sue

I naively assumed (and posted at the time) that Bell's comment about due diligence didn't refer to checking out the player. I supposed Bell was just trying to use big 'business-speak' words instead of simply saying that they won't continue negotiating because MFC is asking far too much. That seemed to fit the context in his press release and the point made by SFebes.

The only thing I'm certain about is that there are posters with diametrically opposite views who state with 100% certainty they are right and their opponent is full of crap. Trouble is, even after one side is eventually proved right, I doubt it will increase my confidence in their posts in future. There, I've offended everyone.

Don't wanna be too precious about our culture. What about the blokes we've just delisted or moved to other clubs? What about AVB who also almost went for family related reasons similar to Hoganminus the $? Does anyone here fear AVB won't put in in 2019?

Even if there are 'issues', they can't be major. If they were, Freo would have made no offer at all, and having made the mistake of making one, it would have been snapped it up by the MFC. Whoops, I think I've already posted that 100 pages back.

Thanks for finding that, but see my post immediately above yours.

OK, but that is just the second possibility I listed. It's not as strong as flat-out requesting a trade and that is re-enforced by: "He's got to make up his mind whether he wants to leave," Mahoney said. Not that it really matters. It seem clear that JH is (or at least was) ambivalent and now only time will tell.

that title doesn't mean Hogan requested the trade, and I can't find the article. As I belatedly edited my earlier post: On the club website: "He's got to make up his mind whether he wants to leave," Mahoney said. Which means that it was not a simple request to return. Without a direct quote from JM saying JH requested a trade, I'll assume it was mutual discussion, possibly initiated by us thinking if he leaves next year it's better for us for him to leave now and prodding JH. Or possibly JH asking the club how we'd feel about him moving west now. Not a direct "I wanna get out of here'.

Where's the actual quote for that? On the club website: "He's got to make up his mind whether he wants to leave," Mahoney said. Which means that it was not a simple request to return.

Whatever it is, it is not catastrophic because they still offered something, and if it was catastrophic, MFC would have jumped at it.

While it may serve Freo's interest to spread rumours and for Nixox to say: there are some posters here who are making similar statements. So either they have been duped or there is something....

Isn't there a mid-year trade period this year 2019? Does that allow getting in more players somehow? against future picks or whatever?

Ah, but you'll never find out he doesn't if he doesn't. I think Pascal put it the other way around.

I was commenting on another post.

Please keep on topic - I gather it is biscuits. (but me too)

In the debate regarding getting May even at a low price for Hogan, I expect many of us may be like me and have paid no attention to GC games over the last couple of years. So I'm ignorant of May's capabilities despite pouring over the May Cheeseboard thread.

Would you care to expand on that cryptic comment?

There are 3 logical possibilities: 1. Freo are idiots 2. Freo is holding out for a last minute deal with us 3. There is something about Hogan that is not public; injury or whatever. I'm not sure 1. is proved yet and it's a mistake to assume your opponent is an idiot. No 2. seems most likely.

Ask not for whom the Bell trolls, he trolls for thee.

but he didn't use it correctly so maybe he did write it.

There's a reason to barrack for Fro in the occasional game.

Bell's sentence: "As such, we have informed Melbourne and Jesse's management that we will not be continuing further with the due diligence process." has amateur pomposity written all over it.

Where there is uncertainty over who is the designated ruckman, the ruckman for each team will still be required to nominate to the field umpire. Presumably they mean uncertainty in the umpire's mind. So players will now have to read umpire's minds now in order to know they need to nominate. Appalling they haven't fixed the contact below the knees rubbish. The new 50m play-on rule sounds like madness. The penalty is often too big already. If the player receiving the 50m wants to get to his new mark quickly the main impediment is the speed of the umpire running backwards. Will he be allowed to overtake the umpire? Will that be the moment he calls play-on? Will the oppos running alongside the player getting the 50m have to stay 10 metres away I wonder? Has the AFL thought out the details?

"They haven't spoken to us about anything that entertains us at all about doing a deal." Rather mangled use by Josh of the word 'entertains'. If he had said that Freo had said something to entertain us (with helpless laughter) he would have been closer to the mark.

While I suspect you are broadly correct in that a player wouldn't do a medical without serious interest in moving, things may be far off being set in concrete on either side at that stage. A club may well wish to do the medical before being too definite about terms since they may wish to make a smaller offer if the player has some potentially limiting condition. That said, the broad terms could be agreed with sufficient escape clauses if the medical discovered issues. On the other hand I could imagine a vaguely interested player (who is tossing up options in his mind) being induced to do the medical with just arm waving vague offers from the club to 'look after' him. If you are going to inspect facilities/get a feel for a remote place, you might as well do the medical at the same time. While I suspect a good manager wouldn't allow that, I could easily imagine a player wanting to do it. BTW, did Trenners have a firm offer before he met the Richmond docs?

I doubt Jesse would be insulted by Freo making low offers. I'm sure they'd be telling him it's just their opening gambit and we love you. Of course they may find it is their final offer if MFC walk away.