Lucas and Fletcher sign one year contract

[KaaN10]

Article to come shortly, good news.

[dom_105]

Good news.

[BenDoolan]

Magnificent news. Now all the BS Hutchy was going to invent will fade into oblivion. Good onya Scotty, glad to see you are a champ on and off the field by swallowing a bit of pride and putting the club first. A salute to two club greats....

[dom_105]

http://www.essendonfc.com.au/news/news.asp?nid=5901

Thursday, 3 July 2008
Craig Rowston for essendonfc.com.au
Page 1 of 1
Essendon veterans Scott Lucas and Dustin Fletcher have signed new one-year contracts, chief operating officer, Travis Auld, announced today.

“This is really good news for us - between Scott and Dustin they have over 500 games of AFL experience,” Auld said. “Both are best and fairest winners, both are premiership players and they are very important to this club.”

Auld said that all parties were happy with the agreements despite media reports that Lucas was keen for a longer deal.

“It’s becoming common practice nowadays with AFL clubs that as players come to the latter part of their career they go on one-year deals and they might end up having two or three seasons of one-year deals and Scott understands that,” Auld said.

“He had a good talk to the coach and we committed to Scott that midway through next year we will start talking to him (about his next contract). We’re certainly not going to hang him out until late next year before we start discussions and he’s happy and we are happy and there is no reason why he can’t play for at least a couple more years.”

Auld said it was important for people to understand the context behind a one-year deal.

“It’s a minimum not a maximum and once this was explained everyone was happy,” he said.

“The rationale behind the one-year deal is that it gives some flexibility to both the player and the club because, at that stage of a career, the player wants to be happy with where they are at with their footy and the club wants to be happy with where they are at.

“We have a very young list so we have to make sure we have that blend of experience along with youth and players like Scott and Dustin are both very important.

“We base ourselves on tradition and history and both those guys are a massive part of that.

“Dustin and his father Ken broke the father/son playing record a few weeks ago and that’s important to us, it might not mean a lot to Dustin right now but it certainly means a lot to us as a club.”

Thirty-three year-old Fletcher recently speculated that he might hang-up his boots at the end of the 2009 season.

“Dustin likes to think things through himself but we can have a pretty open dialogue with him and we will speak to him mid-way through next year and we will have a chat and see how he is feeling,” Auld said.
“He’s been a stalwart of the club and we are not ruling out that he might play on even longer.”

Today's announcements come on the back of yesterday's news that Jobe Watson had signed a new two-year deal.

[danstar84]

Makes Hutchy look like an even bigger dick, if even possible.

Great news on the contracts.

[Crazyman]

Great news =D> =D> =D>

[jimmyc1985]

Sensible decision reached to give Lucas only one year. Good risk management.

[Megan]

Very pleased, I think this was the best outcome for all involved.

[tom9779]

Seriously Fletcher and Lucas are to dead set champions of the game. And FANTASTIC blokes.

reckon they might play for 2 more years.

[The Fly]

I would have like to see Lucas get a 2 yr gig, but I understand the sentiment behind 1 yr deals for elder statesmen. It's an emerging trend. They prob expect it these days.

Good stuff though. They're absolute champions of this club & the game.

Out of interest, has Scottie ever been reported? I vagually remember maybe once but not sure.

[KaaN10]

I would have like to see Lucas get a 2 yr gig, but I understand the sentiment behind 1 yr deals for elder statesmen. It's an emerging trend. They prob expect it these days.

Good stuff though. They're absolute champions of this club & the game.

Out of interest, has Scottie ever been reported? I vagually remember maybe once but not sure.

2002 R12 Striking John Barker Won at tribunal Not guilty

[gringo]

What I would have given to have had the opportunity and the window that Cupido, Davies, Harvey, Dyson and other duds these past 8 years have had and pissed it into the wind.

Ol' Filthy...you're a gem. Hook into a big one this afternoon? Nothing like laying a platform for the coming weekend.

As an aside - EFC look like right pr!cks in that article. They've pulled a dirty one getting both Fletcher and Lucas to sign one year deals, and then try and blow hot air up their asses. The sooner free agency arrives, the better.

