Life goes on.  Brayshaw might stay, pop his achilles and miss the three-peat in 2023.  He has to some extent been replaced by JJ on the wing. HBF is less devastating to the opposition.

22 minutes ago, WERRIDEE said:

B: Petracca, Petracca, Petracca

HB: Petracca, Petracca, Petracca

C: Petracca, Petracca, Petracca

HF: Oliver, Oliver, Oliver

F: Oliver, Oliver, Oliver

FOLL: Oliver, Oliver, Oliver

IC: Oliver, Oliver, Petracca, Petracca

That's all of what our salary cap can contain.

That's a strong team mate. We might be a little iffy kicking for goal, but we should be able to contested possession the ball over the goal line.

5 hours ago, Kick_It_To_Pickett said:

https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/a-career-decision-brayshaw-doesn-t-need-to-stick-with-demons-20220223-p59yuf.html?fs=e&s=cl
 

This was an article Niall had written earlier. 

A poignant piece w/opinion Dees must prioritise GUS and for very very good reasons indeed!

3 hours ago, Nudge said:

A poignant piece w/opinion Dees must prioritise GUS and for very very good reasons indeed!

Gus is a symbol of the new Melbourne F C. Get the deal done!!

Surely we can get him into the midfield rotations somehow if that's what he wants.

53 minutes ago, Rednblueriseing said:

Gus is a symbol of the new Melbourne F C. Get the deal done!!

Surely we can get him into the midfield rotations somehow if that's what he wants.

No chance. Even though we have been average for ages Goodwin refuses to put him back to a wing or in the centre, even for 5 mins when we are getting beaten. Hell, when Clarrie missed he put an average performing Sparrow in there more rather than move Gus in there. 
Once Goodwin is set for a position for that player they are there for the year. 

13 minutes ago, Gorgoroth said:

No chance. Even though we have been average for ages Goodwin refuses to put him back to a wing or in the centre, even for 5 mins when we are getting beaten. Hell, when Clarrie missed he put an average performing Sparrow in there more rather than move Gus in there. 
Once Goodwin is set for a position for that player they are there for the year. 

Quiet perplexing really.

I was extremely confident last week that Gus was going to play as a midfielder in the place of Oliver when Dunstan was named. Knew that wasn't the case 5 minutes into the game.

Unfortunate Goody isn't someone willing to throw the magnets around and that's been evident when we've had the losses. Moments where I thought we could have mixed things up in the midfield by getting Gus in there when we've been smashed in clearances, but nope we stick with the same predictable set up which includes throwing Sparrow in there (who's been bloody average this year).

 

Edited July 21, 20222 yr by dazzledavey36

If anybody think Gus is leaving because he wants to play midfield is kidding themselves.   The only reason he leaves is for $$$$$

19 minutes ago, dazzledavey36 said:

Quiet perplexing really.

I was extremely confident last week that Gus was going to play as a midfielder in the place of Oliver when Dunstan was named. Knew that wasn't the case 5 minutes into the game.

Unfortunate Goody isn't someone willing to throw the magnets around and that's been evident when we've had the losses. Moments where I thought we could have mixed things up in the midfield by getting Gus in there when we've been smashed in clearances, but nope we stick with the same predictable set up which includes throwing Sparrow in there (who's been bloody average this year).

 

All of that is true AND  we're only equal first on the ladder! It's a disgrace! 😎

The philosophy of Goodwin is to replicate, replicate replicate, and that'd be from an evidence based perspective, not just a whim.

Predictability helps the team long term for a range of reasons... I can talk you through it, if you're open to hearing?

5 hours ago, redandbluemakepurple said:

Life goes on.  Brayshaw might stay, pop his achilles and miss the three-peat in 2023.  He has to some extent been replaced by JJ on the wing. HBF is less devastating to the opposition.

Go watch last year's Grand final if you think he's easily replaceable. Bloke is heart and soul

Edited July 21, 20222 yr by Bates Mate

5 hours ago, A F said:

The Josh Mahoney connection. Interesting. If Rutten falls, I wonder if Mahoney goes too? Maybe their fates are tied together. Can't imagine what they could offer Gus given their midfield is already pretty crammed.

Ess midfielders are physically relatively small.  Gus is the 'bigger body' type they need.

Last year when Shiel was injured Parish moved into and 'starred' in the midfield, collected coaches and brownlow votes and was suddenly 'elite'. This year he and Merritt play hand-ball-in-circles, wrack up possessions and they lose.  Since Parish has been out injured they go more direct to goal and won nearly every match.  Some shaking up will happen in their midfield.

But Gus should be careful what he wishes for and look to Jeremy Howe.  Howe wanted to play fwd and quickly ended up in the backline where he was at Melbourne.

Gus is not in our midfield because he is more flexible than the others we have.  So he may well find he is promised midfield time but because those there are not versatile, or they would be played elsewhere now, he may find himself back on a wing or worse in the backline again.

Caldwell went to Carlton for more midfield time.  Quickly went to the HBF.  AFL is littered with players made promises at courting clubs only to find 'circumstances change' and they end up playing in a different position to that promised.

Message for Gus:  Beware the Siren Song!

Edited July 21, 20222 yr by Lucifers Hero

Our role players are so good precisely because you play the position you train in and when there is an opening, someone who has trained in that position will replace them. 

