SaberFang

So when do we appeal this? Before or after we get pick 22 for losing our All Australian key defender? Perhaps after the Cats give us pick 36 for Clark?

If we get 6 back we will in a heartbeat. 3 pick downgrade easily worth it.

Really not sure what Chip would be thinking leaving over $1.5m on the table by going to Hawthorn instead of Fremantle. Arguably Freo and Geelong are closer to falling than the Hawks, but all the rumors pointed to Frawley wanting to secure his future but not at the expense of success. For him to burn the Cats you'd have to think Hawthorn simply must have offered more. Why would he spend the year teeing up a deal with Rivers and Scott then choose to go to the Hawks for less money? He would have success at any of the 3, why not pick the one offering the most cash? Bizarre if he's really prepared to sign for way unders just because Hawthorn are best placed right now to win again next year. Like, really... $650k x 6 or 7 years at Freo. $450k x 4 years at Hawks? Either the figures are way off or Frawley is dumb as a post. $3.9m vs $1.8m... it's not hard. If his manager only scored him that after all his idiotic campaigning all year, he should be sacked. Jesse Hogan is being paid more and hasn't played a [censored] game!

Frawley by choosing an instant premiership rather than big money, ruining our compo?

The board said they've backed McCartney?? [censored], watch your back Brendon!

"It's most satisfying to be a one club player. I love the Melbourne Football Club." - Robert Flower

How to fix free agency. Top 4 teams can't take free agents (DFA excluded). Bottom 4 teams don't have their compensation diluted if they lose a free agent then bring in another. There must be incentive to improve.

The whole situation is farcical. So compensation is based around the entire contract, but determining if they are restricted or unrestricted only happens with their final year? What?? Why on earth isn't it averaged out over their contract? Take the length of their last contract, divide it by years of service, then find an average salary and use that as a base. We better pursue this, especially if the rules were introduced after we front-ended his contract. Agreed we would have been able to bargain up his price if we were able to match a ridiculous lowball offer like $450k.

Would be the ultimate parting gift from Frawley if he took a contract of peanuts just to win a premiership. Says all I need to know about the kind of character he is.

I don't think I could stomach pick 21 as compensation. Arguably 3 is too high but 21 is just pissing on us while we're down. Would be a shocking look for free agency as a whole and the monster the AFL have manufactured against lower teams. The difference between those picks is the difference between getting two elite players to our club. I'm absolutely convinced the AFL rejected the PP because we'd probably end up with pick 3 for Frawley. Perhaps the AFL didn't foresee him taking a low ball contract in exchange for a likely premiership, and have now sent us well and truly up [censored] creek without a paddle. Also consider perhaps this is a ploy by Frawley's manager to get Geelong to up their offer by leaking that he might be going to the Hawks?

We would have to cut a backroom deal with the Heretier trade to ensure that.

Might mean nothing but Angus and PR were having a chat and a laugh with each other before his presser today. Looked very chummy. He was chatting with Tyler during the presser as well. And PR said he wouldn't give up 2 and 3 for Danger or anyone for that matter. Said it would be player and picks, so he's obviously got an eye on his options at the top end of the draft. Methinks he's super keen on Angus.

What will work in our favor is the outrage at the premiership team signing a free agent. The AFL won't want to perpetuate the belief that little clubs get absolutely screwed while big clubs take all the talent. The premiers losing Buddy to Sydney was bad, but both were premiership contenders the year after. For the worst team to have their free agent poached by the premiers stinks and AFL House will hopefully ensure band one compo so it looks like we're being handsomely compensated. ESPECIALLY when we got screwed with no PP AND screwed after looking out for Clark only for him to walk to another top 4 team. The AFL need to go into PR mode here because people will start turning away from the game.

Geelong would've offered less. For Chip to shaft his mate after dealing with him all year reeks of Chip using GFC to up his price with the Hawks. That, or the Clark rumors are true and that put the line through the Cats. Either way, with all the reasons to go to the Cats I'm certain he would've chosen the Hawks because their offer was better. As if he would've signed for $450k over 4 years when Fremantle offered $650k over 7 years. The difference in the end would've only been a few hundred $k over 5 years. Any sane person does not turn down an extra $1.5m just because they don't want to move to another city.

I'm pretty sure the other clubs know we're getting pick 3 so they're just kicking up a stink to get compensation scrapped altogether. Whether that's a disaster or not depends on how we go next year. Keep in mind we pulled out of talks with Malceski because we didn't want to lose pick 3. That situation might change if all we get is pick 20. I doubt we would've pulled out of talks if there was a chance we weren't getting pick 3.

Sounds like the Barry Hall recruit for us. He's also apparently immune at the MRP so by all means go out and keep breaking noses while "spoiling" the ball. I love that Roos is recruiting run and hardness into the team. I think we'll be physically tougher to play against next year, with much more defensive pressure to throw teams off kilter. Roos obviously learned a lot from Hawthorn demolishing Sydney with immense pressure, and this strategy echoes his thoughts from Monday: "The consistent theme with grand final winners is immense tackling and ball pressure."

Where did I say that? If anything I think it means he'd be dealing with countless trade options and working out what to do.

Sounds like another Prendergast special.

Anyone else find it telling Danger hasn't come out and said a word so far about our statement, nor Adelaide's? What exactly would he be waiting for if he was so intent on staying put? Who their new coach is?

He no longer bleeds red and blue; he excretes brown and yellow.

Surely Welsh cleared his desk the moment Young said that?

Asked to be traded to Carlton. Geez, how many hasbeens does Mickey want to pick up in one off season?

And all the other clubs will be over the moon when free agency compo gets scrapped due to the 'outcry' over pick 3. Fantastic short-sighted decision by Carlton, St Kilda and Brisbane to all come out criticising free agency compo. Downright idiotic really.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qD-TKcLo8pI#t=942 Talks a bit about training with us, and also that he's aspiring to be more like Christian Salem. Wants to be able to do inside and outside the way Salem can, and that he considers him a good mate. What a brutal choice between this guy and (potentially) Danger. Apparently Roos spent A LOT of time on the phone today at the 'G while observing combine drills.

Anything over $500k for over 5 years will be band 1. In 5 years time, $500k will be absolute peanuts for an AFL salary. Ergo, his manager hasn't spent all this time shopping him around (likely to go back to his preferred destinations -- Geelong and Hawks, and tell them what they need to offer) to accept a low-ball offer from Geelong. $550,000 - $600,000 over 5-6 years is roughly where I think he'll be signed. That Hawthorn and Geelong both want him means they'll bid against one another to get him.