[swoodley]

What I would have given to have had the opportunity and the window that Cupido, Davies, Harvey, Dyson and other duds these past 8 years have had and pissed it into the wind.

Ol' Filthy...you're a gem. Hook into a big one this afternoon? Nothing like laying a platform for the coming weekend.

As an aside - EFC look like right pr!cks in that article. They've pulled a dirty one getting both Fletcher and Lucas to sign one year deals, and then try and blow hot air up their asses. The sooner free agency arrives, the better.

Trying for a bit of controversy there eh Gringo....the EFC has done the right thing by offering the 1 year deals and will no doubt offer further deals if Scotty and Fletch want to play on and are maintaining their form and fitness.

They've learned from their experiences with Mercs and JJ in terms of offering extended deals for older players.

[gringo]

What I would have given to have had the opportunity and the window that Cupido, Davies, Harvey, Dyson and other duds these past 8 years have had and pissed it into the wind.

Ol' Filthy...you're a gem. Hook into a big one this afternoon? Nothing like laying a platform for the coming weekend.

As an aside - EFC look like right pr!cks in that article. They've pulled a dirty one getting both Fletcher and Lucas to sign one year deals, and then try and blow hot air up their asses. The sooner free agency arrives, the better.

Trying for a bit of controversy there eh Gringo....the EFC has done the right thing by offering the 1 year deals and will no doubt offer further deals if Scotty and Fletch want to play on and are maintaining their form and fitness.

They've learned from their experiences with Mercs and JJ in terms of offering extended deals for older players.

Thanks Captain Obvious. Everyone knows what the score is - why then release a statement trying to pretend that they are doing anything but covering their own ass?

[swoodley]

Ol' Filthy...you're a gem. Hook into a big one this afternoon? Nothing like laying a platform for the coming weekend.

As an aside - EFC look like right pr!cks in that article. They've pulled a dirty one getting both Fletcher and Lucas to sign one year deals, and then try and blow hot air up their asses. The sooner free agency arrives, the better.

Trying for a bit of controversy there eh Gringo....the EFC has done the right thing by offering the 1 year deals and will no doubt offer further deals if Scotty and Fletch want to play on and are maintaining their form and fitness.

They've learned from their experiences with Mercs and JJ in terms of offering extended deals for older players.

Thanks Captain Obvious. Everyone knows what the score is - why then release a statement trying to pretend that they are doing anything but covering their own ass?

Still taking those happy pills Gringo....must be all these wins we've been having....your equilibrium must be a tad upset at the lack of opportunity to slag the team off.

[Megan]

Still smarting from Mercs. I have no problem with how the EFC have dealt with this - aging bodies, esp as the game gets faster have no gaurentee.

[bomberdonnie]

Comparing this to Mercuri is ridiculous

We gave him a 5 year deal at the age of 25 at a time when he came second in the brownlow and was dominating games. This turned pear shaped due to a terrible family tragedy after which he was never the same player. Lucas is a 30 year old super star that is trying to get a two year deal but agreed to a one year deal, surely knowing that death would be the only thing that would stop him from getting another year!!

In saying this I am stoked that both players have agreed to deals and I can not even bring myself to think about what our team will look like without these two CHAMPIONS

[Megan]

I'm not saying they aren't champions - quite the opposite. I wouldn't want to see either of these guys do a JJ and play on past their best if the game leaves them behind.

And I'm comparing to Mercs strictly from a contracted-past-what-was-worth point of view. I'm well aware of the circumstances. My point is that it may cause the club not to hand out contracts willy nilly. Personally I think Scotty has a good three years ahead of him but I certainly wouldn't want them giving him a three year contract.

And FWIW I wouldn't have given HIRDY a 5 year contract.

[bomberdonnie]

I'm not saying they aren't champions - quite the opposite. I wouldn't want to see either of these guys do a JJ and play on past their best if the game leaves them behind.

And I'm comparing to Mercs strictly from a contracted-past-what-was-worth point of view. I'm well aware of the circumstances. My point is that it may cause the club not to hand out contracts willy nilly. Personally I think Scotty has a good three years ahead of him but I certainly wouldn't want them giving him a three year contract.

And FWIW I wouldn't have given HIRDY a 5 year contract.

No you would have given him 50 years Megs

[Megan]

Depends what he was doing