5 minutes ago, FreedFromDesire said:

Where abouts can we find that Drysdale Demon?

Herald Sun today.

Robbo has said that Trac won’t be leaving and he said he had inside knowledge 

Even if he is annoyed with the club, Petracca should keep his grievances in house. He knows he is contracted for a long time and won't be traded unless we get the deal of the century. Having his manager air this through the media is petulant and pointless.

5 minutes ago, Demons11 said:

Robbo has said that Trac won’t be leaving and he said he had inside knowledge 

It's very obvious that Trac won't be leaving, mainly because there is no planet in which we willingly trade him when he has 5 years left to run on his contract.

Last year Petty wanted out, with 2 years remaining. We backed ourselves, and less than 12 months later he extends his contract.

To be fair to Morris (who should rot in a hole!), he also never said Trac will leave, only that he would be open to it if he was out of contract. Which is like saying, I would be open to getting $10mil if someone offered it to me.

PS- this is why you sign your stars to long term deals. If Trac only had 1 year left on his contract, or heaven forbid was OOC, this place would be on fire.

Edited August 13, 20241 yr by Jaded No More

59 minutes ago, reynolds46 said:

Has there actually been any solid info connecting petracca's concerns directly to Clayton Oliver?

Really what are you on about? Nothing has been said or intimated of any link whatsoever.

Are you just being mischievous or can’t stand the silence about our two champs. 

Trac is going through a tough time and his family have ( in supportive ways as his ethnics would demand) are having to deal with a very sad and long recovery from a dangerous accident on the field. 

Clarry is really struggling fitness wise  but trying to be the best he can at this stage of the season. A forward pocket /half forward flank with cameo role on the ball is what Goody should do on the field to make best use of his ability at this stage for the team and himself. 

Are you happy or can you see a real link in my summary? Hope not because none exists and why should it? 

7 minutes ago, Fat Tony said:

Even if he is annoyed with the club, Petracca should keep his grievances in house. He knows he is contracted for a long time and won't be traded unless we get the deal of the century. Having his manager air this through the media is petulant and pointless.

I suspect this is all tactical. The timing is important to note now that we are well and truelly out of finals contention. 

Its not as common practice in AFL but in other pro sports like NBA a player superstar (via their management) will voice concerns with the current state of the club in order to encourage club management to make more substantial moves in trading and signing to improve the team.

I really do think this is Petracca using his power as our best player to put pressure on the club to make big moves this off season whether it be with the playing or coaching group. He's 28 in the prime of his career and wants another premiership preferably at the Dees.

Edited August 13, 20241 yr by Young Blood

8 minutes ago, Demons11 said:

Robbo has said that Trac won’t be leaving and he said he had inside knowledge 

Mark or Russell?

1 minute ago, FreedFromDesire said:

But senior club sources were at pains to stress that Petracca was not going anywhere despite reports he was disillusioned with the club’s direction."

That is Morris's version.

3 minutes ago, FreedFromDesire said:

Doesn't seem to be a statement, which is disappointing. There's only a couple of lines in the existing article by Sam Landsberger:

"Melbourne will not trade Christian Petracca under any circumstance with Demons powerbrokers on Monday night emphatic that suggestions he could play elsewhere in 2025 were wildly inaccurate."

And:

"But senior club sources were at pains to stress that Petracca was not going anywhere despite reports he was disillusioned with the club’s direction."

😳

9 minutes ago, Demons11 said:

Robbo has said that Trac won’t be leaving and he said he had inside knowledge 

Which Robbo? Mark Robinson, Russell Robinson?

I hope Tracc is disillusioned.

I think he will stay.

He wants to call a few people to account, including an important ginger nutted midfielder.

15 minutes ago, Fat Tony said:

The reason we are low scoring and play a defensive style is that our best players are poor kicks. Petracca, Oliver, Viney, Gawn, ANB and Langdon are our main kickers inside 50 and none of them are skilled enough to regularly hit targets.

If Longmire or Scott were coaching they would ultimately have us playing the same way, because Goodwin's game plan is the best way for us to win.

Exactly - contrast Butters and JHF with our midfield in terms of ability to hit targets with smart kicks they are light years apart

Quality Mids who can get speed on the ball and kick well and find targets consistently should be our #1 priority in this pre season 

 

4 minutes ago, Young Blood said:

I suspect this is all tactical. The timing is important to note now that we are well and truelly out of finals contention. 

Its not as common practice in AFL but in other pro sports like NBA a player superstar (via their management) will voice concerns with the current state of the club in order to encourage club management to make more substantial moves in trading and signing to improve the team.

