On 27/08/2024 at 03:34, DistrACTION Jackson said:

I think everyone in the AFL, the club and supporters understand that he has gone through a traumatic experience and is struggling mentally. He has mentioned this in the interviews and also explained he is seeing a psychologist who specialises in trauma. I think the thing that is perplexing to most, is this is probably not the time to be making life altering decisions, such as completely moving away from a club you have been at for 10 years and have built up many strong friendships. I understand that emotions of been high for him and his family, but surely if you're close to him you're saying Christian get yourself right, spend time working on recovery both physically and mentally and once you've done that let's discuss your plans. That might mean next year you play at Melbourne, but at least you've taken the time and worked on getting back to playing good football before leaving. If this time next year he still wants to leave then I think the club should do so.

He may have some grievances it may be brand related but the timing is not in his favour regardless which one it is. This time next year probably opens more doors for him. When the news first came out I thought 2025 he’d be a Demon but after that it may be a different story with the future trading etc, 

Gives us a year to try fix any issues or alternatively make some enquires for other players etc. 

  On 27/08/2024 at 03:22, dees189227 said:

Wouldn't see nathan jones, Jim stynes or Robbie flower carry on like this

Or Max Gawn.

How desperate can we make NM to want to give us Larkey and Pick 2 for Trac??

  On 27/08/2024 at 02:30, The Taciturn Demon said:

This is a good post. 

The nuffie Demons fan in me - my inner Swooper Northey - is screaming "How dare you treat the club this way!" I find the idea of a genuinely great player just walking away from a club because it no longer suits him outrageous.

The angel on my shoulder, however, keep reminding me, this is a human doing completely normal human things: being overwhelmed and disoriented by trauma, finding confrontation difficult, telling different versions of a story to different people, getting bad advice from radically biased sources. I also have no doubt he has legitimate concerns that the club should treat extremely seriously. 

The "personal brand" and "bigger team" stuff is hard to swallow. The rest, if it's true, is understandable and even relatable. 

Have you read my biography?

  On 27/08/2024 at 03:10, Deelectable said:

It's actually hilarious.  If you scroll through Sam McCluess'article in the age he covers his 'you know what' by stating ' everyone knows the chances of a trade are remote'. Elsewhere he has used words to the effect" I'm not saying this is going to happen". Hahaha 🤣Comedy capers. Talk about 50 cents each way. Isn't this the same individual that told the football world emphatically that Harley Reid will not end up at West Coast? And people still fall for his junk. Oh for the great football journalists a la Percy Beames, Mike Sheahan etc. The standard is so poor it's plain embarrassing. 

Do you think Trac wants to be traded?

  On 27/08/2024 at 03:45, BDA said:

Do you think Trac wants to be traded?

No

  On 27/08/2024 at 03:40, Brownie said:

I'm positive that's the card most clubs will play for sure.

"Oh Gee, he's damaged goods, mmmmm can't pass the medical, mmmm oh we'll risk it but he's not worth anywhere what you want for him sorry"

Doesn't mean he won't bounce back. It's just the card they'll play to talk his value down for sure.

I don't think our cards aren't as strong as we think. 

They are definitely not (the strength of our position at the trade table) but I don't have a problem with Demon fans being optimistic in a Petracca deal

There's also his mental health issues which might mean he could miss a swathe of games (for whoever he plays for) 

And retiring on medical grounds is also a decent factor (paid out in full?)

I'm leaning towards taking what we can get to get him off the books.  Face it, what are the chances in Petracca playing for the Demons again?  

  On 27/08/2024 at 03:29, Sir Why You Little said:

I agree. I think serious meditation is needed between the parties. If The MFC are still not entirely sure what all the grievances are then, meditation sessions must happen soon. 
At least we have 6 weeks…

Trac is following the playbook for players seeking a trade.

I would not expect the club will be told anymore information about what his true grievances are (now that the exit interview is over) and we will only be speaking to his management in the offseason. There will be some more leaks to the media, but Trac will continue to be vague about his issues and tell different problems to different parties. My guess is that he has a list of things he doesn't like about the club (none of them being major). The main issue is probably that he wants to go to a club that has more chance of winning a flag and bigger crowds. 

Even if we can't really know the real problems, I think Goodwin will back his ability to turn things around. For all his perceived tactical deficiencies, he seems to have a good connection with the players.

