CHF

Can we assume that there is a 'pecking order' with regard to any of the zones on the ground given that there has been so much change in the list, the coaches and the game plan? I think that new, clear eyes will be assessing everyone during the preseason. I know that there is historic form and evidence with all of the players but this is a very different club to what is was a couple of months ago. I think there will be a few surprises from players that will challenge us to alter our perceptions of them.

I am not a big one on bagging players on our list at any time. This pre-season in particular I cannot really understand knocking a player for what they might/may have done or not done. We have a new senior coach and a restructured coaching team, a new president and a new administration. Significant changes at all levels of the club including big changes to the playing list. As far as I am concerned, everyone starts with a clean sheet. Across the board. I will judge them by their actions and results as a team and as individuals. I will be excited to see what some of the lesser lights bring to the table during the pre-season. The likes of AJ, Laurie, Jefferson, Culley and Adams. Add to that the excitement of a few new names added through the draft and we have a lot to look forward to in 26.

An interesting observation GW. In a thread during the season I said Tholstrup was in danger of becoming known as 'The Hologram' as to me he was all image and very little substance. Sounds like I may not have been alone in those observations. I hope that he really steps up in this season with a really good strong pre-season.

A big thanks to the track watchers. I am smiling bigly on this side of the world.

I believe that the word 'larconic' was coined by the the Athenians around 500BC in reference to the Spartans who did not say much and were from the region of Larconia. #uselessfactoftheday

Firstly, let me say how much I appreciate the fearless reporters that post to all of the training threads during the pre-season. Resident where I am in N-W Europe it is really a critical off-season lifeline so that I can get a real feel for what the team is up to. A really big personal thank-you to all of you. Now, without putting too much pressure on all of you, the next 5 months leading into the ’26 season will be the most critical pre-season reporting period that we have had for many a year. So, no shirkers! A big turnover of senior players, new senior players coming to the club, a new coach and new assistant coaches, a couple of first round picks to run the eye over…… a new style of play… a different approach to training? So much we will all need feedback on Again, a big thanks to all the track watchers. I am looking forward to whatever reports land and I am very optimistic about next season the following ones. Go Dees in ’26!

Post BBQ cleanser?

Petracca to the Suns only to get done at this stage if The Hump is part of the deal. No Hump, No deal and Petracca plays in Red and Blue next season. Is what I am hearing.

I think it will end up getting done. Early next week if only picks are involved and it could drag out to last minuet if Hump is part of the deal.

Jared and Trent …Riv and Trib?

Whisper that I got from a friend of mine that usually has good information is that the Hump/Petracca deal is 80% certain of getting done. Details of additional bits and pieces and addons to be decided. No idea if it is dependent on the outcome of a possible Oliver trade. Targeting early next week to allow time for other things to be settled after the deal. I value his information but nothing is certain in this life.

With regard to the situation with both Petracca and Oliver I think we should take what the club says regards retaining both of these players during this trade period at face value. I believe that we are more than prepared to keep both of them if the right deal cannot be done. A lot on here are looking at the situation through eyes that reflect the values of 20/30 years ago when a player's loyalty to a club was a thing that was highly valued. That is not the case anymore. A lot more dollars involved. Player loyalty is a thing of the past. Players and clubs are a hell of a lot more professional and footy clubs are business first. I see the position MFC are taking as the next step in professionalism. In reality the club is saying that any player, no matter what the contractual situation is, is free to explore the market, but unless the club gets value for money, it will not facilitate a trade. To my mind the club has to be prepared to back their words and accept either/both back into the playing ranks if a deal cannot be struck. They have been up front about where they stand, now they need to back it up.

