rpfc

Scully, Watts - 1 Trengove - 2 Sylvia - 3 Morton - 4 I said nearly... F..., Carlton should be better than they are...

Careful. Talk like that will start another handwringing thread.

Touched on that in another post. We will 'underpay' Frawley in a couple years time. And as with most things in footy - it is up to subjective interpretation.

Woewodin, Yze, White, and Bruce were great servants of this club. Scully, Trengove, Watts, Frawley, et al. are a different talent rating. If we overpay, we might actually get what we paid for...

But when you are in a 'false economy' like the one we find ourselves with GWS - you have to pay more than you want to. I'm sure that Frawley at 25 when he is on the same he is on at 22 will be paid 'under market.' I'd leave it to Tim Harrington to sort out, they would have thought about this. I don't know the stats but we must have near the most top 5 picks. We have talent, and that talent means demand, and that demand means we will be handing over a lot of dead presidents. I realise that term is american, I just like it.

Heh. Yeah, it's changed from 'how can he leave for ridiculous money when we would give him over-market money?!' to 'I really hope the club doesn't succumb to paying over-market money!'

But you know what they say... Where there is smoke, there is usually a meandering savant starting a brush fire. It's funny though. So many on here gearing themselves for Tom to leave on nothing more than idle rumour.

I think he meant - we don't want to pay over market the way we have for Woewodin and a few others.

Welcome to the wonderful world of keeping generational talent. We're not used to this. Happened a little with Davey and Green but Scully, Trengove et al. are destined for bigger things. Clubs will target them. We will pay them very well. We might actually get value for money...

Then you would have to do that for everyone, and I would prefer to use the increase in the cap for some wriggle room to keep our stars (the club are apparently keen to get a star when FA kicks in, but I don't think it's required).

Why sign a contract in the environment of a CBA that will be superceded soon? The pool might be similar, or it might be a helluva lot more, which means that the cap may be raised (the AFLPA are pushing for this). Velocity are doing the right thing by their client. Scully at market (which would be lucky to get) might get $50k more purely on the new CBA arising from the extra TV money. TBH, the more I think about it, the better the approach that Velocity is taking. Not as an MFC supporter, but as a professional business representing their client.

Been great value. Probably benefits most from Bruce pissing off.

And simplicity can be subjective at times can't it? I can't be stuffed editing it, but point taken.

MFCSSS

He will earn $5-7m net in 15 years for the Dees. His family would prefer he stay in the state. I have no inside knowledge, only common sense and personal experience. And don't patronise his 'blue collar' family. I am sure they just want their son to be happy, and will not have their financial security ahead of that happiness.

I have no idea of the veracity of your claims, and I don't base my views on any 'inside' knowledge. Occam's Razor tells me that he hasn't signed, he is entitled to wait, we shouldn't be worried, we will pay over market, and he should be kept from answering the bottomless pit of questions that journos would have for him. The next move for the club - let it be. We will give him an offer in time, it will be a good one, keep him from pressers not involving the words 're-signing today,' and don't confront him or give him an ultimatum. We are the MFC and we keep our best players.

I'll be down for the Sydney game - any drunken lout booing Tom gets verbally dissected by me to the point of total embarrassment to those around him. I don't think it'll happen but I won't allow one instance of it. Anyone thinking with evidence of nothing but rumour that he is leaving doesn't have the right to embarrass my club.

I don't mind the arrogance. It's just too bad we can't get a modicum of confidence about keeping talented 19 year olds...

I meant "agreed to go to GC," sorry. I'll edit that. My understanding is that nothing was signed until after the season but that assurances were made between seasons 2009 and 2010. Still, he said he wanted to captain of a side he in principle had already agreed to leave.

Ablett said he wanted to captain the club one day, knowing he had already agreed to go to GC. Words mean little, pressers mean nothing, I don't care about a spoken willingness to commit to the club - I only care about him re-signing. And, as I posted earlier, to limit your options by saying "I want to play only for Melbourne in 2011" - he will be limiting the amount he can get in his contract. Negotiations are a delicate process and limiting your options to one usually isn't a good move...

That's implied is it not? He plays for us. He puts the jumper on and runs 25kms a game. If we don't believe this view is held on all our players at face value, then we are in a terrible place. If we ask that question then we are saying to our players - we don't believe you're serious about this club because you haven't committed your intent to be apart of our future in the press. And do you really think that a statement other than a 're-signing' statement will quell the innuendo and pressure?

I can be whatever you want. I just don't think you are interpreting the 'facts' correctly. And I think that you don't show enough circumspection when discussing what should be done.

We see grey, ADC. You only see black where the colours haven't settled yet.

...so we seek an ultimatum? I would love to know where we stand, but it isn't our right to know. Let's be prudent and work through this like a confident club.

And he also touches on having confidence in those running the club. It really is the best headspace to be in. The article should probably be a sticky as we will have rumours pop up throughout the year as Gubby Allan continues to shake our tree.