No, it’s not the right decision - not right for BJ or for the Club either.
That’s it ? — out the door – thank you BJ and goodbye — now poq, so we can give your locker to a teenager with no experience.
Sometimes this Club really gives me the pinks. Why couldn’t someone at the Club exercise a little imagination ? Why couldn’t they offer him one last 12-month contract on the understanding that he’d only play a few games but would help with the coaching ? We’ve all seen how Dave Myers has blossomed under BJ’s informal tutelage…
Maybe he doesn’t only want to play a couple of games next year?
What if it gets to round 1 next year and he isn’t in the best 22, can you really imagine BJ playing a whole year in the VFL with little to no chance of being selected higher.
It’s obvious that he believes he can can still offer 15-20 games a season of football and that’s zero chance of happening with us
The writing was on the wall for Goddard from early in the season when it was unlikely EFC would play finals - Make finals this year,win a final or two and then Goddard plays on in 2019.
On one hand, we have a lot of depth in his current position coming through (Redman, Ridley, Gleeson all have claims to that spot next year) - and he wouldn’t be an automatic first choice, so on the face of it - it’s probably the right decision by the club. And - he’s had a decent/good year and maybe playing on next year and wasting away in the reserves (despite the fact he’d be a great benefit to the reserves) is not the way he deserves to finish up.
On the other hand - there are more fingers. You don’t get 300+ gamers at your club all that often, and experience is crucial. His accolades are known and already posted, so I won’t go in to it - but there aren’t that many blokes in the comp (let alone at the club) who have been through what he has in his career. On top of that - the way he stood up for the club through the saga endeared him to me, and I’m a big fan of his. Even his finger pointing and game day emotions were stuff I admired - because I’m an angry half back flanker too. (Why can’t you mids man up and work defensively FFS?!)
If we can’t find a role for him at the club, I genuinely hope another club picks him up - I think he still has a lot to offer a developing list, and playing wise, I reckon he has one good year, and perhaps a second decent one left in him if he stays healthy and fit.
It’s for the best - BJ knows it, we have so much quality young depth in that position it’s ridiculous. All of Ridley/Redman/Francis/Gleeson have shown plenty as medium sized marking defenders.
If you could keep him on the list - but have him as your 5th option of that group - you probably would, but i doubt he would have wanted that and the salary space sounds like it will be important.
It’s the same imbalance that will probably get bags an extra year - we don’t have anywhere near that depth in ground level forwards.
Mate, it’s not always black and white. You make out like they have just fired him and walked him out, when they are celebrating his contribution to the club and publicizing his talk to the playing group.
Obviously they spoke with him, and if not the club then at least Brendon would have offered suggestions regarding a future role at the club.
Do you really think Brendon would have been okay with playing only a few games a year on VFL salary? Do you think it’s good for the club to promise an ageing player any games?
Do you think Woosha and the club didn’t consider a coaching role for him? Brendon’s been at the club for what, 5 years (?) but he’s still sitting on some footy secrets he’s yet to share? We need to be bringing in new coaches, getting the best from them and then moving them on.
I’ve got no doubt that without Brendon around someone will step up into the vacuum and the club will thrive, particularly Hurley.
Anyway, I loved that he played for us and he was a great player, who could possibly go around again the club has had to weigh it up and there were plenty of reasons for the decision to go the way it did.
