Nobody Likes Michael Gardiner
When Michael Gardiner played his first year in the AFL he made headlines for different reasons than he does now. He was a youngster getting ready to play the Bulldogs at Whitten Oval. But before the bounce he was bumped and pushed by a number of Bulldogs players. At the time the AFL, and many other people, thought this was wrong and some Bulldogs players were fined for this. The Bulldogs' players that day were the undersized Kretiuk and Southern, and a young Gardiner had over 10 centimetres and probably a few kilograms advantage over them. Gardiner was considered a star in the making, a huge player with huge potential, every team wanted him. But now, no team does.
The list of AFL players with some kind of baggage that detracts from their value is too long to list, it might take all your bandwidth to load. But there have also been players who have turned things around after getting a chance with a new team. It is a coinflip as to whether Gardiner will even be given a second chance but 199cm, 99kg players don't grow on trees.
The King of reclamation projects is Kevin Sheedy. He has had his successes, and he has had his Doc Wheildons and Ty Zantucks. You know he is thinking about it, and if preseason pick 2 has nobody else worth picking then Gardiner could be a Bomber.
Brisbane is as far away from the Eagles as you can get, both in distance and now also in onfield success. But after moving away Akermanis would Leigh want Gardiner, even if the cost was low. Brown played with Lynch in the forward line and that combination could not be stopped. Gardiner would not be needed to ruck with the Lions but as a forward he might be able to help. Brown is big, Gardiner is bigger, could be something the Lions think about.
He won't get traded there, as the Eagles don't want to help their main rival, but there is a team that is looking to add another big forward. Sydney have turned players like Hall and Lockett into stars on and off the field, after acquiring them when their reputations have not been that good. If Gardiner does get to Sydney in the preseason draft, and he would have to get past a few teams that could use him, then the Swans would have a player that not only fills a need but who would have plenty of incentive to turn his career around.
The facts are that Gardiner is lucky to be healthy enough to even play, he has run off the rails in more ways than one, but he still has AFL talent. Averaged over 17 hitouts a game for the Eagles this season, which shows he can still contribute in the ruck. His marks per game were not far away from his career averages. Gardiner can play around half forward, presenting a big target and crashing into packs. He can also have some runs in the ruck, short bursts every quarter so as not to risk him injuring himself. The cost is low, the end result could be very high, while no team is making an effort to trade for him now by next season he should be an a list again.
The list of AFL players with some kind of baggage that detracts from their value is too long to list, it might take all your bandwidth to load. But there have also been players who have turned things around after getting a chance with a new team. It is a coinflip as to whether Gardiner will even be given a second chance but 199cm, 99kg players don't grow on trees.
The King of reclamation projects is Kevin Sheedy. He has had his successes, and he has had his Doc Wheildons and Ty Zantucks. You know he is thinking about it, and if preseason pick 2 has nobody else worth picking then Gardiner could be a Bomber.
Brisbane is as far away from the Eagles as you can get, both in distance and now also in onfield success. But after moving away Akermanis would Leigh want Gardiner, even if the cost was low. Brown played with Lynch in the forward line and that combination could not be stopped. Gardiner would not be needed to ruck with the Lions but as a forward he might be able to help. Brown is big, Gardiner is bigger, could be something the Lions think about.
He won't get traded there, as the Eagles don't want to help their main rival, but there is a team that is looking to add another big forward. Sydney have turned players like Hall and Lockett into stars on and off the field, after acquiring them when their reputations have not been that good. If Gardiner does get to Sydney in the preseason draft, and he would have to get past a few teams that could use him, then the Swans would have a player that not only fills a need but who would have plenty of incentive to turn his career around.
The facts are that Gardiner is lucky to be healthy enough to even play, he has run off the rails in more ways than one, but he still has AFL talent. Averaged over 17 hitouts a game for the Eagles this season, which shows he can still contribute in the ruck. His marks per game were not far away from his career averages. Gardiner can play around half forward, presenting a big target and crashing into packs. He can also have some runs in the ruck, short bursts every quarter so as not to risk him injuring himself. The cost is low, the end result could be very high, while no team is making an effort to trade for him now by next season he should be an a list again.
