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Levers manager was on SEN this morning. On the question of "what if another club can offer Adelaide something better than what Melbourne can put up for trade" he said "Jake will only be dealing with Melbourne. He wont sign off on anything from any other club" Welcome to the MFC Jake Lever!

I tell you what, if I was running the Adelaide Crows right now, I'd be raising some serious concerns over the competence of my general manager of footy. Lever informs club of his intention to go, and nominates Melbourne. Birdman Burton meets with Melbourne. Melbourne opens negotiations in good faith, offerings its first and second draft picks - currently the best currency it has Burton has the option of negotiating. No, Melbourne, we need two first round draft picks. It doesn't have to be 10, you can use that in other trades to get us our two. We would consider a 2018 first rounder as one if you can net one, or use your own. Get on the hunt and we'll talk... Instead, Burton just walks out without comment. Negotiations stall as a result. Neither club now have any idea what other avenues to start exploring. Lots of time leading up to trade week to go to waste as a result. Burton then stands in front of the media and carries on like a butthurt fan. It's all about the money, he says. Message to current Adelaide players: "don't come to us to try and get more money. And if you do and we try to screw you over, don't even think about leaving or we will besmirch your name to the best of our ability." Burton says, "we'll negotiate with the 9 other Victorian clubs as well, to get the best deal." For Christ sake Brett, no you won't. Lever wants to go to Melbourne. If you don't negotiate with Melbourne, Lever will walk and you'll get f*** all in return. Once you start being pricks about it, Lever will get to the point where he'll happily risk going to Brisbane or North just to p*** you off. Don't reckon Melbourne fans or administration wouldn't even blame him. You've got a good starting point for a deal on the table, but you'd prefer to risk it all, and do untold reputational damage to your own club, just to look good in front of your fans. Typical ex-footy player promoted well above his skill level. I'm so happy Josh Mahoney has grown in to the role that he has. I'd hate to see a hot-headed oaf in charge like they've got.

Long time lurker, first-time poster. Hi, everyone! Big JW fan, but I guess much of that is premised on the fairytale of converting potential to success, much like the club itself. Up until now, I've been highly unimpressed with the handling of this matter. Yes, JW has had his moments (pre-season /his perceived lack of hunger etc.), and he has been frustrating because of the disparity between his best and worst. It's all exacerbated by the #1 tag and his 9 years at the Dees. But he loves the club, and saw us through some dark times. We need people like that. But, I totally agree that things can't stay the same for things to change. So, Mahoney's comments today are comforting. I now believe there is a chance of JW staying, but that if he does, there is no question whatsoever (Wattsoever?) that he is a leader, and needs to act and play as one. He won't ever be a hard nut like Chunk and Viney, or the fastest on ground, but he's silky and reads the game better than most, and when he's at his best, we play better for it. He's my choice for goal 50m out, after the siren, and one day that could win us a game/final/GF. But if he goes, I will also know that he was not prepared to be the player we need him to be (or was not able to convince Goody/PJ of this). I'm still kind of broken by 2017 (and other years), hence my name, but I see big things and I'd love for JW to be there. My gut feel is that he'll be there, and he'll be amazing. But I'm a dreamer. I have to be as a Demon, otherwise I'd have checked myself into a psych ward years ago. I need a profile pic...

Still got it. ?

I suggest everybody listens to Josh Mahoney's interview on SEN this morning. Here's a brief rundown: - Watts can explore opportunities elsewhere, but if he can't find a deal that suits himself and the club, he'll remain at the club. - Mahoney couldn't make it any clearer that the club is unhappy with his level of professionalism,and the impact that it can have on our young list. - He a senior player, and the club expects more out of Watts. This is my take on it. The club will keep him on the club's terms. There was clear frustration in Mahoney's voice, because the club's expectations are higher than Watts own. This would have been exacerbated with Watts holding his own presser yesterday, and saying that he's played well the past 2 years. The club has had enough, because Watts just doesn't get it.

Just what is it about this that people are not getting? It's clear that Watts has been asked and asked to cut back on the partying and take his footy and his preparation seriously. This has obviously been going on over a number of seasons and it's equally obvious that the FD and at least some of the senior players have had enough. Everyone here talks about Goodwin, but from what we know, this is also coming from the likes of Mahoney, Viney (senior), McCartney, and presumably, with the blessing of Jackson and the Board. To ask a player with the history, profile and popularity of Watts to leave is a huge decision, which just goes to show just how many bridges Watts has burnt and how fed up everyone is.

