rpfc

He has already left the backline for 3 months and the defence not only coped without him, but excelled in comparison to last season. Your argument that he would improve our backline is without a doubt true, but his absence from the backline hasn't 'hurt us' this season so why would it hurt us next season?

If anyone has referred to Frawley as a spud they don't deserve to be taken seriously. I think you are going to have to bump those posts that mention he is not worth $400k but then in the next breath mention a top 5 pick. I don't think stmj, or anyone that is happy to see him leave, has said that he is a spud. His point is that the bloke is not worth the same to us as he would be to other clubs. Specifically those who have more midfield assets. The notion that - if Frawley left - the chances the MFC adding to its midfield goes up is irrefutable. He offers the best chance the club can get its hands on another top 5 pick and, in turn, a star quality player in the draft or trade. That's the argument, it has merit, and thus we are having a thoughtful discussion. Only on Demonland!

Jamar's breakout season was his 8th. For 6 seasons he didn't average more than 2.3 marks a game. For 6 seasons he didn't average more than 2.5 kicks a game. In his 5th season he averaged 9.7 HOs a game. For 7 seasons he didn't average more than 22.7 HOs a season. I know these are stats in a vacuum (and to many that's where all stats should end up) but it takes a while for ruckmen to reach the peak of their abilities and Spencer has been afforded 29 games so far. Jamar was able to play 52 games in a different era when back up rucks didn't have to contend with the sub-rule that is inherently biased against 1-dimensional ruckmen. Spencer may be moved on when a suitable replacement for Jamar is identified but that is not something we can just assume will happen either this Summer or the next.

Yeah, that last line. We simply can not, in these next three weeks, allow 40 minutes where the other team are the only ones interested in attacking the game. You go into your shells against the best teams and they will bury you. I am not surprised the players have gone into their shells early against Essendon and the Bulldogs - they have spent 2 years in their shells against all teams. I am pleasantly surprised that they have come out of their shells while the punishment is occurring. It's progress. White knuckled, frustrating progress...

This is where we head into stmj as a glorious genius because if we are to get Prestia/Danger/insertgreatplayerhere it will most likely be because of Frawley leaving a hole in our salary cap and a top 5 pick behind. I just want the surety of it though... But I can't have it. So I am comfortable in the knowledge that whatever happens we will be fine. Unless we don't recruit well... But that's a different thread.

It's simple. Isn't it?

There a few steps between compensation and the midfielder(s) that you would to get - that is something you must admit - it is the blasé sense that this Pick 5/6/7 is better than Frawley... We just do not know.

We haven't played great football since we have been out there...

So you are defending the hypothetical removal of Pedersen and Jetta? You name the few valuable assets we could have got at the point but the chances they would get something worthwhile are infinitesimal. Roos backed himself to get something from these known commodities than risk getting a speculative talent. And as for Spencer - he is a back up ruck, but he did help us win against Carlton and played a few games injured so that Jamar didn't have to be rushed back too quickly. I thought that was selfless and worthy of reward - and he got that reward. If your back up ruck was a world beater, he wouldn't be your back up ruck...

I will mention Boak and Cloke. Criticise his onfield leadership, he deserves it. Criticise his inconsistency. But I for one do not think that a player taking full advantage of his earned FA is failed leadership. This is a very public contract discussion and comparisons to other leaders are fraught. I have heard that Nathan Jones was very close to being a Bomber a couple years ago. Does that make him less of a leader of that group? Or even our club? I don't think it does, he is leading professional football players, and he has been faultless as the face of this footy club in the last few years.

Franklin, to Sydney Hawthorn ain't exactly weak... Betts, to Adelaide Neither is Carlton Sylvia, to Fremantle Bernie would not be here if we were keener to keep this airhead. Thomas, to Carlton Collingwood is the power club. Goddard, to Essendon Your Exhibit A. Young, to Collingwood Who cares? Rivers, to Geelong He was such a hit that Geelong is already looking for his replacement... From your list - Goddard is the only one that fits this 'big clubs stealing from the small' narrative that a few people are worry-selling. Smart clubs are making the most of it - I hope we continue to do so.

Is he? Four years of consistent footy and he is on his last chance after a few games where he has made some errors. I will tell you what is worse than errors, and you alluded to this with the line that follows the above - doing nothing and just worrying about your bloke. I watch Terlich run around and follow Murphy like a hungry puppy dog completely oblivious to the football that just happened past him in the arms of an opposition player. No mistakes made from Terlich there, and yet he was moved off of him? It was like having a 5 man forward line, playing with 17 men... Give me the bloke that goes and tries to get the footy and makes the odd, or more than odd, mistake here and there. I am frustrated because my own team struggles with this concept when playing good teams - if one team has more blokes looking for the footy they are already at an advantage. Bit of a tangent but FML.

It's more "unless we are getting a star FA it's not worth it." We will only be chasing FA if Frawley re-signs right soon or they are star FAs.

Apathetic response...

This seems to me like a whole lot of nothing. I came down very hard on Bartlett after his ill-advised decision to talk out of his arse to Wilson but this just looks like a possible aside while we are working on a few things in our relationship with Melbourne Uni. So I still await a plan that will come in a few months that decides what the Admin wants to do with the base, training facilities, growth strategy, and how it is all starting in earnest after we complete getting the footy side of things in line with what Roos wants.

You can delete posts...

I am giving you the chance for some self-reflection - it's up to you whether you take it on board.

Yeah, so you admit you were complaining about the fact an 18 year old was 'still developing in the VFL' in the first few weeks of his career? Kelly and Salem are both doing what they will be doing for a few years - developing. The only bloke that came out of that trade all guns blazing is the number 12 at the Dees.

F/S happens before trade week. So you cannot trade away all your picks and take him with Pick 78...

A 'total disaster'? What is the cost? What has been the opportunity cost that has been so devastating? I will answer for you - he was a rookie selection and all he has taken is a spot on the list for a team that has zero problem finding list spots for potential recruits. He is a competent back up ruck and means we don't have to go looking for ruck depth or build a tall kid from scratch to back up Jamar. I have no problem with having Spencer on the list in 2015 and 2016.

We aren't much chop... And I watched that WCE game - it is the singular reason we haven't got 40K members.

Why don't you start whinging about the Kelly trade again while you are hitting the repeat button on your profile. 'Salem is still developing' 'Kelly is playing' 'Dunstan derp derp'

You might be vomiting. And Spencer was given that contract a month ago. So Roos must have no idea, amirite? What about that clogger Pedersen or that spud Jetta? Can't believe they were given the chance to redeem themselves that they have taken. Their spots on the list should have been taken by Pick 95 and Rookie Draft pick 55 last year!

While I agree that trade protection should be removed, if players are enjoying FA then they will soon learn that their careers are fleeting and the desire for coin will mean the talent will further spread around the league. But again, smart clubs will progress, and dumb clubs will have a bad time. As it has always been...

Smart clubs can make the most of FA. You guys like Bernie Vince yeah? FA helped us get him. It got us the pick and smart people in our Footy Dept turned it into Vince.