I also hope the rumours are wrong. But at this stage it's starting to sound like the Gary Ablett rumour saga again. They were very loud indeed and proved to be true in the end. I don't think these GWS rumours could be easily dismissed because this turn of events is highly plausable. Even if Tom is sincere in his wishes to be a one club player for us he will find an offer within the range currently speculated from GWS painfully difficult to refuse. And what discount on the GWS premium would he accept from us if he wished to stay? Assuming these rumours are correct.

It is not Ostrich....I will believe it when he sits at a press conference in a GWS jumper and says I have signed.....we had the same with the Gold Coast and to be brutally honest about the playing ability of the players the only real 'catch' was Gary Ablett the rest were good professional players.....GWS will have a wish list....what they get will be different......looking foward to seeing Tom tear teams a new one whilst playing for Melbourne THIS SEASON

I trust the FD department adopts a more outlooking approach with foresight. Harrington has hsown himself to be well capable of that.

It's a certainty he'll be offered a massive contract by GWS and we'll have work to do to retain him.

I dare say much of that ground work has already been done by the club to retain Scully. There might well be a little more work to do, but IMO : -

• Relationships formed.
  
• Exciting young list - finals bound/pursuit of Premiership.
  
• MCG/Melbourne/MFC.
  
• Close to family ties.
  
• Rewarded handsomely & accordingly
  
• Familiar territory.
  
• #31
  
• Player/Coach relationship with Bailey
  
• Possible captaincy candidate after Brad Green
  
• He's a smart kid
  

...are massive factors in wanting to be settled at Melbourne, for someone relatively still new to AFL.

Scully's management have the right to listen to offers, as are GWS in offering them. That's all that makes people nervous. And Scully has the right to perform at a high level during his current contract for his own best interests. ANd our club has the right to do enough ground work to enable to put forward the best reasonable deal forward to retain his services having drafted him.

You also take into account his teammates who Scully plays alongside, names such as: James Frawley, Jack Watts, Jack Grimes, Liam Jurrah, Jordan Gysberts, Sam Blease, Jack Trengove, Colin Garland, Jared Rivers. Exciting times....why would he want to leave all of that behind ? Just for a significant amount more coin ?

I cannot see him going anywhere or wearing anything else other than RED and Blue

The GWS footy dept are pretty smug at the moment.

I have heard 2nd hand from a direct source that they are into Scully's management pretty heavily.

Like some posters, I believe where there is smoke there is fire and don't like reading or hearing these rumours. Do I believe that he is signed sealed and delivered to GWS? No, but I am not sticking my head in the sand.

Make no mistake about it, we would have signed Scully yesterday if we could've.

And to add another two or three pages of fear....I believe that GWS have promised Jack Viney the captaincy in 2017 after his first couple of Brownlow winning years at Melbourne.....and a small country as a salary......sigh sigh and sigh roll on the season...then at least people can be fearful and hand wringing about our week to week performance on the field.......

Alert, but not alarmed.

There's no doubt GWS would be talking to him but $6m over SIX years is just ridculous. If Tom wanted MFC to match that offer then personally I'd let him walk and just take the compensation that will come with him - would have to be a few high draft picks should he poll well in our BnF (hint hint).

I can feel an alltime pages record coming on.

For this to be even a possibility shows the absolute incompetence and hypocrisy of those that run the AFL. No player under 21 or 22 should have been allowed to be involved in this. It makes an absolute mockery of the draft and the reason for it.

For this to be even a possibility shows the absolute incompetence and hypocricy of those that run the AFL. No player under 21 or 22 should have been allowed to be involved in this. It makes an absolute mockery of the draft and the reason for it.

Hence Greg March's opposition to it back in March 2010:

"We were all led to believe that the new clubs could take uncontracted stars, but we weren't aware their targets would be first- and second-year stars. If you suddenly allow that, then it defeats the whole purpose of the system. I'm not just talking about Dustin Martin. I haven't spoken to Melbourne or West Coast, but I would feel the same way about Jack Trengove, Tom Scully or Jack Watts or Nic Naitanui. As a football person, I don't think it's right.''

