binman

I believe all of life's mysteries can be explained by the film Life of Brian:

He'll have to fight JVR for that honour I reckon.

Young gun, who could walk into any club in the AFL, recommits to the club for 4 more years - club's in crisis! Meanwhile at tiger land three of their best five players at the peak of their powers all leave - move along nothing to see here!

Indeed. And even tracc, or at least words attributed to him, described the 'culture' issues in the past tense - eg 'previous' issues. The issues tracc has ventilated this season are a mixture of old grievances (eg how clarry was managed in 2023 and previous years, an implication stuff wasn't reined in etc etc) and the fall out from his injury. And the latter stuff is really tracc's problem, not indicative of a club wide issue amongst players. I'm not debating there were issues in 2023 and in previous years - the club acknowledged as such during the 2023/24 off season. I flagged them myself. And perhaps there still are stilll issues (major ones I mean, there are always minor issues at EVERY club at any given point in time). But the evidence simply does not support there being major issues at the club atm. If the environment is as bad as the media, and many on here, make it out to be, it makes no sense that so many players extend their contracts this year, most in the last couple of months, particularly young guns like jvr, kolt and windsor who had no need to extend now Can someone who thinks we are in crisis or have huge culture issues explain why jvr, kolt and Windsor would choose to extend now when all three could wait until next year or the year after? Or why langers, one of our most professional trainers, would choose to extend his contract? And if it was so bad, tracc could have got to a club who had the capital to get a deal done. Ditto koz. I just think there is a risk of conflating issues and having them blend together into a sense of unbroken chaos. Which doesn't equate to me being naive about issues at the club - i have been consistently critical over a number of years about how we manage things, particularly from a comms perspective. One example - i was very critical of the club for not publicly rebuking Clarry for that stupid, immature pre training interview he did when he was just about to come back into the side late in 2023 and his immature behaviour feigning a hammy injury at that same training. (ironically i copped it pretty hard on that thread for being too precious and making a mountain out of a mole hill - ironic because the subtext was this was a continuation of behaviour that I was aware of and felt the club should do more to rein in and manage. Suffice to say i was in no way surprised when the issues came to light at season's end). But at any given time something is always happening at club land - it's just a matter of whether it gets traction in the media and a story that can endure for more than a day can be spun out of it. Take the Stengle story. The Cats are top 4 and only a few weeks out of finals, having played a game in the arvo, Stengel (a bloke who has got well know form in this space) gets so hammered at a night club that he passed out, collapsed and had to be taken to taken to ER in an ambulance. That's incredibly serious. And only happened a few weeks ago. At a club lauded for its culture.

That's a very long bow. I might argue that there is evidence of trust at all levels, for example mutiple players recommitimg to the club in the last 2 months, two of whom, kolt and Windsor, who did not need to do so for another two years. And I might posit that for all the bluster from tracc, and the whispers about koz (who if crunch came to crunch, we probably agree to a trade if he really needed it done) both are staying. And in regard to leaks, it is supposition not fact the club leaked. I'd say it's more likely in the koz example that it was his player manager who leaked to the media. I mean the alleged info about him being homesick was supposedly discussed in his exit interview. Goody and the player. And perhaps someone else from the fd. Who else is privy to that info - his manager, who may have been with him, and if not would have briefed him before and debriefed after the interview. And who i might add benefits from a potential move financially.

Why?

Agree. That's gold. Love that rather than leaving it there, Barrett goes on to explain their involvement in the Petracca saga - that's to say they apparently basically had no involvement. If true, that's a pretty good gig - one of the highest paid players in the AFL tries to wiggle out of his contract and his managers had no involvement other than putting out some feelers mid season (ie read dinners at the Flower drum with club officials and other player managers).

Fair dinkum there's some nonsense written. An afl.com puff piece that reads more like a 'we've got yiur back' infomercial for his player management team. Like the media and champion data, player managers are part of the closed shop afl monopoly - can't allow members of the AFL boys club to get criticised. The one example given of why conners et al couldn't possibly have been involved is from 17 years ago for petes sake. For what it's worth I think this has been driven by tracc. But that doesn't absolve conners of all responsibility - a big part of a player managers job is protecting their clients from their own stupidity. They clearlyv failed tracc on that front.

I was thinking a character in the Dukes of Hazard.

Luxury, sheer luxury.

Spot on. After the finals, trade period, draft, xmas break and a full preseason, by round one next year the players will barely remember all this silliness. Ditto fans. The young blokes will have forgotten about it already.

