The Sydney Swans gain Kurt Tippett for a net loss to the Adelaide Crows. Kurt Tippett took the Bingo! plunge and signed on with the Sydney Swans. The Adelaide Crows have expressed their surprise and disappointment.
Kurt Tippett: The Best of the Best
At 203 cm (6’8”) and 107 kg (235 lbs.) of muscle, Kurt Tippett is built for football. During the 2012 season, Tippett kicked 39 goals in 21 games. Tippett is a proven competitor and a congenial sportsman. He is a positive element of any team.
The Trade – A True Legend in the Making
Kurt Tippett had been with the Adelaide Crows for six seasons. He is a key forward. The five-year offer from the Crows was in excess of the four-year offer from the Sydney Swans. Tippett had an obvious yen to return to his hometown of Sydney. The AFL premier is the Sydney Swans football club. Tippett, a 25-year-old personification of strength and energy, notified the Crows that he wanted to hold up any contract talks until after the August 20 season final. Two days after the hold, chief executive of the Swans, Andrew Ireland, notified Tippett’s manager, Peter Blucher, that his football club was interested in the young man with the great stats.
The key forward gave the trade plenty of thought. To clear his head, he went surfing for a few days and Bingo! He had made his decision. On “Mad Monday”, while premiership players were whooping it up with costumes and their medals, coach John Longmire and Ireland made their way to Tippett’s residence. Blucher joined them, and three hours of discussion ensued. Blucher later commented on Melbourne radio station SEN that he was amazed that the parties made it through the front door of the Tippett family home without detection by the media.
He is even more awestruck that he, Longmire and Ireland were able to leave the house without the hullabaloo of the media. Ireland gave it his best shot and Tippett sat back and considered the deal. That’s when he went surfing. Upon his return, on Friday, October 5, Tippett called his manager. The one word out of Tippett’s mouth was: Bingo! Saturday, October 6, saw Kurt Tippett requesting a trade to the Swans.
The Draw of Sydney
Blucher said that the lifestyle in Sydney holds more balance for Tippett. That lifestyle was a major element of the decision to accept the trade according to Blucher. Easier would have been for the player to stay put in Adelaide and avoid the hassle and fanfare of the move. However, easier is not always better, and Tippett is a level-headed fellow who weighed his options carefully and decided on a more comfortable football/lifestyle fit.
Tippett’s statement to the press contained a couple of the factors driving the trade. The first involves his family and friends. He was born and raised in Sydney and will now be happy to return home. The second element concerns the team itself. The Swans are the 2012 premiers. They have a depth of skill and strength that is very appealing to a player on the rise. In the game of bingo there is usually one exuberant player who has the joy of yelling Bingo! Tippett is that winner. Everyone loves him.
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