Club suspends Byron Pickett

[Gorgoroth 12,949]

agree lord trav, i mean he is 29 so still has 2 more years easily, hope this is the licl up the bum that gets him focused

[deesrock 0]

Rapt to hear he is continuing on - I just hope he can regain his fitness as he is a vital cog in our team......He is the toughest and most intimidating player we have. Glad to hear he will be playing for the zebras on Saturday - my son is playing at half time!!!! Will be great for the young kids to see Byron as he will have a point to proove for sure.

[QueenC 74]

Glad to see he hasn't thrown in the towel. If he can get fit and back into form, he is easily in our 22 and will go along way to helping us to finals/flag etc. We need his hardness and experience out there to lead younger hard nuts like Jones for a little bit longer.

Well said LT.....

Hopefully this will be the trigger he apparently needed to further his career.

And we will see a far more committed Byron in the future !!!

[Dappa Dan 2,188]

To be honest the whole situation just makes me nervous.

So if he convinces the club he belongs on the list from round 11 onwards, what are the possibilities...

- He plays the last 11 rounds, makes little or no inroads into the senior side, is made a laughing stock, MFC try to trade him, can't as no-one's interested, and he's delisted... plenty of good players end their careers at 28.

- He comes back into the side, and plays 2-5 good games, maybe in there one or two great ones, and the coaching department decide to play him for the full 11. He then has some trade value, and we offload him for a third or fourth rounder.

- As above, but the club keep him on the list for 2008. Then what? He'll have 2008 and maybe 2009 to make fools out of MFC. Is just being pinged for a late night [censored] up enough to make him come round a la Steve Johnson?

Like I said, the whole situation makes me nervous. The middle one of the two scenarios above interests me. If he could play good enough footy for us to use him in a trade, then maybe it would be worth it. In the best case scenario, he comes back and goes out a champion by playing 44 games in the next two years, we're STILL no more likely to win a flag.

Even IF he is kept on, 2 years is a LONG time for him to be on his best behaviour, not get drunk or overweight, not get old-man injuries and not get suspended. As he's shown a propensity to do ALL these things on a startlingly regular basis despite being considered a great footballer, I doubt there'd be any ironclad reason to keep him on. Odds are the club would only be embarrassed again. After all, he may be just doing this so he can be assured of another couple of pricey contracts... and what happend when he draws to the end of the next one? Will he play it out with pride? Does he even give a stuff about MFC? Would a draft choice in the 60s care more?

I'll be watching this with interest. One thing about Byron, he's not boring.

[mauriesy 7,287]

- He comes back into the side, and plays 2-5 good games, maybe in there one or two great ones, and the coaching department decide to play him for the full 11. He then has some trade value, and we offload him for a third or fourth rounder.

I think your scenarios are wrong, particularly this one. Byron will either play on with Melbourne if he reforms himself (yearly contract at best) or be gone ... retired. What's more I think he knows it.

I can't see him having any trade value whatsoever, and I don't think Melbourne would even try.

[Bring-Back-Powell 14,817]

Does he even give a stuff about MFC?

I doubt it.

Who would at their third club??

[kryton 0]

On the other hand this dosent suprise me. Its the same old posters.

Yep.

[Rhino Richards 1,467]

I think your scenarios are wrong, particularly this one. Byron will either play on with Melbourne if he reforms himself (yearly contract at best) or be gone ... retired. What's more I think he knows it.

I can't see him having any trade value whatsoever, and I don't think Melbourne would even try.

Completely agree Maurie.

I would think it is extremely doubtful that Byron will play on with anyone after this year.

He has show himself at MFC to be totally uncommitted, unfocussed and undisciplined. He has stung us for 40 pieces of silver and has not met his commitments at all.

For all his achievements in football what more does he have to achieve at MFC? His body language speaks volumes for his atttitude.

Its now his 3rd club where he has had significant off field issues. He's 30 in August and he is finished.

Its a joke that some people even think of Byron as a "mentor".

[The Slack-Jawed Yokel 0]

Completely agree Maurie.

I would think it is extremely doubtful that Byron will play on with anyone after this year.

He has show himself at MFC to be totally uncommitted, unfocussed and undisciplined. He has stung us for 40 pieces of silver and has not met his commitments at all.

For all his achievements in football what more does he have to achieve at MFC? His body language speaks volumes for his atttitude.

Its now his 3rd club where he has had significant off field issues. He's 30 in August and he is finished.

Its a joke that some people even think of Byron as a "mentor".

I could not agree more.

The MFC do not need someone with such a poor and undisciplined mentality around the club.

