GS_1905

What really annoys me is how all the media are now applauding Essendon, Saints and Suns for holding onto their players. But it was absolute crickets last year when we held onto Trac and Oliver. The narrative controlling mind****s really does my head in. Also very little pundits mention the fact that we got 3 first round picks for Trac - Suns absolutely paid overs for him. He'll be a dud up there.

I was surprised to see he is only 29. So yes - he slots straight into Clarrys role.

What actually happened to Jack ? he was really good about 5 years ago?

I said B+ going in and can take a B. Getting BH would have locked in an A

I dont think that is the reason why. In fact i dont know the real reasons why he ultimately wanted to leave, but clearly it had a lot to do with his NDE and his handling of that situation which left him isolated from the main playing group. I think these stories will come to light soon enough now that he has left.

Ultimately going to the draft was our only choice as we have many areas in the 22 that need coverage. 4 more first rounders should get us 80-90 % of what we need and we can trade for the rest. Unfortunately, i think we are in for a rough 2-3 years where we are unlikely to do better than 10 wins. But watching how quickly Hawks turned things around, we could start to challenge from 2028-2029 if things go our way. It hurts to write that, but we really didnt have the right people in the club around the 2021 - 2023 timeline to help correct course. I dont think it would have ultimately mattered as nobody was going to trade Oliver and Petty at the time when we were contending and the game style really changed so much that half our list was not cut out for it. Hindsight is a wonderful thing and to borrow a Goodwin phrase, the learnings of that period should help us make better decisions moving forward.

B: May, Petty, AMW HB: Lindsay, Turner, Bowey C: Windsor, Viney, Langford HF: Chandler, van Rooyen, Culley F: Fritsch, Mihocek, Melksham FOLL: Gawn, Rivers, Pickett IC: Tholstrup, Langdon, Steele, Lever, Jiath EMERG: Howes, McDonald, Salem, Sparrow DEPTH / ROTATIONS / GIVE A SHOT: AJ, Sharp, Jeffo, Kentfield, Pick 7, Pick 8, Heath, Adams, Tom Cambpell LEAVE AT CASEY UNTIL BANGING DOOR DOWN FOR SELECTION: Mentha, McAdam, Hendo, Sinnema, White Jnr NEVER AGAIN: Laurie Its actually not that bad a blend of youth and experience. I really hope we start to see the Duke, Bison and XL shine- show so real promise. Now with Claz and Trac gone, i think we will start to notice a lot more balance and poise with our midfield.

I couldnt beleive the loophole when i heard it. But then remember this is how Carlton managed to get Jack Martin from GCS.

I did it last year :D Now i need to update all my passwords. Maybe i use Jiath's first name... aint no Quantum Computer cracking that!

That is massive overs for Curnow. I think this will come back and haunt them big time. His knees and ankles are shot.

Do we package up two picks to go after WCE's 2nd or Richmonds 3rd? I'd say Pick 7 and GCS F1 and maybe a F2? Sullivan Robey may just be the Oliver repalcement we need.

Bring on the deathride. Its not unusual to see a team take a step back after their first finals appearance. Dees 2018, Freo last year. I can definitely see a year where Suns finish 9th. They look strong offensively, but they are very vulnerable behind the ball so we will see how that stacks up. Very real chance we have two top 10 picks next year and i can see us using these both to lure a big name to the club along with our 2027 First.

Couldn’t care less about Trac but this one makes me sad.

Good riddance. 3 firsts firsts for a has been, prima donna is a good outcome for us.

Absolutely not. Still feel bad for Clarry but the reality is he was a main contributor to our current state. We need to turn over a new page and for that, get rid of all the bad eggs.

Planting seeds for the next 3-4 years. When we finish bottom 4 over the next 3 years watch the media come for him.

Does Trac record a message to MFC fans like Checkers did? My money says no.

The fact that he has to weigh up to leave the Saints just shows how far the mighty have fallen. We have list spots to fill and need folk of good character to help rebuild. He doesnt have to be playing footy to have an impact on the playing group.

It is. However no matter if Trac stayed or not, we are not contending for at least 3-4 years. So i dont actually see the benefit of keeping Trac especially given his negative influence on club culture. The real win would have been to snare BH as part of the deal with another pick. But we just dont have the negotiating ability to make that happen. Still two top 10 picks will get us some solid depth.

But he can just request a trade back home without specifying a club. I think BH has not come out publically out of respect for his club and team mates. Sucks for us, but he is not throwing his club under the bus despite how significant the draw back home is.

They really need to hire a consultant who can assist during trade week. We had all leverage at the start of the week and then ol champ Trac had to go ahead and nominate. We should have been clear right from the start was that if he chooses to nominate and we lose our position, we will not be trading him. But the whole situation with Trac has been untennable for over 12 months and everyone in the industry knew this no thanks to Trac himself. I hope everyone can truly see him for what he really is. Whilst he maybe the consummate pro, he is toxic around our club and he has really tarnished his legacy at Melbourne. I'm less forgiving than most and would be more than happy to tear up his life membership.

I don tthink Tim Lamb is cut out for the brutality of trade negotiations. He is Mr Nice Guy and appears to be taken advantage of year after year. GWS is basically waiting for us to blink. The whole nonsense around not having cap space basically is designed to make us sweat. If the reports on DeGoey to GWS are true, id pick up the phone to Collingwood and say well take DeGoey pick (15) and give you Oliver and take a 40-50% of his salary. Id say Oliver is probably in better physical condition and is younger than JDG so theyd effectively get a more fit player at about 60% of the price. If Oliver doesn't want to go there, he better be in tip top shape for pre-season. If not, then id reach out to the AFL and start the convo around terminating/suspending contract as the Doggies did with JUH. There has to be a clause in contract around players professionalism and ability to play.

EXACTLY. In fact i think its harming our midfield more because they are unable to execute their roles. A well-balanced midfield with each player, playing their role is a more effective unit. I think Rivers, Viney and Spaz will provide the mature bodies with Kozzy also on the outside. We'll then have Langford, Lindsay, Windsor all rotating through over the next 2-3 seasons before our midfield reaches its peak potential and the window at that time, will potentially re-open. We will also have other players join no doubt through trade and draft that will add depth. Humprey would have been a good acquisition, because we dont know exactly what 7 and 8 will hold.

literally just beat me to it.

So it’s back on?