Tiger fury at lack of protection

Interestingly enough, Cam Schwab wasn't so happy about the Dees being drawn into the argument:

''Gary March does not speak on behalf of our club,'' Schwab said. ''We understand what the rules are and Tim Harrington is working hard to make sure we keep all of our players and we are comfortable with that so I don't need Gary March speaking on behalf of the Melbourne Football Club.

''It's his concept, he can take it forward. We know what the rules are and will work within the rules.''

March backed on young talent

Is that how it ended up on 'AW?

I would imagine so, the rumour on BigFooty was supposed to be from a North Melbourne official, much like the one mentioned above by funky41.

You would have to ask yourself the question, how would he know and where would he get the information from?

So the same rumour and the same source.

No, only about 90+% I'd expect!

Personally I don't think GWS should be able to approach uncontracted players under a certain age (say 24)

There should be some protection for clubs with young developing players

I think Scully might consider three things before he looks at the money:

1. The closeness of the relationship to his family here in Melbourne (i believe they live near Dandenong/Narre Warren). He may be unwilling to leave them and move interstate. It's also handy for Tom to live near Casey footy ground for training.

2. His closeness to his teammates at MFC.

3. The chances of winning a flag with the Dees.

I hope we score big ticks next to all 3, and he re-signs some time during this season. I don't want it to drag on like Ablett last year.

There's no doubt GWS would be talking to him but $6m over SIX years is just ridculous. If Tom wanted MFC to match that offer then personally I'd let him walk and just take the compensation that will come with him - would have to be a few high draft picks should he poll well in our BnF (hint hint).

I agree with you Harcourt it is hard to believe $6 mill for 6 years.

However if that is the offer I would say take the money Tom!

It would hurt but who could say he was making the wrong move.

Not me.

By the way Melbourne should not offer anything like that he is a second year player for god sake!

Alert, but not alarmed.

What he said.

And to add another two or three pages of fear....I believe that GWS have promised Jack Viney the captaincy in 2017 after his first couple of Brownlow winning years at Melbourne.....and a small country as a salary......sigh sigh and sigh roll on the season...then at least people can be fearful and hand wringing about our week to week performance on the field.......

And public schooling free for his first born.

You would have to ask yourself the question, how would he know and where would he get the information from?

Exactly what I thought too. I don't get all excited because news comes from some "club official" (especially when it's not the club concerned). The footy business has just as many windbags who like to spread rumours as the rest of the world, so coming from a "club official" doesn't make it any more credible than it does from anywhere else.

I think Scully might consider three things before he looks at the money:

1. The closeness of the relationship to his family here in Melbourne (i believe they live near Dandenong/Narre Warren). He may be unwilling to leave them and move interstate. It's also handy for Tom to live near Casey footy ground for training.

2. His closeness to his teammates at MFC.

3. The chances of winning a flag with the Dees.

I hope we score big ticks next to all 3, and he re-signs some time during this season. I don't want it to drag on like Ablett last year.

I'm sure everyone here has the same hopes DD DDC.

My only concern is that GWS decide to get him at any cost. Throw in the left-field thinking of Sheeds and it gets scarey

I know at lot of what is being thrown up doesn't make a lot of sense but I feel I am going to be very uneasy about this situation for the next 9 months.

Another way of looking at it.

Actually $6m over 6 years is something the club could easily match. Because its over 6 years. Think about the increasing salary cap, if the players get their % increase of the total game takings, the salary cap will increase alot for each club. The FD simply needs to decide how to distribute the $6m over 6 years within the salary cap. i.e. front of backloading contracts etc

And I could argue with 3 years, in terms of salary cap total, paying Scully $1m for the season might work out to be a bargain if in that time he's confirmed as the superstar he may be.

That combined with all the other reasons people have him staying, such as going to a backwater of a location and oval, etc etc.

While I wait with anticipation and hope he stays, I trust the FD to do the right thing for the club.

I'm sure everyone here has the same hopes DD DDC.

My only concern is that GWS decide to get him at any cost. Throw in the left-field thinking of Sheeds and it gets scarey

I know at lot of what is being thrown up doesn't make a lot of sense but I feel I am going to be very uneasy about this situation for the next 9 months.