I really do think this is Petracca using his power as our best player to put pressure on the club to make big moves this off season whether it be with the playing or coaching group. He's 28 in the prime of his career and wants another premiership preferably at the Dees.

Why can't he just have the conversations with the club at the end of the year? Putting it out that he is willing to take a trade does not make the job of recruiting players easier. It is self defeating and petulant behaviour.

 

11 minutes ago, Young Blood said:

I suspect this is all tactical. The timing is important to note now that we are well and truelly out of finals contention. 

Its not as common practice in AFL but in other pro sports like NBA a player superstar (via their management) will voice concerns with the current state of the club in order to encourage club management to make more substantial moves in trading and signing to improve the team.

I really do think this is Petracca using his power as our best player to put pressure on the club to make big moves this off season whether it be with the playing or coaching group. He's 28 in the prime of his career and wants another premiership preferably at the Dees.

Spot on

10 minutes ago, Kick_It_To_Pickett said:

Which Robbo? Mark Robinson, Russell Robinson?

Mark 

14 minutes ago, Fat Tony said:

The reason we are low scoring and play a defensive style is that our best players are poor kicks. Petracca, Oliver, Viney, Gawn, ANB and Langdon are our main kickers inside 50 and none of them are skilled enough to regularly hit targets.

If Longmire or Scott were coaching they would ultimately have us playing the same way, because Goodwin's game plan is the best way for us to win.

But it’s not winning. Please don’t embarrass JL or Chris S. The coaching would be totally different and more successful as it would not suck the life blood out of any positive moves to kick goals or win a game from the centre to goals. 

Players are confused bewildered and hesitant about how to operate a forward line and have been for 3 years trying to win games that are being saved with no real system to fall back on. 
Basically all natural instincts at times are the best moves like Kossies but so few forwards are in the right frame of mind to let that happen.

Time for Stafford to go and Goody to alter his mantra or we will slowly wither our young players with fear even more than now. We are afraid to take the game on for fear of losing it!! 

2 minutes ago, Fat Tony said:

Why can't he just have the conversations with the club at the end of the year? Putting it out that he is willing to take a trade does not make the job of recruiting players easier. It is self defeating and petulant behaviour.

 

Aww Fat Tony. I wish the AFL landscape was that nice and considerate. Welcome to the modern world. I don't think Trac would care it doesn't really hurt his reputation. He's just driven to succeed and is stating if the club won't come to the table to improve the list/coaching then he would consider leaving. A superstar player exercising his power.

2 hours ago, drdrake said:

The end of the day he has a contract so unless the dees agree to trade him he plays for us.

That's exactly right.

Many in the media are agin the sort of long term contract the club offered tracc. Much of that revolves around a club being stuck with player who is not performing relative to their wage - gaff being one recent example - creating problems for the club in terms of their salary cap (eg can't bring in a gun they want).

But one of the obvious advantages of long term contracts is in a scenario where a gun still playing great footy wants to leave.

As i have noted i'm not going to let the stupid footy media pull my strings, but lets say hypothetically Tracc was adamant he wanted to go. There is very little chance we don't force him to honour his contract (unless we are offered deal that is too good to refuse - in which case we win from any deal).

In days gone by the counter to that has been clubs won't keep players who want out. That may still be true of fringe best 22 players but less and less of club's best players.

The dees have form in this space just last year in not countenancing Petty being traded to the Crows. 

But a more relevant example of keeping an elite, multiple AA, absolute gun player to their contract is the Lions flat out refusing to trade Neale back to Freo. 

Like the lions, we have the whip hand with Tracc. 

This all feels like the bog standard play of a player manager flexing for their client via the media.

We're not there yet, but in American sports, particularly the NBA (with its small rosters and outsize impact of superstar players on teams' chances of success) the superstars often have an outsize influence (much to the chagrin of many) they can parlay into driving changes they think should happen. 

Tracc may well have strong views on what he thinks should change at the club. In fact i'd be very surprised if he didn't - he's a very smart bloke who is super driven and super competitive. He wants to win another flag. And as a genuine superstar he has influence. I have no issue with him wanting to use that influence, if that what's is happening - particularly if it helps address things we need to improve. 

But that doesn't mean fans need to buy into the chaos, there is problems at the dees narrative the media wants to drive for purely financial reason (ie clicks = advertising revenue).  

Again, rather than giving oxygen to innuendo, or using the media's classic unsubstantiated 'apparently' and/or 'sources tell me' ruse to bolster criticisms we might have of the club  ('see i told ya the players hate the game plan!') i'd rather focus on known facts.

