A Letter To Dan Hannebery

[damienc]

Dear Dan Hannebery,

I'm writing to you because I heard you might not be playing for us before round six.

Now I completely get there is no use in me wringing my hands or gnashing my teeth over this development.

The deal is done. You are a St Kilda player. We've got you whether we think it's a good idea or not.

And, Dan, I'm sorry to say a lot of people don't. They reckon the club made yet another recruiting blue in offering you such a sweet and financially rewarding contract.

I say, good on you for managing to look after yourself so well. But that comes with a pretty hefty caveat that I will talk about in a minute.

I get we must be patient and allow you to get your body in good enough shape to start returning on the investment.

Somewhere around six. So the speculation goes.

So Dan, by all means, take all the time you need to get yourself right.

But you know how I said good on you for looking after yourself, what I meant to say was, when you are fit enough to play for us, you better deliver.

Because, Dan let me tell you, from a supporter point of view NO mercy will be shown to you for anything less.

Looking forward to hearing from you, in a big way, in the not too distant future.

Signed,

A loyal St Kilda supporter.

[tedtheodorelogan2018]

Good luck Dan. I'm behind you mate. Rd 1 into a 5 year contract. Good luck mate.

[damienc]

Good luck Dan. I'm behind you mate. Rd 1 into a 5 year contract. Good luck mate.

Predictable is about the best thing that could be said about your post, in my view. I also think the reminder of the five year contract was rubbing salt into the wound.

[tedtheodorelogan2018]

I'm just not going to make a very early call on a player into a 5 year contract that has been a 3 x AA before. He could still potentially play well over 75 games for the Saints. It's not fair on the player himself or those that recruited him.

[WellardSaint]

The club was so damn excited about what Dan would bring to the club.
They said "this guy is such a pro, he came early to the club to train, well in advance of the allotted start date.

Champing at the bit. Raring to go. Has made an immediate impact on the entire club, not just the players.

First day in, he went and met every single staffer, shook their hands.
Had lunch in the cafeteria with young Johnny who does work experience in Merchandising.
Wowee as Brian Taylor would say.

We've got a keeper, right here.
Yep, he's raring to go, cannot wait to make his mark on-field.
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm

[saintsRrising]

I'm just not going to make a very early call on a player ....

Now c'mon Ted, making early calls is what you specialise in.

[Gershwin]

I'd hate to think that the medical department promised him they could get him good and now they can't. Sounds like they fancied themselves with Freeman after Collingwood had failed and now they think they are better than Sydney.

[damienc]

I'm just not going to make a very early call on a player into a 5 year contract that has been a 3 x AA before. He could still potentially play well over 75 games for the Saints. It's not fair on the player himself or those that recruited him.

Sorry. Yes it is. Extremely fair, on both player and the club.

Hannebery was our big marquee signing.

This bloke is being paid four million bucks. That is big money in anyone's language.

He better earn it.

That means delivering on the field, if/when he is fit, for four quarters, week in week out, in spades.

No excuses.

We are a results driven football club, as Richo and the club are happy to remind us all.

Determined to make amends for 2018. Only results count..... etc etc.

[Yorkeys]

Dear damienc , thanks for the note and your understanding of my position. Did you also write to M.Blight - he pulled a similar caper didn't he. By the way NO mercy is a boy band and I have already see them, although its true I would not want to see them again. By the way I am so much richer than you and don't give a fig about Saint Kilda. Will tweet mid season on return from the Swiss clinic that treats the long term effects of excessive lap running (SKFC will pay). Yours, Dan the Man.

[saynta]

I'd hate to think that the medical department promised him they could get him good and now they can't. Sounds like they fancied themselves with Freeman after Collingwood had failed and now they think they are better than Sydney.

They actually did fix Freeman's hammy's. He will be playing in the VFL this year and is a tip to be redrafted in the mid-season draft all being well.

