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.

The AFL could gain a bit of respect by admitting their mistake and changing the GWS concessions to only applying to players over 22.

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.

I certainly hope you are right WJ... I for one don't want to see him living up here :-) Hopefully Jimmy and the Boys (now there's a Sydney reference we can apply) can get him to sign sooner rather than later, so as to avoid the same disquiet that unsettled the Cats last season.

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

I think we need to have an imposition on the use of the words 'resigns' and 're-signs'.

Sorry DC, but I took your post the complete wrong way (I assume).

I'm not worried about Scully leaving.

I'm confident that there are more than enough reasons for him to stay, that will keep him here in Melb.

But even still, we should get used to this.

Once Scully is signed up, it'll then be Trengove... and Morton... and Watts... and Sylvia... and Grimes... and Gysberts... and Jurrah... and Blease... and Bennell... and Garland... and by that time Frawley, Cook and Viney...

It'll never end.

When teams have great players, rumours circle that they will leave.

It is as much people talking crap for the sake of it, as it is other clubs and supporters striving to create instability so that it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

To say that rumours circled about Ablett all year and then he eventually left, therefore it indicates causality, is eminently foolish.

Rumours also circled about both Selwood and Pavlich.

Don't confuse coincidence with causality.

Sit

I pose the question, Why would Melbourne offer Trengove a three year deal but only offer Tom the standard two year deal ? I don't believe Melbourne wouldn't see this coming.

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.

Sure.

Coz he's in the business...

He must know...

I pose the question, Why would Melbourne offer Trengove a three year deal but only offer Tom the standard two year deal ? I don't believe Melbourne wouldn't see this coming.

Fairly obvious - staggering the contracts of our projected stars to make it easier to front-load contracts.

Neither of the 2 are safe from GWS if they want to go.

It's harder to convince kids to leave for money when they are so young that they don't have a family to provide for and it seems like they have a whole career ahead of them where they will earn bucketloads of cash compared to what they are used to.

Money is less important as playing with mates, playing close to family, playing infront of large crowds at the MCG instead of 14K at a suburban stadium in West Sydney.

Everything will be fine, people.

Don't panic.

Fairly obvious - staggering the contracts of our projected stars to make it easier to front-load contracts.

Neither of the 2 are safe from GWS if they want to go.

It's harder to convince kids to leave for money when they are so young that they don't have a family to provide for and it seems like they have a whole career ahead of them where they will earn bucketloads of cash compared to what they are used to.

Money is less important as playing with mates, playing close to family, playing infront of large crowds at the MCG instead of 14K at a suburban stadium in West Sydney.

My memory of this is that both players were offered 3 year deals.

Trengove took the 3 year deal and Scully chose to take the std. 2 year deal.

I always thought he believed he would be worth more in the third year then the Dees were offering on the original 3 year deal.

My memory of this is that both players were offered 3 year deals.

Trengove took the 3 year deal and Scully chose to take the std. 2 year deal.

I always thought he believed he would be worth more in the third year then the Dees were offering on the original 3 year deal.

Maybe. That's possible, but I have no recollection of that.

Was that also the case with Gysberts?

Gys took 2 years, while Tapscott got 3.

Either way, it makes little difference.

We have re-sign all of them at some stage, and all are at risk of going to GWS.

Judd and Ablett are the 2 best players in the comp and they both walked out on their original clubs purely and simply for more money

Brock McLean used to also love saying he would never leave the Demons

Anyone that thinks Scully, Frawley, Watts, Trengove, Morton even Grimes and Jurrah aren't all in danger of leaving us is absolutely kidding themselves

Their whole careers all 17 other clubs will hunt and lure them and that's just the way it is

Judd and Ablett are the 2 best players in the comp and they both walked out on their original clubs purely and simply for more money

Brock McLean used to also love saying he would never leave the Demons

Anyone that thinks Scully, Frawley, Watts, Trengove, Morton even Grimes and Jurrah aren't all in danger of leaving us is absolutely kidding themselves

Their whole careers all 17 other clubs will hunt and lure them and that's just the way it is

That's not the case at all.

They left for greater challenges and because their clubs were reaching the ends of golden periods.

If you don't understand that, then I doubt you understand the motivations behind why people play AFL.

I will cry if Scully goes to GWS.

I actually got in trouble with a few posters last year when I said 'some' Melbourne supporters seem to always think the glass is half empty, and seem to enjoy wringing their hands at the next perceived crisis the club is about to endure

This thread, based totally on an unsubstantiated rumour, seems to confirm that fact.

Please, we are a few weeks away from what I personally hope will be a great season, let's focus on the positive.....above everything it is only football...which we are supposed to enjoy

I suspect for GWS to be serious with this alleged offer they would also expect Scully to have a cracking 2011 season and build on what he achieved last season substantially. What if he gets the second year yips? His disposal needs improvement. While some players with disposal issues improve others never do. What if he does his knee? Lots of what if's. If Scully is playing like a superstar around midseason and he still hasn't re-signed then then we should be very worried.