I posted this in the koz thread, but it fits better here (Note: I don't think the media has it in for us per se. The media is interested in drama. All footy clubs are rife with drama. But some clubs are better than others at keeping it in house - in large part because of really good comms management. We're not one them BUT I do think the smaller clubs, of which unfortunately the dees are one, do cop it more than the big clubs. Does a media ghoul really want to get on the wrong side of say the pies, if the result is reduced access to their players and chuckles mcrae? Wheras they could care less about angering the dees, dogs or the roos. And I'd also note there is a correlation between these two factors - even with the soft cap, bigger clubs can afford to spend more on comms. I recall Peter Jackson saying he would prioritise using resources for the footy department ahead of things like comms because winning games was the priority) Media: Demons in CRISIS!!!!!! Players left right and centre want our of the club!!!!! Peteacca, ANB (quick release that info) and Kozzie all want out !!!!!!! Reality: Petracca stays. Koz stays. Nibbla goes, but is at pains to say how much he loves his teamates and the MFC. And mutiple players (including several future stars who didnt need to extend now, a respected senior player and our skipper) recommit in the last two to three months. Reality: Three of the Tigers five best players want out - Bolton, Baker and Rioli. And all three will almost certainly leave. Even in the context of tbe rigers being in rebuild mode, that’s huge -particularly given all three are at the peak of their powers (unlike say tracc, who is pushing 30 and returning after a very serious injury). Imagine if at the start of goody's tenure tracc, oliver and Max all left the club And losing two senior Aboriginal players can't help in terms of support for young Aboriginal recruits, or trading in Aboriginal players for that matter. Media:

Media: Demons in CRISIS!!!!!! Players left right and centre want our of the club!!!!! Peteacca, ANB (quick release that info) and Kozzie all want out !!!!!!! Reality: Petracca stays. Koz stays. Nibbla goes, but is at pains to say how much he loves his teamates and the MFC. And mutiple players (including several future stars who didnt need to extend now, a respected senior player and our skipper) recommit in the last two to three months. Reality: Three of the Tigers five best players want out - Bolton, Baker and Rioli. And all three will almost certainly leave. Even in the context of tbe rigers being in rebuild mode, that’s huge -particularly given all three are young. Imagine if at the start of goody's tenure tracc, oliver and Max all left the club And losing two senior Aboriginal players can't help in terms of support for young Aboriginal recruits, or trading in Aboriginal players for that matter. Media:

Yep, so thrilled. Pro scouts? Is it a Netflix series?

And he's got the habit, like the bont and many left footers (i think because opponents instinctivly cover the right side), of wheeling onto his left foot and kicking off no steps. I love that - gets the ball moving quickly and the ball is kicked under less pressure.

At first I thought that was a lowlights package But then I realised it must be all Langdord's involvements in that particular vfl game. It's actually good to see a more balanced video package. Also good that its at vfl level sometimes the guns dominate at junior level.

In America I reckon moving for college is a big factor in people's preparedness to move cities and states. That and historically labor has followed industry - for example black families leaving the south for work in Chicago, LA and Detroit. And housing costs have historically been stable and affordable, which reduces barriers to moving. That's changing, with America now experiencing a housing crisis of the sort ours kicked of 25 years ago. Interestingly, i read an article the other day that said Americans are now moving less than at any time in history.

And how will the pies respond to failing to make finals this year? More fire breathing? What happens to the lions this year if they once again fail to win a flag? What about powerhouse clubs like the crows and the Eagles? Resources coming our their wazoo and they have been mired in the bottom half of the ladder for years - incredible since the crows played in a GF in 2017 and the Eagles won one in 2018. We won a flag the year after we last missed finals - something that can't have happened too often in VFL/AFL history. Surely to Goodwin we get some credit for doing so in terms of clear evidence of our ability to bounce back after a poor season. Or do we just ignore history and parrot and ampifly the media's doom cycle, club in crisis narrative?

The flag and a norm smith to tracc double is a massive long shot. Our odds on winning a flag will probably be something like 20-1. Tracc winning the norm smith propaganda 25-1 or more (hence the 500-1). It's tough to win a flag, a lot has to go right - just ask the pies who failed to make finals the year after winning one. 500-1 is not a million miles from what you'd get for a pies flag nick daicos norm smith double. But what I actually meant was it is even money the following would happen (not that you could bet on it): Dees have a cracking preseason. The Max, Jack, tracc and clarry band gets back together. The young Turks (JVR, mcvee, Windsor, Kolt, disco and pick 5) make their own music. I see no reason why the above won't happen. But to be honest you are reading way too much into what was a light-hearted post not a serious prediction. A serious prediction - we will make finals next year.

And an 11am start next week. No doubt it's something to do with not clashing with the afl finals, but at an 11am start? Poor.

Yes I agree, which is why i said it could all be boiled down to: 'Star player unhappy with how injury managed and concerned premiership wondow is shut wants to get to a more successful Victorian club.' But what i should have said was Star player unhappy with how injury managed and concerned premiership wondow is shut wants to get to a more successful Victorian club, but can't because there's no suitors

'Previous culture issues.' An important part of the story one would have thought.

I'm a punter. I look for value. What's a redlegs membership go for? Let's say $250. And for the sake of argument, let's say the GF ticket is also $250. So, I'm risking $250 to win $250 - an even money bet. When a market goes up post GF for next year's GF I could probably get 500-1, perhaps more, for a dees' flag into tracc winning the Norm Smith Multi. If i staked $250 and the dees tracc double got up, at 500-1 my return would be $125k. If i took your offer, and won, my profit would be $500 - a fair bit less than $125k. Not a great value bet then. Well and truly unders. So, thanks for the offer, but I'll pass on the bet (though I might take the 500s with a bookie). But im looking forward to the redemption part of the narrative arc regardless.

Well, you clearly don't believe in the footy gods. Or Lady luck. I've had a word with both and they agree we're due some luck.

There's few players who are Gulden good. If not elite, the key is any player we draft in has to be at least reliable by foot. And trade in for that matter.