It is no surprise really, if another club is willing to get rid of such a "star", surely they must have a reason!

I'm just thankful that Melbounre did not go after players such as Tarrant, Solomon or (havens forbid) Medhurst during trade time last year.

[Jonesy is the next captain 0]

Byron will not only play on but he will be the revival the team needs. Soon as he came in last year we were tougher, harder and fantastic tacklers. I hope he plays beyond this year because he lifts the team whenever he plays

[Rhino Richards 1,467]

Byron will not only play on but he will be the revival the team needs. Soon as he came in last year we were tougher, harder and fantastic tacklers. I hope he plays beyond this year because he lifts the team whenever he plays

And he is a wonderful trainer and just superb for the culture that is already challenged at the moment.

Yes, he has given us every reason to sign him up on a long term contract. Who cares if he is committed or trains or even plays?

Just sign him.

[Bring-Back-Powell 14,817]

I'm just thankful that Melbounre did not go after players such as Tarrant

Can't agree there.

I would've sold my left nut to get Tarrant at the club.

He's been great for Freo in the last month and I would've traded Green and draft picks for him.

Would've added some potency to our forward line, but thats history now.

[deanox 9,914]

...

obviously not a fan rhino, thats not a problem. but do you not agree that when he is fit he adds another dimension to our side? do think he can be inspirational at times with his hardness and his tackling? do you think he can be influential in winning games?

or do you think that it has all gone past him?

i think the mfc have probably done the right thing now. he has 4 weeks to get himself right at sandy. he then has 11 matches to prove his worth to the mfc. if we then recontract him, surely we can set minimum physical requirements if he wants to get paid? if he wants it enough i think he would go close to being one of our most important players. if he doesnt he will be an obvious candidate for delisting at the end of the year.

do you think that he has nothing left to offer? or that he couldnt come back from here or after another preseason?

[Rhino Richards 1,467]

......

I have answered all those questions.

Pickett has seriously breached his commitment to MFC. He has let the playing group down badly. He has cheated him.

No one doubts his ability but I have seen more interest in a bankrupt's bank account.

Pickett's only here for the dollars. Dont fool yourself. I am at loss why we want to contract a player who has fundamentally failed all the basic requirements of a professional AFL footballer re fitness and team commitment.

Some of dreamers on this site think his behaviour this year has been a strange out of character aberration.

For someone on $350,000 a year its pathetic.

[Rhino Richards 1,467]

Can't agree there.

I would've sold my left nut to get Tarrant at the club.

He's been great for Freo in the last month and I would've traded Green and draft picks for him.

Would've added some potency to our forward line, but thats history now.

Which one? Pettard and Frawley?? No thanks. Given how our year has turned out re injuries we could do with one less undisciplined player.

On what basis did Collingwood want Green?

People on this site are great at self promoting their own trade deals that would be laughable for the other side.

I am sure Collingwood will still trade for your left nut.

[Jonesy is the next captain 0]

Pickett has seriously breached his commitment to MFC. He has let the playing group down badly. He has cheated him.

No one doubts his ability but I have seen more interest in a bankrupt's bank account.

Pickett's only here for the dollars. Dont fool yourself. I am at loss why we want to contract a player who has fundamentally failed all the basic requirements of a professional AFL footballer re fitness and team commitment.

Some of dreamers on this site think his behaviour this year has been a strange out of character aberration.

For someone on $350,000 a year its pathetic.

What he has done isnt the smartest thing, but he like the rest of us is just plain frustrated and who can bloody blame him? He wants to be out there trying to make a difference. Yes he screwed up but so has Ben Cousins and he has been forgiven pretty damn easily. Byron screwed up he knows it but he is a great part of the team and we need him.

[old55 23,561]

I'm not ready to hang him yet, if he does the right thing for the rest of this season, then low base and match payments next year for a match winner would be worth considering. Sure he may be a mercenary, but when he goes about his work it is top quality. It's not like we're going to need to axe him to have enough picks ...

[pantaloons 2,019]

I'm not ready to hang him yet, if he does the right thing for the rest of this season, then low base and match payments next year for a match winner would be worth considering. Sure he may be a mercenary, but when he goes about his work it is top quality. It's not like we're going to need to axe him to have enough picks ...

Good call, Old fellow. If he gets the job done for the remainder of 07 and accepts a small salary for 2008 that could be very good. We traded for him in order to help toughen up our team in September, and as that's not going to happen in 2007, I'd like to see him impose himself physically in the finals one last time in 2008.

[demon magik 0]

i agree pantaloons exactly what i was going to say you said it for me.... he ll be 30+ he should get a lower salary than the others