I think we need to get it out there that we gave Scott Thompson to the Crows for 1 first round pick, because he said he wanted to go home. He played over 300 games and was a star for them. We knew he would be a good player. Have they forgotten that? We should remind them.

Pick 5 for Omac? Whiskey Tango Foxtrot?

No they may be right, pick 27 only then.....

Dwayne is no fan of intelligence !!

This has become a really shitty and ugly situation. It's no longer just whether or not Watts should stay or go it's how does the MFC emerge from this fiasco with any pretensions to be being honourable or professional. The club has handled this very poorly.

A picture has emerged of @jleverr at a dump disposing of items that 7 News understands were @adelaide_fc related items. #7News

This is what it's all about. He chose us over Collingwood, how good is that?

I don't particularly mind if Jack goes or stays. But this whole situation is getting an awfully bad smell about it. And, I'm starting to feel distrustful of anything the club or Goodwin proclaims about this mess......and I don't like that. Tell me if I'm wrong but originally, from what the club or Goodwin had said (or somewhere), I had the impression that it was Jack's decision to look elsewhere. Then a couple of weeks later (and confirmed in the clubs letter above) it had changed to being a 'mutual' decision. And now, what I'm hearing is that it's actually Goodwin's decision. For a coach that wants his players to be hard at the contest, he's playing this like a '[censored]'. Certainly failing to stand up like the man he wants his players to be and take ownership and responsibility for this decision. Just to the same level that many on this forum are asking of Jack. So Goody, get a good grip on them, man up, and tell us the truth. Honesty is not something that you can play with and decide to apply when it suits the circumstances. F**k with honesty and you can destroy a culture. As for Jack, my opinion is that he's been hung out to dry by the club and coaches a number of times. His 'carefree' attitude (some would call it 'balanced' and 'healthy') seems to make it his own doing - either way, not sure if the way Jack has been treated is ever warranted. Roosy early on made comments about how badly the club had handled their 17 y.o. messiah. And in Roosy I trust!! He took us from being a basket case to almost respectable. After all the attention that Jack has had to endure (tell me anyone that has had to endure anything like he has had to), is it any coincidence that the best football he has played for the mighty Dees was under a coach who managed to reduce the external attention on him - even though Roosy's defensive game style and slow movement of the ball didn't necessarily suit Jack's strengths. I am pretty impressed that Jack hasn't just turned his back on it all. For those of you who say he lacks strength and courage, I think you look too shallow. To deal mentally with what he has had to over 9 years displays incredible inner strength. One last thing, does anybody really know what they mean by "Jack came back underdone to preseason" - like I mean the facts - not the speculation. And what would be the measure that they would use to identify that Jack came under-done? 3km time trial maybe? Does anybody know? Do they get reported anywhere? I assume it must have been pretty awful. Or is that simplifying it? Anyway, good luck to you Jack. Whether you stay or go. I admire your strength of character even though you can frustrate the bejesus out of me from time time (like most MFC players do). But the 'new' coach and the club is starting to smell a bit like the good old days. And I'm a bit concerned.

We're finally expecting and demanding high performance from our players and when one won't fall into line so we offer him for trade you carp on about professionalism. FFS you can't have it both ways

Absolutely loved what Mahoney had to say this morning. The fact that they have high expectations, and that Jack has still refused to meet these, is good enough for me in terms of putting him up for trade. The club just won't stand for it anymore. They expect him to be a better player and to be setting a strong, positive example for the younger players to follow - something he is still not doing. You have to draw the line somewhere. If he stays with us, though, then I think he clearly know he is no walk up start to the side anymore and that it will take lots of hard work and commitment to earn the trust of the coaches, and the players, again.

We simply must keep Watts. MFC supporters have suffered so much and now we all feel that we are as close to success as we have been for 20 years, but to hang out JW to dry like this, after the sad history of his career mismanagement, and the loyalty he has shown, would IMO be a stain which would hurt the club, including the players. We shouldn't do it. Remember the decision to move on James McDonald? It was done for perfectly rational player list reasons, but it was a mistake, and it did hurt us. Watts is liked and popular around the club, the other players won't want him to pushed out like this. That photo with Gawn says it all. Decisions like this are of course mainly about dispassionate judgement but intangibles like loyalty and the love for a club, which this player clearly has, can't just be disregarded. I wouldn't be saying this if Watts was a dudd, but he's a good player, we are a better side when he is playing well, and while I have at times been as infuriated with him as anyone else, he has over the last 2 years been generally good. You don't just cast aside A grade quality players like him. You persist, keep working with him. I'm very confident that if we keep him, he will be so fired up and determined that he'll repay us.

