He was left our last year for punching people overseas and for doing burnouts in the Trinity carpark.

Not this year.

One last comment before I go to bed.

The more I think about this the happier I am and the more impressed I am with our FD. This is the sort of intelligent, ruthlessness that our club has been missing my entire life time.................... a life time without a Melbourne flag.

Well done and good work to the FD. Those who can leave their emotion behind and can intelligently assess this situation will agree.

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.

I'm not [censored] off, I'm worried that we're putting all our eggs into this mythical 6 year basket. Who the hell knows what's going to happen 6 years from now? What if Watts is the next Newton? What if Scully becomes as injury prone as McLean? What if the Gold Coast trump us?

If we're seriously thinking that it will take us this long to win a flag then we should trade Davey now, shouldn't we?

But most here don't want to see that happen, so are we 4-6 years away when it suits us to justify the rebuilding and tanking, or are we 3 years away when we want to retain someone like Davey or lure a Burgoyne?

I'm not [censored] off, I'm worried that we're putting all our eggs into this mythical 6 year basket. Who the hell knows what's going to happen 6 years from now? What if Watts is the next Newton? What if Scully becomes as injury prone as McLean? What if the Gold Coast trump us?

If we're seriously thinking that it will take us this long to win a flag then we should trade Davey now, shouldn't we?

But most here don't want to see that happen, so are we 4-6 years away when it suits us to justify the rebuilding and tanking, or are we 3 years away when we want to retain someone like Davey or lure a Burgoyne?

We should retain Davey for his leadership if nothing else.

One of McLean, Jones or Moloney was expandable IMO.

Stop being so Jaded.

I'm not [censored] off, I'm worried that we're putting all our eggs into this mythical 6 year basket. Who the hell knows what's going to happen 6 years from now? What if Watts is the next Newton? What if Scully becomes as injury prone as McLean? What if the Gold Coast trump us?

If we're seriously thinking that it will take us this long to win a flag then we should trade Davey now, shouldn't we?

But most here don't want to see that happen, so are we 4-6 years away when it suits us to justify the rebuilding and tanking, or are we 3 years away when we want to retain someone like Davey or lure a Burgoyne?

every premiership team has experienced players. harley is 30+ and captaining the side. gardiner and king are integral members of the saints team. crawford was critical for the hawks last year. if we are there on a GF day, i want an even spread of ages and types of players. when the time comes for some nous and experience, i want davey there, i want a moloney to win us that hard ball. if brock didnt have the injury issues and some critical downfalls with speed and skills, i would want him there too. plus i want davey to coach and mentor our kids. i wanted brock to do that too, but he didn't want to stay. you gotta move with it.

we aren't 6 years off. no one plans for 6 years away. we are 3-4 years from becoming a powerful side.

the what if game doesn't work either. start that, and you'll never see a positive.

One last comment before I go to bed.

The more I think about this the happier I am and the more impressed I am with our FD. This is the sort of intelligent, ruthlessness that our club has been missing my entire life time.................... a life time without a Melbourne flag.

Well done and good work to the FD. Those who can leave their emotion behind and can intelligently assess this situation will agree.

True. I've seen a lot of posts slamming the ND years because we didn't get rid of club favourites that were good but not great. Maybe this is what we need to do. I think everybody needs to calm down a bit and see how it plays out. Brock hasn't played hardball with us, we have got pretty good compensation and it seems like everyone has parted happily so I think we should wait and see what the real story is and what we do with the pick we have.

It's a good deal, but I don't like surprises like this. The TJ deal was rumoured for a week before that was done, this trade was agreed (in the Principal's office) pretty quick.

Good for midfield balance.

We Better [censored]!ng Keep Davey Though...

WBFKDT.

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.

Armstrong went to WA to the eagles and Bishop did not ask to leave Victoria and go to SA that I know.

But how many times does this happen to other clubs????

