Brock McLean has left the building

[45HG 1,559]

You'll love this S-T-I-N-G-A.

The Richmond game was August 2. The debt demolition night, where Mclean agains donated was August 6.

[warren dean 193]

You'll love this S-T-I-N-G-A.

The Richmond game was August 2. The debt demolition night, where Mclean agains donated was August 6.

http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/sport/a...5016169,00.html

Sheehan and Barret's take on it.

[Rogue 585]

if we are to go after burgoyne, then surely davey must be at the club, yeh?

Why? If we lost Davey and picked up Burgoyne he could fill a similar role, being a silky player we tried to get the ball to. Anyhow, apparently he's nominated Hawthorn.

[Dee tention 617]

http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/sport/a...5016169,00.html

Sheehan and Barret's take on it.

Fair enough too! 4-6 years away! Cough cough. I think 2-3. Comon Dees! We aint that far away!

[Rogue 585]

http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/sport/a...5016169,00.html

Sheehan and Barret's take on it.

The pertinent part of the article is as follows:

He is understood to have become increasingly frustrated with the negative roles assigned him this year by coach Dean Bailey.

While there is a major query on his pace, he is strong and brave, and will make life much more comfortable for Chris Judd at stoppages.

McLean's exit from Melbourne ends a deteriorating relationship between club and player.

He is understood to have been hurt and disappointed recently when asked to take a pay cut after spending $15,000 at a Demons auction night and, last year, donating $10,000 to the club's Debt Demolition program.

He was also unimpressed with assessments by Melbourne officials that the club was as long as 4-6 years away from success.

[45HG 1,559]

I must say I raised an eyebrow a little with all the talk of front loading pay for many players, yet asking our runner up in the B and F to take a big pay cut. His donations to the club are completely irrelevant however, as is the 4-6 years part IMO.

A true leader would make it his duty to make sure it happens and would help the team to get there faster!

[Grand New Flag 3,227]

Some people need to take out the emotion on this and think about it with some logic.

Mclean is a very, very slow player. He is injury prone and is expendable due to our long list of quality, tough inside midfielders. Pick 11 is a fair deal at worst. We can now get the fast, classy outside mids we require (with pick 1 & 2) and another quality tall KP forward to develop with Watts and Jarrah. This is excellent list management and PB should be congratulated. This is Hawthorn 2004 like and we will get rewarded for this tough decision.

I know the press release reads that Mclean asked to be traded....... but there is definitely more to the story. I suggest he was eased out with a significantly lower contract (confirmed "the AGE") and poor end of season review (confirmed, public review now blocked for those who did not read it). I also suggest a deal was done with Mclean to talk him up to potential suitors to

a: increase his trade value,

b: enable McLean to negotiate a better paying contract.

This was done in part by making it sound as if Mclean dumped us rather than the other way around. Read the press release carefully. Considering we are trying to get the best possible trade for him and that no trade can be confirmed until trade week it would be very, very foolish to suggest we dumped him rather than he wanted to leave. If other clubs realised we had dumped him, they would say "why" more questions would be asked and his trade vale would half. We would be lucky to get pick 25.

I hope I am right about this, to me this is logical and how I would play it if I was BP. If so we have screwed Carlton.

I also don't believe the Davey rumour. I believe there is far more chance that Arwan is traded to us than the other way around. Lovett has left, Lovett-Murry has his problems and is unsettling and Arwan Davey almost came to Melbourne last year. The evidence suggests the brothers are not happy at Essendon, which is from all accounts exactly the contrary to the brotherhood at the demons. Aaron Davey is going nowhere, leads the brothers and must be close to favourite to be the next captain.

Time will tell but at this point I am taking my hat off to our FD. Excellent list management.

[Rogue 585]

If we don't trade pick 11 or 18, I can't see us using pick 50.

As such, we only need to move on 2 more players?

Possibly.

In - Out

Pick 1 - Whelan

Pick 2 - Wheatley

Pick 11 - McLean

Pick 18 - Robertson

Pick 34 - ?

PSD1 - ?

(Spencer/Valenti - ?)

But if we just traded him to get Burgoyne, then I'm [censored]. It's a quick fix that will not come off. And Burgoyne is 4 years older.

One, Burgoyne's nominated the Hawks.

Two, McLean decided to leave.

who cares... he wont even make it in carltons midfield...it was a good deal

You've got to be kidding me (and that's without Stevens being forced into retirement).

[45HG 1,559]

Negative role?

Playing in the middle, averaging nearly 22 touches, kicking the second most goals he's ever kicked in a season.

Furthmore, if the coach gives you a role, you bloody well do it and do it as best you can.

Good riddance.

[Grand New Flag 3,227]

QUOTE

He is understood to have become increasingly frustrated with the negative roles assigned him this year by coach Dean Bailey.

