12 minutes ago, GCDee said:

Anyone get the feeling that the AFL will back flip and allow 2 years future draft picks to be traded this year to get this deal to work so Trac can go to his beloved pies? 
Finlay McRae + 2025 & 2026 first round picks with the pies taking all salary might interest us? 

A very interesting consideration. 

Would open many doors.

1 minute ago, beelzebub said:

A very interesting consideration. 

Would open many doors.

Collingwood’s and Carlton’s doors are always ajar for these type of considerations. The AFL’s “rules based order” has flexibilities 

55 minutes ago, John Crow Batty said:

Ha, A friend divorced his wife and lost similar wealth and money. He was very happy to be rid of her for his “mental health”. From Malvern mansion to South Yarra flat and world travel became his lot. Some people put a dollar value on everything but often wealth becomes a millstone around the neck. I know it can be hard for some to find this comprehensible.. 

I certainly don’t find it incomprehensible, I just think that someone who is so concerned with their brand would.

This has nothing to do with his mental health. If it did, he’d be open to moving to any club. But he’s not. This is all about driving dollars into his brand while he sees a small window of opportunity to bail on his deal. 

Edited August 28, 20241 yr by Jaded No More

Look, I know the last couple of years has been "Kick Melbourne Football Club" season by the AFL and media, but I can't help feeling really flat about so many aspects.  Just when we think it can't get any worse, the media and AFL find new ways to get to new lows and it's exhausting from a fan's perspective.

The Petracca saga for me is pretty much the tipping point.  I get he's had a traumatic experience, and we're all sympathetic to that, but the whole handling of this I find flabbergasting, and frankly Trac has to shoulder a fair bit of the blame for that.  I'm at the point now where I don't really care if he stays at the club or goes, whether it's been his intention or not, the damage he's caused to the club is pretty much irreversible.  This is evidenced in the whole media discourse over the last couple of weeks, and yes, it's caused damage to his own branding, but the perception now is that his brand is the be all and end all.  Comments floating around along the lines of he wants to play at a bigger club, etc, I'm sorry, but is that an insult to us fans now?  Low blow, Trac, given the fans have been nothing but supportive to you. I don't care anymore if that's based of fact or rumour, he's had opportunity to speak the truth, but he's remained tight-lipped, and it's his silence that has created the media storm.  He's hurt my club.  I can't forgive him for that.  I used to have respect for him, but now, I don't.  

Edited August 28, 20241 yr by Katrina Dee Fan

16 minutes ago, GCDee said:

Anyone get the feeling that the AFL will back flip and allow 2 years future draft picks to be traded this year to get this deal to work so Trac can go to his beloved pies? 
Finlay McRae + 2025 & 2026 first round picks with the pies taking all salary might interest us? 

The Pies would still need to fit #BlandPetracca's contract in their salary cap. 

6 minutes ago, binman said:

The way we have managed this?

C'mon, that's bollocks.

I have been critical of various aspects of the club's management for a long time.

But in particular i have been strident in my criticism of all our comms (in its totality, ie fan focused, social media, website, crisis management, engagement, injury updates etc).

And I have little doubt poor comms is a factor in the tracc's evident anger. 

And I have a great deal of sympathy for tracc in terms of the trauma he has experienced from a near death, life changing experience.

But what is happening right now is almost all on tracc.

He is an adult who signed a muti million long term contract just three years ago.

And now he wants out of that contract, yet is trying to achieve that aim in an incredibly immature, unprofessional way.

I mean, did he even speak with another club to test the waters before running down the club to a peanut luke Morris?

I had thought it was likely his manager that backgrounded Morris.

I no longer think that because any such manager would never work in the business again if he leaked to the media his player wanted out without a landing place.

I mean c'mon.

So that means tracc is driving what could only charitably called a strategy (by the by, it's pathetic to blame anyone else in his orbit, tracc is an adult).

Nuclear option? Breach of contract?

Ridiculous.

I'm not suggesting the dees don't have issue to work through, but when the dust settles it will be tracc whose reputation is damaged.

I don't think we are blaming others in this immediate circle. But questioning if those around him are providing ill advice.

1 minute ago, demoniac said:

The Pies would still need to fit #BlandPetracca's contract in their salary cap. 

I think that would be really doable given their stars are aging.

Sidebottom, Pendles, Elliot, Howe will be all off their books soon. They don’t really have many marquee players they would need to pay except for Diacos x 2 and maybe Degoey. 
 

I think we need all the information first, I struggle to believe this is a trac issue and not an mfc issue.
 

