Macca

Seattle well on top and the Arizona crowd have booed their team off at half-time! Seattle 14 Arizona 3

I put a note above the game sheet They got the lines the wrong way around (typo)

Yes, fair comment If it gets to that point, we might have to bite the bullet But from what we're hearing, if a suitable trade can't be arranged, he's prepared (happy?) to stay So the disruption may not be major Instead of free agency being a major factor, contracted players asking for trades has become the norm Business as usual (so to speak)

Public holiday Friday so get the chance to watch the Thursday night game And either Seattle or Arizona get the chance to go to a 3 & 1 record. Should be a good match (at Arizona) Need to keep winning in that division (NFC West) ... currently 9 & 3 overall *Colts @ Rams, *Jags @ 49ers

That's why I reckon he'll end up staying Unless the GC come to the party (or Hawthorn) GC has pick 6 and the Hawks pick 8 And more picks and/or players on top of that My preference would be to win on any sort of deal as I'd much prefer that he stays Without Petracca we could have a poor W/L record next year ... as it stands, we need to somehow strengthen the list as well as keeping Petracca You make some good points layz but we need to keep our head above water next season (W/L) Anything less than 10 wins could spell doom & gloom As it stands, even with Petracca & Oliver firing, we might only be a 12 win team. King will need at least a year to sort the list out (and the game plan)

We're down to 3 x A grade players as everyone else near that mark previously, has dropped down accordingly And you need top players and lots of them to contend So if Petracca goes, it's down to an aging Gawn and Kozzie Viney, Langdon, Salem, Lever, Fritsch, Oliver, May et al. are no longer top players. Decent and not poor by any means, but not great The only one of those 7 who can get back to being A grade quality is Clarrie, but that remains to be seen We've got some up and comers, but that will take time So we either get a great deal for Petracca, or he stays and continues to produce (by his own standards, he wasn't great this year, but once his confidence returns ........)

Could be that if no offers come close to satisfying our needs, May could knuckle down, have a big pre-season and get over any injury concerns And then come back ready to play. Perhaps forcing the selectors hand into picking him Trouble is, he's not getting any younger If judged on his recent past deeds, the above might be a tad unrealistic but it might be the only way. Or he stays and struggles through as Ben Brown did in his last year *I can't see the club paying another club $400k (plus) just to get rid of him How's that going to look for the new CEO & the Board? We've already had to fork out $1Million+ for Goodwin

The other clubs see the same player (May) that we do. Right now, it's hard to see him getting through another season (and playing well) We've ruled a line through him and all the other clubs have seen what we've done Still, what you've said is still an outside chance of happening, as clubs sometimes overpay

Well at least the speculation on Oliver looks like it's over Oliver committing to the club coupled with no realistic offer from any other club ends the talk Contracts are binding in these sorts of scenarios. If a realistic trade isn't forthcoming, contracts have to be honoured For that reason, I can see May suiting up again for the Demons. Which club is going to give a 34yo $800k for one season?

Upon reflection, Petracca had a much better season than many might have thought And I've a strong feeling that he can get back to his best. He definitely showed some signs throughout the season ... the missing factor is his confidence, but that can return So in my view, we need a lot back in a trade or he stays. Others will think differently if they believe he is past his best Thus, the different opinions on his form looking ahead Where do you stand on his future footy? Worst case scenario is we get not much in return and he stars elsewhere I'd make him stay unless we get a top offer 2 first rounders with 1 in the top 6 picks plus, the new club pays all his salary Or he stays and honours his contract *Frontloading a few players monies in next year's salary cap makes sense

We'll find out soon enough I've got my money on him staying unless we are offered a super deal And I'm not sure the club has factored in filling the huge hole in the cap next season if Trac does go elsewhere ($1.3Million or thereabouts) ... and that's leaving aside the the other $800k that May is owed (or not owed if he goes) The other factor is the new coach and any conversations that King might have had with Petracca (along the lines of required player) The speculation will continue but to me it's just that, speculation If we start seeing a decent offer on the table, then that's when things can get interesting A fire sale doesn't improve the list. In fact, the opposite would we true if that happened (fire sale)

@Dee Zephyr @titan_uranus @Go the Biff @Clintosaurus @Gorgoroth @layzie @BDA @ElDiablo14 @Dr. Gonzo Leaderboard Tipping Comp 10 - Macca 9 - Gorgoroth 8 - BDA, Go the Biff, layzie, Clintosaurus 7 - Dee Zephyr, Dr. Gonzo, titan_uranus 6 - ElDiablo14 n.b. The lines for the Packers @ Dallas game are the wrong way around!

