Wiseblood

They probably said no as they'll need to clear salary cap space to potentially get Gaff in to go with Polec and Aaron Hall. I'm not saying Tyson is on big bucks, but he would more than likely be on more that was Preuss is. That won't work for them. A third/fourth round pick should suffice in this instance.

Players, whether they be from Victoria, WA, SA or the moon, are well within their rights to sign shorter term deals in the current climate. While we were beginning to improve as a club in 16-17, many players were well within their right to sign a shorter deal to see where the club was headed. You would wager that's what Tom McDonald did after all the rubbish he had been through before he signed on in 2016. How are we to know if Jesse would sign on again if he hadn't had the troubles (injuries, illness, passing of his father) he has had since signing his last deal? We don't. We don't know what is going through his head right now or the reasons behind him potentially leaving (something he hasn't even confirmed yet). He never lost me as a fan the day he signed on as I was pleased by his show of faith and hopeful that our ability to improve further would ensure he would stick around. I believe that would still be the case had he not gone through the things he has. Hell, it may still end up being the case. We don't know for sure just yet.

True, but players often sign those types of deals. Both McDonald's only signed two year extensions back in 2016 and, while they have both committed again this season (Tom for 4, Oscar for another 2), I don't think him signing for just a few years was that big of a deal back then. I can understand why it would look that way in hindsight though.

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Congratulations. What do you want? A nod? A pat on the back? A grope on the arse? You got lucky.

Strange how those who got their panties in a twist when others couldn't understand why they would be talking trades about a player who had, at the time, given no indication of wanting out, are now the ones not talking about the topic at all but are looking for attention and some sort of pat on the back. Funny, that.

The only teams that care are those that need points for academy players.

I think he means we get a large amount of salary cap relief that we were not expecting a month ago due to Jesse's imminent departure.

Thanks for the info Chook. Your info is always good so we appreciate it each time you can share it. Interested in reigniting the Gaff interest - have we left it too late? Or can we get our noses back in the game?

That's a loaded question...

Our club has gone to great lengths to make fair deals and to look after their players at every opportunity over the last few years. If Hogan wants out, then the club will facilitate a deal that works for everyone involved. As you say, it's in nobodies interest to hold on to a player who doesn't want to be here. We support their decision, get a fair deal in return and move on. It would be the same with Dean Kent, AVB and so forth.

He's got that response saved in a Word Document. Just a simple cut and paste for him these days.

I wonder if we'll hear anything through the best and fairest tomorrow night. If Hogan has decided to leave, will he still go? I get the feeling the players would be more than happy to have him there, especially the way Jones spoke about it, but he might feel uncomfortable going along to the night. Either way, you would think we would hear something more concrete about it in the next 48 hours. Perhaps he announces a new 5 year deal with Melbourne tomorrow night at the B&F??

What I meant was whether we will hear from the club or Jesse himself about the rumours today, tomorrow or even potentially later in the week. Or will they not address them at all...?

Anybody think we will get some confirmation today? Or will we have to wait for Monday?

John F. Kennedy is becoming one of the greatest players Melbourne never had!

You're possibly right. I think I've blocked a few years from my memory.

My memory might be hazy, but did we really let Frawley and Howe go, or did they decide to leave? I know that we netted pick #3 for Frawley when he left, but I can recall us trying to re-sign him throughout the year. Howe wanted out so there wasn't a whole lot we could do there.

I just think, as supporters, we're not used to seeing a few looking to move on. In the past we probably would offer Kent 3 years as we didn't have much else in his position. Now, we have depth, and we have the freedom to offer these 1 year deals, and players are knocking them back for something else. As a side note, if he gets there, I'll be interested to see how things turn out for Dean Kent. If he can keep himself fit, can he have an impact through the middle, or will he run out of puff quickly and just turn up for a quarter or two? I'd like to see him succeed, but I have my doubts.

Kent wasn't played out of position, he just wants more security and more time in the midfield. Does he have the tank and the ability to play through there? He wasn't getting a chance with us. He might see himself as a mid, but he's always been a high half forward to me. Tyson still played through the middle, but with the rise of Brayshaw and Harmes, found himself pushed out. From all reports he is very happy at Melbourne and us supporters seem to be the ones pushing for a trade. Hogan still had the chance to kick almost 50 goals this year, and his tank meant he could play up the ground. I hardly think he would be disappointed with the role he was given. Same goes for AVB. I just think for two of them it's more security with longer deals apparently being offered, for one it's the go home factor and a big contract and the other one seems happy at the club regardless.

This is nothing more than an assumption, but I'd wager we would look to add KK to that deal as well. With May still in contract I think the only way we pry him out of GC is with a first rounder anyway. If we're that keen, and we know what it will do for the side and we're happy with May and his commitment to training etc, then I think it's a fair deal. Especially if KK is part of it as well.

Hey Dappa - I love your passion and how upset you are with the decision from Jesse's end, but in the end, what else can we do here? I full agree with you that Jesse is a huge talent and, if this all does happen, it will leave a big gap on our list. Some are underselling his value to our side and, while Weideman gives us plenty of hope for the future, he hasn't consistently had the output that Jesse has. I'd like to think that two first rounders will help us net Steven May and KK, and while that doesn't add up to Jesse's value, I think their overall additions, as well as the other first rounder, leave us in the best position possible going forward. I don't think we could theoretically get more. When Judd left the Eagles got Kennedy, Pick 3 and Pick 20. Judd was a better player than Hogan, so I think what we'll get is about right, and that's not factoring in the potential to swap later picks as well. Keep your chin up my friend, I reckon we'll come out of this okay in the end.

Absolutely it hurts. My 3 year old has a Dees jumper signed by Hogan. He is her favourite player. That aspect, and what he brings to our side, will be super hard to replace. If this was happening in 2015 then I'd be very worried. However, thanks to the people we have put in place, we have a strong list and a great culture that can not only handle his departure but also kick on from it as well. Well, that's my opinion anyway.