Nick's Collingwood Bulletin Board

Elstone played 0 games for Hawthorn so Dane is already 9 ahead

And two of them would have played twice as many - what more could you ask? It isn't every day that a Ryan Cook is available.

Pies4shaw wrote:Well, yes, probably.

Or two Brodie Grundies, for a total of three.

^ The point is that a first round pick is no guarantee that you’ll get a Grundy and not an Elstone, as history has shown time and time again

I wasn’t a fan of the Beams trade because he’s old and I didn’t really see the need for another mid. But clearly the club thought he could help us win a flag NOW.

In hindsight we know that gamble didn’t pay off but that doesn’t mean it was wrong to take it.

Some people are already freaking because we have 1 Grundy on a 7 year, $7m contract, their heads might implode if we had 3

I think just the one - but perhaps on a 21-year contract - will do us.

Abdul The Bull wrote:The decision to take Beams back was typical of Collingwood's often too sentimental traits regarding past players. We did so well in the trade when he left and we have undone all those positives by taking him back.
I am sure that my view is unpopular but I never felt that Beams provided much for us in the big matches. Go back and look at the stats in the big finals of 2010 Beams was left wanting.
This sort of mentality will hinder Collingwood's ability to truly shine until we become as clinical and calculated as Hawthorn. The Hawks would never have done this deal.

Forget sentimentality. Sentimentality doesn't win premierships. Skill and mental concentration wins premierships. If Beams had played against GWS in the preliminary final we would have won it then who knows how we would have gone against Richmond. I guarantee you Dusty wouldn't have won the Norm Smith medal if we had contested the GF. That's the way it goes. You win some and you lose some. Your reading of Beam's stats are all wrong. You can use stats to say the world is warming alarmingly or that the world is in fact cooling. Take your pick. Whatever you pick someone will agree and someone will disagree. So who's right? Depends on the assumptions you make and your own prejudices.

I can appreciate how the Pies would want him back. He's strengths were more to do with decision making and execution - things that maintain their value longer in a player. Would I have made the deal? I'd have been tempted at the time too.
Will he play again - don't expect him to, but hope he does and does so reliably.
He's a good player.

I have my suspicions that he will retire soon, hope I am wrong but don’t think we will see him put on the stripes again.

Does anyone know if Beams appeared in the team photo taken today?

Good question Jezza!

I know in the past they get a random person to stand in the photo and later photoshop the missing player into the photo.

Unfortunately, don't know whether he was there or not.

Jezza wrote:Does anyone know if Beams appeared in the team photo taken today?

Didn't appear to take part. He also didn't take part last year (I think due to being ill?). I believe they can photoshop players in (if need be).

You can see a gap in the photo lineup (top left) in this video as well. Whether that is for Beams, or someone else, remains to be seen.

https://www.collingwoodfc.com.au/video/ ... 0799600001

FYI: Dunn was in the photo.

What would it mean if he was/wasn't in the team photo?

I think if he was in the photo, we could feel the door was still ajar for him to make his way back (at some point). Suppose you can always crop someone out though...

The fact he wasn't in the photo doesn't really give us any hint/indication as to whether he will be back or not.

Ads7 wrote:fact he wasn't in the photo doesn't really give us any hint/indication as to whether he will be back or not.

Personally I would say it says a bit more, if you can't stand the photo session.....well playing the game is not happening.

As a 29 year old adult male in todays AFL you are under pressure to play constant football, if you can't turn out for the photo shoot, it's a done deal I'm afraid.

I'm not sure if the terms of his current leave of absence stipulate that he isn't required at the Club during this time for any reason (functions, events, training etc. including photoshoots).

If he is to retire/leave Collingwood, I hope an agreement is reached respectfully by both parties and prior to the season starting.