Mel Bourne

Please tell me if I’m wrong, but the only hard evidence of a “link” so far is a blurry photo taken from a car.

True. But is that an observation of the draft, or of our list?

This needs to happen. With May gone, Lever often in the wars, Rivers potentially being used more often in the midfield, Salem entering his 30s and Petty being…whatever Petty is, why would we not make this happen as part of the Clarry deal?

Well that was a fairly irritating five pages of nothing.

In unrelated news I just walked past Ed Langdon. I think it was Ed Langdon anyway (it happened pretty fast). I called out behind him “Love ya Ed!” I hope it was him, or at the very least, the dude’s name was Ed.

Lol

Did you just write this to….yourself?

Which would tank his trade-capital in ‘27, and his general reputation in the sport. Can’t see it.

Sorry folks, having some tech issues over here. Just need to see if my John Delosa thumbs-down button is working….

I like the optimism, but BBB’s recruitment into our 2020 squad was a very different storyline to this one. All in all it’s a positive, but it feels like more like gaining an experienced hand to guide us through a walk through the wilderness. Hopefully that walk is just a couple of years.

Hmmm, ok. The biggest positive I can draw from this is that JVR now has an on-field tuition from a quality, big-bodied forward. Something he’s never had. Other than that, it feels like a band-aid on a bruise.

I don’t think “he doesn’t have a choice” is an actual factor.

The “wife” stuff is pretty low-grade, dudes. Sure, she probably has a say in where they live. But I would hope the same would apply to every person here who has a partner. The fact is if Trac wanted nothing more than remain a demon, it would be so.

If we were legitimately in a premiership window, I would. But…

Please no. We need young talent who are excited about taking on what will no doubt be a challenging period.

Folks here suggesting Humphrey AND Flanders for Trac really need to hose themselves down. Humphreys is worth more to us than Trac, and the Suns are fully aware of that. He’s also contracted to 2028, so it would need to be both Trac and a hefty figure. Flanders is a possibility, but the Saints are gunning hard for him. If they have the reserves and the mettle to compete for a deal, things suddenly don’t seem as easy as we’d like them to be. I’m still not convinced the path forward has presented itself, and the chances of a disillusioned Trac in our midfield next year are still very real.

Pathetic

Maybe not in a regular draft, but the academy picks have really diluted the usual strength of a “12”, no?

They surely would. But it sucks for us. If it’s just pick 12 of a lacklustre draft, the amount of his salary we pay would need to be VERY small. Or better still, him and GWS renegotiate an entirely new contract.

I just can’t shake the feeling that a helluva lot of this is down to seemingly-irreparable relationships among certain members of the senior playing group. I know there has been much speculation about the relationship between Trac and Clarry. And while I’d like to look at that cute photo of them when they were juniors and assume the most wholesome thoughts, it’s very obvious that they have very different interests/lifestyles/personalities away from the game. So shoot me down for even suggesting such a thing, but it feels like the May, and now Oliver, discussions were attempts to placate Trac (and potentially others). But even if this proves futile (as is likely the case), measures are being made to create a new standard of culture nonetheless. I absolutely acknowledge that I have no freakin’ idea when it comes to Clarry’s behaviour (past or present). It seems from the outside perspective that he’s made a real effort to improve his attitude, but that doesn’t quite stack up with how he’s being treated right now - being told to improve your craft is one thing, being told to potentially go elsewhere (at a large financial cost to the club) isn’t the kind of hardline-approach you’d associate with a champion player who’s shown every effort to improve. Anyway, I’m not interested in trashing either of them, and will be sad to see them go. But if it manages to bring stability to the club - even at the cost of success in the short term - I’ll learn to embrace it.

A few years from now we’ll be able to read about what went down at the club from ‘22-‘25, and I imagine it will be more than a little startling. It’s kinda fascinating how - despite the countless leaks over the years - the real stories still manage to completely elude the supporters. I guess those hacks in the press still have the mental capacity to understand the difference between what’s libel and what they can get away with. But man, what I’d give to have a sit down with one of the players over a counter meal and a couple of glasses of truth-potion.

Agreed. That’s a pretty clear line of communication, and impressively-devoid of spin/corporate-speak. Feels all the more honest for it. While we’re still sussing Guerra out, he’s scored an early point for the handling of this situation so far.

I don’t mind a swim as much as the next person but the Gold Coast “lifestyle” is my idea of a vacuous, culturally-devoid hellscape.

If it does go through I’ll take some small comfort in knowing that Trac has to live in Adelaide. I’ve never know how a city can be both “murdery” and boring at the same time. You sure about that?

He’s lit up our lives too many times to mention, and despite my earlier grumblings I’ll always respect the guy immensely. But as others have said, the speculation coupled with the silence, is creating a bit of a tedious, creeping resentment. I get the whole “don’t feed the seagulls” argument. But the incessant squawking has become deafening, and all it would take to silence it is a shoo from one particular hand.