Ward best Giant, Greene right behind

[Hotdog60]

GREATER Western Sydney co-captain Callan Ward is the inaugural winner of the Kevin Sheedy Medal for the first-year club's best and fairest player in 2012.

Signed from the Western Bulldogs at the end of 2011, Ward was one of the true success stories for the Giants this year, playing 20 games and averaging more than 24 possessions, five clearances and five tackles for the season.

At just 22 years of age, Ward emerged as an outstanding leader and impressed all with his skills and ferocious approach to football.

Sheedy presented him with the award at a function attended by more than 450 people at Sydney Olympic Park on Thursday night.

Voted on by the GWS coaching staff, Ward won the medal ahead of two standout youngsters, Toby Greene and Jeremy Cameron.

Tom Scully and Jonathan Giles rounded out the top five.

"Callan has consistently been one of our best players all year," Sheedy said.

"He is a tough, hard midfielder who has shown strong leadership on and off the field to this young team.

"He plays with tremendous spirit and has a very big future ahead of him."

Ward claimed the honour of kicking the club's first ever goal in the round one clash with the Sydney Swans and then neatly capped off a terrific year by kicking the team's final goal in the round 23 loss to North Melbourne.

Greene was a worthy runner-up after a scintillating season where he averaged a club high 28.4 possessions over his 19 games, the eighth best average in the AFL this year.

Ineligible to win the NAB Rising Star award due to suspension, Greene did take out the GWS Rising Star Award and the Members' Choice award to cap an almighty season from the 18-year-old.

Cameron also turned heads all season, kicking a team-high 29 goals in 16 games before injury ended his year early.

"For two first-year players to finish in the top three of the club's best fairest is an incredible effort," Sheedy said.

"Toby's ability to find the ball and take on the contest has been a real highlight, while Jeremy has had one of the best debut seasons of any young forward I've seen in more than 40 years in the game."

Cameron's pack mark against Richmond was awarded the club's mark of the year, while Dom Tyson's running goal against the Brisbane Lions was judged goal of the year.

"This is a very exciting group of young players with a big future ahead of them," Sheedy continued.

"There's no doubt this club has a very exciting future and I can't wait for 2013."

Kevin Sheedy Medal Top 10
1. Callan Ward
2. Toby Greene
3. Jeremy Cameron
4. Tom Scully
5. Jon Giles
6. Phil Davis
7. Chad Cornes
8. Luke Power
9. Adam Treloar
10. Devon Smith

LINK (http://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/208/newsid/147038/default.aspx)

The AFL got our compensation right.:rolleyes:

[westdog54]

The AFL got our compensation right.:rolleyes:

Beat me to it. First thing that popped into my head when i saw the article.

[jeemak]

I really think the club should lodge an official complaint in writing to the AFL. Here is a clear case of the AFL getting it wrong, whilst flying blind and using a clearly flawed system to reward clubs with compensation.

Lodging an official complaint won't achieve any material gain, though the AFL needs to be held to account by the clubs in a formal manner when the clubs have clearly been shafted. All evidence pointed to Ward being the equal of Tom Scully as a performer at the highest level. FFS, the guy recorded a BOG in a preliminary final at the age of 20, which should have supersceded any drafting position or potential of all comers.

Hving gotten that out of my system, we're going to have access to two very high draft picks so it's not all doom and gloom. What I hope for now is for the person we pick with pick six to dominate and become a better player than Ward.

[Remi Moses]

Another Dagger in the heart of our Club.:mad:
The Compo should have been determined on present performance of the player.
The guy wins a B+F and we should get another pick.
Of course I'm dreaming :rolleyes:

[jeemak]

The whole one uncontracted player rule was crap to begin with. GWS and GC should have been loaded up more with draft picks in the second and third round, and given the opportunity to take players from other clubs through having to trade.

I'll be happy to see GWS and GC fail in two to three years time. For me, that's all it will take.

All of the absolute gun developers and coaches are tied up with other established clubs now, and when their players start to leave after three or four years of no success they'll find it even harder to attract solid coaching and development staff.

[LostDoggy]

What I hope for now is for the person we pick with pick six to dominate and become a better player than Ward.

Right in time for a Tasmanian expansion team to come in and take him off our hands.

[KT31]

Who's this Ward and is he worth us looking at ? :mad::mad::mad:

[bornadog]

Who's this Ward and is he worth us looking at ? :mad::mad::mad:

One thing, we can have a go at our recruitment staff, but we got that one right.

