4 minutes ago, Turner said:

is this for the boys playing out the finals with casey too or just the ones who are done for the year? are we likely to get any sort of departure statements this week or not until we bow out of the vfl?

I don’t know but I’d say it’s just for the players who are done for the year. As for departure statements, again I don’t know when they’ll be released.

2 hours ago, KozzyCan said:

No one was ever sold the idea that 2025 was a development year.

We had six club debutants in round 1. I think 4 were first gamers? The others barely 20 games.

I think internally they were bullish about the year but any suggestion we weren't in mini-rebuild mode was just PR speak to temper down negative press that had surrounded the club for 12 months. After 2 straight top 4 exits, and missing finals in 2024 of course the club was going to try and drum up their expectations.

1 hour ago, Ghostwriter said:

Exit interviews are underway as we speak.

I wonder who is the main person conducting those now Goodwin is gone. Chaplin?

And if so, interesting to wonder what happens if Goodwin was keen on a player's season but Chaplin not so much. Or vice versa.

1 minute ago, The Taciturn Demon said:

I wonder who is the main person conducting those now Goodwin is gone. Chaplin?

And if so, interesting to wonder what happens if Goodwin was keen on a player's season but Chaplin not so much. Or vice versa.

Richardson, Chaplin, ??

1 minute ago, praha said:

We had six club debutants in round 1. I think 4 were first gamers? The others barely 20 games.

I think internally they were bullish about the year but any suggestion we weren't in mini-rebuild mode was just PR speak to temper down negative press that had surrounded the club for 12 months. After 2 straight top 4 exits, and missing finals in 2024 of course the club was going to try and drum up their expectations.

Two of the debutants were Langford and Lindsay who we hoped would be contributors in our rise back up the ladder this year. Lamb mentioned our high draft picks in his interview after the trade period last year and Green said it in his letters.

Another two of the debutants were mature age VFL depth recruits that barely played for the rest of the year. The other was Jefferson who was also pushed out of the side a few weeks later.

The final debutant was Sharp who was already on an AFL list at Brisbane so not really a debutant at all.

We had a lot of debutants in round 1 mostly because we had a number of injuries early on. Only Langford and Lindsay became mainstays in the side.

If the club truly believed that this was actually a development year and went out and publicly told the members that we were expecting to go deep in finals then they deserve even more criticism than they've copped.

The real truth is we set our expectations high and failed to live up to them.

1 hour ago, Ted Lasso said:

A really tough one to assess the trade value of. You don’t just give away a guy who’s been a star player or a leader but given his age. Who knows.

He’s a 3rd round pick at best. If they move him on it will be to free up cash and free up a best 22 spot for an Adams, Derksen or Petty back.

It doesn’t make sense to have Lever, May, McDonald all on the list when you’re not contending, and even if we have dreams of being right back in contention those 3 can’t play together anyway. Something will change with our tall backs.

4 hours ago, KozzyCan said:

The real headscratcher is why we felt the need to give him a one year extension before he'd even played a game this year.

All our senior players pulled one over our list management committee last August in to trade period. None more so than the captain and vice captain. Embarrassing stuff really

12 minutes ago, DeeSpencer said:

All our senior players pulled one over our list management committee last August in to trade period. None more so than the captain and vice captain. Embarrassing stuff really

“Pulled one over”?

Care to explain what you mean by this?

If May is still at the club next year then I’ll know we’re not being serious about addressing our cultural issues.

Edited August 26Aug 26 by Mel Bourne

15 minutes ago, DeeSpencer said:

All our senior players pulled one over our list management committee last August in to trade period. None more so than the captain and vice captain. Embarrassing stuff really

The club offered Max an extension. He did not ask for one.

7 hours ago, Turner said:

i'd entertain it 100% spot goes to petty or derksen with lever and turner you arent losing much

Wow you’ve got high hopes of Derksen, has he played a game yet & have we got him yet??

5 hours ago, KozzyCan said:

May is not worth anything at the trade table. He's a 3rd round pick at absolute best at his age. We would be moving him on so we could focus on bringing youth into the squad and the club that takes him would just be taking a punt on squeezing the last bit of footy out of his career.

Would be like when Hawks moved on Lewis and Mitchell.

I'm not good with the trade stuff, but I'd be surprised if we can't get at least a second rounder.

But let's say you're right and the best we can get is a third rounder. In that scenario, assuming we can trade him and don't have to pay part of his salary, it doesn't matter that we extended his contract.