[WellardSaint]

I'm just not going to make a very early call on a player into a 5 year contract that has been a 3 x AA before. He could still potentially play well over 75 games for the Saints. It's not fair on the player himself or those that recruited him.

Sorry. Yes it is. Extremely fair, on both player and the club.

Hannebery was our big marquee signing.

This bloke is being paid four million bucks. That is big money in anyone's language.

He better earn it.

That means delivering on the field, if/when he is fit, for four quarters, week in week out, in spades.

No excuses.

We are a results driven football club, as Richo and the club are happy to remind us all.

Determined to make amends for 2018. Only results count..... etc etc.

Very well said, Damo.
Nice and clear, concise, logical, lots of common sense.

When the club is contacting members, asking, nay begging for player sponsors, begging for an extra donation
to assist with the $12mil debt...
And then they go and spend overs on a former AA player in the twilight of his career,
not someone that is still in his prime; his star is burning out.

Now, the coach is making conflicting statements, saying that
-we fully expected he needed to be managed carefully
- but he is a super professional
- oh, no, we are surprised that it didn't go as planned

The coach sounds like a politician that's been caught on the take.
We will be the laughing stock of the AFL. This debacle will be the craziest, most insane purchase ever.
We needed a big name marquee player, a big fish.
Sadly, we got the one that John West rejected.

[Aussie Jonestown]

When the club is contacting members, asking, nay begging for player sponsors, begging for an extra donation
to assist with the $12mil debt...
And then they go and spend overs on a former AA player in the twilight of his career,
not someone that is still in his prime; his star is burning out.

The coach sounds like a politician that's been caught on the take.
We will be the laughing stock of the AFL. This debacle will be the craziest, most insane purchase ever.
We needed a big name marquee player, a big fish.
Sadly, we got the one that John West rejected.

It's beyond farcical.
I bet there are no performance based clauses applicable to each year of the contract.
Did Lethlean look after his mates son at the expense of the football club?

[WellardSaint]

When the club is contacting members, asking, nay begging for player sponsors, begging for an extra donation
to assist with the $12mil debt...
And then they go and spend overs on a former AA player in the twilight of his career,
not someone that is still in his prime; his star is burning out.

The coach sounds like a politician that's been caught on the take.
We will be the laughing stock of the AFL. This debacle will be the craziest, most insane purchase ever.
We needed a big name marquee player, a big fish.
Sadly, we got the one that John West rejected.

It's beyond farcical.
I bet there are no performance based clauses applicable to each year of the contract.
Did Lethlean look after his mates son at the expense of the football club?

I think there's rumours that he will only play Yr 5, if he plays at least a certain number of games in Yr 4.
But at this rate, he'll be lucky to play much at all in Yr 1 and Yr 2.

I agree with you that it looks like Lethlean lookng after the son of one of his old school mates.
Don't care if I get a ban for this.

[tedtheodorelogan2018]

Its akin to judging a political party or a PM or President that is barely into their first year of a 4 year stint. There are plenty of examples to draw upon.

Again, how anyone can say Hanners is already a disaster or a scam is not drawing up real world examples or the anals of history itself.

If it's a disaster at the end of 4 or 5 years then derail those involved if you wish but it's very, very, very early to making any call on whether Dan was good or bad recruiting.

[SaintPav]

A few posters are in a major denial phase but please, just spare us all the false analogies.

[samuraisaint]

Look, I really want to be fair here. I wish Dan all the very best, but with the cloud that was hanging over Paddy and Dylan at the end of the season, and given that we had decided to go with King in the draft who we knew wasn't going to play this season at all, the decision to draft Dan was an absolutely foolhardy venture. I'm sorry to say that, but all of us on this forum knew that it was an intemperate misadventure, so why couldn't they? What gets me is, they seem to be above any form of censure.
Ultimately, being a supporter means that we really have little say in what the office bearers in charge of the club are going to do.
I think the fact that we have in the vicinity of a dozen players unavailable for a significant portion of the season already doesn't bode well for any of them down there, to be honest. 6 matches are almost a third of a season for a team who won't play finals.
And to add insult to injury, in some of the vision I saw of West Coast, and to be fair I didn't see much, but the little I did see, of Hickey in the practice game at Subiaco made me feel physically sick. He actually won ruck contests and ruck roved, delivering a perfect pinpoint pass to their forwards in at least one clearance
And lo and behold all of our ruckmen, including Acres, seem to be injured again. I just think that a lot of our administration make absolute howlers at times - needlessly extending AR's contract being a prime example of this.

