titan_uranus

1 hour ago, layzie said:

We don't need to grandstand every little success we have in the form of a letter. The Petracca trade was good for all parties, not unheard of in the trade world.

I appreciate the way Guerra communicates so this isn't against him but after a year of having letters to members to highlight things like great 3rd quarters in terrible performances I'm kind of over it.

Nah we just traded out two of the best players we’ve ever had, he 100% should have said something.

1 minute ago, dazzledavey36 said:

That’s a nice bonus.

Again, a sad day.

A genuine champion of our club walks out the door for a largely useless pick whilst we pay him to play for a flag contender.

It’s an appalling way for his chapter at Melbourne to end, no matter how you look at it.

Like with Trac, it’s time for us to launch into a new era with a new midfield, but I sure hope we had good reasons for this, because to my eyes, we’ve cocked this up.

A sad day. Was my favourite player. Brought us relevance, and of course a flag. At his best, which I believe he can regain, a top 5 league player.

Time for us to move into a new era with another 2 first round picks.

Just now, Tom Dyson said:

That insta comment is either god level trolling or a very exciting clue.

It’s the former.

Surely.

Surely…

I’m ok with using that pick. Spargo into CJ is not a loss. Whether it is a win remains to be seen, but here’s hoping!

We are and were never going to get Humphrey unless one of the following occurred:

1. GC believed we would take Trac back, and therefore had to cave before we did

2. GC value picks 7 and/or 8 higher than Humphrey and therefore would prefer to trade Humphrey and keep the picks

Point 2 would never occur given GC’s position needing points for the academy players.

So long as GC believe we won’t take Trac back, they’d never trade Humphrey. They will still get Trac and then, if need be, will trade Humphrey next year for additional picks (worth more to them in a stronger draft) or players.

42 minutes ago, bing181 said:

Take it and run. 7 & 8 (plus swapsies) for a 30 year old with his best years behind him and on $1.3 million which GC are prepared to pick up! They must be desperate, though equally, you see why they would do it. Marquee player, flag window, yadda yadda. None of the Vic clubs would even look at a deal like this for Trac, and surprise surprise, they didn't.

What do you mean none of the other Vic clubs didn’t look at the deal?

Trac nominated GC. He wasn’t inviting offers from Vic clubs.

Hawthorn have been distracted by Merrett, and look what they’re offering for him.

This wasn’t an open market where we were going to get to pit rivals bids against themselves.

Just now, Bombay Airconditioning said:

The bigger shambles was not dealing with him properly when he was out of control, I didn’t see too many people threatening to cancel their memberships then.

We knew this was coming, the club has to suck it up and move on for the betterment of the team.

If we knew this was coming, we should have let him go to Geelong last year.

Or we should have started this process earlier than two business days before trade period, so that we didn’t have to rush it.

There’s almost nothing we’ve done in relation to this situation that is anything other than shambolic. And we’re about to pay a ridiculously steep price for that.

21 minutes ago, 0livers Army said:

Giants doing exactly what I’d do. They know we’ve got no negotiating power.

We’ve stuffed this up. Surely we had to know how Oliver would react to getting pushed out. He’s recently committed to the club publicly and is known not to filter his words. The moment we made up the rubbish about playing at Casey (if true), we slashed his trade value and then it was completely dissolved once Oliver said he likes Collingwood more than us.

I really don’t know how bad Oliver would have to be off field to make us try to push him out. From reports on here he’s well liked by the playing group (at least most), is a hard trainer and has time for supporters. Anything outside that which justifies jetting off someone of his calibre surely approaches breach of contract type stuff.

Generally agree.

We have no leg to stand on, and they know it.

Unlike with Trac, where we’ve at least put up a public position of wanting him back, the way we’ve dropped this news on Clarry, so late and so abruptly, has destroyed any bargaining power we have.

Coupled with a contract that no one wants (us included), we’re absolutely stuffed. We have no choice but to take their lowball offer and move on.

Unsure about this. We need pace and a willingness to take the game on, but we don’t need poor kicking. Not sure where CJ lands on that matrix.

Hopefully nothing beyond a 3rd round pick for this one.

4 minutes ago, binman said:

For the sake of argument let's say that's a poor deal for tracc yet tge club us willing to take it.

Whar dows that about what our new coach and Football Department thinks about tracc in terms of what he brings to the club in totality - ie on field performance and off field contribution (eg leadership, role modelling, culture building etc).

Or it could say we’re just not very good at negotiating.