5 hours ago, KozzyCan said:

May is not worth anything at the trade table. He's a 3rd round pick at absolute best at his age. We would be moving him on so we could focus on bringing youth into the squad and the club that takes him would just be taking a punt on squeezing the last bit of footy out of his career.

Would be like when Hawks moved on Lewis and Mitchell.

I'm not good with the trade stuff, but I'd be surprised if we can't get at least a second rounder.

But let's say you're right and the best we can get is a third rounder. In that scenario, assuming we can trade him and don't have to pay part of his salary, it doesn't matter that we extended his contract.

Am I missing something here?

You'd be forgiven for thinking we're on the verge of getting the next Alex Rance. Derksen has played zero games in three years at GWS.

8 hours ago, Maldonboy38 said:

Best FB I have seen at the Dees, and a pivotal part of our defense that was the best in the league for 3-5 years. Lots of rumours around hinting that he has run his race at the Dees. He is one step slower, but no way do I want him gone. He can still play the gorilla role and we have no-one near his size and bulk to take his place. One more year please.

Agree. Had a an interrupted year with 16 games - struggled to get the necessary continuity, but after an ordinary second last game against Hawks, started to run back into form and confidence against the Pies, showing he still has what it takes IMO...a genuine presence with fear factor who can play on the big boys. Don't overlook that playing defence to our largely underperforming midfield and general turnover game meant a lot of hot opposition entries...not conducive to the team defence our back 6 like to play. Everyone gets exposed down back when it is one on one and the fast entries come. That said, given his age and apparently declining mobility, if we could do a worthwhile deal it would be worth looking at - and if he happens to want out that makes it an easy choice. This coming draft is not looking all that deep, so not necessarily a good year to have late firsts and second round picks?

Well if he wants to stay he might want to listen when his captain speaks

19 minutes ago, dees189227 said:

Well if he wants to stay he might want to listen when his captain speaks

He can't stay now!

He's dissed the skip!

Don't reckon big Max liked the feedback that May gave him after he f*ked up a crucial kick against the Pies

1 hour ago, binman said:

I'm not good with the trade stuff, but I'd be surprised if we can't get at least a second rounder.

But let's say you're right and the best we can get is a third rounder. In that scenario, assuming we can trade him and don't have to pay part of his salary, it doesn't matter that we extended his contract.

I suppose, but it still seemed like an unnecessary signing when we were still unsure of how he'd come back from injury. Especially odd when you consider we waited until the end of the season to lock in our other veterans.

28 minutes ago, jumbo returns said:

He can't stay now!

He's dissed the skip!

Don't reckon big Max liked the feedback that May gave him after he f*ked up a crucial kick against the Pies

I think the earlier post may be about the video that the club put out of Troy Chaplin and Gawn addressing the team post Pies game. May is like a class clown distracting others whilst Gawn is talking. Wasn’t a good look.

12 minutes ago, Trident22 said:

I think the earlier post may be about the video that the club put out of Troy Chaplin and Gawn addressing the team post Pies game. May is like a class clown distracting others whilst Gawn is talking. Wasn’t a good look.

Where can we see that video, please?

1 minute ago, Fanatique Demon said:

Where can we see that video, please?

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/16jjc7upns/?mibextid=wwXIfr

There was a wider angle where you could see May. They have since done a close up. You can see him in the foreground carrying on conversation with Salem, I think it is.

2 hours ago, Witches Hat said:

Am I missing something here?

You'd be forgiven for thinking we're on the verge of getting the next Alex Rance. Derksen has played zero games in three years at GWS.

I asked a few posters on the GWS forum what their thoughts were on Derksen and they all agreed that he was miles behind the likes of Taylor, Buckley and Alir. And this was before he got injured.

Sounds like a Casey addition if he comes over.

7NEWS

Steven May vision sparks fresh controversy for Melbourne

‘That was a really poor look.’

seems that Ch 7 and the ‘journos’ monitor this page!

First I have heard about this part..

“This is after we know that players in June went to the coach and made the point that in a year where it was meant to be all about love and all about looking after each other, they felt that Steven May was not being held to account for some of his behavioural stuff with teammates that they were being held to,” she said.

5 minutes ago, Trident22 said:

7NEWS

Steven May vision sparks fresh controversy for Melbourne

‘That was a really poor look.’

seems that Ch 7 and the ‘journos’ monitor this page!

Was originally posted on Reddit.