[angelopetraglia]

Makes me sick just thinking about it. :(

[Ghost Dog]

:(who posted this thread? What on earth are you trying to do??

It does go to show you though. Being number 1 pick ( Scully) is not the fat lady singing.
As long as they are in the top 8, anything can happen.

Judd wasn't number one. Gablett was pick #40. And so on.

[azabob]

:(who posted this thread? What on earth are you trying to do??

It does go to show you though. Being number 1 pick ( Scully) is not the fat lady singing.
As long as they are in the top 8, anything can happen.

Judd wasn't number one. Gablett was pick #40. And so on.

Gablett as in jnr? He was pick forty due to the father son rule.

[EasternWest]

Who's this Ward and is he worth us looking at ? :mad::mad::mad:

Funny.


One thing, we can have a go at our recruitment staff, but we got that one right.

Yep. God he's a gun.

I still don't bear him any ill will. Still gutted he's not in the tri-colours though.

[Topdog]

Gablett as in jnr? He was pick forty due to the father son rule.

and Ward was 19? IIRC

[westdog54]

and Ward was 19? IIRC

Correct. The pick Richmond gave us for Jordan McMahon.

[LostDoggy]

I look at Ward. I look at Bob Murphy. I know who is the better man. I bear him no ill will, but there is zero respect either.

[LostDoggy]

Surely Scully was put in the top 5 just so they didn't look stupid paying him all that money?

He had a horrid year. Giles being behind him is laughable.

[Sedat]

I look at Ward. I look at Bob Murphy. I know who is the better man. I bear him no ill will, but there is zero respect either.
Bob was never offered triple his salary elsewhere as a 22yo - so easy to simplistically pigeon-hole heroes and villains but life is never as black and white as that.

[immortalmike]

Bob was never offered triple his salary elsewhere as a 22yo - so easy to simplistically pigeon-hole heroes and villains but life is never as black and white as that.

With all due respect how would you know players have been offered and turned down in their careers. In your eagerness to get Ward off the hook, you may want to think about someone like Shaun Higgins or Dustin Martin who were offered (as reported) offered those sorts of salary increases and stayed loyal. Blame Fantasia (and yes he shares some blame) all you want but Ward is the one who made the decision in the end nobody forced his hand...

On a side note does anyone particularly remember this article....


Glenn McFarlane
From: Herald Sun
June 17, 2011 12:00AM

A LIFELONG affinity with Melbourne's western suburbs and a close family connection are likely to ensure Callan Ward rejects Greater Western Sydney and commits to a long-term future with the Western Bulldogs.

Despite his manager Paul Connors suggesting last week the 21-year-old might have to sacrifice up to $2 million to remain loyal to his club, Ward confirmed this week he wanted to secure a deal with the Bulldogs.

"I've loved the club ever since I started here," Ward said. "I was born in the western suburbs and I want to stay here.

"I see no reason to move. I just want to work out a deal with the Dogs and hopefully move on."

Ward said ideally he would have a new deal sorted out "sooner rather than later", but was not concerned about talk regarding his future.

"I try not to think about it too much, but it is hard to take it off my mind completely," he said. "I get a lot of texts and questions from my friends. They are all supportive. They know I am just concentrating on my football at the moment.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/home-is-exactly-where-callan-wards-heart-lies/story-e6frf9jf-1226076768377

:mad:

[Remi Moses]

With all due respect how would you know players have been offered and turned down in their careers. In your eagerness to get Ward off the hook, you may want to think about someone like Shaun Higgins or Dustin Martin who were offered (as reported) offered those sorts of salary increases and stayed loyal. Blame Fantasia (and yes he shares some blame) all you want but Ward is the one who made the decision in the end nobody forced his hand...

On a side note does anyone particularly remember this article....



:mad:

That was the article that infuriated me.
Just a pile of shit coming from his mouth.

[Go_Dogs]

Should we petition for some retrospective compensation?

[bornadog]

Should we petition for some retrospective compensation?

I think the issue is we got the right compensation for Ward, but Melbourne got over compensated for Scully, especially if you compare it to the Ablett deal.

[chef]

I think the issue is we got the right compensation for Ward, but Melbourne got over compensated for Scully, especially if you compare it to the Ablett deal.

This. The clubs got better things to worry about now.