rpfc

FA will hurt poorly run clubs. Well run clubs can turn Sylvia into Vince with FA's help.

How is it an outworn term? FA is in its infancy.

'Entitled to explore their options in FA' is a three year old term. How can it be cliché?

2 is enough? We are very young still - and Cross has only 2015 left in my opinion. This group could use some older heads and strong bodies (and good left foots...).

FCS, jumbo, of course people have been misogynistic against Wilson. But not in this thread, and not for a while on this board - that offspring joke was puerile and also aimed against Barrett with equal weight - it was hardly misogynistic. To not criticise her, or give her the benefit of any doubt over and above what we give to Barrett and Hutchinson, is sexist in-and-of-itself.

I don't think there is a very strong chance at all, even the AFL can't change the rules regarding FA in the year they will implement it. They gave the initial FA a three year heads up.

Those searching for the difference between 18th and 16th are confusing the position of those that 'don't care.' We are terrible. We are finishing low again. The very discussion that there is some salvation in not being the worst team, but the 2nd or 3rd worse team, is just utterly pointless. Lapsed members are numb to this, they want to see wins and excitement, they are not going to be beaten down further by teams climbing over us in the next few weeks - they are not watching anymore. The season ended a few weeks back for those that will make up the extra 5k we need to head into 40k member territory. Finish the season strongly for the sake of those left behind (us) but don't think that finishing 3rd last is some grand achievement that will keep members, players, renew hope, and set us up for next year. That will all happen, again, in October and November.

Ablett and Scully signed a year out. It's unrealistic for clubs to hamstring themselves by not playing players who have signed elsewhere. Just don't let them officially sign anywhere until October - journos can still have their conjecture and fans can know that their player has not already signed a contract elsewhere.

What if a player actually has not decided? I think the AFL should go the opposite direction and not allow contracts to be signed until October. There is plenty of time to organise for next year - only about a third of the list is OOC every year, in the NBA the Heat had about 2 players under contract after the season, the Lakers had 1. Clubs can act appropriately at the end of the season. They keep fringe players hanging until the last moments, players are doing the same. Clubs can get used to it.

Some said similar about Vince...

It's about points, wins, and ladder position when you have a good team trying to reach finals.When you are jockeying for 16th... WGAF. We got back on the horse last week with some good footy, I am not about to cry into my beer because the Lions and the Saints have had a couple good wins. The Lions will be a good game with them in some good form and we should beat GWS at the G, but I am more interested in how we go against Hawthorn, WCE over there, and bloody NM in the last round.

There is. Only in the month of October can clubs directly talk to players not their own. Obviously, managers are a way around. I would say that they are too, but the inference that Buckleys unease is due to it being a done deal is premature, I think it is because he doesn't like talking about players from other clubs. It isn't exactly celebrated when coaches talk about players not their own.

What team gets into this without it being 'their own incompetence'? This argument is without validity; whether you don't pick well, or trade away good players, or have them leave, or delist competent pros, or 'top up' with compromised players, or have a series of poor coaches, or improperly develop players for years - it is that team that 'brought it on themselves.' St Kilda are bottoming out by trading their best players for picks, retiring players and playing a great number of young players after having a coach for years that recruited a great number of recycled players instead of developing young players. How can one differentiate the two? The argument that we 'have screwed up our chances' isn't an argument against us getting more chances, it is an argument FOR us to get more chances and nuts to our competitors who benefitted from our incompetence and are now trying to not give a sucker an even break.

Buckley was rude, coy, and downright patronising to the bloke sitting next to him. The bloke sitting next to him was Mark Robinson so I would be the same. I wouldn't take much notice of that exchange.

Good morning, huh?

Happy to wait - don't want what the NRL has. I don't know if he has signed elsewhere, frankly on the day that Jeff Farmer has an interview on the club website extolling his love of the club he spent 7 years at, I am not about the burden myself with the hate of another Demon while he is still a Demon.

Dillon Shield is a horse? (Apologies to fans of Rowan Atkinson) That's an obscure reference, so if 5 people know it I would pleasantly surprised.

One thing I forgot entirely was the extension of a form of FA and trade period for the first 3 months of the season. The FA would be essentially for injury replacements, early retirements, voided contracts but the trade period would be where a club can trade for what it needs in-season - something that I think would be very useful to some clubs and enliven the sport itself.

It's been a busy 156 years...

As sweet dee says - the disaster is once again we finish in the lower region of the ladder - to worry about something so image related as 'last place' is pointless. If we play like we did against PA in the last few weeks we won't finish last but our lot - once again - is set in stone; another season down in depths with a list so compromised. Sorry if I don't see the added shame in getting the spoon - we have been spanked regardless...

If we have Roos, Thompson, and Senior Assistant in waiting next season - we are going to need a bigger boat... And by 'boat' I mean 'money', and by 'bigger' I mean 'lotsa'...

Yes, and Vince for older players looking for a contract and higher responsibilities.

To be perfectly honest guys - convince me to stay on next year - this was ridiculous. Every year we shed two or three - I am one of them at the moment...

WGAF about a spoon. The 'disaster' is another year winning 5 games or less... To celebrate not winning the spoon as some sort of 'win' seems odd to me. We have a terrible list - to finish last or third last - to make a distinction between 18th or 17th or 16th seems to me like a distinction a pathetic club would make.

Oh noes! Finishing last instead of third last. What a disaster...