Channel ten news reports cooney long odds of staying at dogs linked to hawks

Definitely no.... would we resign Clint Bartram ? then why the hell get Cooney?

No. And I suspect he needs to get a sense of where he sits in the pecking order these days.

Channel ten news reports cooney long odds of staying at dogs linked to hawks

Just on this, I know it's a simple rumour, but the AFL is quickly becoming the EPL. You only have to look at who Hawthorn have managed to attract in the past five years. The top four teams are miles ahead of the rest and never have problems attracting the top talent. The AFL need to do something about this. Do you weaken the stronger clubs or strengthen the weaker clubs? AD and his money men need to come up with something fast. They have compromised the existing clubs in the name of 'expansion'. The weaker clubs (Bulldogs, North, Saints and the MFC) are looking down the barrel and as far as the AFL concerned, probably at an extremely inappropriate time.

Edited August 2, 201311 yr by AdamFarr

Should be looked at - maybe a 1-2 year contract with an extension if his knee holds up. If his knee doesnt hold up then he just plays out his contract as a midfield mentor - 10 times better than Rodan!

We have a whole lot of list cloggers at the moment like Gilles, Rodan, Sellar etc. and we wont be able to delist them all because we dont have enough draft picks etc to replace them with. Given our midfield is calling out for a Cooney I would be offering him a 2 year contract on resonable money but with a claus stating that if his knee doesnt hold up in the first year he is delisted and becomes a mid mentor/coach. We also need to look at other Free Agency players aswell.

Work to do to keep Cooney: McCartney

By Nick Bowen10:50am AEST Thursday, August 1, 2013

THE WESTERN Bulldogs have work to do to keep restricted free agent Adam Cooney at the club, coach Brendan McCartney says.

Cooney's future has been the subject of conjecture all year, with AFL.com.au reporting in May that his contract talks with the Bulldogs had been put off until later in the season.

The longer the 2008 Brownlow medallist has remained unsigned, the more opposition interest in the 27-year-old has grown.

Asked whether he was confident Cooney would stay at the Whitten Oval, McCartney reiterated that the Bulldogs wanted to keep him, but said it was too early to make a definitive call.

"I think there's a bit to work at. Contract negotiations are contract negotiations. When it gets closer to it, then I'll make a comment," McCartney said.

"I'm not entitled to make a comment at the moment to be honest because it's not until people agree to stay and both parties are happy that you can comment on it.

"And so that's not to cause any conjecture or discontent – it will get sorted out."

Cooney entered this year on the back of two injury-plagued seasons when his degenerative right knee limited him to 27 games and made him a shadow of the player he was in 2008.

But post-season treatment in Germany, which involved taking blood from his arm, separating and incubating its growth cells and injecting them into his knee, has helped Cooney train harder and perform better than he has in years.

In 15 games this season, Cooney is averaging nearly 25 possessions – his best return since 2010 – and has kicked 14 goals.

Most encouragingly, Cooney's knee looks set to stand up to the rigours of a full season, with the Bulldog averaging 29.5 possessions a game over the past month.

"He's running well, he's getting the main session done every week," McCartney said.

"He's still managed some of the week (but) he's getting through games and he's running at good speeds."

McCartney said Cooney's value to the Bulldogs remained "very high", citing "his unique capacity to run and use the ball and open the game up".

The Bulldogs coach said Cooney was also a valuable mentor to his younger teammates in his own quiet way.

"He's not as outgoing as some of the other experienced boys, but he's got a confidence about him on the ground and you don't always have to be talking to lead and develop young people around you," McCartney said.

"Sometimes the way you attack the game and play the game rubs off, and that side he does well."

The Bulldog star signed his existing contract in May 2010 for a reported $550,000-$600,000 a season. At that time, Gold Coast had approached Cooney to be part of its inaugural list and the right patella he cracked in the 2008 finals series had not yet degenerated to the extent of 2011-12.

He almost certainly faces a hefty pay cut regardless of whether he recommits to the Bulldogs or seeks a fresh start.

