Colin Sylvia going ... going ... GONE!

[What 18,810]

He has signed a 3 year deal and will be on good coin

He may yet be judged a band 1 compensation player

this means we would get pick 3, and a nice square up for them not giving us the PP

[Vagg 2,439]

VERY disappointed in this. Alas, Col was another of the passing parade who teased us, year in, year out, just like Tavis Johnstone. High draft picks, oozing with natural talent, but who only rarely showed us what they were really capable of.

Now, after 10 years of hoping maybe he'll finally deliver "next year", he's gone!

Really thought he could have been a big part in the rebuild under Roos.

Ah, well, if personal glory somewhere else is more important than loyalty to the Club that put up with his10 years of pretty frequent nonsense, so be it. See ya later!

Just hope we get reasonable compensation for him, and whoever it ends up being becomes a star at the MFC as we rise up the ladder.

Go Dees!!

[What 18,810]

He has signed a 3 year deal and will be on good coin

He may yet be judged a band 1 compensation player

this means we would get pick 3, and a nice square up for them not giving us the PP

[daisycutter 29,743]

jaisus

He has signed a 3 year deal and will be on good coin

He may yet be judged a band 1 compensation player

this means we would get pick 3, and a nice square up for them not giving us the PP

jaisus! - in your dreams

[Steve13 457]

I'm getting might frustrated with pessimistic supporters suggesting that free agency looks after the successful clubs and penalises the lowly. This may in fact be correct, however there is a way for the Melbourne football club to circumvent this outcome....become a successful club that is a desirable destination for talented footballers.

The attitude of resignation is how we got into this position and the woe is me attitude will not get us out of it.

[PJ_12345 1,098]

He has signed a 3 year deal and will be on good coin

He may yet be judged a band 1 compensation player

this means we would get pick 3, and a nice square up for them not giving us the PP

Most likely band 3 - which would make it around pick 20 I think

[demoniac 1,336]

Exactly! the flippancy on this thread is incredible. FA is going to be like a leaking bucket for the small clubs. as the water leaks people will comfort themselves by saying its only one drop but nevertheless the bucket is still draining.

Rivers, Moloney, Sylvia, Frawley(?), ...........and so on and so on. It s a slow bleed but you cant keep discounting the significance of senior players leaving every year . i agree that sylvia never set the world on fire but sylvia is not the significance of this. next year Frawley. you could see it in the interview on the website. . hes already gone. i saw it in sylvias press conference mid year. in fact its becoming really obvious now when players are saying they want to stay but are really planning on leaving. its almost like they are all getting the same media training. i pick it every time.

Free Agency will most definitely work in favour of the strong clubs. Sometimes a strong club will lose a player to an equally strong club ie Buddy to the Swans or to a big if not currently strong club ie Thomas to the Blues but generally it will be the weaker clubs like us that lose A or B Grade players to the stronger clubs. Sometimes players will move for money but just as often they'll move to a club that plays finals pretty much every year. Losing Sylvia is not a hammer blow for us but losing Frawley at the end of 2014 would be a brutal loss. We might be able to pick up a few C Graders. Essentially the same teams will play finals every year and we'll divided like the Premier League between the haves and have nots.

There are things the AFL can do to asssist the weaker clubs ie like ensuring they can pay 100% of the salary cap but rest assured the big clubs will fight too and nail against any genuine equalisation measures outside of the salary cap and the draft. So we are in the Commission's hands.

Back to Frawley you can just imagine the Hawks having him as their Number One Free Agency Target in 12 months time to replace Lake and keep themselves in Premiership contention.

[demoniac 1,336]

I'm getting might frustrated with pessimistic supporters suggesting that free agency looks after the successful clubs and penalises the lowly. This may in fact be correct, however there is a way for the Melbourne football club to circumvent this outcome....become a successful club that is a desirable destination for talented footballers.

The attitude of resignation is how we got into this position and the woe is me attitude will not get us out of it.

We are a financially struggling club with a low membership who have not won a flag since 1964 and have not played finals for years. That is just reality not pessimism. Can't see how any analysis of the outcome of free agency would see it as a positive for a club in our position.

Edited October 3, 2013 by demoniac

[Guest]

Exactly! the flippancy on this thread is incredible. FA is going to be like a leaking bucket for the small clubs. as the water leaks people will comfort themselves by saying its only one drop but nevertheless the bucket is still draining.

