2 minutes ago, demoncat said:

Surely Giants would part with pick 12 if we’re paying a significant amount of salary?

Weak draft and they could be getting the last piece of a premiership puzzle on the cheap

They surely would. But it sucks for us.

If it’s just pick 12 of a lacklustre draft, the amount of his salary we pay would need to be VERY small.

Or better still, him and GWS renegotiate an entirely new contract.

Edited October 2, 2025Oct 2 by Mel Bourne

6 minutes ago, Ted Lasso said:

could push for Max Gruzewski given he's very much on the fringe there.

Yes an excellent move. Definite upgrade elevates the search radar horizon.

2 hours ago, Harves said:

also re the post, not once did it say we have asked him to leave

??? unknown?

Windsor

Lindsay

Tholstrup

Langford

Turner

Howes

Adams

Chandler

Culley

all players who are 23 and under and will be in our best 22 next year. build around them.

You can't build a team on potential stars alone. Cannot leave it to Max and Viney. We must keep one of Petracca or Oliver if not both. Tholstrup, Turner,

Howes and Adams are not of the standard required for a successful rebuild. They may show promise but is that enough?

Just now, demoncat said:

Surely Giants would part with pick 12 if we’re paying a significant amount of salary?

Weak draft and they could be getting the last piece of a premiership puzzle on the cheap

4 minutes ago, demoncat said:

Surely Giants would part with pick 12 if we’re paying a significant amount of salary?

Weak draft and they could be getting the last piece of a premiership puzzle on the cheap

Not sure you can push a player out deliberately and still demand a first round pick.

Its still a salary dumb in some capacity as well.

Completely different to Christian Petracca who expressed his desire to look elsewhere considering King still wants him but as he said, it would need to be a bloody good deal for that one to occur and especially one that is appropriate for the club.

3 hours ago, Roost it far said:

Where’s the fun in that? Today’s been a hoot on here. This is Peak Demonland.

They say you get the trade period you deserve as fans.

2 hours ago, No. 31 said:

McClure is full of it. If there is any headline to be written it is that Melbourne is having a clean out and resetting under new leadership.

McClure is one of yours, No. 31. But at least he’s not like that Morris grub who claims to be a Dees diehard yet seems to do everything possible to bring us asunder.

I can understand why Oliver is being moved on this year but wasn't the preceding 2 years. In 2023 we were still contending, and he was still a superstar struggling to come back from a bad injury. The lack of pre-season etc then wiped out his 24 season, and we perhaps presumed that with a decent pre-season last year he'd be back to something like his All-Australian self. Which hasn't been the case. In spite of his ability to play a role and some signs of improvement, the club seem to feel that those heady days are now behind him - remembering again that they'd have access to all his fitness and performance data.

My only confusion in all this, is why he wasn't presented with this info at his exit interview, as Steven May was. Perhaps they needed a final sign-off from King or whatever, but it's still not ideal. Against that, there are still players from other clubs being delisted this week, so it's not exactly outside of the window either, but ... ?

After a good day at the office…

I haven’t been on demonland since last night. Last thing I read was posters requesting Andy to remove Clayton Oliver’s name from the thread title. Anything worth reading in the 40 pages I haven’t read yet?

1 minute ago, dazzledavey36 said:

Not sure you can push a player out deliberately and still demand a first round pick.

Its still a salary dumb in some capacity as well.

Completely different to Christian Petracca who expressed his desire to look elsewhere considering King still wants him but as he said, it would need to be a bloody good deal for that one to occur and especially one that is appropriate for the club.

Maybe not in a regular draft, but the academy picks have really diluted the usual strength of a “12”, no?

Maybe the tail is being told it can no longer wag the dog.

If I am any club looking at Oliver I wouldn’t be offering anymore than a second rounder. You can’t ask or expect much when you are pushing someone out.