10 minutes ago, Chook in Perth said:

New stuff, that gives you nothing new.

Melbourne still really want him, and not the picks. Gold Coast still really won't do it.

Its at a passè.

Who blinks first?

Your answer in another 25 pages.

Thanks for answering the smoke signal, @Chook in Perth .

All this means is we’re back to what we’ve debated since this all started.

Are we prepared to have Trac come back and play for us next year?

If yes, we’re a chance here.

If no, we’re no chance.

Any insight on the club’s relationship with Trac?

Can we get @Chook in Perth to put this one to bed one way or another?

(…please?)

I’ve slept on it and I’m still not a fan of 7 & 8 for Trac and McVee.

That doesn’t feel like a trade that turns our heads. That doesn’t feel like a trade that is the best result for the MFC.

10 minutes ago, demoncat said:

This x100

7 and 8 is actually a decent deal for Trac, but it goes against our position of needing a deal that “turns our heads”

Once again our comms about our overarching strategy is terrible

If this is a fire sale/rebuild - say it, and stop leading supporters on that you’ll hold out for a great deal or Trac and Clarry will come back to the MFC

But if we send 24 back, then 7 and 8 aren’t our haul for Trac, they’re our haul for Trac and McVee.

1 minute ago, Ted Lasso said:

The issue is the sum of all parts of the off season.

I get what you're saying, 2 top 10 picks for Trac and his salary off the books in isolation is okay.

Losing Trac, McVee, Clarry plus 700k and a bunch of later picks, for 7, 8 and 36 in a compromised draft after Tim Lamb and Paul Guerra talked so tough about "Best interests of the MFC and have to turn our heads" is the issue

The messaging is shocking, and we will end up with what amounts to a fire sale

This is correct.

I’m confident part of the decision to sack Goodwin was PR-related - helping convince members to stay members and show up to games.

If our trade period results in the above (Trac, Clarry, McVee out, and 7, 8 and 36 in), I suspect a large segment of our membership/supporter base will be upset. It will go against Guerra and Lamb’s tough words, too.

Personally, I don’t think 7 and 8 for Trac and McVee is “head turning”, for example.

51 minutes ago, Colm said:

Sure it’s about that but it also has to be about a rebuild and we need draft picks or new players to do that.

Surely we can’t pay $700k of his wages and get a future third round pick for a player that has been in our best 22 every week even when not fit and if he gets back to his best will be a top 10 player in the comp.

Yeah but on form was he really best 23 for the back half of last year or the first half of this year?

1 minute ago, Demonland said:

Why does the X post say three new additions but the Instagram post says four (with McLennan)?

10 minutes ago, SPC said:

Loved him as a player, was unbelievable for us and dragged us over the line on so many occasions.

However, he and Trac were not only poor leaders, but were counterproductive to our development of younger players.

I am now a firm believer, strong system will beat superstar players on a disconnected team. We have a nucleus, but just need to build the system- which I’m confident that King can do.

We were never going to get the best out of Clarry or Trac again, comparing them to 2021 version is not fair. They might blossom at another club, but so be it.

Mark this trade period down as a positive for the clubs next 4 years. We will free up valuable $s and hopefully add some key pieces.

I love this club… this club! The members, fans and anyone wearing our jumper. Players who leave to me, regardless of status are always part of the story, but ultimately ex-players.

I largely sit here, but with sadness too.

It’s just an all round sad situation that we’re in.

Can’t imagine anyone will complain about spending a future 4th on a ruck who at least has some AFL experience under his belt.

Hopefully he turns into a great AFL level ruck but even if he doesn’t, this is still a good trade.

Eagles, Broncos, Chargers

Also, the absolute gall of Kane to say Koz has been let down by the club.

All year Kane’s been saying we can’t keep playing Trac and Oliver in the midfield.

If we’d kept them and made no changes into 2026, he’d have said the same thing - “all well and good to reward Pickett with the money but by continuing to play Petracca and Oliver in that midfield, they’re just not letting him be the best player he can be”.

No one in their right mind would have thought on 11 June that Goodwin was anything other than in danger of being sacked at any time in the upcoming 18 months. No matter how hard he might have wanted to deny it in his mind.

Trac wanted out last year. Clarry’s issues are well known to the playing group.

It might be surprising that it’s all happened in 4 months, but that’s all. None of this has happened totally out of the blue.

Meh.

I’d prefer McVee to pick 23, but in the circumstances it’s ok.

I haven’t felt this annoyed at a player leaving us in a long time.