19 minutes ago, ElDiablo14 said:

Amidst this whole saga...

@WalkingCivilWar thinking of the faithful in the Demon Army. Hope they are coping well.

Did you guys had a big head for Petracca?

If all these rumours are true my question would be is there a head big enough ?  

A lot is made of Petracca asking for a 7 year deal.  It was a typical 5-7 year contract for our better players:  Salem, Brayshaw, Viney, Oliver.  

They were all signed coming into FA and were related to terms ($/years) other clubs would offer. 

I don't recall anyone holding a gun to Lamb's or Richardson's heads to sign any of those deals.  Realistically all hell would have broken loose if any of them went elsewhere as FA's and we received an AFL comp pick in the mid to high teens.

I get people are frustrated with the current uncertainty but some circumspection when hyperbole is generated by the unthinking, click bait motivated media, would be handy on here. 

I'm not saying he doesn't have an obligation to fulfill his contract just that the 7 years wasn't unusual for us or the industry for those players.

37 minutes ago, daisycutter said:

i think the "considered it before" refers to connors group considering it for paddy ryder getting out of contract at essendrug. nothing to do with petracca

Correct. 
How can anyone compare what happened to Essendon players to what Trac went thru is beyond me. 

Nobody forcibly dragged him back on the field. The first post he made on social media was to say he wanted to return to the field. That post was swiftly removed, assuming by the person controlling his social media account.

Since then the AFL has cleared us of any wrong doing. He is not the first nor last player to return to the field with a serious injury. Hell he’s not even the first player to have a spleen injury go undiagnosed. 
As if the AFL is going to let one player unravel their entire medical protocol, especially while in the midst of concussion litigation!

He needs to take a long walk and chill out. This is a complete meltdown, which could be explained by his trauma response. However it gives way too much leeway to the snakes working behind the scenes to manipulate him to their best interest, and not his!

2 minutes ago, demoniac said:

The Pies would still need to fit #BlandPetracca's contract in their salary cap. 

If we’re going to make #BlandPetracca a thing and my social media career is taking off, I don’t think Demonland is the forum for me anymore. 

Perhaps I’d like to go to a bigger forum, where I can grow my audience and fulfill my lifelong dream of making inspiring egg cooking videos sponsored by the Australian Egg Association. 

What do you all think of this hypothetical? 

Gives us 5,6,7 & 13 in a strong draft pool.

Pick 25 is what I assume we get for ANB

There would be a bunch of later pick swap attached to this too Id imagine.  

 

 

10 minutes ago, Deez Man said:

I think we need all the information first, I struggle to believe this is a trac issue and not an mfc issue.
 

Nobody is shying away from the fact that we have issues that need to be resolved in every level of our club’s management. 

But no other player has acted this way against the club, in fact, who is the last big name who has requested a trade mid contract from our club? (ANB doesn’t count as he’s leaving for family reasons). 
 

This public relations stunt is on Trac and his personal team. It is not on the club. In fact, our club has been resolute in our desire to keep him and never denied that they want to address his concerns. We are not the ones burning him in the media. 

Edited August 28, 20241 yr by Jaded No More

2 minutes ago, Brenno said:

What do you all think of this hypothetical? 

Gives us 5,6,7 & 13 in a strong draft pool.

Pick 25 is what I assume we get for ANB

There would be a bunch of later pick swap attached to this too Id imagine.  

 

 

The way we are travelling atm our F1 will be pick 1 so its a no from me 

3 minutes ago, Brenno said:

Now THAT'S a MEGA TRADE @Roost it far

I do not pretend to be qualified to put this scenario out there as being legally feasible, but I have been pondering whether Trac does have a legal option to force a release from his current contract.

Do they have a case to prosecute, which claims that the MFC failed in its duty of a care, by allowing him to return to the field, after sustaining his serious injury?  If so, could they then make out a case that in failing in its duty of care, the MFC have rendered the current contract as null and void, due to that conduct?

If so, Trac could be released from his current contract, be fully paid out and be free to go wherever he wants, without the club being compensated with trade/draft picks.

This would be my worst nightmare and I hope this scenario has no legal merit, but I am left to wonder.