Just remembered with every man and their dog leaving that I'll have to watch another 24 games of Tom Sparrow

Edited October 2, 2025Oct 2 by adonski

Just now, adonski said:

Just remember with every man and their dog leaving that I'll have to watch another 24 games of Tom Sparrow

A bit left field, but are they saying to Trac , Oliver goes will you stay

sad that our only premiers ship players who were instrumental in winning the flag are bowing out like this

Edited October 2, 2025Oct 2 by Demonsone

Bit sad today. So our generational talent are no more. Where are the future stars coming from, especially with no draft capital, no incoming trades and Tas draft in two years.

2 minutes ago, DeeMee said:

Bit sad today. So our generational talent are no more. Where are the future stars coming from, especially with no draft capital, no incoming trades and Tas draft in two years.

Might get a few draft picks with half our team leaving I reckon

7 minutes ago, bing181 said:

My only confusion in all this, is why he wasn't presented with this info at his exit interview, as Steven May was. Perhaps they needed a final sign-off from King or whatever, but it's still not ideal. Against that, there are still players from other clubs being delisted this week, so it's not exactly outside of the window either, but ... ?

Geelong committed to Worpel. Saints to Windhager. 3 clubs in on Flanders. Eagles to Dev Rob. A lot of moving parts with midfielders. It seems to me either something changed or they really wanted the coach committed to this decision.

Have to think we potentially lost value. Yet at the same time I get why King wouldn’t have wanted this done when he was preparing for the grand final.

3 minutes ago, DeeMee said:

Bit sad today. So our generational talent are no more. Where are the future stars coming from, especially with no draft capital, no incoming trades and Tas draft in two years.

Yeah its a bit like that isn't it. 4 years since is still a bit too soon, we all thought it was the start of something that would be tough to beat for the decade ahead..

okay after seeing clarrys lovely "chat" with mitch cleary, i think this has been massively blown out of proportion by the media. looks like clarrys had a mini tantrum over being told he'll have to work on his half forward craft to replace a bit of tracs role because he wants full inside mid time,but i don't see him going now

3 hours ago, At Least I Saw a Flag said:

Does anyone remember this album?

4. "A Soapbox Opera"

8. "Just a Normal Day"

10. "Two of Us"

3 hours ago, Ghostwriter said:

That’s only if you believe everything you read from the grubby sports media journos

I’d much prefer to believe the following which is more likely the truth and aligns with what @Dannyz has said.

That might work, until it's revealed we'll pay someone else 700k a year to take him. That's some serious exploration going on.

3 hours ago, mfcrox said:

Correct me if I am wrong, did Guerra not say in a radio interview that Petracca and Oliver were both listed as best 22 players in Steven King's coaching presentation?

The last week would suggest otherwise. So who is talking rubbish? King in his coaching presentation, or Guerra in his radio interview?

Seemingly both....20 days is a very long time in footy

Edited October 2, 2025Oct 2 by dice

I think you can see the logic in all this. For a while I’ve felt that all those close games we "just lost" (without even starting on the St Kilda game!) point to a lack of on-field ownership, not just leadership.

It’s not that we don’t have leaders — we do. But sometimes strong leaders can dominate so much that others stop stepping up. Who do we really have behind Max and Viney? Petracca has shown he isn’t that type of leader. Not a knock — he contributes in his own way. But in that final centre bounce against St Kilda, Petracca was in the middle: standing there with his arms out. Asking the question rather than taking it upon himself to find a solution. Same even moreso with Oliver.

We need the Rivers, Chandlers, even younger players like Lindsay to see themselves as leaders, to take responsibility and own what happens on-field. But for that to happen, the environment has to let them. Rivers is never going to call out Petracca. Max mentioned Turner as a good young leader - but is he going to be the on-field leader he could be with May out there?

The King interview was revealing - one of his points is that there's little difference across the league these days in terms of what's possible. But then it turns on culture, leadership, belief, ownership. So rather than just try and fill the team with star players, he's looking to build these other qualities.

Kosi Pickett to this manager