On 26/01/2024 at 01:56, Kent said:

All very reasonable Macca

But these two are now hanging around for year 3

Surely there is a limit 

Yes, but injuries intervened and none of us could have foretold that.  No one

And it can work the other way too

What if Dunstan & Melksham were contracted this year on reasonable money?  

Edited January 26, 20241 yr by Macca

In a sport like soccer especially, the issue of players being contracted but not being very productive is an old, old story

On a much bigger scale to the AFL, soccer has learned to live with contracted players that are past their prime.  All the USA sports as well.  There are countless individual stories, not just a few

It's just a part of pro sports that we're not used to in Australia.  Once the money became much bigger and the contracts water-tight, the timing of the contracts became more difficult

In terms of value, both Brown & T-Mac have been productive from an overall perspective

Both were integral in 2021 when we won the flag.  And without that flag, it would be 60 years and counting instead of 57 years

So if someone had have said (before the flag) that Brown & T-Mac would become unproductive post 2021 but you'll win the flag in 2021, who amongst us wouldn't have taken that?  

Edited January 26, 20241 yr by Macca

  On 25/01/2024 at 21:16, jayceebee31 said:

I think Disco up forward is a long straw…

Agree Jay and that is why I named 6 others before him.

That said, Disco was trialled late last year in a scratch match and did well, so who can say definitively he can’t play forward.

  On 26/01/2024 at 03:08, Redleg said:

Agree Jay and that is why I named 6 others before him.

That said, Disco was trialled late last year in a scratch match and did well, so who can say definitively he can’t play forward.

We need Petty available & firing.  We also need JVR to improve on last year.  If that happens along with Fritsch as the 3rd target forward, we'll be fine

With Brown out for the time being, T-Mac could come back into calculations as the back-up key forward.  Schache, Fullarton & maybe Jefferson as possibles

The rest of the forward line to be made up of Petracca (part time) Kozzie (most of the time) ANB,  Chandler,  McAdam,  Billings and maybe Tholstrup

There's some depth there with the bolstering of numbers in the off-season

We need a specialist crystal ball gazer to offer their skills to the football department when negotiating contracts. Make sure we offer just the right length of contract to every player.

A real bonus would be if they could foresee when injuries are going to happen.

We took a risk with BB. HIs knees were a potential issue, but he cost us little trade wise and was a big part of delivering a flag. I'll take that. His contract was worth it imv. Would prefer if his knees were in better shape but life isn't perfect unfortunately. 

To those whining [censored], would we have won a flag without him? If we had insisted on a 3-year contract and he went elsewhere, would you have been happy with that? Yes, footy is a business. We took a calculated business risk and guess what we have a flag. 

  On 25/01/2024 at 21:40, picket fence said:

Um, his training form has been excellent! He still will feature IMO. T Mac though is cooked

Ben Brown’s onto his 10th knee operation whilst Tmac’s body has held up all summer and has played in every match sim but he’s the cooked one? Yeh ok!  Not sure where your bias stems from or your inability to admit wrong but the last two years you’ve proclaimed Ben Brown has been training the house down each summer and it has amounted to absolutely nothing when it counts. 

 

  On 25/01/2024 at 11:33, dazzledavey36 said:

From an on field perspective, I wish he retired on his own terms last year and I know that there was certainly talk between the club and his management. I get that he is contracted for another year, but I'm sure the club and Brown would have come up with an agreement on a settlement deal for a payout on his last contract (very common in today's AFL caper).

Maybe they had an agreement that if he can’t make it to June without surgery, rehab and constant management, then both parties will part ways and we can get a pick in the mid season draft.

Sun reporting Fullarton will miss months

At the start of pre season, our potential KPFs were TMac, Brown, Petty, JVR, and Fullarton. Now it seems clear TMac is being set for defence - no doubt as a backup if May should get an injury; Brown and Fullarton are injured, and it is hard to know where Petty is in terms of likelihood to play. It is a bit worrying.

Any suitably qualified 'Landers out there able to offer an objective view of Ben's 2024 availability on the basis of the 'facts', as far as we can get them?

1. Richo, on Club's X: "...a loose piece of cartilage in the knee joint, and this will need to be treated with a small surgical procedure...”.

2. IIRC, his partner's social media post last year that he has "bone on bone".

3. Our training reporters' observations of his participation (though there seems to be a range here, from 'always in rehab' to 'featuring in match sims'!)

 

So Verrall, Schache and Farris-White are now Max’s backup and support, hopefully Fullarton will be ready in a couple of months??

  On 25/01/2024 at 11:04, Gawndy the Great said:

Likely a full knee replacement in the next  few years. That knee is bone on bone.

And has been for two years.

Why has he kept playing?

  On 27/01/2024 at 03:25, IRW said:

And has been for two years.

Why has he kept playing?

Yes. Sadly it seems like a Futile exercise now. Love Benny, he was a huge part of ’21, but that is in the history books now 

  On 27/01/2024 at 04:26, Sir Why You Little said:

Yes. Sadly it seems like a Futile exercise now. Love Benny, he was a huge part of ’21, but that is in the history books now 

Perhaps he will be cherry ripe for the last 4-6 weeks of 2024!

  On 27/01/2024 at 04:34, defuture15 said:

Perhaps he will be cherry ripe for the last 4-6 weeks of 2024!

I wouldn’t hold my breath, but we live in hope 

Nice move dees Grundy was useless hey 

I'm eternally grateful that we have so many medical professionals here on Demonland that have reviewed the file of Ben Brown and are able to give us such confident prognosis on his future at Melbourne FC.

Because otherwise we'd look like a bunch of amateur, blowhard quacks. Right?

🤔

  On 27/01/2024 at 03:25, IRW said:

And has been for two years.

Why has he kept playing?

Money

  On 27/01/2024 at 02:04, DeeZone said:

So Verrall, Schache and Farris-White are now Max’s backup and support, hopefully Fullarton will be ready in a couple of months??

Fullarton will probably go onto the long term injury list if his injury is serious, allowing us to add a player.

if that happens a mature ruckman could be the target.

Anyone know what injury Jefferson has?

  On 27/01/2024 at 06:54, Redleg said:

Fullarton will probably go onto the long term injury list if his injury is serious, allowing us to add a player.

if that happens a mature ruckman could be the target.

Yeah maybe we should have thought of that before

  On 25/01/2024 at 22:05, Kent said:

Agreed what possible upside is there carrying to crocks when we could be developing for the future

Upside? Having experienced, senior players around is a key part of developing for the future.

We should be thankful that we still have players like Melksham and BBB around. And no doubt the club is.

  On 27/01/2024 at 08:36, Kent said:

Yeah maybe we should have thought of that before

Yes, because mature rucks never get injuries.

  On 27/01/2024 at 06:54, Redleg said:

Fullarton will probably go onto the long term injury list if his injury is serious, allowing us to add a player.

if that happens a mature ruckman could be the target.

Get on the phone to Cam Pedersen.