Depends on:

a) What we can get for him
b) What we want for him
c) What we can get for other players in a similiar position (i.e. Fisher)
d) What we want for said other players
e) How many rookies do we want to elevate/how many picks we want in the draft
f) How many cards are already marked ahead of him
g) How much he wants/how much is he currently on/compared to other players in a similiar position
h) How much space we have left

At this point, I assume that we'd be lucky to get a mid to late 3rd rounder, and would probably want a late 2nd rounder to early 3rd rounder for Houla, whilst wanting a similiar amount for Fisher, but probably would get a late 3rd rounder to early 4th rounder for him. 5 list changes (3 forced, 2 rookie elevations), and at the moment, only Edwards seems to have his card stamped, so a couple of tough decisions could be needed to be made, either with Fisher/Houlihan traded below market value, or the likes of Hartlett/Ando/Banno/Cloke/Wiggo etc given the chop that they may not have otherwise had. I assume Houla's taken a pay cut since his infamous 2003 deal, and would probably be after length of contract rather than the $$.....also, worth considering that Houlihan wouldn't be too far off vets list payments either, and strangely, probably has more upside than Fisher, who is nowhere near the vets list.

At this point, I think he's ahead of Fisher on the basis that he provides a cheaper alternative, and there'd be more demand for Fisher (just on a smaller level of output), but is going to need the likes of Cloke, Anderson, Hartlett, Bannister and Wiggins to really show nothing, and have their cards stamped 3/4 into the year for him to get a contract extension before trade week. If Houlihan gets his contract renewed early on = someone's in trouble.

What?

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GO BLUE BOYS!!

What please Marr...............

what pleeease................!


kindest regards tommi

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that'siti'mnotchangingthistagain......!

Beg your pardon, dontcha mean Tommi

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I've always liked Hoops - think he spent to long in defence under Pagan and lost that attacking flair he had.

I was dissappointed with his last quarter against the Saints thought he has several chances to ice the game but made some very soft attempts- He should have kicked the goal also

I been a fan a few more last quarters like last week and I wont be a fan much longer

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If you allow the Government to change the Laws in an emergency
They will create an Emergency to change the Laws

Skillful but not a match winner...
Tries hard but is as soft as they come (come on guys lets be honest)...
Checks himself out on the big screen time and time again (tosser)...

If what some on here are saying is true and that there are clubs interested then FFS trade him...

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"Truth, for the tyrants, is the most terrible and cruel of all bindings; it is like an incandescent iron falling across their chests. And it is even more agonizing than hot iron, for that only burns the flesh, while truth burns its way into the soul"     — Lauro Aguirre

Was at the pub and the aints game was on Foxtell
If anyone thinks hoops deserves a contract extension they are seriously deluded about a player who avoids physical contact as evidence by the last quarter
A contract extension
More like contract should be terminated even given his skills and tagging job because his efforts are unacceptable

Is he out of contract at the end of the year, or does he just want his contract extended beyond 2010?

I would suggest that players that have high demand from other clubs would get a higher contract. Sounds logical to me.

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Delulio is a member of TISM

Like you really know. Have a think about that comment and give me an example because apart from maybe looking at a replay I don't see how that is possible

I thought he did a great job on Sam Fisher and had an excellent last quarter. Pity he missed the goal but the bit of play where he got to ball to Irish who then passed to Fev was brilliant. He'll get a contract extension don't worry about that, or maybe you should

Before I put my thoughts on Houlihan to writing, I have to say this "my sources are better than your sources" stuff isn't particularly becoming of this site...

It might be interesting to note that those posters who used to use this card are, in the main, no longer with us (for a variety of reasons). Of most notoriety were the posters who used another poster's location as an indication that their sources were not all that good. A bad vibe is brought to the site by this method of asserting authority.

On Houlihan, not entirely sure whether he is the best option moving forward. I'd consider a trade but if we kept him for another year I probably wouldn't complain. Needs to earn his spot. Being skilled is not enough; look at their players, none are soft but many have the skills of Houlihan. Whilst a certain amount of class and polish is needed to win football games (see Swans last night), you need to be physical when you need to be and that I think is Houlihan's problem and probably has been since he came to the club. No doubt about it, Houlihan has polished skills but in the pressure of a finals situation, how many sides would give him the time and space needed to execute those to the best of his ability? Port Adelaide maybe but this is something that needs to be considered.

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"A good composer does not initiate. He steals."

- Igor Stravinsky

So I guess it doesnt bother you when a guy half sticks his left arm out for the ball rather than full body contact with an opposition player which happened at CHF around the ten minute mark of the last quarter

..and fair enough too.. ..not sure i entirely agree with yer assertion that he'd not be as effective come finals (plus with our team we've far too many untried players for finals action to hold that against him, when the same could be said of many on our list).. ..but, let's say for a moment i agree that he'd be no good come finals.. ..don't play him in finals if you can field a better team.. ..we need to get beyond the idea of best 22, you need to have a best 30 to get thru a season and into finals.. ..and i think hoops can help us get to the finals.. ..once there, we can revisit team selections..

..on another note, in regards to $$.. ..in a few years he'd be on our vet list along with Fev.. ..we could backend his contract maybe to help salary cap pressure couldn't we..?.. ..i mean, after Hoops there's a few years before we get another vet list player right..?..

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..if you can't be good, be good at it..

It bothers me, but in fairness, you can't isolate one example (and I'm not conceding it happened given your bias against Houla) and suggest this one situation over 100 miniutes of footy is good reason to drop him.

If we did that, everyone would be dropped. I aportioned some of the blame for the Sydney loss on Judd as his defensive game slipped so much to allow McVeigh to kick 3 match winning goals.

You have to look at the whole package and the whole game and not be so nit picky with isoltaed minor situations (which are open to interpretation. Things also look differently on the box. Sometimes there can be 3 metres between players and on the box it may look like arms length.

Is it posible for you to consider the positives Houla brings to the table and then weigh it up?

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Everyone looks good in Navy Blue

I don't think Veteran's list would be a consideration in the club weighing up his future - 2012 is the year he becomes eligible - a long long way off, and I doubt he'll be in our best team by then. Even if he is, he'll be on a relatively modest salary, and to save $150k maxthe club wouldn't bother if he was on his last legs.

I don't appreciate the roll of the eyes and people telling me I am kidding myself. Go and do your homework and find out how Houla has negotiated contracts in the past. If you don't know then why comment and defend it....sheeesh?

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It is not as bad as you are lead to believe.......it is %$#^& worse!!!

Houla or his management?
We've had some pretty ordinary managers attached to our players in the past.

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"One of my favorite philosophical tenets is that people will agree with you only if they already agree with you. You do not change people's minds." - Frank Zappa

Sydney Blue wrote:



Hit nail head! Pagan slaughtered his development (and many other players as well) when he was coach.

Houla should always be played to his strength and that is up in the forward half of the ground thankyou very much!!

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Cripps is the man

he's a walk-up start in my best 22. . .he may have a history as being cinderella (ill never forget him pulling out of the contest with davey on the members wing at the optus oval farewell match) but, in a good side he's so damaging, and infact in the past few weeks he's even played decent physical footy. maybe with tough guys like judd, grigg, and scotland behind him he grows a set and feels safe enough to go into the contest?

I doubt he'd be asking for a payrise. . .but he's a certainty to be kept, especially as noted before, he'll be on the veterans list soon enough and his output for the amount we'd be paying him is far greater than we'd get four dollar with some others.

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Cuck Follingwood