Petracca is a top player and contracted for the next 4 years (on big money) We'll be requiring a massive offer otherwise he has to do the pro thing and stay The club holds the upper hand and won't be accepting chump-change, as he's been a huge investment for us Hold firm and don't lose out on any deal (if forthcoming) If another club is willing to take up his contract, it stands to reason that they should then have to pay a heavy price to acquire him He's not a free agent, he is our property (so to speak)

IIRC, Petracca played as a high-half forward for the duration of the 2019 season And there were strong rumours that he wanted to go back to playing predominantly as a mid (and got his wish?) Interesting that he played as a high-half forward at various times this season (as well as in the midfield) His average disposals per game (rounded up or down) 2018 - 20 2019 - 19 2020 - 24 2021 - 29 2022 - 28 2023 - 28 2024 - 23 2025 - 25 None of the above pertains to Trac possibly wanting to move My view is that he likes being in the limelight and any publicity is good publicity (pertaining to his social media presence & 'Brand') By not hosing things down, he remains near the centre of the conversation (and he's not alone in those stakes) But hey, he can make as much money as he likes, so go for it The only avenue I see to a move, is if Gold Coast want to pay overs. But I don't believe he wants to go anyway

Looking forward to tomorrow's game Lions @ Ravens ... a loss to either of the teams takes them to 1 & 2 so a lot to play for

Max & Trac both polled in 10 games (Kozzie 4) Being in the best 3 on the ground 10 games out of 23 is a fair effort

Leaderboard Tipping Comp 10 - Macca 9 - Gorgoroth 8 - BDA, Go the Biff, layzie, Clintosaurus 7 - Dee Zephyr, Dr. Gonzo, titan_uranus 6 - ElDiablo14

Kozzie will have better years looking ahead ... and on $1Million+ per season for another 8+ years, so he should. Elite money = Elite Performances The team had a poor year and Petracca finished 2nd as he had no real competition (apart from Kozzie) Of the top 3, only Gawn was an absolute standout Elite players often have elite disposal skills and if playing predominantly forward, will often kick lots of goals. And have great vision That's the player Petracca needs to be again And that can happen if (or when) he gets his confidence back All in all, I can't see him moving as I can't see any club paying value that would satisfy us And I don't believe the club wants to trade him but Petracca himself, might want to move That's when things could get interesting

Didn't Terlich & Matt Jones finish 3rd & 4th in a B & F? Jordie 4th in 2012 All 3 had a go and gave their all Of more concern was this season when Oliver finished 7th along with Viney & Rivers (both 10th) in a year best forgotten ... marked down because of their ball use, in my view Petracca got a lot of the ball considering he played forward a lot, thus the 2nd place finish By his own standards, he didn't have a great year but if (or when) he gets his confidence back, he can at least be a top 20 player in the league again Right now, he's outside the top 50, in my view. And a 30yo* player outside the top 50 doesn't get 2 x First round picks. Probably not even 1 first rounder But a keeper because the value coming back won't be enough Pay him the money and hope that King gets the best out of him *Petracca turns 30 in early January

Unless we can get overs for Petracca, he's a keeper (even if he wants out) There's just nothing in it for us especially if he can get back to his best elsewhere (and right now, we're first in line for his best) If he were to go, the excess created (1.4Million) in the next year's salary cap would go to whom? Remembering we have to spend it all We'd have to bring in 2 decent players on $700k each in order to spend 100% of the cap. Who might that be and what would we have to give up to get 'said' players is anyone's guess (our first pick is in the 2nd round) Either that or pay some of our players more money! Huh?? I'd give it all to Gawn and no one else Have we got any free agents in mind? And if another club takes up May's contract, that's another $800k hole in the cap So $2.2Million that would have to be spent on other players *I'm being quite liberal with the numbers but 'roundabout'

In the NFL, the teams with a decent lead at half time will more often than not, go into conservative play calling mode but the opposition know that (that's the issue) ... telegraphing your intentions is bad enough, but against a really good side in their house? Recipe for disaster Meanwhile the trailing team will often take a lot more risks. It doesn't always come off but when it does, the team with the decent lead often get accused of gagging, choking or freezing up if they cough up the lead Not so much the Rams/Eagles game today @Gorgoroth , but more an observation of how the sport can work I watched the NRL Penrith/Bulldogs game yesterday and Penrith were intent on obliterating the Bulldogs after they attained a good lead. Killer instinct! Belichick would often do the same at New England and then got accused of running up the score. What he was doing was just killing off the opposition (in my view) It's often said that when on the road in the NFL, don't ever settle for field goals. You need TD's to win as the home team will often score TD's as their M.O

We see these types of comebacks & run-ons constantly in numerous sports these days. I don't see it as choking, more so that teams just get on a run when everything falls into place Playing style to protect a lead? That's a whole other conversation and the blame can be placed on the Coaching team in that scenario It's debatable but I reckon the Demons played to protect leads in the first 10 games of 2022. We kept winning but bad habits can be formed when doing that. You lose the killer instinct Teams tend to not crush & destroy as much anymore ... and in doing so, they give the other mob a chance I didn't watch the whole game as intently as you, Gorg, but did the Rams go all out after getting to a 26-7 lead?

Also, the pundits talking up the Packers after one win now look a bit foolish They'll probably lash out now

Packers should be scoring more than 10 points against almost any other team but we had an off day Running game & Passing game poor But no biggie, that's sport and a loss like that is a huge wake-up call and can be used in a positive way I thought it might have been a trap game and it was

You didn't choke, you were just beaten by a better team on the day. And @ the Eagles is probably the hardest road game To get within one score should give the team heart The use of the word 'choke' is quite often overused Except when it comes to Collingwood!!