If Angus wants to test himself as a mid in the comp that is his prerogative but it would be a damn shame.

We just can’t give him the midfield minutes he wants as he is our 4th best mid and Harmes and Sparrow can’t do what he can do in other roles. But even those latter two don’t spend much time as pure mids.

And I don’t think a game here and there is going to placate him. His concussion issues also play a part in just throwing him around being irresponsible - the midfield is the coalface - it can get hot in there even for the best prepared.

If he stays, he stays knowing his 4th in the Brownlow is the remnant of what could have been, an unfulfilled promise ruined by circumstance.

Edited July 21, 20222 yr by rpfc

56 minutes ago, Demons11 said:

If anybody think Gus is leaving because he wants to play midfield is kidding themselves.   The only reason he leaves is for $$$$$

Thats it for sure D11.

Angus' best position for the TEAM is in defence as shown by the AA talk about him in that role this year.

Goodwin sees this and good on him for sticking with that approach.

I hate Geelong like many on here, but they have the consistent history of their dynasty in players staying for less but reaping the team-first flags as a reward. I admire them for that and it sprang from the Costa style and approach in those times .

Simply really.

But Godfather offers will always lure some and that's business and  who can blame the odd one moving.

But apart from AblettJnr who did it for family reasons,  no-one walked out.

We have the mighty Oliver, Trac, Gawn , Viney.....  and jason taylor.   It'll work out fine.

 

54 minutes ago, Lucifers Hero said:

Caldwell went to Carlton for more midfield time.  Quickly went to the HBF.  

Caldwell is at Essendon.

56 minutes ago, Bates Mate said:

Go watch last year's Grand final if you think he's easily replaceable. Bloke is heart and soul

Wev'e got '..heart and soul..."  as you say in spades. The GF had 22 players with it last year.

Gus is one of them . He can stay part of this culture , - or not.

He'll stay.

In a Bombers jumper - ?  

Give me a break.

6 hours ago, Nudge said:

A poignant piece w/opinion Dees must prioritise GUS and for very very good reasons indeed!

I just read the article and all it is, is just another opinion piece written by a journo with no other news to print, typical garbage.

1 minute ago, Redleg said:

Caldwell is at Essendon.

Thanks. 

I got the team wrong but the situation was he went there for more midfield time isn't played as a midfielder.  All the more reason for Gus to be wary of going there.

This smells like the Oliver meeting with Carlton kind of thing to me (wishful thinking maybe) all part of the negotiations. 

Even Purple is getting in on the act..

 

Gus is an All Australian level player now, but more importantly he’s a cultural linchpin of the playing group. Him leaving would be disastrous in my opinion, far worse than Jackson leaving. We simply must retain Gus.

If Freo landed both, it’d be the biggest off season I can remember by a club, and our direct competitors for the flag would leap from us for the future.

If we lost Brayshaw to free agency then we could get as little as pick 19 (or worse) in return in compensation

But there is a good chance that his management (the same as Luke Jackson's) is eyeing off a bigger salary if LJ departs

In the meantime, he's quite entitled to test the market to see what he's possibly worth

That's pro sports

7 hours ago, redandbluemakepurple said:

Life goes on.  Brayshaw might stay, pop his achilles and miss the three-peat in 2023.  He has to some extent been replaced by JJ on the wing. HBF is less devastating to the opposition.

Don’t agree with this, he’s been massive in defence for us.

As an example, if we were offering Jackson 800k and Brayshaw 650k, why can’t we just offer Brayshaw 800k and job done. If we use the draft picks likely received for Jackson they won’t be on as much money. In addition if a player like Tomlinson leaves that also frees up more money.

13 minutes ago, dazzledavey36 said:

Even Purple is getting in on the act..

 

Barrett doesn't have a clue.

The easy way to stop a double by freo is to match their offer for Brayshaw and force a trade.

As it is, they are struggling for currency for Jackson.  Could only do Jackson and Brayshaw if they trade a very good player out, to us or to another team, to get a suitable draft pick for Gus.  Not to mention their salary cap.

 

Having said that does anyone think we will get better than the afl compensation pick (a late first round pick) for Gus in a trade, with any team?

I'm inclined to think not so we will not match an RFA offer.

Just now, Lucifers Hero said:

Barrett doesn't have a clue.

The easy way to stop a double by freo is to match their offer for Brayshaw and force a trade.

As it is, they are struggling for currency for Jackson.  Could only do Jackson and Brayshaw if they trade a very good player out, to us or to another team, to get a suitable draft pick for Gus.  Not to mention their salary cap.

 

Having said that does anyone think we will get better than the afl compensation pick (a late first round pick) for Gus in a trade, with any team?

I'm inclined to think not so we will not match an RFA offer.

If what the offer is believed to be offered to Jackson then I have no idea how they fit Brayshaw in. It's obvious that Brayshaw after a pay rise.

I personally don't think we'll match the offer BTW. We're not known to play hard ball with deals and I think we prefer just to get deals done and move onto the next.

Get Acres in the Jackson deal. If we lose Gus, send Acres to the wing and Jordon to fill Gus role down back. We don’t lose too much there. Get Meek in the Jackson deal also to back up Gawn in the ruck.