Our plan should be to 1) tell Trac that we love him (regardless) and 2) tell his manager that we don't intent to trade him. But if we were to consider a trade, this is what it would take for us to even think about it. Let them do all the work.

  On 27/08/2024 at 03:33, No. 31 said:

I suspect that players like Martin, Marchbank, Cunningham and maybe even Williams will be out the door soon. Martin and Williams are apparently on high contracts.

Still, provision needs to be made for Weitering and TDK so its not an easy task.

The Blues would have planned for all those contract to expire. They would be backloading contracts already.

  On 26/08/2024 at 23:27, layzie said:

You're one of the few who can see straight on this BDA.

A week ago his story carried little weight on here. 

I agree, but there is reason to be skeptical on first reports. There are plenty of examples of journalists like McClure and Morris, whose core business is reporting on the people of the game, rather than the game itself, have been embarrassingly wrong. I think most of us were prepared to accept the truth to the reports once more and more of them came out and had multiple sources.

  On 27/08/2024 at 03:46, Deelectable said:

No

  On 27/08/2024 at 03:40, titan_uranus said:

Run the counter-factual.

If there was no truth to any of this, why hasn't Petracca or his manager said so?

There is, for example, no truth to the Harry McKay stuff, as we know his manager has said as much today.

But if there was, as you seem to think, no truth to any of the Petracca stuff, it's a very simple solution for him or his manager to say so.

The fact that they haven't is all you need to know that there is at least some truth to what is going on. And that's before you get to the people who are citing this who are not McClure (e.g. Cal Twomey, who AFAK is never wrong, agreed with it two weeks ago, Sam Edmund's agreed with it, Matthew Lloyd's had word of it, Caro's heard it, Damian Barrett's heard it).

I lean far more to the optimistic side than the pessimistic side, I honestly think Trac is my favourite ever Melbourne player, and I will be genuinely sad if he ever plays for any other club, but it is mindboggling to me that anyone would still be suggesting this might all be made up.

Never actually said that it was all made up but that is a long way from Trac leaving. Is he disgruntled perhaps with a few things? Maybe. No different to thousands of players in football clubs across Australia since time began. Is he in a good headspace? No. Anyway, I'm willing to wager any amount you like that Petracca is in in the red an blue in 2025 and beyond. He doesn't have to say anything.  The aforementioned 'journos" have been muckraking for years.

  On 27/08/2024 at 03:48, Fat Tony said:

Trac is following the playbook for players seeking a trade.

I would not expect the club will be told anymore information about what his true grievances are (now that the exit interview is over) and we will only be speaking to his management in the offseason. There will be some more leaks to the media, but Trac will continue to be vague about his issues and tell different problems to different parties. My guess is that he has a list of things he doesn't like about the club (none of them being major). The main issue is probably that he wants to go to a club that has more chance of winning a flag and bigger crowds. 

Even if we can't really know the real problems, I think Goodwin will back his ability to turn things around. For all his perceived tactical deficiencies, he seems to have a good connection with the players.

Our plan should be to 1) tell Trac that we love him (regardless) and 2) tell his manager that we don't intent to trade him. But if we were to consider a trade, this is what it would take for us to even think about it. Let them do all the work.

How genuine can that love be when he has belittled the club and its supporters so publicly?

  On 27/08/2024 at 03:41, SthSea22 said:

How desperate can we make NM to want to give us Larkey and Pick 2 for Trac??

I know we're desperate not to get unders for Trac but we also have to be realistic that we are not going to get overs for Trac either.

As much as a superstar as he is. He is coming off a traumatic injury, there is the perception that this situation has been handled in an unprofessional manner, he is 29 and there is no guarantee that he fully recovers from this injury or that he can return to the heights of his pre-injury years.

Clubs will play hardball with us based on the above. They are not stupid and we have been easy targets and "good" to deal with in the past.

I'm not confident we won't get [censored] in this deal.

Edited August 27, 2024Aug 27 by Deeminion

The club is throwing fire onto this issue and leaking like a sieve.

In the media: "Depending on who Petracca talks to, it’s different. If he talks to the players, his issue is with the leadership of the club and when he talks to the leadership, his issue is with the players and the off-field stuff."

So players and leadership appear to be leaking to the media. That is not dealing with the issue internally. It's quite feasible and likely that Tracc has raised off field behaviour issues with leadership.  Maybe it has been raised before but brushed under the carpet.  But players in every club misbehave.  What is different is how leadership manage the behaviour, what is tolerated, and what isn't.  It's disingenuous for the leadership of the club to play ignorant, and pretend that the issue is the relationship between Tracc and the players.  Their leaking may have made this situation totally irreparable.

