Looping back to the talk of Lever as a trade potential. Would he seriously pass a thorough medical? He looks wrecked

On 29/07/2025 at 21:21, dazzledavey36 said:

So you're pretty much keeping the same band that has gotten us to this absolute mess that we are in now?

Oliver needs to go. He was woeful against the Saints and his last 2 minutes in the last quarter summed him up best. He loses all composure when thr going gets tough in high pressure game.

The resigning of Viney was one of the biggest botched list management I've seen in a long time. Is happily let him go if we could but unfortunately we're stuck with him.

Fritsch can stay but where the hell was he after quarter time?

He's playing for a trade Fritta is.

On 30/07/2025 at 19:46, chookrat said:

It is also very strange that the AFL CEO met with Bailey Smith to tell him how valuabpe he is to the league. My take is this is a highly inappropriate meeting as the league CEO should not be meeting with players at clubs re their future in the league.

Bailey is a shingle short of a sixpence.

6 hours ago, YesitwasaWin4theAges said:

He's playing for a trade Fritta is.

🤔Might be something to what you say 👍

Folk are going to have to deal with players leaving.

Edited 19 hours ago19 hr by beelzebub

On 31/07/2025 at 07:58, Hellaintabadplacetobe said:

It's really an incredibly sad state of affairs. Two of the best Demons of all time and both want/ed out of the club.

I was filthy at the way Trac made it all public but who could blame him. He wants professionalism and we are nowhere near it.

One or both have to go and yes their value has plummeted. If they both stay I expect more of the same on and off the field.

Problem is I have zero faith that our club will make the right call such is our state of affairs which has festered for years now.

He acted unprofressionally and irrationally and poo poo'd on his own club, which detered Houston and spun us into a media circus. He WAS/IS part of the problem. He has failed to improve his set shot kicking and it cost us in the finals in 22 and 23. You can't live in glass houses. Being fit and getting your body in great shape is just PART of being an elite footballer. Working on shortcomings is the other half - something he has neglected to do. Also, lets not forget his basketball injury in pre-season. Hardly professional.

Edited 19 hours ago19 hr by Trident22

2 minutes ago, Trident22 said:

He acted unprofressionally and irrationally and poo poo'd on his own club, which detered Houston and spun us into a media circus. He WAS/IS part of the problem. He has failed to improve his set shot kicking and it cost us in the finals in 22 and 23. You can't live in glass houses. Being fit and getting your body in great shape is just PART of being an elite footballer. Working on shortcomings is the other half - something he has neglected to do. Also, lets not forget his basketball injury in pre-season. Hardly professional.

Petracca has the wrong type of friends, from an athlete's perspective.. Ben Simmons.

Petracca - a very selfish player who has too high an opinion of himself - an opinion that is totally unjustified this year.

I do think the AFL needs to introduce the policy that if a contracted player wants to leave a club, then they void that current contract. Because in more ways than one, the original club gets screwed.

On 30/07/2025 at 18:02, Pirlo said:

He trains hard and is in great condition + he saw how quickly he could lose it all last year

Sorry I’m late to this, but I feel like the circumstances surrounding Angus Brayshaw's retirement had a very profound impact on the playing group.

I think it’s fair to say that it wasn’t just that they saw someone they work with have their entire career taken away, but also that it had no consequences - in fact it had an entire sub industry advocating for an injustice purely for financial benefit.

I think we all convince ourselves, because what choice do we have, that good creates good and bad creates bad. Then when something like this happens and an entire billion dollar industry wilfully agrees to look the other way you can’t just convince yourself that it’s all worth buying into again. I don’t think Petracca’s ‘get me to a bigger club’ argument last preseason was coincidental either. He saw, with very serious consequences, how the system really worked, and where the power really sits.

9 minutes ago, The heart beats true said:

Sorry I’m late to this, but I feel like the circumstances surrounding Angus Brayshaw's retirement had a very profound impact on the playing group.

I think it’s fair to say that it wasn’t just that they saw someone they work with have their entire career taken away, but also that it had no consequences - in fact it had an entire sub industry advocating for an injustice purely for financial benefit.

I think we all convince ourselves, because what choice do we have, that good creates good and bad creates bad. Then when something like this happens and an entire billion dollar industry wilfully agrees to look the other way you can’t just convince yourself that it’s all worth buying into again. I don’t think Petracca’s ‘get me to a bigger club’ argument last preseason was coincidental either. He saw, with very serious consequences, how the system really worked, and where the power really sits.

Make no mistake AFL - Bad, The Filth - Bad

On 30/07/2025 at 11:02, Pirlo said:

I still respect Petracca's standards and ability, but watching him on Instagram it is pretty clear football is no longer his no1 priority. I don't really blame him. He trains hard and is in great condition + he saw how quickly he could lose it all last year + he has a contract until he's 34 so there's no real need to graft for a club he's no longer totally invested in. But that doesn't mean I respect it as an MFC supporter.

