Just as well it's not his IQ

Agreed. If that were factored in, we'd be forced to hand over pick #2 as compensation to whichever team takes him.

We shouldn't have kept playing him

him.

The bigger question is with ll the space we should have in the salary cap whose ears have we been into all year? I will be disappointed if we don't land a big fish (or several medium fish) in the off season with the space we should have available.

Most big fish wouldn't want to swim in our water.

I wouldn't have played him after his interview on Dee TV.

Said it all to me. He spent a lot of time looking at the floor.

I wouldn't have played him after his interview on Dee TV.

Said it all to me. He spent a lot of time looking at the floor.

Maybe he saw a dollar down there.

I have no personal animosity towards Chip, who until this year has been a great and loyal Demon. I just despise the system that causes this. Players become deceitful. They don't give their best. Supporters get angry.

I understand that football careers are short and players need to do the best for themselves, but this FA system is not really working.

Free Agency was introduced because of pressure from the AFLPA. The AFL, if I'm correct, held off as long as they could until the pressure became too large.

I'm sure they knew what would happen, and are completely unsurprised seeing the results of FA after only a few years. Get used to the top 4, because it won't be changing anytime soon.

And if we were second on the ladder now, we'd all be saying how brilliant free agency is and how we never want anything to change. Just unfortunate timing, really...

I don't resent him going as much as the way he's gone about it. His attitude at training from all reports as been poor and his form would suggest he is just coasting. he is a member of the leadership group, God knows why.

Whats the answer? Maybe there should be a rule that if you are coming out of contract at the end of the year and there's an offer on the table from your current club but you haven't re-committed by round 16 (arbitrary) then you don't get to play seniors? Would that work? Maybe we do need a mid-year transfer window to weed out those that aren't committed, but not sure how this would play out in reality, need to have more of a think about the whole thing. But I agree with Redleg, the way this season has transpired with Chip has been really [censored] poor.

Well, at the time many posters here were clamoring to have him made vice-captain as a means of enticing him to stay. Might have been a ploy from the coaching group to force his hand and commit to the team.

Clearly means jack, and in hindsight was a horrible, horrible mistake. When your team's "leaders" are showing such poor commitment to the club and to the cause, it's no wonder we're a basketcase.

There has been a lot of talk about the compensation pick we could get if Chip leaves.

What about compensation for the crap year he has given us?

If he ultimately leaves it would be fair to assume he had either committed to a club during the season or at least been discussing going to them. No doubt as we have seen with Patton, the last thing he and the club would want is for him to get a bad injury this year. In fact any deal would probably have been null and void in the case of a bad injury with us.

IMO Chip has had his worst year with us and has not put in 100% for fear of an injury. If this is true, we have been paying a player with his heart and mind elsewhere.

Not only Chip, but other players would see his lack of effort and care and it has to rub off affecting our performance. What have we got as a result? A bloke playing below his best and affecting the team performance.

This comes about because of the AFL FA rule recently brought in, which seems to be making the strong stronger and the weak weaker, the opposite of one of its major purposes.

I think we should seek compensation for this situation, in whatever form is fair. We know the GWS number 9 gave this club nothing in his 2nd year with us, as he had signed with GWS. Chip IMO has done the same.

The AFL has caused this and should compensate us for it, the pick for his leaving is for the future loss, not the past.

As Barrett said, we should get tough and fight.

Unfortunately, Red, it's opinion and that's not evidence. IMO, he's had a go, but played in a position that is foreign to him, in a rubbish side that can barely hit a target, let alone someone having to learn specific leading patterns etc. He'll almost certainly go elsewhere now though. Why would you stick around? We continue to dish up rubbish.

We don't deserve a first round pick for him, he is garbage. Last week was not an anolomy for him, t was a disgracefully inept game of football, offered no value whatsoever. The Hawks got pick 19 or whatever for Franklin and he is maybe, apart from Ablett, the best player of the last decade. Frawley doesn't deserve to lace his boots.

Same old garbage at Melbourne - we had a player in his 3rd year (2010) be AA defender, we all thought this guy would be an elite key defender lynchpin for a decade, fact is that he hasn't gone near that form in the 4 seasons that have passed since- Why? You can't say that it has anything to do with FA because that only applies to the last year. Just another victim of whatever it is that they put in the water supply at MFCHQ that makes players reach their (modest) peak in their first 2-3 years and then never progress, and often go backwards in their development. Nathan Jones remains the only exception to this rule over the last 7 years and even he has never become a true A grader. Christ even Cale Morton looked a goer in his first year or two, I remember he got nearly 100 touches in 3 weeks in his first year. Then he ended up being one of the biggest spuds you could ever have the misfortune of watching. Effing rubbish club we have here. I suppose it is a combination of a loser's culture and an underfunded footy department resulting in our proven inability to develop players, Frawley is just another in this long long long lineage.

And if we were second on the ladder now, we'd all be saying how brilliant free agency is and how we never want anything to change. Just unfortunate timing, really...

Just like bottoming out when GWS and GC have scooped all the good draft picks....

We don't deserve a first round pick for him, he is garbage. Last week was not an anolomy for him, t was a disgracefully inept game of football, offered no value whatsoever. The Hawks got pick 19 or whatever for Franklin and he is maybe, apart from Ablett, the best player of the last decade. Frawley doesn't deserve to lace his boots.

