demoniac

The problem wth this theory is that a player with a year to go on his contract does not have to agree to a trade. Thus we'd have to trade him to a club of his choice or he might decide to serve out the final year. Result being player's club may not get much more in a trade than they get from free agency compo though the later may be abolished within a few years. Point that a player has to agree to a trade stands.

Given the Melbourne Football Club is in the business of footy this is a strange decision. Obviously the President has a footy background but I doubt he would have the time to add nominal football director duties to his Presidential duties. It is the hardest spot on the Board to fill given ideally the person must have business and football experience.I can imagine Greg Healy had trouble combining demands of his job with the Football Director role. Are there any other clubs who don't fill the Football Director role?

St Kilda the obvious candidate for the speculation. Can't imagine they've met membership, sponsorship or attendance targets and appear to be in disarray on and off the field. Their membership alone has fallen from a peak of around 40,000 to around 33,000. We know the impact that has on revenue. Of course whether the speculation is correct is another question. As for the former... that'd only be unexpected by Essendon fans, thin tanned chaps who are shocked to be sitting here and tight faced ageing footy vaudevillians.

The role Fitzpatrick can fill is the athletic tall who can play forward and also go into the Ruck. We do not have 'any number' filling that role. We have 2 who can. One is Clark who who we should play as a permanent key forward and is injury prone. The second in Fitzpatrick. Thats it. Nyet. No more. Two. Not 'any number'.

In the era of substitutes and restricted interchanges a player who can play as forward and relieving ruckman is quite valuable. And for us that is Fitzpatrick. Clark could also do it but is more value for us playing as a key forward rotating between deep forward 50 and high half forward pushing into the midfield. In terms of Rucks I would rank them in order. Gawn. Spencer. Jamar. Gawn will hopefully have an uniterrupted pre season and be ready to assume the mantle of first ruck. Athletic for his height, can take a mark and win tap outs and can create a real mismatch when going forward. Spencer is deceptively athletic and has the hardness which you like to see in a ruckman. Needs to kep working on his ruckwork and marking. Jamar is generally injured for part of the season and has not recaptured his all oz form of a few years ago. Backup/Ruck Coach for mine. Savage is a undoubtedly talented running mid. Smart footballer who uses the ball well and can kick a long goal. I would be happy with using a second rounder on him ie the Sylvia comp pick if it is after our second round pick. Clark, Hogan and Dawes would love to see him running down the wing to deliver the ball to them. As he is contracted Hawk's wants will partly determine his destination and it seems they are after a ruckman as has been pointed out. Hard to see how they would go past Longer if thats the case.

One month of this. Its agony.

the footy journo (one of the unremarkable interchangable types who pop up on SEN - Update: Julian De Stoop) on SEN after 7 with BP said there is speculation Dayne Beams is unsettled at Collingwood. Conceivable given his fellow brat packers in Thomas and Shaw are being marched out the door in the name of cultural change. Worth noting that Anna Krien's book Night Games does not exactly paint Beams in a positive light as a man or a friend.

If Patton was up for grabs there'd be a stampede and Pick 4 would not get it done. What would the Pies give up for Patton for instance?

Jed Lamb is still out of contract at the Swans and may be one of those sacrificed to make cap space for Franklin. Hopefully GWS commit to taking Mumford with PSD Pick 1 and we claim Lamb with Pick 2. Turns 21 in October. 181cm. 84kg. Made his debut this year and played 12 games and kicked 9 goals. Pick 21 in the 2010 draft. Plays the high half forward role Sylvia is most suited to.

So you'd be happy if free agency allowed us to recruit a self confessed role player like Dawes (I am pro Dawes by the way) but saw us lose an All Oz CHB in Frawley? Cause thats the reality going forward...

Free Agency will most definitely work in favour of the strong clubs. Sometimes a strong club will lose a player to an equally strong club ie Buddy to the Swans or to a big if not currently strong club ie Thomas to the Blues but generally it will be the weaker clubs like us that lose A or B Grade players to the stronger clubs. Sometimes players will move for money but just as often they'll move to a club that plays finals pretty much every year. Losing Sylvia is not a hammer blow for us but losing Frawley at the end of 2014 would be a brutal loss. We might be able to pick up a few C Graders. Essentially the same teams will play finals every year and we'll divided like the Premier League between the haves and have nots. There are things the AFL can do to asssist the weaker clubs ie like ensuring they can pay 100% of the salary cap but rest assured the big clubs will fight too and nail against any genuine equalisation measures outside of the salary cap and the draft. So we are in the Commission's hands. Back to Frawley you can just imagine the Hawks having him as their Number One Free Agency Target in 12 months time to replace Lake and keep themselves in Premiership contention.