Oliver is a shadow of himself and has been for years now. That final moment last week was emblematic. Whatever he once had seems to be gone. The club has bent over backwards to shield him from scrutiny after the tough love approach at the end of 23 didn't work.

Say what you will about either of them, but it is the most MFC thing ever that our two best midfielders since Flower have gone from young superstars with AAs and BnFs coming out of their arses to contractual millstones when they should be at their prime.

that’s the issue tough love on Oliver … he missed a preseason yet got senior games, real tough love would have made him earn his fitness via Casey & earn his spot .. that’s culture setting

22 hours ago, Bowserpower said:

That is true. I tried running the exercise but it wasn't easy.

Geelong with Ablett

Collingwood with Grundy

West Coast with Judd

Melbourne with Hogan

They’re actually better examples than I could think of…

My wife is a Geel supporter (I know, it’s horrifying) she’s convinced if Ablett stayed they would’ve won at least another flag.

Grundy was a salary dump. We’ve perhaps mismanaged the potential of the players, but there’s no real indication we’ve mismanaged the contracts to force a fire sale.

Judd’s a good call as it was a midfielder for a power forward. And it was a painful loss at the time for WC. Nice comparison for Trac.

Hogan is most like Clarry, had diminished value given the scope of his talent. Would we give May and Sparrow back for Hogan? Maybe now…

I hope both stay, but I guess depends what’s on the other side of the opportunity

It’s just frustrating watching Trac. He pulls some exciting moves to bust into the clear but we just know he’s going to bomb it long haphazardly to a pack or goal whilst ignoring teammates leading or in space.

4 minutes ago, John Crow Batty said:

It’s just frustrating watching Trac. He pulls some exciting moves to bust into the clear but we just know he’s going to bomb it long haphazardly to a pack or goal whilst ignoring teammates leading or in space.

You may need to watch Sunday's first quarter again.

A number of those goals came directly from Petracca's kick i50 exactly to the target he intended.

59 minutes ago, John Crow Batty said:

It’s just frustrating watching Trac. He pulls some exciting moves to bust into the clear but we just know he’s going to bomb it long haphazardly to a pack or goal whilst ignoring teammates leading or in space.

Definitely the norm. He's not alone.

Annoying that they all seem able to pick off someone, sometimes. What i have noticed, or think I'm seeing is that many other team's players seem to know where players or space will materialise. Us, not so much. Is this a reason for haphazard i50 entries ? I dunno... but we are poor at it. The bombing.... is it chicken an egg situation ?? Our fwd craft is somewhere between non existent to abysmal.

They all seem able to pass at practice. Funny that.

Mind you they kick a lot of goals too when just kicking it around etc.

On 30/07/2025 at 08:49, Adam The God said:

So who's mentoring the next gen of defender if Lever goes? May has one more year (possibly) left and his leadership style is authoritarian and probably won't fly with younger players.

Likewise, we should not get rid of other senior players willy nilly.

Hawthorn were in the wilderness for ages because they did that, North the same, and we ourselves know what happens when we clear our senior players and replace them with younger players.

All well and good to say we want to get rid of senior players, but you then have to replace them with senior players.

Better the devil you know IMO. I don't entirely disagree with you on Clarry, but I think it's still possible he plays an important role going forward. But we need different ideas in the coaches box.

Let’s start by playing Pertty back in defence and Turner seems to be doing ok. Bowey and Rivers also played in the premiership.

On 30/07/2025 at 16:58, Neil Crompton said:

If Clarry and/or Trac request a trade at the end of the season, we get screwed if we let them go. My answer would be that if they want to go then we will oblige them only if they tear up their existing contract with us. This is the only way we will get fair compensation for these players.

This should be mandatory for all players requesting trades while under contract.

Very interested to see what plays out with Oliver, he self destructed.

10 hours ago, SFebes said:

I do think the AFL needs to introduce the policy that if a contracted player wants to leave a club, then they void that current contract. Because in more ways than one, the original club gets screwed.

What should happen is if a player is contracted the club owns his contract and can trade him to another club without his consent. Free agency is the trade off.

11 hours ago, SFebes said:

I do think the AFL needs to introduce the policy that if a contracted player wants to leave a club, then they void that current contract. Because in more ways than one, the original club gets screwed.

I’m trying to figure this one out. Wouldn’t the original club get screwed worse if the current contract was made void? If there’s a contract in place, the player can’t leave their club unless said club agrees to the trade.

15 hours ago, Trident22 said:

Also, lets not forget his basketball injury in pre-season. Hardly professional.

The basketball injury from 10 years ago when he was a teenager? What an absolute joke to bring that up.