Yeah, nothing disgraceful at all about his clear lack of professionalism and maturity towards the club and the standards they have put in place. Before you act like a [censored], remember this works both ways.

I like this quote from Levers manager "Jake will only be playing for Melbourne next year," Guy said. "He won't sign off with any other deal"

I'm sure the Club have had numerous quiet conversations about his lack of intensity and the penny hasn't dropped so they've abandoned subtlety and come out both barrels blazing to very publicly make their point. I can't see anything wrong with that. Hopefully Jack now has got the message.

Picks are over-valued. I'd prefer to keep Hogan and Brayshaw than speculate in the 2018 1st round.

I guess Goodwin and Mahoney can be lumped in with the "Watts bashers" now hey...

Which is great, but we need to turn that into #premiershipclub

#destinationclub

Liked what Mahoney said. Other clubs offered more than us for Lever yet he chose us. Also Hogan going nowhere!

A few people asking me what mail is about.Honestly not much this year. Hearing the Watts loot will inform next move. They'd like Gaff and question has been asked. Unlikely at this point but shopping assets like Watts gives us a chips at the table. Balic more likely than not.

I suspect Roos treated him like a human being in 2014 and 2015 also, but it's possible you're right and he didn't want to expose him too early. Alas, I fear you and I will remain on a different page re young Jack. As Roos alluded to in the Detales podcast, there are part-time players at most clubs, including the MFC, and clearly Jack is in that category. Mahoney made it clear that Watts hasn't been doing the extras that some others players do in order to be the best player they can be. Put simply, Watts is "half dedicated". I know Dees supporters love making excuses for him, but I'm not one of those. I'm big on "personal responsibility". Also, while others laud his 2016, it was a minimum standard for a player of his talent in my eyes. That's not to say I wasn't pleased he'd had a breakout year, but he's capable of much more. Dustin Martin isn't the sharpest tool in the shed, but the effort and sacrifices he's made to become the best player in the league has clearly been immense. Does anyone think Jack has gone close to emulating such efforts ? You may respond, but I may not, as I realise discussions on Watts are futile. Thanks for the conversation.

And he said top ten draft picks should stay 4 years minimum, to avert the Lever drama. Lever was pick 14 Derwayne.

I listened to this and was very impressed. Mahoney gave us all of the answers we've been looking for clearly and unambiguously. It's not about onfield performance. It's they way he conducts himself off-field. His training habits. Sum up his entire interview in one of the last things he said. "It's bad for the kids." They don't want to have our young talented kids seeing a nine year veteran getting away with 70% effort. Now I remain hopeful that Jack stays with the club and thrives, but at least now I know exactly what it is that has the coaches offside. I won't like it, but I can understand if he gets the chop.

2 x A grade midfielders. Hope everybody else plays a role on the day.

Get excited, it means he won't kick out from FB to other sides, gifting them goals.

I was so pleased that Mahoney spoke this morning representing the club. His message I heard was clear to Jack and that is "Pull up your socks as your attitude in the first year of your new contract does not meet expectations". Mahoney has been fantastic. There have been no leaks, surprise late action in drafts netting players and picks we didn't see and he has been the club spokeman. I wish he had spoken earlier. Leaving it to a first year coach and captain to publicly voice their opinion and an assistant coach who talks too much to anyone who will listen is unprofessional and amateurish. It never happened under the watch of Roos and this is Goodwin's first draft in charge. Let us call it a learning opportunity for him I have spoken to other recently retired AFL footballers who were asked to move on with time on their contract. Some chose to leave, others stuck to their contract and played a year in the 2's and nother was offered a payout of a reduced sum. It reflects badly on a club when they will not honour a contract and want to move someone on. It sends a bad message to everyone on how the club is run and I am not happy that MFC has handled this one. At least mahoney has offered some clarity as a team manager should On the other hand what course of action does a club have when a player gets a new contract and settles into a comfort zone, loses form or just slackens off? For example Cloke got his 4 years and in year 3 his performance dropped off so much he got dropped and by uears end he decided to move. Jack may well find next season he is not in the best 22 and go to the club and want out but they gave hime a 3 year deal and he is well entitled to expect MFC to honour it. If that contract doesn't contain performance clauses etc the more fool MFC for the way the contract was written and what changed from 12 monthd ago when the club negotiated a new 3 year deal?

Lever wants to come and Watts won't leave. Everyone wants to be at Melbourne.