Of course I might be wrong, and Tracc might have put on one of those Max Gawn masks, arranged a coffee with Matthew Lloyd, and then found a Gary Pert mask to do the same with Sam McClure.

  On 27/08/2024 at 03:54, ElDiablo14 said:

How genuine can that love be when he has belittled the club and its supporters so publicly?

I think that’s one of the big issue for us fans. To say ‘oh I want to go play for a big club’ after a large number of us spend our hard earned to go to games and support him, to then turnaround and say that is a real slap in the face. 

  On 27/08/2024 at 03:54, ElDiablo14 said:

How genuine can that love be when he has belittled the club and its supporters so publicly?

Trac is clearly going through a lot at the moment. He has always been immature and self centred.

But we need to be trying to mend the situation for if Trac stays a Demon (as I think is most likely given the difficult nature of such a trade).

its a trap! We'll end up with Brendan Bolton and Adam Cerra and #11 & #F18

Edited August 27, 2024Aug 27 by John Demonic

  On 27/08/2024 at 03:57, DistrACTION Jackson said:

I think that’s one of the big issue for us fans. To say ‘oh I want to go play for a big club’ after a large number of us spend our hard earned to go to games and support him, to then turnaround and say that is a real slap in the face. 

It also tells us there are problems within the Club that need fixing 

Too much has been swept under the carpet…

 

If I were a betting man...  and it's been known....  I'd be at least considering the following: ( no meaningful order )

* Trac had reservations prior to last signing.

* He comes from Filth 

* His family was rather miffed about the care and concern at time of his injury.

* He seems easily/heavily swayed by influencers not being his management.

*His "side of things" seems to be leading the narrative

*He seems to have made big calls ( to be verified ) about issues not 100% of his realm.

*He is very much about HIM, his Brand and the bigger stage

*Not the least of things, he has asked to GO.

*Team Footy is not his priority. 

*There's a touch of Dorian Gray about this fella

*Has pyromanic inclinations to straddling structures .

*Can be a very good footballer, but will he attain his highest level again ?

Earlier in year there were murmurings of a rift at club between groups (players) . I think we can take as being existing. I'm not inclined to do either :

1) put money on him being in R/B in 25 

2) Getting top value in trade

We may hold many of the cards...but not the Wild Card. This has some distance to play out yet..  windy road ahead.

Good luck Melbourne

  On 26/08/2024 at 22:58, tallstuey said:

Challenging times.  Clarry's decline, the loss of Brayshaw and Nibbler and the possible loss of Trac closes any residual premiership window.

The talk of Trac wanting to debvelop his "brand" could be an inaccurate  smokescreen to indict Trac. Clearly Trac's recent injury trauma has probably sharpened his career focus and life priorities to try and facilitate change now.  Sometimes there is no tomorrow.

It has been suggested that Trac attempted to outline his views to the players and club has sought a change of coaching leadership from our tired, failing defensive game plan to something more offensive, ah lah the Pies last year.  If this is the case, he is showing strong leadership.

Some are suggesting he believes he is greater than the club.  Many readers will know how much courage it takes to stand alone against "the system".

I am a Goody fan. A genuine person who's greatest strength is developing player relationships. However, his tactics and game plan have not evolved.

Good coaches are important. Brilliant players (especially midfield) are CRITICAL!

Is it time for Kate to show strong leadership and decide?

Let Goody go or lose Trac.

 

 

Both can be shown the door!

  On 27/08/2024 at 04:00, beelzebub said:

Earlier in year there were murmurings of a rift at club between groups (players) . I think we can take as being existing. I'm not inclined to do either :

 

 

Just maybe the murmurings were all about only one player   and obviously they were there,   does this explain in part West Coast and Flogmantle results ??

  On 27/08/2024 at 03:46, Deelectable said:

No

  On 27/08/2024 at 03:15, Demonland said:

If you want to enrage your Carlton mates ...

You're welcome

I’d rather just send them this, doubles as the reason some of us don’t want him.

  On 27/08/2024 at 03:41, SthSea22 said:

How desperate can we make NM to want to give us Larkey and Pick 2 for Trac??

Trac doesn't suit their timeline, and I doubt they would see him as a leader, unlike Jack Viney.