Rookie rewards

Back in November, we lamented what looked like the end of Robert Eddy’s AFL career. Thus, it was pleasing to note that the Saints had selected him in the Rookie draft, but there’s a catch.

As we were feeling pleased for Eddy, we recalled a story in the Hun a few days ago focussing on delisted Dons rookie, Marcus Marigliani.

Prior to being drafted, Marigliani says he was earning around $900k as a carpenter, plus another $30k or so playing footy. As a rookie with the Dons in 2010, effectively a full-time job, he cleared just $27,000.

So, while we celebrate Robert Eddy getting another chance, he’s going to have moths coming out of his wallet in 2011, going from being a contracted player to a rookie. Not much of a reward for having been good enough to be picked in a Grand Final team in consecutive weeks.

In another story, newly-returned assistant coach, club great Robert Harvey, mentions in passing that coach Ross Lyon has told Eddy he has a few things to work on — after being good enough to be chosen in a Grand final team in consecutive weeks. We reckon Lyon might have a few things to work on too just quietly.

We know that not everyone in a Grand Final team is a champion. There have to be ‘indians’ as well as ‘chiefs’ in every team. Nevertheless, we can’t help wondering, again, how Eddy will feel when he comes across ex-Richmond fringe player Dean Polo, who we reckon will be pocketing a decent bit more than $27k after being picked up in the national draft after Eddy had been delisted.

If it were us in Eddy’s spot, we reckon we’d put a good dose of extra venom into competitive work when we spied Polo on the other side of the contest.