No where near as many as it happens to us.

every premiership team has experienced players. harley is 30+ and captaining the side. gardiner and king are integral members of the saints team. crawford was critical for the hawks last year. if we are there on a GF day, i want an even spread of ages and types of players. when the time comes for some nous and experience, i want davey there, i want a moloney to win us that hard ball. if brock didnt have the injury issues and some critical downfalls with speed and skills, i would want him there too. plus i want davey to coach and mentor our kids. i wanted brock to do that too, but he didn't want to stay. you gotta move with it.

we aren't 6 years off. no one plans for 6 years away. we are 3-4 years from becoming a powerful side.

the what if game doesn't work either. start that, and you'll never see a positive.

I want Davey there too, but unlike McLean, Davey has never stood up in a final. In fact, he completely lost his [censored] in many of the big games that we've had.

This isn't an issue of getting rid of McLean or retaining Davey, this is an issue of the club seemingly pushing away that premiership further and further away as if to appease the masses into some sort of false sense of security.

I was a big tanking advocate, and am all for growing a young talented list, but if we're talking 6 years before we're a serious threat, then wake me up in 2015, and I can stop caring about anything that happens between now and then.

Hiding behind these grand 5-year plans never seems to work for anyone, just ask Richmond.

We should be planning for success starting in 2010, regardless of whether Jack Watts becomes Reiwoldt v.2 by then.

need to break a few eggs to make an omelette!!

Look at it this way: Is McLean as good as, or going to be as good as, say, Joel Selwood, Ablett, Bartell, Enright, Corey, Ling, Dal Santo, Hayes, Goddard, Judd, Gibbs, Murphy, Black, Cousins, etc, at al, and the rest of the leading on-ballers in the comp? So far, he's not half as good as any of them, and given his progress since the 2006 final against StKilda, he's not going to get any better, or quicker. If Carlton want to give us pick 11 for Brock, then we should take it while he has (or Carlton think he has) some collateral value.

Tell me Sylvia is close to signing.

Sign him up now. Col is a champ, a very damaging player too. McLean wasn't.

..but if we lose one of our 2 best players in Davey or Sylvia.. that really is F&*#ed

I will storm down to the MFC and demand an explanation and an apology, if one of these guys were to leave, before ripping up my membership.

I dont usually play the "i told you so" card, but after suggesting earlier in the year that we trade McLean for a first round pick i was abused and insulted and ridiculed for even suggesting it.

I am glad now that my way of thinking has been mirrored by the MFC FD and the majority of Demonlanders have been exposed again.

I dont usually play the "i told you so" card, but after suggesting earlier in the year that we trade McLean for a first round pick i was abused and insulted and ridiculed for even suggesting it.

I am glad now that my way of thinking has been mirrored by the MFC FD and the majority of Demonlanders have been exposed again.

Yeah, you're a hero.

BTW, who on here hasn't flirted with the idea of trading McLean...

The hand wringing is all about Davey.

Geez, i wasn't even going to check the websites tonite..

I want to hear the full story with Brocky leaving, so i know where to spit it..

Daveys a fav (No. 1 fav) for many people, including myself.

He is our best on-baller at our club and one of the best in the league.

He has the best disposal at our club and one of the best in the league.. he's fast, has leadership.. etc..

He's destined to confirm himself as an A- grade mid next year..

It will put us back to where we were 2 years ago if we lose McLean and Davey

We should make him vice-capt, with a view for him to take over 2011, up his pay check and negotiate a fresh new 3-year contract. Period.

Geez, i wasn't even going to check the websites tonite..

I want to hear the full story with Brocky leaving, so i know where to spit it..

Daveys a fav (No. 1 fav) for many people, including myself.

He is our best on-baller at our club and one of the best in the league.

He has the best disposal at our club and one of the best in the league.. he's fast, has leadership.. etc..

He's destined to confirm himself as an A- grade mid next year..

It will put us back to where we were 2 years ago if we lose McLean and Davey

We should make him vice-capt, with a view for him to take over 2011, up his pay check and negotiate a fresh new 3-year contract. Period.

Here, Here

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

Well spoken Bruce. After reading the multitude of posts on this thread, this one sums up my feelings perfectly.

Hmmm we've reached an "in principle" agreement with Carlton.

I wasn't aware they had any.

Putting sentiment aside, this is a good deal for the club.