I think we're going to have to learn to live with the situation and hope it doesn't get too much into the heads of the officials of the club as it appears to have done at Geelong last year with Ablett.

I agree with Redleg that the situation is one that the AFL should simply not have allowed to occur and perhaps they might consider ways and means of blocking the possibility of players under the age of 21 being taken this way.

One of the things we have going for us is the fact that nobody in their right mind would voluntarily want to live in that part of the world even if they were paid squillions. I know the environment and it's not all that good. If I were a young professional footballer at that time of my sporting life I'd be worried about starting my career in West Sydney.

It's not as if Scully's passed the halfway mark of his career like Ablett and is only interested in the money and I think our club has smart enough people to work out a solution that looks after a young player like Tom in ways that don't only involve the dollars and cents but his overall welfare and his career.

there was another thing on the radio today saying jack watts is also going to GWS....

there was another thing on the radio today saying jack watts is also going to GWS....

... and Al Jazeera is running with the one about Osama Bin Laden's imminent appointment as GWS public relations officer.

I have a mate who works for the Kangaroos who told me that GWS have pretty much signed 3 players so far. One of them is Scully on those terms above. One of the other players is Jimmy Bartel.

right tell me who is getting more money, scully or bartel,even with the extra money in there cap they cant afford to pay two player 1 mill a season,and if scully is going to get 1 mill, then a brownlow medalist, would have to get 1.5 mill, even GC could only offer 1 player 1mill plus.

One of the things we have going for us is the fact that nobody in their right mind would voluntarily want to live in that part of the world even if they were paid squillions. I know the environment and it's not all that good. If I were a young professional footballer at that time of my sporting life I'd be worried about starting my career in West Sydney.

WJ, how many Dees players live out near Casey? How many live close to the MCG? I would guess that there would not be too many on both counts. Travel is always an issue for players, so why would GWS be any different? With the road systems in place, there is no need for any player to live in close proximity to the GWS ground out west.

To a person in their early 20's, I would think that the idea of living in Sydney could be a very attractive prospect. And before you say that I may be biased in my views because I live in Sydney, I would much rather live in Melbourne but am unfortunately "trapped" due to family and work committments... but I do still remember how I was drawn to the place when I was much younger.

I think we're going to have to learn to live with the situation and hope it doesn't get too much into the heads of the officials of the club as it appears to have done at Geelong last year with Ablett.

I agree with Redleg that the situation is one that the AFL should simply not have allowed to occur and perhaps they might consider ways and means of blocking the possibility of players under the age of 21 being taken this way.

One of the things we have going for us is the fact that nobody in their right mind would voluntarily want to live in that part of the world even if they were paid squillions. I know the environment and it's not all that good. If I were a young professional footballer at that time of my sporting life I'd be worried about starting my career in West Sydney.

It's not as if Scully's passed the halfway mark of his career like Ablett and is only interested in the money and I think our club has smart enough people to work out a solution that looks after a young player like Tom in ways that don't only involve the dollars and cents but his overall welfare and his career.

(Edited to avoid anbiguity of re-signs}

All good logical points Jack, but I'll only really relax when he re-signs.

WJ, how many Dees players live out near Casey? How many live close to the MCG? I would guess that there would not be too many on both counts. Travel is always an issue for players, so why would GWS be any different?

With the road systems in place, there is no need for any player to live in close proximity to the GWS ground out west. To a person in their early 20's, I would think that the idea of living in Sydney could be a very attractive prospect. And before you say that I may be biased in my views because I live in Sydney, I would much rather live in Melbourne but am unfortunately "trapped" due to family and work committments... but I do still remember how I was drawn to the place when I was much younger.

Good point about living in the more attractive parts of Sydney but with due respect to the citizens of Sydney's western suburbs, there aren't too many real nice ones close by Blacktown and Rooty Hill (sorry to be sounding like a snob but if you're earning $1m you're entitled to live comfortably). Of course, he could choose to live in a nice pad in the Eastern Suburbs on the money he'd be getting paid under the rumoured contract and spend two hours travelling to and two hours away from where he's training every day or fly a helicopter.

Then again, Tom Scully is one Demon who does live out near Casey and I reckon he might also be happy to live with or near his family for a few more years yet.