50 minutes ago, Whispering_Jack said:

Life just got a little bit less complicated for our recruiters. And now for ...

A lot to like about vanders. A big pre season could see this bull tear apart the competition. Well done MFC

great work Vanders!! very important for our depth. 

Significant news considering the family pull after the sad death of his father this year.

In my eyes this is a bigger signing then Jesse Hogan. His brute physicality was what set the tone for us during the finals series and West Coast game when we beat them over there.

Respect Vanders. 

Great, one player that we had to keep. 

Very happy with this.

I see Vandenberg as better than a "depth" player.

A full pre-season could see him have a stint in the guts here and there, to give our starting 4 a rest, and we lose absolutely NOTHING in the physical stakes. I've seen oppo players who seemed to schitt their dacks when Vanders was running at them.

I can already see a side with Preuss and May added, that will murder sides physically next year.

Makes me smile.

IMPACT player

Awesome! Love the beast ?

Such a great result. A player like Vanders would have left five years ago. Say it all for the club culture awesome result love the way he plays. Let hope Hogan follows these young guys can build something special together and erase a lifetime of heartache. Bloody rippa.

Stoked about this!

And as a bonus, there will be a few other players who wont have to look for new accommodation.

20 hours ago, spirit of norm smith said:

I am still wanting Vandenburg to stay. Really adds to our mix. Ready to deliver in 2019. But if he wants to go then

Vandenburg and MFC 3rd Rd pick 54 for

Swans 2nd Rd pick 33

 

 

Yeah baby again 

Vanders to ignite 2019

Great news.  Hopefully he can finally get a good run at it after his injuries.  Love his style of play, but he did get pinged a bit when he returned.  Hopefully getting fit over the summer he'll break more tackles.

Wonderful news. He owes the club for the support he has had, but it's great that he wants to stay.

Good news for the hardness of our list. Hope he makes it to 100 games.

That is really excellent news. In that favourite bracket of mine, the players who give more to a club than they take.

Touch wood, he's due for a good run.

32 minutes ago, pitmaster said:

Wonderful news. He owes the club for the support he has had, but it's great that he wants to stay.

Good news for the hardness of our list. Hope he makes it to 100 games.

No he doesn’t... while it’s nice to see he wants to stay, he doesn’t owe anything to anyone but himself and his family to make the right decision for he and them.

 Interesting to see the club went from a reported 1 year deal and bumped it to 3 to keep him, matching the reported 3 the Swans offered.

Edited October 10, 20187 yr by Cards13

This is such great news, especially when it (understandably) seemed like it wasn't going to happen.

Vanders is the sort of player that epitomises our new approach. No fear. We need guys like this to burst through the pack and to cause a few bruises here and there. It'll make sure that others continue to follow suit, and we'll never, ever be disrespected again. 

Huge call for Vanders to stay here in light of his family situation, but it speaks volumes about his character, and that of the club. He sees what we all see, and he wants to stay and be part of it.

Seriously though, imagine this beast after a solid pre-season! He's had a taste of success, and now he wants some more!

So. Damn. Excited! ?

I don't often subscribe to the view that a player "owes" a club, and I'm not even sure I do in this instance, but vandenBerg was plucked from the NEAFL and there's no guarantee he'd even be in the AFL system if not for the Dees (rookie draft pick).

I could be wrong and @rpfc may be able to clarify.  I doubt he was on any other club's radar.

Anyway, it's great that he's staying.

Edited October 10, 20187 yr by ProDee

Opposition players sleep a little more uncomfortably before MFC games.

Given the limited time he had in match fitness before coming back in his impact was fantastic. A full pre-season could see him become an important part of our engine room. 

Glad to have you on board AvB!

1 hour ago, ProDee said:

I don't often subscribe to the view that a player "owes" a club, and I'm not even sure I do in this instance, but vandenBerg was plucked from the NEAFL and there's no guarantee he'd even be in the AFL system if not for the Dees (rookie draft pick).

I could be wrong and @rpfc may be able to clarify.  I doubt he was on any other club's radar.

Anyway, it's great that he's staying.

No guarantees at all. Bad ankles. Playing in a second tier league. Had chats with a couple other clubs but nothing concrete. Was advised to head to the SANFL if we didn’t pick him up and who knows what would have happened.

Comes in and shows a bit but ankles play up again. Takes ages to return, battles the personal stuff he has battled and plays the best footy he has ever played... 

It’s hard to fathom really.

I remember the 1988 and the 2000 Grand final and we just did not have the hardness needed to win.

Maybe we needed other things too but I reckon Aaron Van den Berg is not a fringe player in big matches.

Edited October 10, 20187 yr by Damo

1 hour ago, ProDee said:

I don't often subscribe to the view that a player "owes" a club, and I'm not even sure I do in this instance, but vandenBerg was plucked from the NEAFL and there's no guarantee he'd even be in the AFL system if not for the Dees (rookie draft pick).

I could be wrong and @rpfc may be able to clarify.  I doubt he was on any other club's radar.

Anyway, it's great that he's staying.

I find the 'player owes club' argument hard on the basis that clubs draft players acting in the club's interests. It's isn't as if they're doing someone a favour - they are doing it because they think it will make their football team better. On that basis, I don't think players owe clubs anything just because the club was clever enough and ahead of the curve enough to find a player who was otherwise in relative obscurity.

That's a relief, I wasn't feeling comfortable about him leaving but was understanding of his reason.

41 minutes ago, Undeeterred said:

I find the 'player owes club' argument hard on the basis that clubs draft players acting in the club's interests. It's isn't as if they're doing someone a favour - they are doing it because they think it will make their football team better. On that basis, I don't think players owe clubs anything just because the club was clever enough and ahead of the curve enough to find a player who was otherwise in relative obscurity.

There's bound to be a variation in player welfare from club to club. I cite Essendon under James Hird as a recent extreme example.  More observant players are likely to be aware of this potential for variation and when their club shows them decent consideration they may feel some sense of reciprocation.  It's not that hard to understand - my employer is a commercial entiity who hired me to benefit their commercial ends - but have treated me fairly and well when they didn't have to and I feel alignment to them.  Smart practice IMO.

This whole idea extends to fairness of dealing in trade period.  MFC has established a reputation for this and I think reaps rewards.  Players want to play for us.

Edited October 10, 20187 yr by Fifty-5

Gotta love the LOYALTY! Fantastic that Vanders has decided to stay. His "Crush, Kill, Destroy" modus operandi will continue to lift and inspire his team-mates and seriously place fear into the minds of opposition players. Might just tip the loyalty scales in our favour with a few other players thinking about leaving...