Take a Bex and have a good lie down.

Wait until the new TV deal is negotiated (it is in train as we speak) then the clubs will know what the 'new' salary levels are likely to be.

Remember Woey?? He was our highest paid payer on close to $500k pa. He wasn't worth it but his timing was impeccable. He was coming off a Brownlow, the new TV rights deal had just been negotiated and Freo were after Farmer and Woey offering huge bucks. CLubs thought that they had to pay huge money because of the TV rights induced inflation. Turns out they were wrong but it is similar now.

Tom will have played close to 40 games by year end and a potential elite player. If Vlad gets $1Bn then the payers will be demanding a hefty pay rise and the salary cap will be increased significantly

It's smart of him & his management. If it works he will catapult himself into the ranks of the teams highest paid. To negotiate now he would possibly be depriving himself of 100s of thousands of dollars.

Relax. Have a look at the bigger picture.

Take a Bex and have a good lie down.

Wait until the new TV deal is negotiated (it is in train as we speak) then the clubs will know what the 'new' salary levels are likely to be.

Remember Woey?? He was our highest paid payer on close to $500k pa. He wasn't worth it but his timing was impeccable. He was coming off a Brownlow, the new TV rights deal had just been negotiated and Freo were after Farmer and Woey offering huge bucks. CLubs thought that they had to pay huge money because of the TV rights induced inflation. Turns out they were wrong but it is similar now.

Tom will have played close to 40 games by year end and a potential elite player. If Vlad gets $1Bn then the payers will be demanding a hefty pay rise and the salary cap will be increased significantly

It's smart of him & his management. If it works he will catapult himself into the ranks of the teams highest paid. To negotiate now he would possibly be depriving himself of 100s of thousands of dollars.

Relax. Have a look at the bigger picture.

I don't see any problem with drawing up a contract now which includes an increase equal to any future salary cap increase. i.e. if salarary cap increases by 10% then said player gets a 10% increase starting at the same time.

No problems feel free to remove it if you want.

I don't think it's in my place to censor anyone's views simply because I don't agree with them. I think it's fairly obvious that most Melbourne fans (and those of many other clubs) would want Tom to remain at the club. I've never liked the GWS rules on this issue and don't believe 19 year olds should even be put into the position he's in but they're the rules and we have to live with them.

I like all Melbourne members would love Tom to be around to be part of one of many flags we love you Tom and hope you stay with the red&blue.

I don't think it's in my place to censor anyone's views simply because I don't agree with them. I think it's fairly obvious that most Melbourne fans (and those of many other clubs) would want Tom to remain at the club. I've never liked the GWS rules on this issue and don't believe 19 year olds should even be put into the position he's in but they're the rules and we have to live with them.

Do we?

Geelong launched a media campaign for alteration to the compensation rules when it became clear Ablett might go.

The AFL made changes to the guidelines midway through the season.

Theoretically we could try to affect a similar change.

The best this can do is nothing and the worst it can do is inflame the situation. Massive thumbs down from me.

I'd like to see his kicking improve before anything else.

I guess you missed the article where Schwab insisted that all Melbourne's conract negotiations would be, as much as possible, done in private out of respect for the players involved and to avoid hype and grandstanding coming into play.

Or, another way to look at it is emotional blackmail. You might as well have threatened to self-harm if he left. Have you considered writing a book on 'How to poison a good relationship by becoming clingy and posessive'.

I'd like to see his kicking improve before anything else.

Spot on.......Greg Williams-type magic hands/vision but a not particularly accurate kick and seriously lacks distance. Above all , he is a ball magnet and just like Robert Harvey who had similar deficiencies will play 300+ games ! As a quality character, i am confident he will stick by his peers and be well looked after by our management. I suspect he's not the "trophy missus" etc type !

http://www.google.com.au/imgres?imgurl=http://www.memedepot.com/uploads/0/207_not_sure_if_serious.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.memedepot.com/&usg=__69oQ3SoWlYLXC_wwCho9iVeIW2Y=&h=224&w=500&sz=53&hl=en&start=0&sig2=X86i10X4EZIdeKo4a05y_g&zoom=1&tbnid=Uhp4FSBBW0lQBM:&tbnh=95&tbnw=194&ei=YGVNTZ2ML4uCvgP7q-jODw&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dnot%2Bsure%2Bif%2Bserious%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26biw%3D1024%26bih%3D499%26tbs%3Disch:1&um=1&itbs=1&iact=rc&dur=533&oei=YGVNTZ2ML4uCvgP7q-jODw&esq=1&page=1&ndsp=12&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0&tx=102&ty=44

question is, if we did lose scully..what compensation would we get?

