http://www.realfooty.theage.com.au/r...641394110.html
Bid to put Rama on rookie list
Stephen Rielly
October 5, 2006
Quote:
ESSENDON has written to the AFL commission seeking permission to retain Adam Ramanauskas next season despite the fact that he is almost certain to be delisted next month.
Essendon chief executive Peter Jackson lodged a submission with the commission three weeks ago asking that Ramanauskas be allowed to remain in red and black as an over-age rookie next year a position off the primary list that would still enable the club to promote him should he make a return to the game.
Ramanauskas, who was operated on a second time in March to remove cancerous growths in his neck, shoulder and collarbone that were first operated on in 2003, is currently undergoing a course of chemotherapy that is expected to be completed in late November.
With any return to the training track after that expected to be a matter of months, the prospect of the 25-year-old premiership midfielder being capable of playing AFL football next year is considered so small that he and the club have discussed the likelihood of him being delisted.
Neither, though, want to sever their relationship, and the Dons argue that if Ramanauskas makes a full recovery and again returns to the game, it would be dismaying if he was forced to come back into the AFL system via a draft and be available to any club.
"Basically, there is no rule that allows us to keep him as a player unless we keep him on the list and there is enough uncertainty at the moment about whether he will play next year," Jackson said.
"He certainly won't be ready to train when pre-season starts and how long it will be after that before he can start training we just don't know."
According to AFL rules, a player can only be listed as an over-23 rookie if he has not previously been registered for a draft, which Ramanauskas has. He was a first-round selection for the Dons in the 1998 national draft and has played 111 matches, including the 2000 grand final.
The commission would need to grant an exemption to Ramanauskas for him to be rookied an outcome the Dons need to know of before lists are finalised ahead of next month's national draft.
"What we have is a scenario where, perhaps, he makes a good recovery and plays VFL football, does very well and then has no way back into the system other than through the draft, where he could be picked up by anyone and go anywhere. That's not something he wants or we want," Jackson said.
"We believe there is a case for a special arrangement, where the club wouldn't get any special advantage you can't ask the other 15 clubs to give Essendon an advantage, that's not fair but Adam could be allowed to test himself out in 2007 and see whether he is able to come back to AFL football in 2008.
"The suggestion we've made is that he is listed as our over-23 rookie, in lieu of our over-23 rookie. So it's not an additional spot on our list, but the utilisation of an existing spot. We'd pay him as a rookie and he could train here and play for Bendigo, our VFL side.
"If he makes a satisfactory recovery and shows that he can still play high-level football, then we could promote him back on to our primary list in 2008. I'd hope it is a proposal that will be seen for what it is."
Bid to put Rama on rookie list
Stephen Rielly
October 5, 2006
Quote:
ESSENDON has written to the AFL commission seeking permission to retain Adam Ramanauskas next season despite the fact that he is almost certain to be delisted next month.
Essendon chief executive Peter Jackson lodged a submission with the commission three weeks ago asking that Ramanauskas be allowed to remain in red and black as an over-age rookie next year a position off the primary list that would still enable the club to promote him should he make a return to the game.
Ramanauskas, who was operated on a second time in March to remove cancerous growths in his neck, shoulder and collarbone that were first operated on in 2003, is currently undergoing a course of chemotherapy that is expected to be completed in late November.
With any return to the training track after that expected to be a matter of months, the prospect of the 25-year-old premiership midfielder being capable of playing AFL football next year is considered so small that he and the club have discussed the likelihood of him being delisted.
Neither, though, want to sever their relationship, and the Dons argue that if Ramanauskas makes a full recovery and again returns to the game, it would be dismaying if he was forced to come back into the AFL system via a draft and be available to any club.
"Basically, there is no rule that allows us to keep him as a player unless we keep him on the list and there is enough uncertainty at the moment about whether he will play next year," Jackson said.
"He certainly won't be ready to train when pre-season starts and how long it will be after that before he can start training we just don't know."
According to AFL rules, a player can only be listed as an over-23 rookie if he has not previously been registered for a draft, which Ramanauskas has. He was a first-round selection for the Dons in the 1998 national draft and has played 111 matches, including the 2000 grand final.
The commission would need to grant an exemption to Ramanauskas for him to be rookied an outcome the Dons need to know of before lists are finalised ahead of next month's national draft.
"What we have is a scenario where, perhaps, he makes a good recovery and plays VFL football, does very well and then has no way back into the system other than through the draft, where he could be picked up by anyone and go anywhere. That's not something he wants or we want," Jackson said.
"We believe there is a case for a special arrangement, where the club wouldn't get any special advantage you can't ask the other 15 clubs to give Essendon an advantage, that's not fair but Adam could be allowed to test himself out in 2007 and see whether he is able to come back to AFL football in 2008.
"The suggestion we've made is that he is listed as our over-23 rookie, in lieu of our over-23 rookie. So it's not an additional spot on our list, but the utilisation of an existing spot. We'd pay him as a rookie and he could train here and play for Bendigo, our VFL side.
"If he makes a satisfactory recovery and shows that he can still play high-level football, then we could promote him back on to our primary list in 2008. I'd hope it is a proposal that will be seen for what it is."
