Lucifers Hero

Very enjoyable results: Carlton lost Essendon lost Collingwood lost Geelong lost Melbourne won

Hi Rab. Good points. The club now has time to work on a trade on its terms rather than his next year, if things don't work out. Off field #1 goal next year is minimal bad press from anyone. Hopefully, the public dialogue by both parties stops and if the media start it up next year both club and Christian jointly shut it down. Of course winning will help.

Thanks for answer. My view is Max should stay captain in 2025, hand over in 2026 if our dramas are sorted, if not at the latest 2027 while he is still playing.

If the $1.7 is for 2025 wouldn't the club take slight unders in a trade to get the $ off its books? A form of 'salary dumping'.

He definitely is and will be admitted to the Legends AFL HofF. Not sure people are advocating to 'move him on'. I'm looking for an orderly, planned transition. Question: when and how do you think we should transition the captaincy given 2027 will be his last year. I say 'transition' because I hope Max is still playing when he hands over to help the new skipper.

Barrett, is being disingenuous with the $1.7m comment. He covers himself by saying 'at various stages of the deal'. But what will the headline be? The contract was said to be around $1.m pa on average for 7 years. If the remaining 5 years includes $1.2m and $1.7m as has been reported, the other 5 years he plays for around $800k pa. Still a pretty penny but Barret like others is not telling the full truth. It is another 'click bait' comment to discredit Petracca and paint him as selfish.

I'm with keeping Max as captain, for now. But you raise some really good points. I hope the club has a succession plan to 1) identify the candidate(s). 2) a hand over that Max buys into. The more the club does to prepare someone the better the transition. Sparrow and Rivers may well be in the leadership group next year. Regarding standards. Based on 6 losses (5 from rnd 12) by 6+ goals, suggests a lack of fitness and or a commitment to win. Players are responsible for adhering to club standards in their own fitness/committment in how they rehab if injured, match recovery, manage diet, effort, prepare for games etc etc. The leaders are responsible to enforce the standards and 'discipline' players who fall short. Max is our best media manager and club rep but I wonder if he is too much of a 'mate' (as is Goodwin) with, players to enforce standards. They are rightly lovable and loved but that isn't necessarily good leadership. And I haven't seen traits in Richardson to be the 'bad cop' to Max and Goodwin's 'good cop'. If Max is the 'bad cop' at times how much support does he get from Goodwin and Richardson? So yes, who is enforcing standards?

I don't understand why people are blaming the leaks and mfc brand damage on Christian and his advisors. It means you believe the Morris/McClure trash ... if we believe them we need to believe reports the club/players leaked and ipso facto they have also damaged the club's 'brand'. Lets face it the damage to our brand started 12 months ago when other players' poor behaviour was front and sent in the media and is where the poor culture narrative started. The brand damage continued thru 2024 as did the associated poor culture narrative. The Christian drama has been sorted in 3 weeks. The dramas and brand damage by others of 12 months are still not fully resolved. Stop blaming him for the club's image woes!!!

For all those that think Christian's commitment is half hearted and he is staying because he had no choice, lighten up and enjoy what is ahead. Otherwise it will be a miserable year around here if folks keep playing that song. Lets remember Richmond fans got behind Dusty, who actively wooed other clubs, no takers, he stayed, And. the rest is history: 3 Flags, 3 NSM, 1 Brownlow. Christian is quite capable of doing something similar. As I said earlier get behind him.

Folks on here wanted Christian to speak. He has spoken. He is staying. Time to get behind him Time to drop the bickering. It is my guess Max was a major architect of the bridge that was built between the club and Christian. Max will make sure the player are all behind him. I'm ecstatic !!!! Onward and upward to 2025.

What would you have liked him to say?

I've noticed!😊

We could engage in banter re military history/strategists, modern day footballers and where many other 'Judas' lie but its best I leave that alone! No point in derailing this thread.

DL has a purpose: to keep demon fans sane or at least semi-sane, at least some of the time!!😊

Thank you for a sensible and somewhat lighthearted view. This topic and DL need a fair bit of lightheartedness atm. Hoping your young Jedi is a quick learner! The sooner he puts on a red and blue jumper the better !!! I was once told to beware the green grass ... it is probably astro turf!

I could repeat my post above about support to the family but it is too nice a day outside to sit here and go round in circles. I'm out.

An ACL isn't in the same ball park as a level 5 spleen injury (when there is no level 6) and they have have a medical procedure resulting in ICU and isolation for an extended time.

That may be so but it isn't why there was dismay on here yesterday and in talk back shows etc. The dismay, rightly or wrongly the angst was the lack of communication and support for the family at that time. One can't rely on media reports but it was reported that his family was disappointed and somewhat angry at that lack of communication from the club.

Not sure about that. There are not so attractive sports people making a living from self promotion in the various ways I mention. And those of yesteryear probably aren't social media savvy like today's sports stars are. Today's sporting stars eg Bailey Smith, Dangerfield, Weightman are also making a very good living from their self promotion outside of football. Demon fans may be more loyal to the club but I suspect we aren't his target market. Ditto with the other three AFL players I mentioned their club's fans may not be their target market.

The question posed was: Did you do enough during the two weeks following his horrific injury? While she sent a text(s) it doesn't seem there was follow up in that critical 2 weeks, by contact/talking with his family. Many are dismayed that she didn't offer them best wishes and support during that critical time. She didn't say anyone else from the club did so rightly or wrongly it is assumed that they didn't. It appears she hasn't spoken with his fiancee or the family since the injury 'because they haven't been at the footy'. So is a text to Christian enough? Is not talking with his fiancee or family enough? Some may think so. Many think not.

I don't use social media so don't know anything about his presence in that space. But I'm pretty sure his Brand (and income) will do very well even post football whenever that may be. There will be books (food, football, career), reality tv stuff, guest tv appearances, event guest appearances, product promotions, sports lecture circuit etc. Should those ever run out and as times change he will reinvent himself in other ways.

Wish he would! 2027 seems a stretch. If he doesn't get to WA this year he will probably try again next year when the WA clubs will be better prepared for a trade. My fear is other WA players will follow. Except for my special boy McVee most of them have extended their contracts. But as we know contracts don't mean much. McVee will be upgraded from Rookie to Seniors later this year but at this stage is contracted only for 2025. I'm hoping when he is upgraded his contract will be extended. If it isn't I will get very nervous.😓

A passing interest. In the FTA days it was in the wrong time slot. Nowadays, other things to do. Of the little I saw - a very clever show!

We must be in different generations Mr D ... I only recognise a handful of those characters! Just as well I didn't try too hard to solve the puzzle, eh!. My brain would be fried trying to remember something that isn't there!!! As always thanks for your work ...