Cooney.

[robbie67]

Fact is, we needed some class. And fact is, we weren't going to land the best young talent going around. We've done well.

That's right. Add to the fact that if we hadn't drafted like ass clowns in the mid 2000's, we would not need to be topping up with the likes of Cooney, Goddard, and Chapman. If Cooney's body does stand up, its another player who is better than Stanton, and Stanton is closer to the end.

[hop]

Fact is, we needed some class. And fact is, we weren't going to land the best young talent going around. We've done well.

That's right. Add to the fact that if we hadn't drafted like ass clowns in the mid 2000's, we would not need to be topping up with the likes of Cooney, Goddard, and Chapman. If Cooney's body does stand up, its another player who is better than Stanton, and Stanton is closer to the end.

Yep.

[robrulz5]

Will be a very good addition as he can still go into the middle in bursts. Hopefully his knee hold up ok.

[F111]

Number 7? Melksham to 7, Cooney to 17?

[jimmyc1985]

Clearly the internal view is we are pressing for a flag over the next year or two. I can't possibly see how though.

I'd agree with you, if we weren't hamstrung by the draft penalties handed out last year which were always going to put us between a rock (i.e. picking up highly speculative young kids very late in the draft) and a hard place (i.e. picking up discarded but proven players). Clearly we've chosen the hard place over the rock, but i don't think you can clearly deduce from that choice that, internally, we think we're pressing for a flag.

[s'dreams]

Shit ... he actually wants to play for us (suck on that Bartlett) ... and he likes and wants to play for Hird (suck on that Caro) ... so he shafted North and is gonna have is wife leave the Doggies cheers squad (suck on that all you other AFL tossers who think the Tiges and Norf are golden boys and we are difficult) !!!

Adam Cooney tries on his new colours after being traded from Western Bulldogs to Essendon

Sam Landsberger
Herald Sun October 16, 2014 8:00PM

THERE were three key planks behind Adam Cooney’s defection from the Western Bulldogs to Essendon.

The sponginess of the Bombers’ Tullamarine floor, a fruitful face-to-face meeting with coach James Hird and the Brownlow Medallist acing his medical assessment.

But the seal of approval for Cooney came late on Thursday, when six-year-old son Jax returned from school to find dad posing for a photo in red and black.

“What do you think?” Cooney asked.

“Yeah, I like it dad. I like it!” Jax responded.

It followed a nervous week in the Cooney household with the midfield star initially agreeing to play at North Melbourne, believing his wish of playing for the Bombers was a long shot.

But Cooney — under advice from manager Ricky Olarenshaw — decided to hold out and with less than two hours remaining in trade period a deal was struck.

The Bombers sent pick 37 to Whitten Oval, effectively securing Cooney and pick No.17 for ruckman Paddy Ryder.

And while the Roos offer included injury-plagued speedster Kieran Harper, the silver lining for the Dogs came with confirmation they wouldn’t have to pay any of Cooney’s salary next year.

The 29-year-old is now tied to Essendon for two seasons and the extra pick helped the Dogs secure Sydney’s Shane Biggs.
Adam Cooney with his son, Jax, 6, in the backyard. Picture: Wayne Ludbey

Adam Cooney with his son, Jax, 6, in the backyard. Picture: Wayne Ludbey

Cooney’s wife Haylea — a regular in the Dogs’ cheersquad — is set to sit with the Bombers’ faithful next year after Cooney became the sixth Brownlow Medal winner in 15 years to switch clubs.

He follows Gary Ablett (Gold Coast), Chris Judd (Carlton), Jason Akermanis (Dogs), Shane Woewodin (Collingwood) and Ben Cousins (Richmond).

“The medical was always the question mark, but he flew through that last week,” list manager Adrian Dodoro said.

“Our indoor facility was something he was really impressed with because of the sponginess of the floor, but I’ve got to be honest — it was his relationship with James Hird.

“They really hit it off and he wanted to play for him.”

While Cooney has struggled to train at times, it is believe Bombers club doctor Bruce Reid was buoyed by the fact the four games Cooney missed last season were with a torn hamstring and not the degenerative knee which has plagued him since 2008.

Dodoro said Cooney had two to three seasons of quality footy left.

After 219 games with the Dogs, Cooney opted for a fresh start, two years after watching best mate Brian Lake cross to Hawthorn and win two premierships and a Norm Smith Medal.

“I sat in (Hird’s) office for about an hour to chat about the club, where it was heading and where I thought I wanted my footy to go,” Cooney told the Dons website.

“What we talked about matched up really well so I built a great rapport with James over that and have been speaking to him over the last week.”

Dogs list manager Jason McCartney said Cooney’s desire to reach Essendon made it tough to deal with the Roos.

“When he’s a contracted player and he makes that decision we had to work around the Essendon deal, which was quite a good deal for us because we kept our next pick,” he said.