Phenomenal news on Lever if we can pull it off - which I'm sure we can, in spite of the huffing and puffing from Adelaide. He and Hibberd, the cornerstones of an AA backline.

I think Lever is the big fish, but the fish and Cripps would be a delicious trade period!

Fox sports news just showed the Lever interview again but a slightly extended version of Ch7. BT : Did you or your management speak to any other clubs in the process? JL : Yes, but the Melbourne Footy Club was always the one that my manager and myself were comfortable with.

There's a lot of cyberspace being wasted dancing around this issue but I believe this to be the core issue. Mahoney was as clear as he could be this morning. Jack doesn't work hard enough, train hard enough and isn't providing the example our young list need from one of the more experienced players on this list. It is patently clear that "not training hard enough" is not seen by our footy dept as a joke. It's in fact why we're here in the first place. It's evident you've lost faith in our coaching team and therefore don't share their view. But how could you possibly question them with such certainty? They have seen Jack day in day out for years. The evidence is at their fingertips and they've made a call. You can disagree with their call based on your outside perspective but slamming Goodwin and co every post is getting pretty tiresome.

Why are so many people falling over themselves to come up with ways we can pay 2 x first round picks for Lever? Can anyone honestly see us agreeing to that? (And you suggest Watts as well!) I can't

Mahoney actually said this morning that pick 10 and a FUTURE 2nd round pick was what he thought was more than fair for Lever.

Won't get to the point of Leaver going to the draft. Both clubs are actually pretty close now in terms of what they want and what's being offered. The passage of time will bring them closer tohether The irony of the situation is the comparison with Scotty Thompson. We drated him with pock 16 and thtee years later when he was homesick we got pick 12, which many of us thought eas unders considering where his talent was taking him. Adelaide used pick 14 for lLeaver, but three years later no way is pick 10 on its own enough.

So much of what I read on Demonland is conjecture and opinion made to sound like fact. My missus does the same and I call her out on it all the time (except when it's about how gifted I am in bed - hahahaha). Fortunately she has a giggle every time call 'bull***t' on her 'facts'!! She takes it in the way it was intended - just me wanting to clarify if what she is saying is fact or not. Demonland would be so much more productive and informative if every now and again opinions/claims were supported with fact. So after seeing mo64's comment re Jack being an under performing player (which is so like many others on here) I thought that for the greater good of the universe, if I am to do anything today, it must be to pull together some 'facts' about Jacks performance for the esteemed and highly educated and insightful followers of Demonland. I figure there are 2 ways in which the 'performance' of a player can be assessed: 1. Against other 'similar' players in the competition (e.g. those with similar skills, roles, etc. - how do their stats compare) 2. Against the standards expected of the player given the players perceived talent and skill The 2nd option is obviously quite subjective and will differ (very widely in Jack's case) from person to person depending on things like their 'affection'/bias for the player, their own assessment of what skills are important and their own assessment of how far the player goes to meeting them. This assessment is highly influenced by personal opinion and not necessarily by fact and so I won't go down that track. (My own opinion is that Jack doesn't produce what I believe he is capable of because I believe he has sublime talents and an uncanny ability to create time and space when he gets the ball. BUT I do believe that he produces at an acceptable level (for me) for an AFL footballer - I just wish he'd do it more. But some of the reason, I believe, for Jack not appearing to do enough is that I'm not sure that they have ever settled him in a role or known how to use him). The 1st option lends itself to being able to be more factually based. For me, I really admire what Tom Lynch does for Adelaide and the role they have him play. I wouldn't say that he's particularly 'tough' and 'manic' around the ball but I consider him incredibly efficient with his disposal and a great decision maker. And I think the role he plays for Adelaide is a role that somebody needs to play at Melbourne - the link up man. And IMO Jack is the perfect man for that role. The difference at the moment IMO is that Adelaide players more frequently look for their 'link man' when they are coming out of the backline whereas Melbourne doesn't. So how does Jack, in terms of performance, match up against Tom Lynch. Below are the averages from the 2016 and 2017 seasons. All sourced from https://afltables.com/. I'll leave it to each person who reads this to make up their mind as to how Jack measures up against Tom Lynch:

Relevant JM quotes ripped from the official site: “All of these calculations are based on having Jack Watts at our footy club and Jake Lever there as well, and all of our other players, so it’s got nothing to do with money,” he said. “Jack’s is purely about performance. Our expectation on Jack, as a nine-year player and 150 games is what this discussion is about. “That’s where it’s at, at the moment, and it’s been well-documented that he’s looking at different options at the moment and we’ve encouraged that. But if it ends up that he’s at Melbourne Football Club, well, he’s very clear on our expectations around him.” Mahoney said he wasn’t surprised to hear Watts talk about his love for Melbourne at a media conference on Monday. “To hear him speak is no surprise because he’s a very passionate person,” he said. “He said how he was very frustrated and disappointed and we probably agree – we don’t want to be having these discussions with Jack Watts after nine years and we want him to be the player he should be and that’s where this discussion has got to.” Mahoney said it was “retrievable” that Watts and the club could work together in the future. “We’ve seen lots of these situations and it’s not unique to Jack,” he said. “There is a certain stage where you have to look at opportunities. “If it ends up that there are no opportunities that we think as a club is good for our club, or Jack thinks it’s not good for him, then we’ll get back together and be very clear again on what we expect from him.” Well said: take your pick if it's good or bad news. For mine: good in the hope that this kerfuffle is the making of a champion.

Some of the stuff here is ridiculous. Watts is a perennial underperformet. He can't be relied upon. The club knows it.his teammates know it. He is a good bloke but the won't cut it any more. A good sign for a maturing team. the club has all the info on his work rate and intensity. They know what they are doing with this wake up call.

I thought Adelaide were just posturing with their demands of two first rounders, but now that I've seen Brett Burton's public man tantrum, I have zero expectation of them being reasonable trading partners. Wow, what an absolute tool.

Fascinating that he said the club has had no feedback from Adelaide on that offer. Not only did they reportedly walk out of the initial meeting, weeks later they have not responded. Very disrespectful and unprofessional. Mahoney said the trade offer stacks up well compared to other players. He specifically mentioned Tom Mitchell, Charlie Dixon, Jaegar O'meara and Jake Carlisle. Adelaide are trying to paint a picture that he is coming back for the money but other clubs have offered more. Very disrespectful to Jake. Last year GCS waited to 9 minutes to trade cut off time to agree to O'meara trade which forced Hawks to make some crazy pick trades which left StK with their 1st 2018 pick etc. Lets just hope it doesn't come to that for us. I would think if it drags out with no resolution the AFL will arbitrate. As an aside SEN reported that when Jake rang his teammates with his decision some senior players reacted poorly and Tex told him in no uncertain terms what he thought. Edit: They also reported that the Crows initial offer to Jake was around $300k and their final offer was around $550K. Somehow they are surprised when he decides to leave come out with 'fake outrage'. They are clearly smarting from their GF loss and are playing a hardball game in the media over Jake.

I can tell you now, he isn't putting enough mayo on it. i heard the same story the other day from a very reliable source. the Adelaide bloke asked us for our offer and we said our piece, he then came back with "give us two first round picks", we said "no" and he just got up and left. Came back 10 minutes later and they spoke again, he asked for 2 first rounders again, we said NO and he got up and left again!!!! no BS, exactly what happened.

Tex showed with his ' conciliatory and gracious ' speech in defeat just what a top bloke he is. Burton by comparison, to well, anything 'reasonable' is just a boofhead. I dont mind Adelaide the city. Football....

Lever's Manager on AFL Trade Radio.

I put a post on Facebook of 4 x $750,000 for Jake and his dad liked my post so near enough for me. What is that pre CBA? $550,000? Fair and reasonable if you ask me

Hang on Sue. We are talking about WATTS, because WATTS is the one who has been pushed towards a trade by Goodwin. WATTS is one of the most highly skilled, but physically weakest of all AFL players of his size. Goodwin has singled out WATTS, as someone who has been seriously under performing compared to his talent/ability level. You know, Goodwin the full time professional AFL coach? I would bet the vast majority of Dees supporters are hoping that Watts ends up finding a way to convince the coach not to trade him, and has a fantastic career, solely with MFC. (I am one of them) I would bet that less would be confident that he would actually take the opportunity if it was offered, for more than a handful of games a year. (I'm one of them also) I would bet that less still would complain if it meant that the departure of Watts was the catalyst needed, to finally grow the backbone we need to win a flag. (yep, I'm that guy too) I have no doubt Jack Watts is a cracking bloke. I wish he could find the heart to attack every contest in a way befitting of a professional 196cm player. Or at a minimum, commit his body to every contest, even if it means it may hurt. It will be a bloody sad day if Watts leaves. He is probably the most liked player since Robbie Flower. (yes I actually mean that) But.....If our side can be improved, at what point does the supporter base tell the coaches, yeah, stuff the flag, I just want to cheer for a bunch of great blokes every week?