While there is a major query on his pace, he is strong and brave, and will make life much more comfortable for Chris Judd at stoppages.

McLean's exit from Melbourne ends a deteriorating relationship between club and player.

He is understood to have been hurt and disappointed recently when asked to take a pay cut after spending $15,000 at a Demons auction night and, last year, donating $10,000 to the club's Debt Demolition program.

He was also unimpressed with assessments by Melbourne officials that the club was as long as 4-6 years away from success.

After reading this I am even more convinced with my theory.

[classy dees 42]

from a material point of view im happy with the trade. pick 11 for a one paced injury prone midfielder whom we have many similar is good compensation. brock was made to look horrendously slow this year and disposal substandard. but that said he has significant upside going forward. this does however give us great trade week flexibility and allows us to be aggressive without even mentioning 1&2. 11 and 18 are excellent currency.

i'm sure we'd fight tooth and nail to keep him if we really really really wanted him. if he asked for the trade, a pay rise and the captaincy wouldve gone a long way to changing his mind. the other thing is, why do carlton want him? they have given up their only top 12 pick for two years (assuming next year they are finals bound - likely). this irks me.

for me the concerns are bigger than the loss of the footballer mclean. but the reasons why. none of us know. a 5 year player who the club has nurtured through injury and off-field problems who had leadership written all over him, and was committed enough to donate 10K to the club shouldnt want to leave. if the article is to be true, i'm surprised as all hell that we gave him a pay cut given what he did... culture is a dirty word at the MFC. rumblings of players wanting to quit have long dogged us.we all thought we were on the right track with this, lets hope this is another sensible move.

as others have said we wont know the winner of the trade for a few years but we have got significant upside out of it. i just want to know why.

7 top 20 picks in 2 years....i hope we have creche facilities at the new bubbledome.

[Bruce Almighty 0]

Thanks Chooka for all you have given the melbourne football club, i am sure we as supporters will never know the real reasons why you have left, i wish you all the best with your career. But the MFC juggernaut rolls on and i am quite excited by getting pick 11, this has put us in an even stronger position

[Rogue 585]

I wonder if they will use pick 11 and 18 to get Burgoyne across the line? Or maybe pick 11 plus a player it certainly gives us some extra chips to put on the table.

I missed this earlier...pick 11 and 18 when we're rebuilding?

His donations to the club are completely irrelevant however

Agreed.

[Curry & Beer 5,444]

Some people need to take out the emotion on this and think about it with some logic.

Mclean is a very, very slow player. He is injury prone and is expendable due to our long list of quality, tough inside midfielders. Pick 11 is a fair deal at worst. We can now get the fast, classy outside mids we require (with pick 1 & 2) and another quality tall KP forward to develop with Watts and Jarrah. This is excellent list management and PB should be congratulated. This is Hawthorn 2004 like and we will get rewarded for this tough decision.

I know the press release reads that Mclean asked to be traded....... but there is definitely more to the story. I suggest he was eased out with a significantly lower contract (confirmed "the AGE") and poor end of season review (confirmed, public review now blocked for those who did not read it). I also suggest a deal was done with Mclean to talk him up to potential suitors to

a: increase his trade value,

b: enable McLean to negotiate a better paying contract.

This was done in part by making it sound as if Mclean dumped us rather than the other way around. Read the press release carefully. Considering we are trying to get the best possible trade for him and that no trade can be confirmed until trade week it would be very, very foolish to suggest we dumped him rather than he wanted to leave. If other clubs realised we had dumped him, they would say "why" more questions would be asked and his trade vale would half. We would be lucky to get pick 25.

I hope I am right about this, to me this is logical and how I would play it if I was BP. If so we have screwed Carlton.

I also don't believe the Davey rumour. I believe there is far more chance that Arwan is traded to us than the other way around. Lovett has left, Lovett-Murry has his problems and is unsettling and Arwan Davey almost came to Melbourne last year. The evidence suggests the brothers are not happy at Essendon, which is from all accounts exactly the contrary to the brotherhood at the demons. Aaron Davey is going nowhere, leads the brothers and must be close to favourite to be the next captain.

Time will tell but at this point I am taking my hat off to our FD. Excellent list management.

Good post but I would feel better about it if you had at least once referenced the above-linked sheahan/Barret piece which translates to: 'McLean doesnt rate the coach, feels like part of a loser's club and feels underpaid'

[Rogue 585]

culture is a dirty word at the MFC. rumblings of players wanting to quit have long dogged us

Has it? Who are the recent ones?

Farmer moved to WA for personal reasons, likewise Armstrong to SA. Same with Bishop?

Jolly wanted more opportunity so he left - no indication it was an issue with our 'culture'.