I thought about putting this in a few of the threads. Not sure if this is the right one but .... it might be. Just a thought on what might be the broader picture in the situation with Petracca and Oliver. Let me see….. May under contract and told he is free to look for another club… Petracca under contract, had his situation discussed with him and told about the role he could expect to play in the team. Was also told that he could explore his options if he wanted to. Oliver under contract, same as Petracca… told what was expected of him and his role within the team as from next season. Told he could look around if he wanted to. These three are, of course, senior, very experienced players that have some decisions to make with regard to their immediate futures. Serious business. However, I applaud the club for the positions they have taken with these players. That is not to say that I consider any of the players at fault. The process that the club has in place strikes me as a mature response and a very professional one at that. Over the last 10/15 years more power and control has evolved to the players with respect to where they play and how they honour their contract conditions. In a lot of respects, they have demanded that clubs become more professional. With the replacement of the coach, CEO and, in the near future, the President, MFC is looking to throw some of the professional responsibility back on the players and their agents. “You want to move with 5 years on your contract, well, feel free to have a look around to see if you can satisfy our requirements. However, be assured that if we are not satisfied and a trade cannot be made, we will hold you to your contract and expect a proper, professional playing approach from you. The club will not be actively seeking a trade for you this off-season” I see nothing wrong with this approach at all. While it is squarely putting a lot of the responsibility back in the Player and their agents it is also taking back a good degree of control for the club. The player and his team might arrive at a preferred club but, rather than make the statement and throw it over to the club to work out with an expectation that they will negotiate and sort it out, in this situation it is the responsibility of the player and his nominated club to present a deal to MFC. This leaves a lot of power in the hands of MFC. In fact, the MFC do not have to state what deal will satisfy them. All they need to do is to say…. “Sorry, that is not good enough. If that is your last word, he plays out his contract.” I can see the whole of the playing group working through the implications of this attitude by the club. May situation is a little different. He is that bit older than Petracca and Oliver is losing a pace or two, not as flexible as he once was and is being looked at as a possible disrupter on the list. He has been great for us, but this is a new era for the club. I hope that the coaches and the club administration continue with this direction. it will make a refreshing change with the coaches, in particular supervising, directing and controlling the playing list within the constrains of a clear vision and approach. All, the players, coaches and club need to know where they stand.

I am hearing from a couple of people that both Petracca and the club learnt a lot from what happened last year. Both are a bit 50/50 over what might happen this year. Petracca would be fine with staying with the club and the club would be happy with him staying. If Petracca decides to look elsewhere then the club's position is that they will want a proper return. I think that there are some outlines on what they see as proper value. No idea what they are. If the club cannot see the value in the trade then Petracca sticks to his contract and plays with Melbourne in '26. King, his approach to the game style and Petracca's role in that plan is critical in the decisions that are taken. If he stays I could see him being on the ball a little more than he has in the past two seasons. I believe that if he moves then there will be every attempt to negotiate the deal very quietly and then roll out the deal into the public domain quickly and with a little fore warning a possible. In my opinion, Petracca will be a lot more comfortable playing next season after having '25 as a 'recovery' season from the serious injury he had in '24. The injury he sustained, upon reflection, was most likely the first time Christian realized that he was not bulletproof. I do not have a problem with players moving clubs. AFL is a professional sport where the players have a limited amount of time to earn their dollars. They need to maximise their income. However, as with all jobs that people do, your income is only one part of it and has to be balanced with enjoyment of you work environment, the people you work with an understanding of the structure in which you work. I have no idea how this will unfold over the next few weeks. My preference is for Petracca to stay and play out his contract.

I am encouraged by the performance against the Bulldogs. I enjoyed watching the game as it was an entertaining match with a lot of free flowing footy where the Dees showed a lot of heart in the way they played after a tough week in the office. We were running with a patchwork defence and a midfield that was down on it's usual levels of performance and yet scored 15 goals. I think that the big thing that came out of the game for me was the high level of professionalism by the whole team. They were playing against a team fighting for their finals birth and very nearly rolled them. I could see the style of footy they are trying to put in place but at times their execution let them down. I differentiate between skill and execution as I believe that a majority of our list have the skills but need to get stronger in the 6" between the ears to improve their execution. On this thread I read a few comments regarding Windsor's kicking and that he missed a few targets however, there are not a lot of comments regarding Pickett's missed kicks and resulting turnovers. Two or three of Pickett's first few kicks were no very good (putting it nicely) and yet it is the young bloke that get picked out for his misses. I am looking for a couple more similar performances over the last two rounds. A few observations: Max is getting it done and is looking good for his 8th AA. He is looking a tired to me and that is understandable given his workload. There were some good performances by our younger brigade and I enjoyed seeing Windsor in particular running with the ball and working inside a bit. Langford is looking the goods and while he was second to Baker I liked that the coaches moved him forward to change his role and bring him into the game. I liked Chaplin's presser. Answered the questions in a clear straight forward way and did not utter any cliches that I noticed. TMac and Melky look to have one more year of run in their legs. Adams deserves another game next week and maybe get an easier opponent than the form forward of the comp. Hawks next.... love to beat them.