Dr. Gonzo

The club can't control what Petracca does but can make changes to fix the issues within. And hey, perhaps those issues contributed to an environment that led to Petracca acting in the way he is now. Players that love the "party life" huh? Are people so blinded by loyalty they can't see what's going on here? I'm as frustrated as the next supporter about all this and think Petracca has gone about it in the wrong way and is harming himself and the club in the process but this has been brewing for a long time and the club is to blame for not addressing the issues! Supporters who blindly follow the club and let the club leaders get away with it out of misguided loyalty are a big part of the problem too.

Or the club have their head up their [censored]

I empathise with his frustration at Melbourne's lack of success since winning the flag.

Or he was told things in confidence and didn't want to get too specific as he didn't want to burn his sources.

I recall him clobbering into the Swans earlier this year. Ideally you want a big key forward who plays with aggression but we did win a flag with Ben Brown. If we are going to bring in a big forward id prefer a player who can 1) get on the park and 2) can play back up ruck to Gawn so JVR/Petty don't have to. I wanted Chol last off season but it seems like our recruiters weren't interested, didn't try hard enough or were rebuffed. I don't know who else is out there so if it was between Lynch or Wright I'd prefer Wright as I think Lynch is cooked.

Will we get another email from Gary Pert tomorrow?

It's the AFL. He knows if he gets his wish and goes to a big club those supporters will embrace him. He'll then do a bunch of media with the compliant boys club to repair his image and by midway through next season no one but Melbourne supporters will care.

I take the point but Geelong losing Ablett arguably cost them flags in 2013 and 2016.

That's not my recollection. The club leaked info to the media about Oliver's personal issues as a way to deflect attention from the club when the media was asking "what's going on at Melbourne when a star player on a long term deals may be looking elsewhere". Whether you think it was in his best interests or not it was definitely "tough love" rather than the club wrapping their arms around him.

It's irrelevant, I'm talking about Petracca's motivations. Plus the Cats have been contending for 20 years and have a stable environment.

He wants multiple flags, wants to be a hall of famer with the record to match. He's said it before, I reckon he sees the writing on the wall at Melbourne we missed our chance at a dynasty, haven't won a final since the flag, missed finals altogether this year, key personnel have left/retired or are another year older, our already meagre crowds have dwindled and he wants to move to a big club that can win more flags in the few years before he retires. Personally I think that's the main issue, the other stuff is all just rationalising his decision to the club.

Ideally yes, and any good psych will give that advice to their patients but it's not always how it plays out in reality.

Watts was a no hoper who went missing when the whips were cracking. Complete opposite to Petracca.

Did we though? Didn't we start leaking to the media about his personal issues once it became apparent other clubs were in his ear?

Sure but the club has also been saying for years, trust us we will have the new facilities bedded down soon, just can't say anything specific, have to dot the i's and cross the t's - maybe he took them at their word and now sees it ain't happening before he retires. Not saying this is THE reason but another straw added to the pile.

Pies supporters don't have many nice things to say about Pert. Could definitely see him being shown the door especially if Roffey feels her or Goodwin's positions could be saved by doing so.

Buddy didn't leave the Hawks with bitterness between he and the club though, he left due to the money and contract length plus wanting more anonymity in Sydney. He didn't torch the club on his way out and move to a cross town rival. Completely different circumstances.

What a clusterfurk. Heads must roll over this. Poor leadership, poor governance, poor culture. End of story.

They truly are the evil Sith doing the bidding of the dark side

From what I can gather the only other club to lose a Norm Smith medallist was WCE who lost Judd BUT he won it in a losing side. It is unfathomable what has happened to this club since winning the flag, is it just that we can't have nice things?? Supporters will be absolutely furious if this trade eventuates and the club must front with answers. The typical corporate speak and fobbing us off will just lead to more disillusionment and disengagement. Petracca is huge with the young supporters who will drop off unless we can get back to winning and win another flag very soon.

Most other big professional leagues give the club power to trade a contracted player whether they can get the best deal. In the AFL we must have the contracted players agreement before moving them on. Would be far better if the club owned his contract so could trade him wherever we could get the best return for the club instead of having to sort out a trade with his desired landing spot.

Alternatively it could be that the injury/trauma made him reassess his life/career and a desire to move on from a place he can see hasn't addressed the concerns he's raised previously or from a place that will never be the big club he wants to be part of etc. To the other parties it can look as though he is not himself but it may just be that his priorities have changed or that he has made a decision to go in a different direction. He is still himself he is just acting differently towards the club/players because he has decided he wants to be elsewhere.

Would prefer Peter Wright. Far cheaper and more durable.

McKay exacerbates our accuracy problems though. Would rather keep Trac and get Peter Wright on the cheap.

Exactly, that's the only way to read how this has played out. No one is demanding Petracca release a public statement, all we are saying is that in the absence of one it is clear what is going on behind the scenes. Supporters trying to claim all is right, media are just making up stuff/picking on Melbourne, Petracca is suffering, doesn't owe supporters anything etc is just coping mechanism. I'm interested to see how this plays out over the next month or so because as I said earlier it feels like it's going to get ugly with MFC playing hard ball and holding him to his contract when he clearly wants out. Even if he stays this trade period it will be a constant story for the next 12 months.