In the event the Bulldogs do not come to terms with Cooney prior to October's free agency period, they can still retain him by matching any opposition offers made then.

Edited August 2, 201311 yr by Young Dee

Should be looked at - maybe a 1-2 year contract with an extension if his knee holds up. If his knee doesnt hold up then he just plays out his contract as a midfield mentor - 10 times better than Rodan!

We have a whole lot of list cloggers at the moment like Gilles, Rodan, Sellar etc. and we wont be able to delist them all because we dont have enough draft picks etc to replace them with. Given our midfield is calling out for a Cooney I would be offering him a 2 year contract on resonable money but with a claus stating that if his knee doesnt hold up in the first year he is delisted and becomes a mid mentor/coach. We also need to look at other Free Agency players aswell.

Work to do to keep Cooney: McCartney

By Nick Bowen10:50am AEST Thursday, August 1, 2013

THE WESTERN Bulldogs have work to do to keep restricted free agent Adam Cooney at the club, coach Brendan McCartney says.

Cooney's future has been the subject of conjecture all year, with AFL.com.au reporting in May that his contract talks with the Bulldogs had been put off until later in the season.

The longer the 2008 Brownlow medallist has remained unsigned, the more opposition interest in the 27-year-old has grown.

Asked whether he was confident Cooney would stay at the Whitten Oval, McCartney reiterated that the Bulldogs wanted to keep him, but said it was too early to make a definitive call.

"I think there's a bit to work at. Contract negotiations are contract negotiations. When it gets closer to it, then I'll make a comment," McCartney said.

"I'm not entitled to make a comment at the moment to be honest because it's not until people agree to stay and both parties are happy that you can comment on it.

"And so that's not to cause any conjecture or discontent – it will get sorted out."

Cooney entered this year on the back of two injury-plagued seasons when his degenerative right knee limited him to 27 games and made him a shadow of the player he was in 2008.

But post-season treatment in Germany, which involved taking blood from his arm, separating and incubating its growth cells and injecting them into his knee, has helped Cooney train harder and perform better than he has in years.

In 15 games this season, Cooney is averaging nearly 25 possessions – his best return since 2010 – and has kicked 14 goals.

Most encouragingly, Cooney's knee looks set to stand up to the rigours of a full season, with the Bulldog averaging 29.5 possessions a game over the past month.

"He's running well, he's getting the main session done every week," McCartney said.

"He's still managed some of the week (but) he's getting through games and he's running at good speeds."

McCartney said Cooney's value to the Bulldogs remained "very high", citing "his unique capacity to run and use the ball and open the game up".

The Bulldogs coach said Cooney was also a valuable mentor to his younger teammates in his own quiet way.

"He's not as outgoing as some of the other experienced boys, but he's got a confidence about him on the ground and you don't always have to be talking to lead and develop young people around you," McCartney said.

"Sometimes the way you attack the game and play the game rubs off, and that side he does well."

The Bulldog star signed his existing contract in May 2010 for a reported $550,000-$600,000 a season. At that time, Gold Coast had approached Cooney to be part of its inaugural list and the right patella he cracked in the 2008 finals series had not yet degenerated to the extent of 2011-12.

He almost certainly faces a hefty pay cut regardless of whether he recommits to the Bulldogs or seeks a fresh start.

In the event the Bulldogs do not come to terms with Cooney prior to October's free agency period, they can still retain him by matching any opposition offers made then.

If he comes to us we are going to have to pay overs to be more appealing than some of the other clubs that will make offers, and even then he might not get on the field, i'd tread very carefully, would be fantastic if he stayed fit.

^{Yeah..but nah}

Damn! Cooney has just signed on with the Bulldogs untill the end of 2015.

We better get some experienced leader type players in this off season (and not your Rodan types!).

I will be very cross if they only focus on the draft - this club needs some on-field leadership (why do you think the cats develop their youth so well - it's all about leadership and culture and we have neither)

http://www.afl.com.au/news/2013-08-22/cooney-finally-signs-on