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.

I agree with you Dr., that it's unfair to hold Frawley's departure against him. Like it or hate it, the system is in place and he has every right to use it to his advantage if he so chooses. However, what I find abhorrent is the b/s and carry-on about loving the Club and waiting until the end of the season to determine where his future lies. Leaders require integrity above everything else. Unfortunately, Frawley lost me a fair while ago, and it's hard for me to imagine that at least some of his team mates don't feel the same.

Reading alot of posts here suggesting that chip has mentally checked out and he can f@?# off. What happens at DL if he re-signs?

Reading alot of posts here suggesting that chip has mentally checked out and he can f@?# off. What happens at DL if he re-signs?

He may leave for a "late" reason.

James may have decided previously that he might stay but ... if our club doesn't offer him a good enough deal at the end of the season, he might then decide to go because he can get a better deal elsewhere.

That decision would indeed be a late decision rather than a preordained one. Then again, he may have made up his mind to go quite some time ago.

We'll find out soon enough.

Reading alot of posts here suggesting that chip has mentally checked out and he can f@?# off. What happens at DL if he re-signs?

The usual.

But on the question of the AFLs hands being tied by AFLPA and the threat of court action preventing them from restricting/banning free agency to level the playing field, the solution is simple. Find other ways of feeding good players into the weaker clubs. For example, everyone suspects GWS will be a powerhouse in a couple of years given all the early draft picks and other concessions the AFL gives them.

How to spread that over 4 or 5 clubs? Abolish the draft for the top teams. They will have to rely on pick trades and FA. That will give them enough of an edge. Sure GWS will lose a few to FA, but they are in a lot better position than us, dogs etc.

I think frawley was playing reasonably well in the early part of the year when up forward, but then so was a lot of other players. Frawleys lack of interest i think has coincided with the teams downward spiral which he in part with many other has contributed. I cannot blame him for leaving looking for more $$ is about looking after ones self and wanting to play in/win a grand final is the dream of all footballers, a dream our team could not make true for a lot of greats such as robbie Flower. So i wish him luck in that endeavor.

If frawley has not already signed, which i doubt as he would have been trying to have his manager negotiate with as many clubs as possible to get the best offer, if he has not signed then he has devalued his own asking price considerably over the last year. If he has signed, well good luck someone other than us for once paid overs. Whatever compo we get for his i.e. round 1 or 2 picks is better than keeping him I am afraid. so obviously a bonus if we get a first round, but a second will still do. As we know all too well early draft picks do not guarantee a great or even good player, lot of good players have still come from later picks our challenge is to find those that are going to be the players we need.

GWS will not be able to keep all of their players together there will be good if not potentially great players who will be playing in their seconds who cannot get a game who will move to go to another side that will play them our problem is making the MFC look an attractive destination, which half way through the year I thought we had accomplished. Sadly our second half has undone that. After all a players salary is tied to their ability and how well they play, you cannot keep pay large $$'s for lots of players playing in the reserves well unless your name is mitchell and you play for the $ydney $wan$. I think a few GWS players will still be looking at scully and co and thinking how much they are getting and will be wanting more. So GWS will loose players over time.

As for free agency, it has come along all of a sudden and clubs have been slow to understand it, now they do, they will trade players that do not commit in their 6th year to contract extensions, I doubt you are going to see as many free agents kicking around in the future as clubs recognize they will often loose if they leave it to the players 7th year, though in the dee's case of frawley i think this is a win win situation if he goes.

It is against the AFL's magical rules of free agency and trading for a player to enter a contract with another club until after the season with their current club has finished.

As was proven by the harsh way they went after Tom Scully and his dad...

I think GWS in that instance was in the perfect little sweet spot of moral hazard, both 'too big to fail' and 'too weak to cope with even a minor penalty'.

It will be an interesting off-season, findng out whether Gillion McLaugh'n actually has a spine after all. Maybe all these years he was just hidden under the weight of the AFL operating system, and now he is at the top he will be unleashed to bring a new, consistent, transparent, and ethical era to AFL leadership.

*snort*

Reading alot of posts here suggesting that chip has mentally checked out and he can f@?# off. What happens at DL if he re-signs?

I for one will curse the loss of a round one draft pick.

But have next to no expectancy that the problem will arise.

GWS will not be able to keep all of their players together there will be good if not potentially great players who will be playing in their seconds who cannot get a game who will move to go to another side that will play them our problem is making the MFC look an attractive destination, which half way through the year I thought we had accomplished. Sadly our second half has undone that. After all a players salary is tied to their ability and how well they play, you cannot keep pay large $$'s for lots of players playing in the reserves well unless your name is mitchell and you play for the $ydney $wan$. I think a few GWS players will still be looking at scully and co and thinking how much they are getting and will be wanting more. So GWS will loose players over time.

As for free agency, it has come along all of a sudden and clubs have been slow to understand it, now they do, they will trade players that do not commit in their 6th year to contract extensions, I doubt you are going to see as many free agents kicking around in the future as clubs recognize they will often loose if they leave it to the players 7th year, though in the dee's case of frawley i think this is a win win situation if he goes.

The problem with that is clubs can only trade contracted players if they agree to the move - and why would you knowing that if you wait one more year you'll become a FA whereas if you move you rescind FA status.

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.

And your point is.

I have advocated fighting and using the rules as they are.

As an example there is a PP rule and you have to apply, we did, what is the problem?

I advocated fighting for a fair draw, any problem there.

I advocated for no academies for some clubs or extra salary room for some clubs, any problem there?

Etc, etc.

Reading alot of posts here suggesting that chip has mentally checked out and he can f@?# off. What happens at DL if he re-signs?

We all f-ck off.

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.

Got to agree.

For all that he's has been an ordinary player for the past two years - and good luck to the club who picks him up. The compensation will depend purely on how much he gets paid - because that is a clear indication of his "value" . We should be talking him up!!!

And your point is.

I have advocated fighting and using the rules as they are.

As an example there is a PP rule and you have to apply, we did, what is the problem?

I advocated fighting for a fair draw, any problem there.

I advocated for no academies for some clubs or extra salary room for some clubs, any problem there?

Etc, etc.

My point is Redleg that you can jump up and down till you are blue in the face the AFL will ignore you.

they give what suits them and we dont suit them.

My point is Redleg that you can jump up and down till you are blue in the face the AFL will ignore you.

they give what suits them and we dont suit them.

Agree if it doesn't affect AFL revenue.

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.

It was.

"Multitude of high draft picks"

"Paul Roos"

"Shown good signs"

"Won more than last year"

"Everyone has their time on the bottom"

"Don't deserve it"

F-ck off.