Well he's not much more than an ordinary footballer and he's a very ordinary bloke.
If I were a Richmond supporter and that ended up being the trade I'd be really pi$$ed.
Think OD meant he'd love the Dees to be hated in the same fashion as the Hawks - me too. Don't think Mitchell is a big loss in terms of a trade target. Won't thrive when S. Mitchell, Lewis and Hodge are gone and all the weight is on his shoulders. He has had Parker, Kennedy, Jack etc to work with at the Swans and will be exposed IMO.
vandenBerg has some great attributes that will continue to make him a handy player rotating across half forward and through the middle - a very good size, has a strong set of hands in the air and makes good decisions in traffic. I have him penciled in for the starting 22 next season.
I'm totally in agreement, just thought I'd add to what you were saying because a lot of people do lament Hawthorns success under the 'free agency era'.
They've certainly traded well though.
Since 2009 they have brought in Gibson, Burgoyne, Lake, Hale, Gunston, McEvoy and Hill, along with a few others who haven't gone as planned. Being the most sought after 'destination' club meant at times they could pay a little less for certain players.
Amazing guy, amazing player and someone whose loyalty you'd never doubt.
Our first genuine star on and off the field and the guy we've needed for a long, long time.
He'd need to play forward quite a bit to kick 40 goals. As his tap skills are sublime and the understanding between he and our midfielders is fantastic I'd much rather he stay in the middle and go forward only when resting.
I understand the strong hands argument but he isn't a great kick and when your ruckman wins All-Australian honours, you don't start playing him as a forward.
I'm more concerned about a pure ruckman as back up for Gawn. A player that allows Watts to remain forward would be great, but if we can fit Pedersen into the team to ruck and rotate forward, then I'm happy. He does a decent job.
He's a phenomenal prospect and has the best hands I've seen at the MFC for a long, long time.
Something that made me even more excited was the break away pace he showed, which I didn't even expect/think he had. Clayton is going to be an immense player if he keeps developing like this.
I'm so happy he's in red and blue.