GS_1905

I would leave next years draft hand alone. With 2 firsts and our 2027 1st, we can (and should) go after a ready-made superstar. I think there will be an abundance of talent that will become available. Butters - out of contract. Will be a RFA so we don't necessarily need to pursue him all picks. We have the cap space too, which is great. Will get May off our books too. Bailey Humphrey - will no doubt want to request a move again. Nick Daicos - after Collingwood start to fall off a cliff, he may want to look for greener pastures. Not saying we are greener pastures, but i hope we show enought improvement in 2026 to start to attract mature players for our next tilt. When Sidebottom and Pendles retire next year and De Goey is absolutely shot, their midfield is going to be super super bare and they have no draft picks to do anything. They are going to really crash hard unless they can pull some type of miracle with free agents. Id also love to pursue one of Freo's VIC players next year and/or LJ. Then there are the Key Position stocks. Maybe lodge an offer for Jed Walters / Ethan Read. There is always the draft too depending on how we fair in the 2026 season. Hopefully this year we prioritise more speed and kicking off half back / outside so that we can start to really improve ball movement and get a better assessment of our F50 stocks.

im not sure if it has been said but why on earth could we not secure tenancy at Junction Oval. We used to train there ages ago. I know its Cricket Vic HQ, but with the MCC connections, surely we could have secured a JV with Cricket Victoria.

I dont mind long term contracts. The only thing i would change is that if the player or player manager in anyway indicates to the club that he wants to leave while contracted, the salary component is null and void. We would still try to get a deal done for picks, but at least we dont ahve to worry about the salary aspect of it. This would also help naturally disincentivise players who look to sign up long term and then break contract when things start to turn sour. There is always the occasion that they may increase the salary which is fine but at least you are not hanging the club out to dry. If on the other hand the club initiates the trade then the salary component remains. i think its a simple change. It wont stop the leaking of a player is disgruntled to the media but it wont make it official either so the club can continue to come out and plead ignorance and play a straight bat saying its not entertaining any deals as the player is contracted and they havent heard anything. I dont think this changes the Oliver situation at all but it would have given us a little more leverage in the Trac deal, where without his salary in the frame, we could have gotten a bit more for him on the open market.

His circumstances were slightly different, but agree not a great look for a club that supported him for the last 2-3 years through his challenges. Ultimately, if that is the way they chose to play it, says a lot more about them, than it does about the club.

Absolutely pathetic. Just have to look at Curnow, and Mihochek to know what a genuine good fella does to thank their previous club.

Its not part of the Job Description.

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.