Sure, Powell moved on.

[Grand New Flag 3,227]

Good post but I would feel better about it if you had at least once referenced the above-linked sheahan/Barret piece which translates to: 'McLean doesnt rate the coach, feels like part of a loser's club and feels underpaid'

Sounds like sour grapes to me. Further strengthens my beliefs.

[Jaded No More 68,972]

Why? If we lost Davey and picked up Burgoyne he could fill a similar role, being a silky player we tried to get the ball to. Anyhow, apparently he's nominated Hawthorn.

We can't pick up anyone over the age of 21 because we won't win a flag for 6 years according to the club. This also means we should probably get rid of Warnock, Davey and Moloney, since none of these guys will get a game when they reach 32

I'm all for rebuilding, but this whole clock/window/hourglass theory is becoming a bit of a joke.

The way we're tracking, the Gold Coast will win a flag before us <_<

[biggestred 5,125]

ladies and gentlemen the club is undergoing a SIGNIFICANT cultural revolution. some players are going to get sick of the way things are going - especially if they were the big shots or important parts of the society of the old culture.

brocks out of the leadership group because he isnt seen by his peers as good enough to be in it.

carlton are very good at stroking the ego.

good riddance - we need the culture more than we need one player

[45HG 1,559]

Mclean was in the leadership group.

[biggestred 5,125]

he was left out at the start of the season and is not vice or captain. maybe he feels he should have been

[classy dees 42]

We can't pick up anyone over the age of 21 because we won't win a flag for 6 years according to the club. This also means we should probably get rid of Warnock, Davey and Moloney, since none of these guys will get a game when they reach 32

I'm all for rebuilding, but this whole clock/window/hourglass theory is becoming a bit of a joke.

The way we're tracking, the Gold Coast will win a flag before us <_<

you're normally better than that jaded. i know you're [censored] about your favourite player leaving, and i will cringe when i see him without a red V on next year, but this isn't a bad footballing move for the club.

if that whole prediction thing is what [censored] off mclean then it is a good move on our behalf.

if anyone thinks we'll win a flag in less than 4 years they are smoking something wicked. i reckon 3-4 years is smack on. watts wont mature till then, the bodies of morton, scully, trengove, blease, strauss etc wont be match hardened until then, let alone finals ready. we have effectively got 7 top 20 picks debuting next year (scary and excitign at the same time). hawthorn needed 4 years for their rebuild. the cleanout is one thing, the rebuild is another.

onwards and upwards yes, but slowly.

[45HG 1,559]

No, he wasn't left out.

And I would hardly be comparing what's happening at the MFC to the cultural revolution.

[s-t-i-n-g-a 439]

You'll love this S-T-I-N-G-A.

The Richmond game was August 2. The debt demolition night, where Mclean agains donated was August 6.

Despite the article I think this potentially puts to bed the tanking/DB relationship issue (it may still have been a factor) but at this time he was still clearly in love with the club and leans more the the fact that at the end of the year he was offered a lower contract and potentially less opportunities beyond this year.

There are many reasons for this including his injuries, lack of pace, good years by Moloney and Jones and Valenti coming though as a handy back up, plus the potential of 2 eliete mids with picks 1 and 2 and the need to put games into them to fast track their development. Not to mention Grimes, Blease, Strauss etc.

Clearly his value to the team would be lower now then when he signed the last one.

On the flip side, Carlton are about to lose Stevens (and free up some cash) and McLean is a very hand replacement.

You will notice in the article on the MCF site McLean says "I have come to the decision that the best thing for my football career is to move on from Melbourne. While it has been an extremely tough decision as I have given the Club my all, I am confident it is the right one for both parties"

Best thing for his career (more opportunities/money), right one for both parties (we move on a surplus inside mid and gain a first round draft pick). It really sounds like a win/win to me.

McLean is a big loss due to his passion and leadership but I think this is the right move by the club if we are serious about winning flags!

[biggestred 5,125]

well every group/person has a culture which is really what they do and when. our culture under daniher was clearly not good.

note edited due to poor research

Edited September 23, 2009 by Benno

[s-t-i-n-g-a 439]

if anyone thinks we'll win a flag in less than 4 years they are smoking something wicked. i reckon 3-4 years is smack on. watts wont mature till then, the bodies of morton, scully, trengove, blease, strauss etc wont be match hardened until then, let alone finals ready. we have effectively got 7 top 20 picks debuting next year (scary and excitign at the same time). hawthorn needed 4 years for their rebuild. the cleanout is one thing, the rebuild is another.

onwards and upwards yes, but slowly.

Hawthorn were lucky to rebuild so quick. I recon 3-4 years is about right.

Jack Watts is a key component of our flag hopes and it will be about that long before he is playing solid footy.