One of which is multiple players have resigned - a clear vote of confidence in Goody, the club and it's direction.

Take Windsor. Pick seven and clear to everyone he is a gun. There was no need for him to extend now. He could have waited until next year or the year after  - and surely would have if he had any significant concerns about the club. 

A prototype player for the modern game - fast, smart, great runner, good tank and solid foot kills - after another AFL preseason and season under his belt he would have had multiple clubs clamoring after him next year, or the year after, including flag contenders. 

But unlike say Harley Reid, who apparently is 'happy at the Eagles, but is in no rush to sign a contract extension' , Windsor extended his contract in the first year of a three year contract, keeping him at the club at least 'till the end of the 2028 season. 

Caleb's vote of confidence in the club (and Petts, Kolt, Koz etc etc), which by the by came only three weeks ago, is not half whispered scuttlebutt - it is a cold hard, irrefutable fact. 

I'll take facts over fiction every single day of the week.

Edited August 13, 20241 yr by binman

I would be livid if Trac WAS happy with the club at the moment because I'm apoplectic about the direction of the club at the moment.

2 straight sets finals exits and then a bottom six finish. 2 generational talents on the trade table. Viney's name being linked with another club. No backup ruck for Max and now he's being run into the ground. Our best forward talent being bashed from pillar to post every week as a backup ruck as a result of terrible list management. Our other 2 key forwards are backmen. Zero depth at Casey.

Our forward line has been mess for the last 3 seasons and our ruck coach is our forward line coach.

The club is in crisis. We don't hear from our President or CEO unless they have some vitrue signaling to trot out.

7 minutes ago, Young Blood said:

Aww Fat Tony. I wish the AFL landscape was that nice and considerate. Welcome to the modern world. I don't think Trac would care it doesn't really hurt his reputation. He's just driven to succeed and is stating if the club won't come to the table to improve the list/coaching then he would consider leaving. A superstar player exercising his power.

But coming out publicly makes us look like a club with problems and makes it more difficult to improve the list. It is self defeating.

And he is has no real power to exercise. He took the security of a long-term deal.

49 minutes ago, drysdale demon said:

You left out quite a few more apt adjectives.

I exercised considerable restraint to leave them out😁

Didn't want to trigger DL's censor 🤷‍♀️

35 minutes ago, Jaded No More said:

It's very obvious that Trac won't be leaving, mainly because there is no planet in which we willingly trade him when he has 5 years left to run on his contract.

Last year Petty wanted out, with 2 years remaining. We backed ourselves, and less than 12 months later he extends his contract.

To be fair to Morris (who should rot in a hole!), he also never said Trac will leave, only that he would be open to it if he was out of contract. Which is like saying, I would be open to getting $10mil if someone offered it to me.

PS- this is why you sign your stars to long term deals. If Trac only had 1 year left on his contract, or heaven forbid was OOC, this place would be on fire.

@Demonland can we please change the name of this thread to 'Trac wants out... if he was out of contract'

12 minutes ago, FreedFromDesire said:

Perhaps he's had conversations already and they haven't generated any tangible outcomes? I don't know that of course, I'm just trying to work it all out like everyone else. There's also the timing of it all, it's the time of year where assistant coaches are made aware of their status with clubs, and possibly a critical time in terms of trade discussions behind closed doors with player managers, could that be a part of it as well?

End of the year is a bit late to start conversations around change in my opinion.

I think the 'petulant' comment is a bit over the top. We have no idea exactly how the conversations have gone. Christian might have had them in a completely civil and calm way, so even though the reporting might be correct at it's crux, we do all know the amount of mayo that gets put on these stories.

I highly doubt that this is about Petracca trying to replace assistant coaches. Even if this is the case, a quiet internal word would be a better way to do it.

If he wants us to improve our list, then coming out like this is self defeating and makes us less attractive to recruits.

If he thinks we need to trade Oliver, this is not the way to go about it.

If he thinks we should remove Goodwin, he must understand the implications to our 'soft cap' mean that it is not possible.

If he thinks the doctor needs replacing, he is being unfair IMO. The spleen injury could not be diagnosed on the spot and the pressure to keep playing was from his teammates and coaches, not the doctor.

The decision to come out to the media was selfish, putting his frustrations ahead of the interests of the club.

9 minutes ago, DistrACTION Jackson said:

@Demonland can we please change the name of this thread to 'Trac wants out... if he was out of contract'

What about TRAC bound by conTRAC

Christian Petracca warning emerges after AFL trade claim: ‘He would lie to you

Another fluff article with Tim Watson highlighting again what a complete muppet he is.