We are a financially struggling club with a low membership who have not won a flag since 1964 and have not played finals for years. That is just reality not pessimism. Can't see how any analysis of the outcome of free agency would see it as a positive for a club in our position.

Free Agency will most definitely work in favour of the strong clubs. Sometimes a strong club will lose a player to an equally strong club ie Buddy to the Swans or to a big if not currently strong club ie Thomas to the Blues but generally it will be the weaker clubs like us that lose A or B Grade players to the stronger clubs. Sometimes players will move for money but just as often they'll move to a club that plays finals pretty much every year. Losing Sylvia is not a hammer blow for us but losing Frawley at the end of 2014 would be a brutal loss. We might be able to pick up a few C Graders. Essentially the same teams will play finals every year and we'll divided like the Premier League between the haves and have nots. There are things the AFL can do to asssist the weaker clubs ie like ensuring they can pay 100% of the salary cap but rest assured the big clubs will fight too and nail against any genuine equalisation measures outside of the salary cap and the draft. So we are in the Commission's hands. Back to Frawley you can just imagine the Hawks having him as their Number One Free Agency Target in 12 months time to replace Lake and keep themselves in Premiership contention.

Col must have a burning desire to play in losing Grand Final teams! Nathan Jones and Jack Viney strike me as "If it is to be it is up to me' footballers. Can't say the same about Sylvia. Pragmatically can understand the decision he has made. He turns 28 in November and obviously sees Freo as a team that will play finals footy every year. Would be attractive compared to starting another rebuild at the Dees. But he must also realise that his stated desire upon his departure to always consider himself a Melbourne person is incompatible with his decision. He can't have it both ways. So he departs a player who more often than not flattered to deceive. A player whose output was less than his talent promised. He took a few years to get his body and his lifestyle right. Once he did we all predicted great things. Strong body with good balance of endurance and speed.Good overhead and a good kick. But he never could deliver on that consistently. Freo is an interesting team in terms of its Premiership window. This October Michael Johnson turn 29 and this December Sandilands turns 31 and McPharlin and Pavlich turn 32. The later 3 have had significant injury issues in recent years and their durability in 2014 and beyond is questionable. All 4 must play if Freo are to challenge for a flag rather than just make the the finals every year. Of course Freo might use their on and off field strength to attract replacements through free agency or trade.

Hmm a few state of origin errors... I call Yze Magic!

There are Dees fans in Toowoomba!

Sometimes I miss Yze Magic...

No wonder Tom Scully has deep pockets and short fingers. Think of all the pies he has to buy Dad.

Any deal for Pick 2 better be good.

Has the versatility and athleticism to play as the Forward who can also go into the Ruck. With Interchange Caps and Subs that versatility is a pretty important. Who else do we have for that role. Mitch Clark could do it but he gives great value as a permanent forward. No Deal.

Franklin says to Pickering I want to go to the Swans under Free Agency and my speedos to party in spas in with rugger chaps and Pickering organises a deal to do the former if not the later. That is a player agent doing his job. The only issue is that he blatantly lied which he should have been able to avoid by being a little smarter.

Buddy moving to Flag rival Swans will annoy Hawks' fans like my brother so there is a positive side to it! In pure football terms Buddy is a very good half forward flanker. He may be 196cm but in recent seasons he has been about as useful overhead as Paul 'The Armless Man' Johnson. $1.4 million a year for a 50 - 60 goal a year half forward is alot He will no doubt enjoy Bondi and the company of Rugger Party Boys like Beale. Presumably Tippett will play as key forward/2nd ruck if Mumford departs, with Reid as the second key forward and Buddy on the flank where he belongs. Pragmatically I question the Swan's decision because it will place even more pressure on the COLA. Time will tell.

so we can rule out Burns...

Hope he can get it together off field with the help of the Tigers. Needs to get alot fitter to realise his potential.

Richmond officials and players have devoted an extraordinary amount of effort in mentoring Martin off field and deserve great credit for that. Can you imagine their frustration when he turned up to St Kilda's Mad Monday celebrations at 10pm when the Tigers were playing their first final in 12 years 6 days later.He only turned around and went home because the realised media types had recognised him. That is a clear example of the questionable decision making that Martin is prone to when left to his own devices. Reading between the lines there has to doubts over whether he is capable of improving that decision making. Certainly everyone at Richmond crosses their fingers and hopes for the best when he is not at the club and not with a club official or team mate. His football talent is undeniable. The lack of confidence in his ability to make the most of that talent is also undeniable.