Apart from the need to recover both physically & mentally from the horrific injuries he incured, Petracca is going to have to deal with being targeted on the field

Physically & verbally, opposition players are going to go after him.  Don't forget that knee from Moore came from the side and slightly in front

So if he goes up for a mark playing in front opposition players will go after an unprotected area (ribs)

That's going to happen again apart from all the tackling and knocks that can occur.  There's still a lot of congestion in the sport so gang tackling a player is still quite common (and legal)

They're going to make him earn it and it could easily wear him down and make him take the odd short step (that became a trait of Dustin Martin after his kidney injury)

It's not like local sport where the opposition might be completely unaware of a players injury history

This is the AFL where there's nowhere to hide

1 hour ago, adonski said:

Bloos will part ways with any of Wiliams, Martin, Cerra if they need to

Martin won't be at Parc de Princes next year. Very talented, can make a real impact when he plays, just out injured too much whilst being on a hefty contract. Recent draftee, Ashton Moir, with 2 classy goals as a sub in the last fortnight will take his role. Moir was very smart drafting by the Blues (pick 29 but at one stage was touted as a potential top 3 pick but lengthy injury). Picked up a potential star relatively cheaply. The kid is genuinely ambidextrous (only 1% of the population is) and has natural ability and instinct. Needs to build his tank with a big pre-season.

Has it possibly got to the point, already, that Tracc remaining at Melbourne might have reached "untenable" ?? 

I'm just wondering if already past point of return 🤔 

Winning teams rely on synergy..... all folk going the same way... the sum greater than the parts etc.  Even the slightest disharmonies bring that undone. I'm pretty sure some of our lacklustre efforts this year had more sinister reasons than just 'form'

Going to be very  interesting how this all plays out. Ramifications are immense.

15 minutes ago, ElDiablo14 said:

I don't think we are blaming others in this immediate circle. But questioning if those around him are providing ill advice.

They well might be.

But tracc is a 29 year old adult, not some naive draftee fresh out of high school.

Let's not infantalise him.

If he acts on bad advice that's on him, not the people giving him the advice.

5 minutes ago, I'va Worn Smith said:

I do not pretend to be qualified to put this scenario out there as being legally feasible, but I have been pondering whether Trac does have a legal option to force a release from his current contract.

Do they have a case to prosecute, which claims that the MFC failed in its duty of a care, by allowing him to return to the field, after sustaining his serious injury?  If so, could they then make out a case that in failing in its duty of care, the MFC have rendered the current contract as null and void, due to that conduct?

If so, Trac could be released from his current contract, be fully paid out and be free to go wherever he wants, without the club being compensated with trade/draft picks.

This would be my worst nightmare and I hope this scenario has no legal merit, but I am left to wonder.

They'd have a hard time proving that.  Given the Alfred Hospital didn't detect the spleen injury until 3 am, after several hours and scans, how was the club supposed to detect it, with limited resources available to them?  There have been several cases where players continued to play with broken ribs.  Mason Cox played out the game last year, it wasn't until the next day that his spleen tear was detected, after he'd lost 4/5 of his blood.  Matthew Lloyd's spleen wasn't detected for 3 days, again after he'd lost a significant amount of blood.  Trac was in the ambulance before the game ended.  

2 minutes ago, beelzebub said:

Has it possibly got to the point, already, that Tracc remaining at Melbourne might have reached "untenable" ?? 

I'm just wondering if already past point of return 🤔 

Winning teams rely on synergy..... all folk going the same way... the sum greater than the parts etc.  Even the slightest disharmonies bring that undone. I'm pretty sure some of our lacklustre efforts this year had more sinister reasons than just 'form'

Going to be very  interesting how this all plays out. Ramifications are immense.

Apparently he was out yesterday with the boys having drinks.

How much has changed in the last 24 hours is anyone's guess.

3 minutes ago, I'va Worn Smith said:

I do not pretend to be qualified to put this scenario out there as being legally feasible, but I have been pondering whether Trac does have a legal option to force a release from his current contract.

Do they have a case to prosecute, which claims that the MFC failed in its duty of a care, by allowing him to return to the field, after sustaining his serious injury?  If so, could they then make out a case that in failing in its duty of care, the MFC have rendered the current contract as null and void, due to that conduct?

If so, Trac could be released from his current contract, be fully paid out and be free to go wherever he wants, without the club being compensated with trade/draft picks.

This would be my worst nightmare and I hope this scenario has no legal merit, but I am left to wonder.

The curiosity for me was that post that Tracc put up ( then removed ).  

Nothing is ever really erased ;) Just hypothetically if he usurped the recommendation to stay off... well...  

A lot to play out in all of this fiasco.

At some point gloves come off ( if not quietly already )

Awful morning to have a flat car battery, forced to be on this thread with you lot while I wait for the RACV!