Rivers, Moloney, Sylvia, Frawley(?), ...........and so on and so on. It s a slow bleed but you cant keep discounting the significance of senior players leaving every year . i agree that sylvia never set the world on fire but sylvia is not the significance of this. next year Frawley. you could see it in the interview on the website. . hes already gone. i saw it in sylvias press conference mid year. in fact its becoming really obvious now when players are saying they want to stay but are really planning on leaving. its almost like they are all getting the same media training. i pick it every time.

I hope that you are wrong but for you to be wrong, Paul Roos and Peter Jackson will need to be the most silver tongued SOBs you will meet in your life!

[Steve13 457]

We are a financially struggling club with a low membership who have not won a flag since 1964 and have not played finals for years. That is just reality not pessimism. Can't see how any analysis of the outcome of free agency would see it as a positive for a club in our position.

Not suggesting that it would be positive for a club in our current position, I am suggesting that when we are no longer in this position it will be.

Winning = Money, members, crowds, sponsors, respect and high end talent wanting to come to our club.

When we have achieved all of these things and we are landing the 'big fish' we will be lauding free agency, just like Syd/Ess/Coll/Geel/Freo supporters would be now.

[P-man 13,366]

We are a financially struggling club with a low membership who have not won a flag since 1964 and have not played finals for years. That is just reality not pessimism. Can't see how any analysis of the outcome of free agency would see it as a positive for a club in our position.

I must've missed the memo about Freo being a powerhouse club. I thought they were a largely struggling club who have strengthed their list through smart recruiting, stolen a gun coach, and are now a shot at a flag. All within a few years.

I'm not saying the haves and have nots isn't a reality that FA is contributing towards, but it's also not the doom and gloom picture many paint it to be.

It's also worth noting that not every player is as self interested as Sylvia. I doubt many were surprised by this news.

[jumbo returns 6,741]

Another big body loss that we cannot afford.

Unless we recruit some ready to go midfielders, 2014 could be 2013 all over again.

Col's last two years have been terrific....he's worked hard and I saw him lay some big tackles - he really hurt opposition players.

Toump, Jack, Jordie, protein up, lads!!

[olisik 4,060]

I think band 1 is a possibility and band 2 at worse. Reason is Sylvia is probably in our top 5 or 6 players.

He is probably as valuable to us as is Daisy is to Collingwood in terms of player rankings. Maybe even higher after Daisys injury riddled year.

Daisy would be behind Cloke Pendlebury Swan and maybe 1 or 2 others.

Sylvia would be behind Jones Garland Frawley and maybe 1 or 2 others.

[Cards13 9,117]

This is further proof that the AFL is starting to become a very unequal comp. It doesn't bother me that Sylvia is leaving because there is nothing we can do about it. But the fact is the AFL need to think of a way to help the lower clubs before it gets out of hand. Soon we will see the Hawks and Swans and Pies just continue to top up with other teams players very much like the EPL and we will just sit between last and mid table for ever. Until maybe some rich person takes over and pumps money into us. I am afraid for this competition and if it continues like this I won't bother watching anymore and will spend my time doing other things. I love the club but I can see things going very badly for the AFL.

Pies have lost Thomas, Blues have lost Betts. It can be a two way street, well not for us as no one of note, in the prime of there career wants to play here. It will take Roos 2 full years to get players at the top to want to play for us. (hoping I am surpised after free agent and trade periods end).

[daisycutter 29,743]

Winning = Money, members, crowds, sponsors, respect and high end talent wanting to come to our club.

When we have achieved all of these things and we are landing the 'big fish' we will be lauding free agency, just like Syd/Ess/Coll/Geel/Freo supporters would be now.

you are just stating the obvious

problem is we are in a catch22 situation which is becoming moreso

without a list we are nowhere

if (and it is a big if) we can work our way out of this it will take years and years and years

at the moment there is a just faint glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel

and the afl commission says we don't need a pp because our list is very promising

what does that tell you about the genuineness of the afl's equalisation intentions

they are only interested in maintaining our pulse and keeping us alive on bread and water to satisfy the broadcast deal of 9 games a week

[jumbo returns 6,741]

you are just stating the obvious

problem is we are in a catch22 situation which is becoming moreso

without a list we are nowhere

if (and it is a big if) we can work our way out of this it will take years and years and years

at the moment there is a just faint glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel

and the afl commission says we don't need a pp because our list is very promising

what does that tell you about the genuineness of the afl's equalisation intentions

they are only interested in maintaining our pulse and keeping us alive on bread and water to satisfy the broadcast deal of 9 games a week

Bread and dripping? Or is that too luxurious?