AW and Bigfooy!

Must be true.

If it wasn’t Scully we were talking about here then I would almost be wishing for GWS to pay $6 million over 6 years. This is surely an “all your eggs in the one basket” scenario.

According to the AFL press release from last year

http://www.afl.com.au/tabid/208/default.aspx?newsid=86208

Team GWS might have as many as 59 players on its list in its first three seasons at AFL level.

By 2019 it will fall into line with its AFL rivals and have 38 senior-listed players.

Its TPP (Total Player Payments) allowance will be paid at a rate of $60,000 per additional player it has on its list, plus the average veterans' allowance (approx $375,000) currently applied to existing AFL clubs.

“What’s important about that is it’s not a bucket of spare money and down the track you pay players over and above the odds,” Demetriou said.

“I mean they actually need that money because they’ve got more players on their list."

In real figures, from 2012-2014 Team GWS is set to receive between an additional $640,000 and $1 million.

So the more players they have the less there is to go around because minimum payments are more than $60,000. GWS will therefore receive $375,000 extra under the cap compared with other teams.

The 2011 salary cap is $8,212,500. So if they pay Sculley $1m a year that leaves $7.875 million over 37 players, best case. That’s just over $200k a player. If they have 2 players on $1m a year that leaves only $185K a year for the remainder of the squad.

Sheedy and GWS would need to make a call as to if any player was worth signing up for $1 million over 6 years. There are all sorts of issues with this..

If he is injured long term they have in affect blown any salary cap advantage they may have had

If they decide to trade him later (say he wants to return home) they may have to make significant payments to another club for an extended time frame

If they have to pay him out due to indiscretions (unlikely I know – but) say in year 3 they have to take a $3 million hit to their cap – that would kill them.

And from a player management point of view – what incentive is there for someone with a guaranteed $1m a year. I am sure Tom doesn’t need money as an incentive, but 6 years is a long time and people change – particularly when they are being paid $1 million a year.

Ablett was a different proposition – he is older, presumably wiser and had a proven track record – and he didn’t get a 6 year contract.

I suspect for GWS to be serious with this alleged offer they would also expect Scully to have a cracking 2011 season and build on what he achieved last season substantially. What if he gets the second year yips? His disposal needs improvement. While some players with disposal issues improve others never do. What if he does his knee? Lots of what if's. If Scully is playing like a superstar around midseason and he still hasn't re-signed then then we should be very worried.

Scully's the most important player on our list, don't waste your time talking down his skills or possible problems. Without him the chance of winning our next premiership is made much, much harder. He is all class combined with tenacity and a serious commitment to success. He's a keep at all costs kind of player. Personally I just can't see him leaving.

scully is a number 1 draft pick who has been playing for 1 year.

in the event scully goes to GWS what would we get in return?

i would like to think compensation would be a number 1 draft pick.

scully is a number 1 draft pick who has been playing for 1 year.

in the event scully goes to GWS what would we get in return?

i would like to think compensation would be a number 1 draft pick.

That's not included in the compensation rules, to my understanding.

Best we could hope for is 2 or 3 mid-1st round picks.

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.

Agree with that. Blacktown is 40km from Sydney CBD, less than an hour via the M2 going against the traffic which would normally be the case. Sure driving from Manly or Bondi is not on but there's got to be plenty of desirable places to live between Blacktown and Sydney. HT could probably provide some recommendations.

That's not the case at all.

They left for greater challenges and because their clubs were reaching the ends of golden periods.

If you don't understand that, then I doubt you understand the motivations behind why people play AFL.

I've read some garbage from you but that pretty much takes the cake

one goes to the worst known cheating scum club there is and the other leaves the club where his name is as big as the club itself and goes to the latest soul-less franchise to collect spoons and be supported by nobody

money, money, money and more money

I've read some garbage from you but that pretty much takes the cake

one goes to the worst known cheating scum club there is and the other leaves the club where his name is as big as the club itself and goes to the latest soul-less franchise to collect spoons and be supported by nobody

money, money, money and more money

Yeah, clearly the words of someone who doesn't understand the motivations of a champion.

Money is a consideration, but hardly the only one.

I don't expect you to get it, though.

I've read some garbage from you but that pretty much takes the cake

one goes to the worst known cheating scum club there is and the other leaves the club where his name is as big as the club itself and goes to the latest soul-less franchise to collect spoons and be supported by nobody

money, money, money and more money

Both different stages of their careers, both premiership players, different to Scully, not the same.

That's not included in the compensation rules, to my understanding.

Best we could hope for is 2 or 3 mid-1st round picks.

"money" is starting to tarnish the game.

I bet if GWS sydney offered more money than demetriou was on per season; then the afl would rule against it!