rpfc

Yes, you can read a great deal into it on this site.

You watch Jackson keep us up there.

Poor kid.

No, it wouldn't be. I use that example in my new tiered system to fix the issue of clubs who have lost a high-end FA staying out of FA altogether.

Trading a RFA has precedent - Monfries was effectively traded from Ess to PA. Trading a UFA is trickier and I really doubt whether it can be done, I also don't think the AFL should allow it. The PFA would not like it at all. SCENARIO WHERE UFA MIGHT BE TRADED: Player X is free and has no attachments (like RFA) to his previous club, but because his new club doesn't want to dilute the compensation that it has received from a FA who has left, they wish to trade in Player X. rpfc's view of this possible hypothetical: The AFL should step in at this point and not allow it in my opinion. The PFA rightly has said that compensation is geting in the way of clubs signing FAs as they don't wish to dilute their compensation should they lose a FA. Frankly, the AFL should either forget this 'net loss/gain' idea that they got from the NFL (where there is a huge turnover in FA of middling players) and label FAs as Tier 1, Tier 2 and Untiered. Tier 1 gets a 1st round pick BEHIND the team's pick. Tier 2 gets a 2nd round pick BEHIND the team's pick. Untiered would be the majority of these FAs and allow these players to be signed without indirectly punishing a team for doing so. Franklin and Thomas would be Tier 1. Sylvia would be Tier 2. Daniel Jackson would be untiered. It would be based on salary, b+f finish, games played etc. For example; we could sign Jackson in FA without diminishing our compensation for Sylvia.

We are not headed for an NBA-like scenario. The NFL would be a better comparison. In both codes, the best players rarely leave, and when they do it is a huge deal. There are just less 'best players' in the NBA. 15 man rosters with about 3 promising kids, 10 role players, and 2 stars (or those that think they are stars). In the NFL - about 8 promising kids, 8 stars (OTTTTAS) and 36 role players. The role players are increased and they move around more. But teams don't identify themselves with these players. In the AFL, with the introduction of FA, there should be a loosening of the restrictions on those role players and that is not a bad thing at all. The numbers change from team to team but we would have about 12 stars or promising young players per team and about 30 role players. For every Goddard there were Byrnes, Knights, Chaplin, Pearce, Young, Moloney, Rivers, Murphy, and Lynch in the last FA Period. Like every Celtic had Pierce for 15 years, and Laker fans have Bryant until he is in a wheelchair, fans rarely see the back of their best players even in the NBA. James may have left Ohio, but Dallas still has Nowitzki, Wade will be with Miami forever, Garnett spent 13 seasons not winning things in Minnesota, Nash was incredibly loyal to Phoenix and Dallas, and there are many more examples. Professional sports is still a very stable place for the very best players - the ones that the fans idolise.

"I thought you said you would save the club." I tried, but you didn't accept the draft assistance...

What straw argument? That was the argument. Roos is dithering and/or dismissing. It is hurting our brand. I would argue, in fact I did, that it is irrelevant and unimportant. I also said that significant decisions should not be brought to the alter of public perception for their conclusion. You don't have to agree, just don't say I evade.

Why do you constantly bring this back to our pathetic culture? Whatever you call what happened in 2009 wasn't the cause of our problems - it may have been a symptom - but it is not as simple as saying: our culture would be better off without PPs or draft assistance or handouts. And some bring up Sydney and Geelong and their refusal to 'bottom out' and get 'handouts.' What do you call the extra $1m that Sydney get? What does the 8 games a year at the unique regional ground get Geelong? (Around $6m in gate receipts) I don't see them hedging on the appropriateness of what they have. They fight to keep what they have, demand that the AFL bow, and show nothing but smug satisfaction when others marvel at what they have achieved. I want that attitude at the Demons. And Jackson agrees with me, he has already called this team a hindrance on the league. And we are. And when teams become a hindrance, it gets corrected. And it gets corrected through the draft.

You haven't convinced me that perception should dictate decisions - which is what is being argued. An ultimatum to a prospective coach because of what the perception of that by the public at large is not good decision making. You want a well run club? Stop worrying about little things like whether or not a prospective coach's dithering on coming to the club is hurting the brand. We need to worry about getting tangible things right before we dress up the unique process of headhunting an experienced head coach.

I think you are readin WJ far too literally. The scales will move slighly if we win 3 or 4 games out of 7 from here. But they are so heavily weighted with the nonsense of the last 7 years it that it would still be a huge imbalance. We have no midfield and no tangible assets to move to acquire midfielders. We need draft assistance.

I don't care about that. Perception is a superfluous and/or superficial reason to do anything.

Where did I say you couldn't post it? You say it. I took exception to it. You have a problem with me saying I took exception to it. The end. What a story, they should film that and show it every Christmas. In my view - pulling the name of the new coach or who will win the B+F out of your arse is different to predicting a worrisome injury will end the career of a player. I said as much. We all move on and grow.

Damages our brand? God, I hate that term. 1. No it doesn't. We shouldn't rush this, we can wait until October if we want to. 2. What 'brand'? We are a terrible, shell of a footy club right now trying to put together a Board, get a Footy Manager and a coach, being run by a AFL paratrooper. Disney we ain't.

The pre-disposition of Melbourne supporters is (perhaps correctly) to assume the worst of any situation. You don't need to tell me about the seriousness of the injury - I understand that. And, right now, we are in the phase where any information on his future is incredibly sought after by posters on this site. Posters worrying about his future - I have no problem with. Posters implying they know more than they do with closed statements like 'he will never play again' - I do have a problem with. If you have inside knowledge, then explain and we can take it on face value and cry into our beers tonight. But if you are just relaying your own fears as facts - keep them to yourself.

But you don't know anything do you?

The Bulldogs will get one soon, not this year however. Their coach didn't say what the papers implied - he almost agrued for assiatance for his club aswell as us, not scrapping the practice altogether. We are terrible and we need to get better quickly. We need some trade assets - we need draft picks.

We need a decent culture so no to Thompson. You don't want me to go any further and explain it. Just let that idea go.

I believe you need to get permission from the club to interview, and that it can be denied. Appointments are not made when the Press Release comes out so I don't know how they are going to police that. Frankly I would wait but with Jackson going on holiday over August-Sept it may not be viable to do so. To be honest, I don't think interviews will be next week, but we will see.

Kent has a better future.

What do you mean? They 'Signed and Traded' Monfries in so that they could keep their 'Net' undiluted in the positive and Pearce got Band 3 and Chaplin got Band 3. Happy days for all at Port. La la la la. Give me Pick 22.

Translation?

You are insulted? You come on here to insinuate a player will never play again and you do it just to inflame your fellow Demons supporters. You don't do it to ingratiate yourself now do you?

Yeah, well, Pearce and Chaplin got Port Picks 29 and 30 with BAND 3 Compensation. I expect the same.