[ILLDieADemon 804]

Who would want to play for us anyways, with only 2 grand finals appearance in almost 50 years I don't blame players for leaving if they can get out.

In the 90's we almost merged with the Hawks then 20 years later the AFL need to step in to prevent it from happening again.

If we don't start getting into the finals soon then Chipper will be next to leave and so on and so on.

[sue 9,145]

Not suggesting that it would be positive for a club in our current position, I am suggesting that when we are no longer in this position it will be.

Winning = Money, members, crowds, sponsors, respect and high end talent wanting to come to our club.

When we have achieved all of these things and we are landing the 'big fish' we will be lauding free agency, just like Syd/Ess/Coll/Geel/Freo supporters would be now.

All very true, but the missing factor is that our chances of 'winning' are much reduced with FA. We may never get to that position. This is not pessimism, it is just the way it is unless the AFL wakes up or discovers there is more money to be made by an even comp.

Ditto for other weak clubs, especially in Vic where the support base is more fragmented.

[dee-luded 2,959]

You're not comparing apples with apples, when you compare Sylvia will top line midfielders.

no, really its comparing Petri dishes

You're not comparing apples with apples, when you compare Sylvia will top line midfielders.

try growing most things in the wrong substrate & its bound for disappointing results.

# & the site is slow again, damn.

[dee-luded 2,959]

You're not comparing apples with apples, when you compare Sylvia will top line midfielders.

no, really its comparing Petri dishes

You're not comparing apples with apples, when you compare Sylvia will top line midfielders.

try growing most things in the wrong substrate & its bound for disappointing results.

# & the site is slow again, damn.

[Steve13 457]

I completely understand peoples perspective that free agency is damaging our chances to become the successful club that we all desire.

My contention however, (like the AFL) is that the talent currently on our list is good enough to lead the revival. Now with an off field structure that will settle for nothing other than success and a coach that will propagate an excellent development environment, I'm of the belief that we are much closer to success than others would think.

[Biffen 12,947]

See ya Col.

Thanks for the good times.

( None really stick out atm)

Good luck hanging out with the mafia over there and frequenting the same two nightclubs.

Hope you can get a game with the Wanchors.

[T-34 409]

We are as far away as we ever have been in my 48 years of following this club, there is no quick fix or magic elixir that will see us rocket up the ladder and under the current free agency system we are destined to become a feeder club for those who will live in the top half of the ladder. We will get better kids who we will develop into solid players who will then depart after 8-10 years to play finals for the clubs who constantly play for the silverware.Welcome to the future,for what it truly will look like see English Premier League and its history, as we look forward to the same clubs finishing up top while everyone else makes up the numbers.

Meanwhile the top clubs just make sure that the leagues rules and regulations are structured to maintain the status quo, whenever it isn't, enough pressure is brought to bear on those in power that ensures a back down and we are back to that status quo again.

Sorry to be so pessimistic but anyone who thinks the have nots will be given the chance to rise to a position where they threaten to win a flag may need to rethink that and just hope that occasionally they will be allowed to play the odd final every now and then.

[saka888 54]

Colin Says “I will always consider myself a Melbourne person; I leave on good terms and clearly this was a tough decision, given the positive moves the club has made in recent times. But Fremantle are a good fit for me, based on where I’m at with my football career.”

I Say: We no longer consider you a Melbourne person... and you have no right to call yourself one... when the going gets tough.. the pissweak get going"

[Jack7 528]

I'm very happy he's gone as he would've just gone through the motions with us and he only plays 2 very good games a year so i'm tipping he's got 6 very good games left!

It's the system that p1sses me off,the Cats who've won 3 flags in 6 years say we'll have Rivers and Freo coming off a GF say we'll have Sylvia.

Top 4 clubs get stronger,bottom 4 clubs get weaker.

Great stuff AFL!!!