39 minutes ago, Chook said:

We can't let him leave because doing so is an admission of massive cultural issues at the club, which the club has been adamant are not a problem. 

Couldn't we spin it by saying we're letting Trac leave to have a fresh start and new environment after his traumatic injury? Not sure people would buy that but that could be the PR.

3 hours 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.  

 

 

This is an awesome mock trade but with one issue - Petracca gets what he wants.

2 hours ago, No. 31 said:

LOL, point taken, but it is directly relevant to the Petracca/Trade/Carlton vortex that just emerged out of the blue in the last day or so. Martin out frees up cap space. Not sure if a Tracc to Carlton trade can be made but it is potentially possible, no way near as unrealistic as Tracc to Collingwood (which would be horrible).

Ironically, IIRC, the dees wete super keen to trade in Martin when the blues got him (as was i).

22 minutes ago, loges said:

Why do people automatically fall in line with the thought that our club culture is worse than anybody else's. Is it just because the media says so? Because Ox saw a few players drinking at the local pub? Plenty of players seem to have been happy to extend contracts during the year, surely if culture was that bad they'd all be wanting out.

It makes me angry too - largely because I think the word ‘culture’ is misused and overused - BUT we have had a lot of unsavoury personnel-related issues over the past three years, more than most if not all clubs… difficult to argue that.

43 minutes ago, Chook said:

Having thought about this a bit, I think Petracca and the media have put the club in an impossible position (Pert and Goodwin haven't helped things due to their insistence of great club culture).

We can't let him leave because doing so is an admission of massive cultural issues at the club, which the club has been adamant are not a problem. So they either force him to stay and keep up that story they're telling everyone (true or not, doesn't matter - the perception is there). Or they let him go and make it impossible to improve the club's image in the eyes of sponsors, fans, and most importantly prospective player replacements.

The only two ways I can see this getting resolved to everyone's satisfaction would be for:

1)  Petracca to have a change of heart and decide to stay come out and stay; or
2) Petracca to say "I want to leave but because I've been through a trauma and need a fresh start, not because of mismanagement by the club."

Both require Petracca to put on his big boy pants and face the public. Perhaps there's a medical reason why he can't, or maybe he's waiting till after the season is over, but basically unless any of the above two options happen, the club cannot let him go because it would be suicide for the reputations of Goodwin and Pert in particular.

Pert and Goodwin won't let Petracca leave and admit to those cultural issues in doing so (and nor should they imo, because I honestly don't think there are massive cultural issues at Melbourne), it's just that there are some problems that have been going on for a while and we're on the back of a bad season so things are bound to look rotten at this time.

You're band from 'Land effective immediately then @Chook.

59 minutes ago, Nate said:

It's the silence from the club and player that frustrates me. Want to leave, even if it's against the clubs wishes? Just man up and say it. 

I'm sick of all these second rate journos spewing rubbish left, right and centre as well. 

What do you want the club to say other than what they have already said?

6 minutes ago, The Lobster Effect said:

Couldn't we spin it by saying we're letting Trac leave to have a fresh start and new environment after his traumatic injury? Not sure people would buy that but that could be the PR.

We lose either way. 

4 minutes ago, Gawndy the Great said:

If it looks like a trade request, smells like a trade request, sounds like trade request..... what difference does it make if a statement from his management goes out? 

The difference is false vs speculation vs fact. The latest headline 'Demons Star set to walk out on club' in reference to Adam Tomlinson is speculative (no announcement made) and false (he is not a star, and he doesn't have a contract for 2025). The only interviews Trac has done are opening up re his trauma, he has said nothing about being unhappy with the club or wanting a trade. We know that the media make stuff up all the time to grab a headline or create a situation that puts players and clubs under pressure to provide a response.

4 minutes ago, chookrat said:

The difference is false vs speculation vs fact. The latest headline 'Demons Star set to walk out on club' in reference to Adam Tomlinson is speculative (no announcement made) and false (he is not a star, and he doesn't have a contract for 2025). The only interviews Trac has done are opening up re his trauma, he has said nothing about being unhappy with the club or wanting a trade. We know that the media make stuff up all the time to grab a headline or create a situation that puts players and clubs under pressure to provide a response.

If there was nothing going on he could shut it down in 2min. That’s what agents/managers get paid to do, eg: “Christian is focussed on recovering from his injuries and expects to be back playing with the Demons in 2025.”

Putting that out calms everything down a lot, and the best bit is it doesn’t even have to be true they can keep working on trades all day long if they want to.