Do we?

Geelong launched a media campaign for alteration to the compensation rules when it became clear Ablett might go.

The AFL made changes to the guidelines midway through the season.

Theoretically we could try to affect a similar change.

Actually, the action Geelong took was designed to change the compensation rules to their advantage in the event of Ablett leaving. They were successful in that but it didn't help them keep the player at the club,

He'll stay at MFC unless the offer is too good to refuse not just a little better.

He won't re-sign to the end of season, this means nothing and has been the plan since April/May last year.

Agree Wolfy. GWS would have to make a pretty special offer to get Tom. He won't leave for a little.

GWS have the power to do this with their cap concessions but it would compromise their ability to recruit a slightly older high quality player. They won't get Pendelbury and Scully for example.

Like the Suns, they'll only be able to afford 1 "marquee" player and if they get the skull he'll be it. If he does go it'll be becase he was made an offer he couln't refuse. I won't be blaming Tom if he goes but I'll be unhappy with the afl and to a lesser extent the club. Schwabby had an opportunity to join Richmond and lobby to protect kids coming out of their first contract last year and chose not to

Lets not get as silly as Bomber Thompson did with Gary Ablett and his contract negotiations and talks. He really did not help his situation, just pushed him away further.

No one at the club has spoke to Tom about his contract including Schwabby, CC or Bailey and no one will thus we won't have any issues with him being pushed like ablett all talks occur between his manager and the club.

I don't see any problem with drawing up a contract now which includes an increase equal to any future salary cap increase. i.e. if salarary cap increases by 10% then said player gets a 10% increase starting at the same time.

The club has put multiple contracts to tom management with all sorts of different things, they pushed and put heaps of pressure on his management to resign last year mid season with Trengove and Tapscott. i'm not sure if the offers even get to Tom, but he just wants to play footy finish his first contract and then talk about it. The plan has been the same since the start of last year and although this will drag out because of the media I'm confident he'll stay.

Having not long ago read Nathan Buckley's autobiography, I expect it to get a lot messier.

GWS List Recruitment Manager (or whatever the exact role is) Gubby Allan, then Collingwood's recruiter, gives a detailed account of the games played in recruiting Buckley from Brisbane.

One of his main aims was to feed misinformation to as many sources as possible, to create chaos and instability.

The media machine wasn't half the size it is today.

No one at the club has spoke to Tom about his contract including Schwabby, CC or Bailey and no one will thus we won't have any issues with him being pushed like ablett all talks occur between his manager and the club.

The club has put multiple contracts to tom management with all sorts of different things, they pushed and put heaps of pressure on his management to resign last year mid season with Trengove and Tapscott. i'm not sure if the offers even get to Tom, but he just wants to play footy finish his first contract and then talk about it. The plan has been the same since the start of last year and although this will drag out because of the media I'm confident he'll stay.

Interesting info Wolfy, you obviously have some connection with Tom.

Wonder if this is what's behind Bailey's "team of the decade" statement. If so, what's "on offer" to Tom (and for that matter to all of our poachable youngsters) is to spend your early 20s playing in multiple premierships, in a team of your mates, as potentially one of the best-known & most highly-regarded sportsmen (therefore people) in Australia etc etc; in addition to all that other stuff that Keyser & others have mentioned before. To be a key part of the team of the decade.

As against spending your early career having to battle one-out against a hard tag every week, with little help from your mates, in a team that will struggle for years until it gets anywhere - the Daniel Kerr scenario, if you like. As well as watching your former mates win multiple premierships and throwing away your chance to be part of the team of the decade.

What would be the price of giving up a spot in the team of the decade? As you say, Wolfy, it'd have to be an amount that's impossible to refuse - and totally insane!

Do we?

Geelong launched a media campaign for alteration to the compensation rules when it became clear Ablett might go.

The AFL made changes to the guidelines midway through the season.

Theoretically we could try to affect a similar change.