Same old garbage at Melbourne - we had a player in his 3rd year (2010) be AA defender, we all thought this guy would be an elite key defender lynchpin for a decade, fact is that he hasn't gone near that form in the 4 seasons that have passed since- Why? You can't say that it has anything to do with FA because that only applies to the last year. Just another victim of whatever it is that they put in the water supply at MFCHQ that makes players reach their (modest) peak in their first 2-3 years and then never progress, and often go backwards in their development. Nathan Jones remains the only exception to this rule over the last 7 years and even he has never become a true A grader. Christ even Cale Morton looked a goer in his first year or two, I remember he got nearly 100 touches in 3 weeks in his first year. Then he ended up being one of the biggest spuds you could ever have the misfortune of watching. Effing rubbish club we have here. I suppose it is a combination of a loser's culture and an underfunded footy department resulting in our proven inability to develop players, Frawley is just another in this long long long lineage.

Sadly you are spot on.

Redleg. You're way out of line suggesting we seek compensation because a player might want out as a result of free agency opportunities.

I'm all for obtaining draft assistance this year because the AFL rules cater for this and we comply with the criteria but the compo for FA is the draft selection you get if you lose the player and there's a formula for that within the rules.

Beyond that there should be no compensation. If you believe your FA isn't playing with the right attitude because he has a foot halfway out the door then the answer is to pick your players better in the first place, create a proper environment for them and then develop them properly.

then the answer is to pick your players better in the first place, create a proper environment for them and then develop them properly.

I move we sack BP immediately and sue him for a return of his salary. While we are at it we should also sack our environment manager and development manager as well.

Free Agency was introduced because of pressure from the AFLPA. The AFL, if I'm correct, held off as long as they could until the pressure became too large.

I'm sure they knew what would happen, and are completely unsurprised seeing the results of FA after only a few years. Get used to the top 4, because it won't be changing anytime soon.

You know what? I really hate that excuse, I'm not blaming you for using it as it's trotted out all the time. It presupposes that the AFLPA is an all powerful all conquering union, so powerful that the AFL just had to give in to it's demands.

The pressure from the AFLPA must have been immense.

At the risk of offending you Redleg you are over indulging in this thing about how badly done by we are.

80% of our problems are self inflected.

The AFL have done a fair bit for us Off field and we will get what is due us and nothing more.

The general football public think we deserve our current position because despite AFL help we have caused the problem we now endure.

They simple dont care.

I have numerous friends who support other teams their attitude to a man is Stop whining and get on with it.

They simply dont care if we fade away. They are happy for us to remain easy beats and I think a majority at the AFL have the same attituide.

Nothing is going to change we will have to find a way out of this position or go out backwards.

They are the choices as far as I can see.

We are flesh eating Zombies that feed on youth.

We are better off getting guys in their early 20s unless there is a freak like Hogan.

Trouble is the freaks get injured or are inconsistent for many years before they start paying off.

Guys that can kick a football and make it spin like a drop punt are really tricky to find now but we must persevere.

Most big fish wouldn't want to swim in our water.

Money talks.

I have no personal animosity towards Chip, who until this year has been a great and loyal Demon. I just despise the system that causes this. Players become deceitful. They don't give their best. Supporters get angry.

I understand that football careers are short and players need to do the best for themselves, but this FA system is not really working.

Honestly I can't hold it against Frawley when he leaves. It is a completely different situation to Thompson or Scully. He's been here for 8 seasons and seen 38 wins and 7 coaches with no indication we'll be playing finals anything soon. He could stay here his whole career and never see finals or he can go to any multitude of teams and play finals next year. I don't begrudge him going whereas Scully had been here 5 minutes and Thompson left just as he was about to come good after he'd been injured most of his career. We were also playing finals when Thompson left.

You know what? I really hate that excuse, I'm not blaming you for using it as it's trotted out all the time. It presupposes that the AFLPA is an all powerful all conquering union, so powerful that the AFL just had to give in to it's demands.

The pressure from the AFLPA must have been immense.

If they took the AFL to court it is likely the draft and salary cap would get thrown out.

We don't deserve a first round pick for him, he is garbage. Last week was not an anolomy for him, t was a disgracefully inept game of football, offered no value whatsoever. The Hawks got pick 19 or whatever for Franklin and he is maybe, apart from Ablett, the best player of the last decade..

Whether we deserve it or not, Frawley will be Band1 as was Franklin. Hawthorn's first round pick was 18, so Band1 got them pick 19. Band1 will get us pick 3; it is just the system.

If they took the AFL to court it is likely the draft and salary cap would get thrown out.

This is absolutely right. The AFL knows it and has tried to play the 'good for the competition' card in keeping the AFLPA in line. It was always a matter of time.

But it was designed for ageing players who could extend their careers (a la Daniel Cross) or possibly get a 1/2yr deal to play in a final etc. The way it has worked out is alarming and needs to be looked at ASAP or the bottom four teams will simply be feeders for the top 4.

Redleg. You're way out of line suggesting we seek compensation because a player might want out as a result of free agency opportunities.

I'm all for obtaining draft assistance this year because the AFL rules cater for this and we comply with the criteria but the compo for FA is the draft selection you get if you lose the player and there's a formula for that within the rules.

Beyond that there should be no compensation. If you believe your FA isn't playing with the right attitude because he has a foot halfway out the door then the answer is to pick your players better in the first place, create a proper environment for them and then develop them properly.

Hallelujah.