SaberFang

Exactly, what's to stop them from doing the same thing? It's basically tanking for priority picks in a new disguise: cancelling contracts for better FA compo. And it will be AFL sanctioned if they're stupid enough to allow this.

Okay, so let me get this straight. What this now means for the league is clubs can cancel a player's contract, convert them into free agents (if they've been there for 8 years), and cough them up to another team in exchange for a compensation pick from the AFL rather than traded. So, uh... doesn't that mean Collingwood could activate this with Lamumba? Cancel his contract, he becomes a free agent, we sign him without giving anything up, Collingwood get band 3 compo (pick 28ish, rather than Geelong's 35 or whatever). Obviously there's a few reasons this won't happen (diluting Frawley's compo the obvious one), but surely if the AFL approve this deal it opens the floodgates for all kinds of outrageous draft tampering. Collingwood could even offer to pay us money on the side to put towards Lamumba's contract and thus push up their compensation to a higher band. Or they could do it legitimately if he was a restricted free agent, as they could push up his price and force us to match it, again pushing up their compensation. This is well and truly muddying the waters.

The AFL, in all their wisdom, decided to give them an end of first round priority pick. Why? No reason, just because.

I can't wait for Friday night when the AFL website lists an article called "Dees hook Dangerfield" and we write it off as another fish joke.

T'was a nice dream while it lasted.

AH HAH! So not only have we signed Dangerfield, but Travis Boak, Robbie Gray and Chad Wingard as well.

Clearly this is all an elaborate, league-wide smokescreen orchestrated entirely by PJ and PR to hide their real target: Tom Scully.

Nup, if anything it means Danger has defected to us. Doubt Sloane would be on Instagram announcing he's joining Melbourne.

I think the implication would be that Danger is joining us and the AFC/MFC rivalry begins... Sloane ain't coming here.

Rory Sloane on Instagram might indicate otherwise. ....or it might mean nothing. Woop!

I swear this is completely coincidentally fish/ocean/sea related!!!! WHAT. THE. HELL?!?!?!? Comment from R. Sloane... surfing related or... has he just been told about an interesting development.....?

It was accidentally uploaded and was quickly removed.

Can see why Port and Essendon would just love this. Essendon get two picks inside the top 20, and Port get two players (including Ryder) for the price of pick 17. So this means any player under contract but having been at a club for 8 years (soon to be 6 if the AFLPA get their way) can now magically be converted into a free agent at the whim of their club if their compensation pick serves them better than a trade would. Especially with the way contracted players are now demanding trades on a whim. Geez, can't see that being open to rorting AT ALL.

It doesn't pass the smell test at all, does it? They are desperate to avoid anything in a courtroom. Geez, can't imagine why? Wouldn't be because a courtroom would force the AFL to disclose their behind the scenes dealings with Essendon, would it? Perhaps Andy D. warning them that ASADA was on to them? We got shat on when the rest of the league ganged up on us over the PP. Time we return the favour to Essendon.

http://www.afl.com.au/news/2014-10-08/unusual-plan-for-paddy What a surprise. Nothing more than a glowing propaganda piece on the official website, misleadingly comparing this to the situation last year with Nick Dal Santo. [censored] pathetic from the AFL. Rewarding drug cheating.

LOL, Bulldogs fans won't even entertain a trade where we give them pick 3 in exchange for one of their young midfielders, and they keep pick 6. Apparently the likes of Stringer or Macrae are worth picks 2 & 3. More delusional than Colonwood.

Got a feeling Eddie's on the phone right about now.

So a club plays it difficult and refuses to trade a player who wants out. Solution? WE'LL GIVE YOU A MAGICAL COMPENSATION PICK AS WELL! Oh, please. If the AFL said he can leave under the DFA clause, DO THAT. Port can get him for free that way and Essendon get their just desserts: SWEET [censored] ALL.

That is an absolute disgrace. If the AFL actually intervene and allow that to happen... is opening Pandora's box. Can you imagine the outrage and the kind of idiotic deals that will begin? It leaves the entire trade and free agency system open to rorting for free agency compensation in a way far worse than tanking for priority picks. It would be open slather. Rather than allowing players to be traded, clubs would throw out contracts and manipulate the other club to ensure they get a compensation pick and the buying club doesn't have to give up anything. HOW THE HELL IS THAT AFL ENDORSED?? IT'S A COMPLETE MOCKERY OF THE SYSTEM. All because this pathetic basket case of a club had a systematic drug program and all their betrayed, abused and guinea pig players want to get the [censored] out of there. Why the hell should they start being rewarded with compensation picks?!? Absolute insanity.

"Did IQ's drop sharply while I was away?"

Bit hard if Danger is in Victoria unless a phone conversation is enough nowadays.Either way he's starting with a brand new coaching group at the start of 2015. A premiership coach and his former captain looks more appealing on paper at least.

Just to state the bleeding obvious, if Danger had agreed to terms what on earth would we be waiting for? Friday? Why? And why would we bother running a PR campaign throughout trade week offering our best picks for trade if that player had signaled his interest to join us? Just stating the obvious I guess but this trade seems so very, very unlikely.

I think he'd more likely to run to AFC HQ and demand a contract and pen.

We want him. Roos has been talking to him for weeks and has a specific role for him, not just in the forward line but pushing up the midfield.He met senior players earlier this week.

I was going to go there but I knew everyone was already thinking it.