Macca

They are definitely not (the strength of our position at the trade table) but I don't have a problem with Demon fans being optimistic in a Petracca deal There's also his mental health issues which might mean he could miss a swathe of games (for whoever he plays for) And retiring on medical grounds is also a decent factor (paid out in full?) I'm leaning towards taking what we can get to get him off the books. Face it, what are the chances in Petracca playing for the Demons again?

That's one example but each medical emergency is possibly/probably different from the next. I'll take the conservative view that I can't see how he can pass a medical before the trade window ends Besides all that, is he going to be the same player if and when he returns anyway? Would we willingly take him if it was roles reversed? I'd say a majority on this site alone would say no Most here don't want a fit & firing Houston But a banged up 29yo who can't even go on a light jog and with what seems like a million issues? No thanks Ask your friends and acquaintances about whether they'd want him?

I was being flippant with the whole Casey thing ... it won't come to that but in overseas sport, that sort of thing does happen especially in soccer (although, it's usually the player laying down the tools) And I'd be inclined to believe your work colleague His trade value is totally up in the air with any number of variables at play. So expecting a raft of top end picks is highly questionable In fact, his value might be so low that we just keep him on the books and hope he does the pro thing

His injuries are very real, nothing needs to be exaggerated or over-cooked Right now, he can't even go for a light jog and it's just 6 weeks to the trade window What's alarming is that his heart rate can't go above 100 (for now) During trade week (or beforehand) another suitor may well ask Petracca to go for a medical. How is he going to pass a medical? Now, he may well come good but when? Let's reverse it ... would we as a club pursue a player with these obvious medical issues?

What else could the club have done with Oliver? He goes off the rails with whatever issues he had so that's on Clarrie As for Petracca, I'm in two minds. One part of me just wants to just get rid of the bloke but why give him what he wants? Or possibly burn the $1Million per season and make him see out his contract. Playing at Casey wouldn't do much for Brand Petracca so he'd soon come to the party But do we want the day to day circus to continue? This is why the player nearly always has the upper hand (if they want out) The other glaring issue is Petracca's current fitness and if that lowers his market value. If so, it can't be a high-end sale, more like a fire sale And I'm wondering why more people aren't talking (here) about his ability (or inability) to ever get back to his best. It's a very real issue with regards to getting the proper trade value for Petracca

Close on 650 posts in this thread since about 5pm That's like reading a book but what was the book about? Did we learn anything? So Petracca wanting out was confirmed but can we facilitate a deal? (with a big club) Or do we just stand on principle and not blink until we get the right offer Any club that takes him may well do so without a medical clearance (has that been done before with a high profile player?) And then there's all the salary cap room if we trade Petracca for picks only. That might be $1.2Million next year alone Don't clubs have to spend 100% of their salary cap these days? Brayshaw's salary as well (who is paying that? The League?) That's a lot of cap space (not including the other delistments)

Here's what the numbers tell us (so far) Optimists 52.63% (1-3 years) Pessimists 39.47% (7-10+ years) Realists 7.90% (4-5 years) That's about the usual type ratio on Demonland The Pessimists vs the Optimists with the realists rarely heard from My guess is 3 to 5 years

We might have to pay McKay a bit more to get him to play with us I'm assuming that Petracca has played his last game for us so have switched to full-on trade mode No time for sentiment, get a deal done* *A lot of deals are done 'in principle' before the trade period (IMV)

Petracca's health and well-being issues lowers his value. He's damaged goods who can't have his heart rate above 100 (for how long) A full pre-season? Not going to happen Right now, he can't even do any light running Will he pass a medical within the next 2 months? (the trade period ends on Oct 16th) Highly doubtful In my view we're not going to get Carlton's first round pick + McKay. It will be a virtual straight swap Wouldn't hurt to throw in an ambit claim of course That's all things considered (keeping it real) Not a fire sale but what club would want to take on all his issues? That's the other side of the story

The sweetener is that we may offer McKay a bit more money on top of his existing contract. Anyone know what he is on at Carlton? And what is Petracca on? $1.2Million per season? Money talks ... follow the money

A complex situation but the answer may well be very simple & straight forward At a guess I reckon those closest to Trac are upset at the club's reaction to Trac's injury in the KB clash and that might be all there is to it If so, surely they can patch up their differences and get on with it But if there's a lot more to it, then a trade is a real option. However, because of the nature of his injury and recovery time*, coupled with his age (29) and length of contract and the amount involved, we may not get back in a trade what we think we should get (that's from a supporters point of view, the club will know what is actually on the table) *Over 2 months later and Trac is not allowed to get his heart rate above 100 beats per minute. That might scare a few suiters off (how is he meant to complete a pre-season and pass a medical?)

