Staff and Chaff gone; Gas and Kellaway may follow

[mightytiges]

maybe terry and co have trades in line to fill defensive posts

Probably

As long as it isn't Polak 

me 2,  polak as i understand believes and thinks he cab only play fwd, from what i understand he does not want to play in defence

We're trying to weed out the duds not recruit them .

[letsgetiton!]

maybe terry and co have trades in line to fill defensive posts

Probably

As long as it isn't Polak 

me 2,  polak as i understand believes and thinks he cab only play fwd, from what i understand he does not want to play in defence

We're trying to weed out the duds not recruit them .

im not 4 polak, i want hunter from teh eagles

[mightytiges]

And I just wanna say it is pathetic that Staff and Chaff had their press conference at 2.30pm today - it's been on the 4.00pm news and  after more than 2 hours there is still nothing on the RFC website 

No wonder people think the official sites are a joke

Telstra has its share price to worry about more than us 

[Mopsy]

'Telstra"

[one-eyed]

Final roar for 'Staf' and 'Chaf'
4:22:14 PM Tue 29 August, 2006
Jen Witham
Sportal for afl.com.au

While coach Terry Wallace conceded 32-year-old Stafford's announcement came as no surprise, he was initially shocked when 29-year-old Chaffey came to him with his own plans to hang up the boots.

"I was a little surprised to have the 'Chaf' come on board, but obviously he has had a very tough run with injury over the past 12 months and it had been a very, very difficult time for him this season to get his body in the right order," Wallace said on Tuesday.

"I just think that Mark has done a fantastic job to be at this football club over a 10-year period, and I think he's been a real worker."

Chaffey, who will retire with 166 games to his name, said he will enjoy the ability to travel and that he has no immediate plans to pursue a career in football in another capacity.

"It was very difficult actually, a lot harder than I had anticipated. The waterworks nearly opened up there but I'm going a bit better now," he said.

"It was tough because I've known a handful of those guys for the duration of my career and I've become friends with a lot of the young guys at the club too and they are just a really good bunch of guys and I've really enjoyed their company."

Stafford – who will retire on 204 games - said he was at peace with his decision and that he would value the years he was able to play with both the Swans and the Tigers.

"I'm very comfortable with where I'm at and, as I said to the boys before, I'm looking forward to the future as much as I've enjoyed the last 15 years," Stafford said.

"I've been blessed to have been a part of a terrific competition with terrific people involved and I took that and put it in its place and that's part of what will hopefully a long journey for me over the next 40 or 50 years, and that will make up 15 years of it.

"I will look back, no doubt, on it very fondly."

Full article at: http://richmondfc.com.au/default.asp?pg=news&spg=display&articleid=293370

[mightytiges]

All the best to Staff and Chaff with life after footy.

Footy wasn't everything to Staff so he might walk away from footy completely and just enjoy retirement but I wonder with his footy brain whether Staff would ever consider having a dab as coaching after a spell out of the game.   

[Fluffy Tiger]

I don't think Chuba should go.

If we get some new KPP (kids) for down back then who are they going to learn from. Chubba is the perfect example of playing with courage and would be of great value in showing them the way. We really don't have many others of his type to do that. He is still would be in my starting 22 every week.

Jusy my opinion.

[Fwoy3]

Staff also said he planned to go out with a bang...so will it be Cox, Judd, Kerr or COusins who will miss the finals?
 

[Stephanie]

Chubba
Hopefully he won't go, keep him on for another year I think.

Sarge is a natural forward, keep him where he is comfortable playing.

Haha, hopefully Staff will do a bit of damage to the Eagles and put them off a bit and fire our boys  up

[one-eyed]

Saturday farewell for Chaffey and Stafford
Martin Boulton
The Age
August 30, 2006

RICHMOND players Mark Chaffey and Greg Stafford will play their 166th and 204th games respectively at the MCG on Saturday, then leave the ground and the game forever.

After 10 years of AFL football, Chaffey said injury had forced him into retirement, while Stafford, who came to Punt Road from Sydney in 2001, simply decided it was time to draw the curtain on a 14-year career.

Meanwhile, the playing future of defenders Darren Gaspar and Andrew Kellaway remained uncertain, with coach Terry Wallace saying the club would "make decisions on players" at the end of the season.

"We'll do that once the season is finished, it won't be any different to any other year," he said.

Wallace admitted he was "a little surprised" when Chaffey told him on Monday he was hanging up his boots.

Chaffey, 29, told his teammates of his decision yesterday, just before announcing his retirement publicly.

"It was a difficult decision … but I've struggled getting my body to a level where it needs to be to compete at the highest level," he said. "I've had a lot of problems with my groins (and) this year was always going to be a pivotal year in my career."

Chaffey's game against West Coast this weekend will be just his sixth for the year. He said as the season unfolded he'd hoped to "get back and play some solid senior footy and gone on for another year" but injuries had restricted his training and forced his hand.

Wallace said Chaffey had given the club great service and was a highly respected part of the team.

Stafford, 32, said he was several years into playing with the Swans before deciding to "play seriously", following former coach Rodney Eade's decision to make him the team's main ruckman.

"When I first started in footy I didn't have any real connection with the game … it was all new and I didn't really take it seriously for a long time," he said. "I'd hate to think what I would have missed out on, had I not knuckled down at some point."

Stafford reached the 200-game milestone in round 18 against the Western Bulldogs. He played 130 games with the Swans, including their 1996 grand final loss to the Kangaroos.

Asked if his image as a "tough guy" of the AFL was justified, Stafford said "that's a myth … there's tougher guys than me going around and 'Chaf' is one of them".

http://www.realfooty.theage.com.au/realfooty/articles/2006/08/29/1156816900553.html

[mightytiges]

Staff also said he planned to go out with a bang...so will it be Cox, Judd, Kerr or COusins who will miss the finals?
 

Alastair Lynch could give him tips about that.

[julzqld]

BTW I don't think Chubba will be going anywhere.

Except maybe surfing

[julzqld]

Is Hunter going to be traded?  If so, I'm with X (don't fall over with shock X) - let's get Hunter.

[letsgetiton!]

Is Hunter going to be traded?  If so, I'm with X (don't fall over with shock X) - let's get Hunter.

i fall over quite alot julz, but always bounce str8 back up lol

[tiga]

we can make finals next yr without chubba, we have not suffered in defence since he has been out with a hammy, sure we may have earlier this year but the kids are showing they are developing fast and good

we dont need these players in their over the hill yrs unless they are as vital as richo

Yes, but look who we've played X. We have only beaten two sides in the top 8. Chubba played in both victories. 23 possies against the Crows & Pies. I'm hoping Chubba gets at least another year. He's been very solid so far this season and he is courage pesonified. He always leads by example. When the young guys see him backing into a pack to take a crucial mark in the defensive 50 it sets a benchmark for them to follow.
How can fellow supporters here so easilly discard a player of his callibre and someone who has been such a loyal servant to the club. Oh we have such short memories especially the kindergarten crew here. For them it's just all kids, kids, kids. Eff that! We need experienced players like Chubba to show them how its done.