Not issuing anything is harming the club and the only way to read that is that’s what he wants to do. 

2 minutes ago, chookrat said:

The difference is false vs speculation vs fact. The latest headline 'Demons Star set to walk out on club' in reference to Adam Tomlinson is speculative (no announcement made) and false (he is not a star, and he doesn't have a contract for 2025). The only interviews Trac has done are opening up re his trauma, he has said nothing about being unhappy with the club or wanting a trade. We know that the media make stuff up all the time to grab a headline or create a situation that puts players and clubs under pressure to provide a response.

I grant you the technicality. Trac has said nothing publically. But sometimes saying nothing, is saying everything.

Surely you are not of the view that the narrative around Trac's desire to leave MFC is unproven / fabricated?  

Barrett from about 6.15 onwards, referencing his article overnight

 

2 hours ago, Lexinator said:

Oasis is getting back together after 15 years. There's still hope, Trac.

Who's Trac?

1 hour ago, Flowergirl said:

Could his management part ways with him over this?

I'd be surprised, considering how close Julian is involved. 

But who knows, they understand why he wants to leave but are realistic in the fact they can't help him get it done 

1 hour ago, Deelectable said:

174 pages devoted to someone saying nothing. 🤣🤣🤣

Cmon I have had a Million posts on Demonland ...not saying terribly much!!🤪

4 minutes ago, Deez21 said:

I'd be surprised, considering how close Julian is involved. 

But who knows, they understand why he wants to leave but are realistic in the fact they can't help him get it done 

Since you seem to know a bit about this, are his reasons for wanting to leave legitimate or are they just fluff and mostly driven by a desire to increase his brand exposure?

 

3 minutes ago, picket fence said:

Cmon I have had a Million posts on Demonland ...not saying terribly much!!🤪

990k of these have been on the Jeffo thread

Could it be that Christian is shaking the MFC tree hoping some rotten apples fall out? He certainly has put a lot of people under the spotlight with what is going on atm. 

3 hours ago, Adam The God said:

He's not going to Richmond.

But he wants out from the Demons.....Trac wants a Big Club the Tigers are the biggest by every metric now....

 

13 minutes ago, JTR said:

Barrett from about 6.15 onwards, referencing his article overnight

 

I think Barrett is HQ’s mouthpiece in a lot of ways. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that he’s pushing the selfish angle. The AFL needs to protect itself and its clubs first, and this feels like a turning of the tide in terms of public perception. HQ are making Christian a whole lot less palatable, because they can’t have a situation where players just walk to big clubs by acting out. They can’t say anything publicly, but they have ways.

The only way I can see him being able to leave is if he is willing to re-negotiate his contract elsewhere and we have no financial tie to this, meaning we get full salary cap relief. Plus we would expect a range of picks/players. This would likely mean he gets less money to play somewhere else, but doesn't have to play with us.

Can't have your cake and eat it too unfortunately Christian.

5 hours ago, ElDiablo14 said:

Is the club supposed to babysit grown up adults?

Are you suggesting both Smith and Clayton should've been delisted?

To be honest I would have delisted Smith. 

I can't believe people are asking him to reconsider and stay. 

It has gone too far, and the circus would only continue if he did stay, and to astronomical proportions. 

We're all sympathetic to the terrible injury and the severity of the aftermath, must have been terrible. 

He has been one of the greats of the club, which makes this even more difficult to watch play out....AND....we still have 7 weeks of this. 

It will soon get to a point where being dissatisfied with a trade is a better outcome than him staying around.

For a 'brand' to be successful, ironically, it requires loyalty. 

Ciao Christian, this is fusilli.

This is turning out to be one of the most blatant examples of soiling your own nest that I can remember. It is hard to see Trac coming out of this with his reputation/brand or football future in tact. Very sad in some ways but you reap what you sow. Like most, initially I was devastated at the thought of him leading but I now hope he does.

2 minutes ago, Dee Viney Intervention said:

To be honest I would have delisted Smith. 

You realize we can’t delist a player in season right? 
He will be removed from the list at the expiration of his contract which is October 2024. 

2 minutes ago, chook fowler said:

This is turning out to be one of the most blatant examples of soiling your own nest that I can remember. It is hard to see Trac coming out of this with his reputation/brand or football future in tact. Very sad in some ways but you reap what you sow. Like most, initially I was devastated at the thought of him leading but I now hope he does.

I think he is staying silent because if it does blow over he can just say he was never leaving. If his management has advised him to stay silent, it's the only good advice they have given so far.