[Aussie Jonestown]

Again, how anyone can say Hanners is already a disaster or a scam is not drawing up real world examples or the anals of history itself.

The anals of history reveal most of what we are told is a pile of shyte.

[Aussie Jonestown]

Again, how anyone can say Hanners is already a disaster or a scam is not drawing up real world examples or the anals of history itself.

The anals of history have us all well and truly rogered.

[Aussie Jonestown]

Again, how anyone can say Hanners is already a disaster or a scam is not drawing up real world examples or the anals of history itself.

The anals of history are a diatribe of diarrhea.

[tedtheodorelogan2018]

Putting it in a single post would suffice.

Plus life goes on as does the ST KFC. C'mon Sainters!

[Aussie Jonestown]

Putting it in a single post would suffice.

ST KILDA concedes it didn't know the full extent of prized recruit Dan Hannebery's struggles with his body when it traded for him.

[silverhalo]

Putting it in a single post would suffice.

ST KILDA concedes it didn't know the full extent of prized recruit Dan Hannebery's struggles with his body when it traded for him.

Haven't heard of Due F%$#%^ Diigence! Heads should roll here, 5 years for a hack whose body was stuffed 3 years ago and paying him $4M, I am fuming!

[Shaggy]

Putting it in a single post would suffice.

ST KILDA concedes it didn't know the full extent of prized recruit Dan Hannebery's struggles with his body when it traded for him.

You and I are opposite.

I love the Saints taking injury risks to get top liners across. I think we have nothing to lose.

It failed with Freeman. This year we have taken more punts with King, Dan and Bytel. It is a longer-term plan hoping our medicos can fix them.

We are sacrificing short term for hopefully long-term guns if we can fix them.

We need guns.

Given where we are today that is such a great strategy IMO.

Never be afraid of short term failure

[CQ SAINT]

When the club is contacting members, asking, nay begging for player sponsors, begging for an extra donation
to assist with the $12mil debt...
And then they go and spend overs on a former AA player in the twilight of his career,
not someone that is still in his prime; his star is burning out.

The coach sounds like a politician that's been caught on the take.
We will be the laughing stock of the AFL. This debacle will be the craziest, most insane purchase ever.
We needed a big name marquee player, a big fish.
Sadly, we got the one that John West rejected.

It's beyond farcical.
I bet there are no performance based clauses applicable to each year of the contract.
Did Lethlean look after his mates son at the expense of the football club?

I think there's rumours that he will only play Yr 5, if he plays at least a certain number of games in Yr 4.
But at this rate, he'll be lucky to play much at all in Yr 1 and Yr 2.

I agree with you that it looks like Lethlean lookng after the son of one of his old school mates.
Don't care if I get a ban for this.

Leathlean went to Camberwell Grammar and would have been in grade 2 the year Matt Hannerbery finished school. You're probably safe from a banning but you never know someone might take you seriously and jumped to Leathers defence. Lol.

[Gershwin]

I'd hate to think that the medical department promised him they could get him good and now they can't. Sounds like they fancied themselves with Freeman after Collingwood had failed and now they think they are better than Sydney.

They actually did fix Freeman's hammy's. He will be playing in the VFL this year and is a tip to be redrafted in the mid-season draft all being well.

Bet they didn’t think it would take 2 1/2 years and that he would lose his pace. Is that time period going to be acceptable for Hannebery?