Well Trac is the guest speaker next Sunday at the Ringwood RSL ... might be 3.30pm Fifty bucks entrance fee but I'm not sure there is a question time segment But if so, maybe Chris from Camberwell will roll up and ask the obligatory 5 minute question (without drawing breath)

Just about everyone is in combative mode as well Seen similar at local level a stack of times (myself included) ... very little sympathy/empathy if there is an old-school approach So just about everyone gets caught up in the moment Later on, when the extent of an injury is revealed, people can go a bit coy That's my take on the Petracca incident but I may be way off base

So is our club doctor in the firing line?

Maybe, but I reckon this is all about the duty of care talk emanating from the club when Petracca was hurt in the KB clash Again, a whole host of variables including the club and 3 doctors not knowing the extent of his injuries. Harsh words spoken or words spoken with assumptions that Petracca was going to be ok How many times does a player suffer broken, cracked or bruised rips where there is no damage to the spleen? At a guess I'd say most of the time The extent of the injury wasn't revealed until hours later

So many variables involved that any sort of outcome wouldn't surprise The ideal preference (for most) is that he stays and is back at his best for round 1 next season But physically and mentally is that possible? Will he even be able to complete a decent pre-season? If he is traded, who to? And what do we get back in return? Unders? Maybe overs? And retiring under medical grounds is a possibility. Full contract paid out? And then are we ever going to find what exactly Petracca's issue is with the club? (the Coach is not the issue, apparently) Until there's a commitment one way or the other, the story could go on for another 7 weeks

Haaland's 3rd goal is sublime but centimetre perfect

A new season, 2 games in and Haaland scores a hat trick! Some things never change

(Roughly) ... A 25 point win to Freo gets the Cats up to 2nd spot on the ladder Cats vs Port or Port vs Cats in a QF Still a bit to play out

Viney could slot into a role as a defensive forward or even as a small forward And we don't have to wait until his last contracted season to play him up forward either Petracca played that high half-forward role in 2019 (IIRC he did not warm to that role) so a few of our best players are adaptable. Not sure that Clarrie is anything more than a ball-magnet central midfielder but at his best, he's one of the best in that role Max forward in his last year or 2? Well, I wouldn't say he can't do it and our policy has often been to play 2 rucks (Gawn rucking with Jackson forward worked well) Gawn can ruck in the front 3rd as well if it came to that The A graders & elite get long term deals as a matter of course. It's just the way it works And most supporters adore their stars so there wouldn't be too many not being happy with Gawn & Viney extending Much like Flower, Barassi and co, we'll miss them when they're gone

These long term deals are something that folks just need to get used to In overseas sports all the clubs would have to write-off money owed from time to time. A delistment contingency factor so to speak And as a lot more money flows into the clubs in the AFL, the same thing will happen. List management is not a perfect science as the players and managers are more often than not, looking to maximise the dollars heading their way So if it's every club from time to time (and it will be), what's the big deal? That's why the practice of front ending contracts softens the blow We might get stuck with a player or 2 from time to time (Ben Brown for instance) but the consequence of not being stuck with a player is that you might miss the opportunity of having that player at all So Gawn signs on for an extra 2 years but what if a club (with nothing to lose) offered Max an extra 3 or 4 years? We could then lose Max. Ditto for Viney And make no mistake, we've all got a price and players will leave for money. The loyalty factor is a factor but not limitless Dustin Martin is a good example of the to & fro. Years ago he held out for more money and at least 2 clubs were offerening long term deals with big money involved ... in the end, Richmond paid him what he wanted Money well spent As is often said, 'follow the money'

Here's my top 10 for the EPL season Man City (too many quality players) Arsenal (will push Man City again) Liverpool (interesting watch post Klopp) Aston Villa (underrated but keep performing) Chelsea (very big squad, perhaps too big) Man Utd (the dark horse) Tottenham (away at the big clubs could be a challenge) Newcastle (will win a lot of home games) Brighton (could finish higher if augurs well) West Ham (a knockout hope) Nearest the pin wins the prize* (if anyone else here cares to have a go at it) *There's no prize

I can recall Yallop keeping occasionally when injury intervened but keeper/batsman Wayne Phillips played 27 tests for Australia He had the gloves most of the time but not always ... and he did open the batting for Australia but again, he didn't always open the batting I'll ask a mate who might know or someone here might know for sure, TD And apart from Whiteman, Cameron Bancroft was a specialist keeper who also, of course, is an opening batsman (but he seems to be on the outer with regards to selection)

Yeah, well played big fella! Thanks for the Premiership!!

Jeffo's got nothin' on 'Juice' (Newton)