This isn't an issue of getting rid of McLean or retaining Davey, this is an issue of the club seemingly pushing away that premiership further and further away as if to appease the masses into some sort of false sense of security.

Hiding behind these grand 5-year plans never seems to work for anyone, just ask Richmond.

Frogshit. How about you ask Hawthorn instead. Your solution is that we shouldn't adopt the best course of action for a riskier one, that we shouldn't trust the judgement of those given the responsibility for managing the list - you're carrying on like a kid that's dropped their ice cream on a summers day... suck it in and move on.

Geez, i wasn't even going to check the websites tonite..

I want to hear the full story with Brocky leaving, so i know where to spit it..

Daveys a fav (No. 1 fav) for many people, including myself.

He is our best on-baller at our club and one of the best in the league.

He has the best disposal at our club and one of the best in the league.. he's fast, has leadership.. etc..

He's destined to confirm himself as an A- grade mid next year..

It will put us back to where we were 2 years ago if we lose McLean and Davey

We should make him vice-capt, with a view for him to take over 2011, up his pay check and negotiate a fresh new 3-year contract. Period.

What this guy said.

Sign him up now. Col is a champ, a very damaging player too. McLean wasn't.

I will storm down to the MFC and demand an explanation and an apology, if one of these guys were to leave, before ripping up my membership.

I doubt Colin Sylvia has been in talks with the club lately, he has been partying his way around South America for the last three weeks. Due back in town this week I think.

I know this will get lost in the myriad of posts in this thread, but I'll post it anyway.

McLean's generosity went way above and beyond the call of duty during the debt demolition campaign, and I for one will always remember him fondly for that, and be forever grateful for how he behaved at that time. His willingness to dig deep when called upon speaks volumes about his character.

For me, it's a pity that things didn't work out as well as it looked like they may in the early stages of his career. He wants out and that's disappointing given his generosity to the club, but that's a personal thing and in footy, there's no room for 'personal reasons'. For business reasons this move makes logical sense, for all three parties concerned.

We've received 'due compensation' (and Carlton have paid over market value IMO, but that's another topic altogether), and it has all been arranged lightning quick without any drawn out period of 'faffing' that usually comes with these deals. I think both clubs deserve a pat on the back for that as well. Overall, I'm as happy as is possible with how this has turned out under the circumstances.

That's the last I'll say on this topic. Now in my mind, he is the enemy when we play Carlton, and just another player to watch when we're not playing them. Just the same as every other non-Melbourne player in the competition.

When a star leaves drop me a line.

If they're not a star and we're well compensated I couldn't give a toss.

BINGO!

Frogshit. How about you ask Hawthorn instead. Your solution is that we shouldn't adopt the best course of action for a riskier one, that we shouldn't trust the judgement of those given the responsibility for managing the list - you're carrying on like a kid that's dropped their ice cream on a summers day... suck it in and move on.

Why, because I'm questioning the conflicting decisions of tanking, getting rid of senior players and then inquiring about a 27 year old?

Ffs I didn't realise we weren't allowed to question anything the club does. Maybe they tell those they want to push out that we're 6 years away and those they want to keep that we could win one in 3?

I know this will get lost in the myriad of posts in this thread, but I'll post it anyway.

McLean's generosity went way above and beyond the call of duty during the debt demolition campaign, and I for one will always remember him fondly for that, and be forever grateful for how he behaved at that time. His willingness to dig deep when called upon speaks volumes about his character.

For me, it's a pity that things didn't work out as well as it looked like they may in the early stages of his career. He wants out and that's disappointing given his generosity to the club, but that's a personal thing and in footy, there's no room for 'personal reasons'. For business reasons this move makes logical sense, for all three parties concerned.

We've received 'due compensation' (and Carlton have paid over market value IMO, but that's another topic altogether), and it has all been arranged lightning quick without any drawn out period of 'faffing' that usually comes with these deals. I think both clubs deserve a pat on the back for that as well. Overall, I'm as happy as is possible with how this has turned out under the circumstances.

That's the last I'll say on this topic. Now in my mind, he is the enemy when we play Carlton, and just another player to watch when we're not playing them. Just the same as every other non-Melbourne player in the competition.

Very well put Nasher