasn't a great buy and unlike Buddy not a natural footballer. It happens - all clubs do it - they all make mistakes and luckily enough, enough people care to hold them to account.
JamesH
Roar Guru
I think the problem - aside from injuries - was that they recruited a mobile ruck-forward to play as a stay-at-home forward who occasionally pinch hit in the ruck.
Maggie
Guest
The author of this article and several of those posting comments severely underestimate the value that a fit Tippett added to the Swans. In the 12 matches he played at full forward in 2013 he kicked 35 goals, a higher per game average than in any season with the Crows. In 2015, when he shared ruck duties with Pyke, he kicked 44 goals in 22 matches while averaging 17.3 hitouts. In 2016 when he became the Swans main ruckman he was in AA form until he was injured, averaging 24.6 hitouts in 17 matches and kicking 17 goals. Tippett’s worst season came last year when he badly damaged his ankle in the second round. He kept going through rehab and then unsuccessfully attempting to come back. (The ankle injury was to his jumping leg so it was a bad handicap for a ruckman.) In hindsight he probably should have had the ankle reconstruction earlier but that would have meant he would have been unavailable for the rest of the season, something probably both he and the club were reluctant to do. Tippett had wretched bad luck with injuries (e.g. a broken jaw from being kneed in the face by the third man up in a ruck contest in the 2016 semi-final, and then subsequently being badly dazed in the same match from having his head driven into the ground in a tackle). He does not deserve the ill will so many heap upon him, seemingly with glee. He has apparently treated the Swans very decently in his retirement negotiations. I for one wish him well in whatever he chooses to do next.