[j-mac31]

could be a good pick up but geez Watson, Goddard, Chapman, Cooney that's a big chuck of the team that are all at the wrong end of their careers, we might rise but fall pretty hard in a few years, lets hope some kids get enough game time to develop

Same could be said for Hawthorn (Burgoyne, Gibson, Hodge, Lake, Mitchell, Hale), Sydney (Goodes, Pyke, Grundy, McVeigh, Shaw), Geelong (Bartel, Enright, Johnson, Kelly, Lonergan, Macki, Macintosh, Stokes), North (Dal Santo, Firrito, Waite, Grima, Harvey, Petrie, Thompson, Wells) and Fremantle (Crowley, Duffield, Mundy, Pavlich, Sandilands).

Only difference being that Hawthorn and Sydney are winning flags, Fremantle is playing in grandfinals and North is progessing beyond the first week of finals i.e. it's okay for those clubs to have "old" lists. Playing Essendon in finals is like being mauled by a wet sheep.

North don't think so.

And my point is old lists are not a bad thing, if the teams at the top are doing it why shouldn't we at least try to attempt to mirror them and have some experienced talent running around?

I don't disagree, but those other teams didn't bring in old players. They've held onto good players who have become old. We've spent too long holding onto players who become old but are no good (other than Fletcher).

Also Hawthorn, G-Town and Sydney have won 8 of the last 10 flags between them, so a sudden drop off isn't such a bad thing as it would be for us if we don't at least make the top 4 in the next couple of years.

[j-mac31]

Fact is, we needed some class. And fact is, we weren't going to land the best young talent going around. We've done well.

That's right. Add to the fact that if we hadn't drafted like ass clowns in the mid 2000's, we would not need to be topping up with the likes of Cooney, Goddard, and Chapman. If Cooney's body does stand up, its another player who is better than Stanton, and Stanton is closer to the end.

Ok, now I'm sold.

[gringo]

Fact is, we needed some class. And fact is, we weren't going to land the best young talent going around. We've done well.

That's right. Add to the fact that if we hadn't drafted like ass clowns in the mid 2000's, we would not need to be topping up with the likes of Cooney, Goddard, and Chapman. If Cooney's body does stand up, its another player who is better than Stanton, and Stanton is closer to the end.

Ok, now I'm sold.

Goddard is hardly a top up. He forms an integral part of the nucleus that is topped up. He is the glass to which the cognac is added, if you like.

[F111]

“Yeah, I like it dad. I like it!” Jax responded.

The club should send his son a welcome package too!
And thank goodness Ricky O knew which direction to advise Cooney.

[BenDoolan]

“Yeah, I like it dad. I like it!” Jax responded.

The club should send his son a welcome package too!
And thank goodness Ricky O knew which direction to advise Cooney.

I'm surprised the son didn't say "now you look like a drug cheat, dad!"

I'm sure Caro is surprised too...

[j-mac31]

I expect Caro will write tomorrow that Hird recruited Cooney and Dodoro into his cult and got them to speak positively publicly of him, in a desperate attempt to cling to power.

[robbie67]

Fact is, we needed some class. And fact is, we weren't going to land the best young talent going around. We've done well.

That's right. Add to the fact that if we hadn't drafted like ass clowns in the mid 2000's, we would not need to be topping up with the likes of Cooney, Goddard, and Chapman. If Cooney's body does stand up, its another player who is better than Stanton, and Stanton is closer to the end.

Ok, now I'm sold.

Goddard is hardly a top up. He forms an integral part of the nucleus that is topped up. He is the glass to which the cognac is added, if you like.

Bad choice of words on my part. I was talking about the hole in the list of class, expierience, and good footballers.

[robrulz5]

When was the last time we had two Brownlow medalists in the same team? Would have to be the 30's or 40's.

[DC2]

When was the last time we had two Brownlow medalists in the same team? Would have to be the 30's or 40's.

cooney is a far cry from his 2008 form though, watson is still elite.

how many players in the best 22 are in the "have to be managed" category? Winders, Chapman, Fletch and now cooney. i think thats too many.

And just because he past his fitness test with flying colours that doesnt mean his knee will hold up throughout the course of the season. remember shotgun williams? his knee was supposed to be fine as well.

[hop]

Fact is, we needed some class. And fact is, we weren't going to land the best young talent going around. We've done well.

That's right. Add to the fact that if we hadn't drafted like ass clowns in the mid 2000's, we would not need to be topping up with the likes of Cooney, Goddard, and Chapman. If Cooney's body does stand up, its another player who is better than Stanton, and Stanton is closer to the end.

Ok, now I'm sold.

Goddard is hardly a top up. He forms an integral part of the nucleus that is topped up. He is the glass to which the cognac is added, if you like.

I prefer Armagnac or Jerez - however it is a fine analogy.

[j-mac31]

And just because he past his fitness test with flying colours that doesnt mean his knee will hold up throughout the course of the season. remember shotgun williams? his knee was supposed to be fine as well.

Hasn't missed a game because of his knee in the last two years.

[mdso]

He will be a very handy players for us. Go Coons. (gee I hope that isn't taken as a racist remark.)

[rockhole]

He will be a very handy players for us. Go Coons. (gee I hope that isn't taken as a racist remark.)

They don't hand out Brownlows in Weetbix packets. Cooney will be good for us, with a new lease of life, a new club and a promising future. (hopefully!!! )

[Crazyman]

They don't hand out Brownlows in Weetbix packets

You sure about that...does the name woewodin ring a bell?