An extremely good and valid point. However, Anderson from the AFL must realise the posituion we are in but it up to us to vigoursly bring it to the attention of the AFL. Martin of Richmond would have been in a similar position if not resigned earlier. Also no doubt the players Association has also some clout here and would be great if they also got involved.

Why would the players association get involved?

It's not in their best interests to have further restrictions placed on player movement.

Just the opposite.

Interesting info Wolfy, you obviously have some connection with Tom.

Wonder if this is what's behind Bailey's "team of the decade" statement. If so, what's "on offer" to Tom (and for that matter to all of our poachable youngsters) is to spend your early 20s playing in multiple premierships, in a team of your mates, as potentially one of the best-known & most highly-regarded sportsmen (therefore people) in Australia etc etc; in addition to all that other stuff that Keyser & others have mentioned before. To be a key part of the team of the decade.

As against spending your early career having to battle one-out against a hard tag every week, with little help from your mates, in a team that will struggle for years until it gets anywhere - the Daniel Kerr scenario, if you like. As well as watching your former mates win multiple premierships and throwing away your chance to be part of the team of the decade.

What would be the price of giving up a spot in the team of the decade? As you say, Wolfy, it'd have to be an amount that's impossible to refuse - and totally insane!

Just lucky enough to have had dinner and coffee with him a couple of times and spoken to him directly about his contract, future contracts, money, being poached, earning capacity amongst other things including what he likes and doesn't like at the MFC etc etc (including putting the rumour to him on boxing day last year before the media beat up we've had in the last week), although I doubt he would tell me if he was going to GWS he would also be a little cagey if the six million dollar question was asked.

I enjoy all the information on this site that posters provide especially training reports, people at AGM etc etc (all the stuff I can't attend including 2009 when I was overseas in the Solomon Islands and only was able to see a Melbourne game on telly every six weeks (I lived on this site)) I thought if I can provide some info on certain topics then why not, as we are all supporters of the same club and nothing I'm posting is privileged. Tom wants to be a one club player but in his words would be crazy not to look at GWS offer because he is only in this game for a short period and his earning potential is reduce after the game (smart kid), the offer would have to be pretty special for him to move but with what the GWS has up its sleeve it well could be... no other clubs would have the room to offer a big enough incentive for him to leave. He is happy playing football and doesn't want to talk turkey as he feels he just started in the game and is more determined to be the best because he that driven than because it would effect his next contract.

*** If anyone feels that journo would read this and write up Tom considering GWS offer or similar I am happy to delete the post. This information is more for demonlanders (MFC faithfully) and needs to be taken in context****

The club has put multiple contracts to tom management with all sorts of different things, they pushed and put heaps of pressure on his management to resign last year mid season with Trengove and Tapscott. i'm not sure if the offers even get to Tom, but he just wants to play footy finish his first contract and then talk about it. The plan has been the same since the start of last year and although this will drag out because of the media I'm confident he'll stay.

This still wouldn't have put him out of GWS reach though would it as they have a two year window to sign players.

No it wouldn't but everyone needs to know the club is doing everything it can and Tom isn't holding off talks just because of GWS this was the plan since he was drafted.

Does Chicken Little have multiple accounts on demonland?

No it wouldn't but everyone needs to know the club is doing everything it can and Tom isn't holding off talks just because of GWS this was the plan since he was drafted.

Yeah no doubt about that. His manager wouldn't be doing his job if he agreed to a new contract after only one season. Knocking back the extension last year could actually end up wokring in our favour as if Scully decides to re-sign with the MFC at the end of this year you would assume the contract would be more than one year. If he re-signed last year to the end of 2012 he and Trengove (and Watts among others?) would all be coming out of contract at the same time. This would probably make it easier for GWS to poach one of them from us as they would be discussing potentially-massive contracts with multiple players making it harder for us to keep them all under the cap.

All we can do is continue to support the club and hope that our young players follow on from Frawley and Petterd last year and decide to stay on board to help our club achieve the ultimate success. If not it would sting but the club is bigger than the individual and hopefully it would provide greater inspiration to those that stay to stick it up any of their mates who may have left.

The best this can do is nothing and the worst it can do is inflame the situation. Massive thumbs down from me.

I think that is the best post in this thread.

I think that is the best post in this thread.

I agree , the best thing is to move on, and let the Club handle the situation. We can not change anything.

Tim Harrington is much more skilled & informed than we will ever be.

Let's concentrate on supporting the club.