Opinion Commentary & Media VI

[Mcarcherey]

Ben Brown to Melbourne wasn't very amicable.

forgot about that, strange one because looks like there was more to it as north didn't offer him a contract.

 

[Val Keating]

forgot about that, strange one because looks like there was more to it as north didn't offer him a contract.

There had to be a relationship breakdown in the hub.

One day I’d love to know what happened up there.

 

[Colby Cheer Squad]

There had to be a relationship breakdown in the hub.

One day I’d love to know what happened up there.

The fact that there was no bidding war for Ben Brown's services is an indication that all of those other clubs living so close together in the Hubs were aware of whatever it was that caused North Melbourne to withdraw their offer and they were not inclined to take that challenge on for themselves.

 

[Val Keating]

The fact that there was no bidding war for Ben Brown's services is an indication that all of those other clubs living so close together in the Hubs were aware of whatever it was that caused North Melbourne to withdraw their offer and they were not inclined to take that challenge on for themselves.

100%. It wasn’t just Brown though, we lost a coach, people in the footy department.

Reckon the bad season while all living together would’ve been intense.

 

[King Corey]

The fact that there was no bidding war for Ben Brown's services is an indication that all of those other clubs living so close together in the Hubs were aware of whatever it was that caused North Melbourne to withdraw their offer and they were not inclined to take that challenge on for themselves.

Bit sick of these insinuations towards him and his family.

Thoroughly decent guy who I felt we managed badly. So he asked for good coin on a good length deal - why not? He'd been a strong performer every year until then. Then had a horror 2020 on and off field.

Other clubs underrated him due to being a North player IMO, we did every trading and bartering 101 move wrong - and Melbourne snapped up a bargain as a result.

 

[Val Keating]

Bit sick of these insinuations towards him and his family.

Thoroughly decent guy who I felt we managed badly. So he asked for good coin on a good length deal - why not? He'd been a strong performer every year until then. Then had a horror 2020 on and off field.

Other clubs underrated him due to being a North player IMO, we did every trading and bartering 101 move wrong - and Melbourne snapped up a bargain as a result.

Something had to change for North to withdraw the offer. Doesn’t make sense otherwise.

 

[King Corey]

Something had to change for North to withdraw the offer. Doesn’t make sense otherwise.

I don't see why it's assumed as a heinous off-field reason?

He wanted more than the club wanted to offer early on. Then lockdowns blocked everything.

Brady wanted to make a show of strength when dealings reopened and after Brown's poor season he moved to cash him in as part of a list rebuild.

He took an aggressive approach mailing out to the members then couldn't pull off any trades for rebuilding draft picks he expected. By then there was no turning back once he'd made up his mind to cash Brown in, Melbourne knew they could now play hardball to trade cheaply for an unwanted but undervalued player and the rest is history.

 

[Colby Cheer Squad]

Bit sick of these insinuations towards him and his family.

Thoroughly decent guy who I felt we managed badly. So he asked for good coin on a good length deal - why not? He'd been a strong performer every year until then. Then had a horror 2020 on and off field.

Other clubs underrated him due to being a North player IMO, we did every trading and bartering 101 move wrong - and Melbourne snapped up a bargain as a result.

That is bullshit. You think every recruiter in the AFL is a moron who underrates every North player? Please. They saw things, either on field or off field that made them decide Ben Brown would not make their team better. And I agree that Ben Brown is a decent guy. I'm not questioning that. And our trading and bartering didn't maximise our hand, that is certainly true. But 16 clubs were not interested in the so-called bargain. The truth is contained in that sentence.

 

[King Corey]

That is bullshit. You think every recruiter in the AFL is a moron who underrates every North player? Please. They saw things, either on field or off field that made them decide Ben Brown would not make their team better. And I agree that Ben Brown is a decent guy. I'm not questioning that. And our trading and bartering didn't maximise our hand, that is certainly true. But 16 clubs were not interested in the so-called bargain. The truth is contained in that sentence.

He was a premiership player 12 months later.

The bullshit was other club recruiters' ability to recognise and acquire an undervalued asset.

If he was at Collingwood you bet they would've had the trading value pumped up appropriately. Even when he was at North he was constantly talked down, somehow his 60 goals/year weren't enough to put him into AA sides.

So to call bullshit that he was devalued because of his club is incorrect.

 

[Psicosis]

I might be wrong, but I don't think we win many more if any more games, with Ben Brown

50

Ben Brown

Age

31

Ht

200cm

Wt

100kg

Pos.

Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D

10.7

3star

K

7.7

3star

HB

3.0

3star

M

4.8

5star

T

1.2

3star

G

2.2

5star

D

7.9

2star

K

6.3

3star

HB

1.6

1star

M

3.7

4star

T

0.9

2star

G

1.0

4star

D

8.0

2star

K

4.6

2star

HB

3.4

3star

M

4.4

4star

T

1.4

4star

G

1.2

4star

still at the club, over 21/22.

 

[DrZaius]

Something had to change for North to withdraw the offer. Doesn’t make sense otherwise.

His manager wanted an extra year on top of our original offer which would've made him the highest paid player at the club ("not even going to take this offer to my client without the extra year" type stuff), he then had a shit season and got injured so when his manager came back wanting to accept the original offer we withdrew it.
We also reckoned his knee was completely rooted.

I've alluded to it a few times but guess it probably doesn't matter much now due to recent events, but I heard that straight from the mouth of our recently departed Ben Amarfio.

Why we decided to put all our cards on the table and not at least attempt to get a decent return for him though I will never understand.

 

[Val Keating]

I don't see why it's assumed as a heinous off-field reason?

He wanted more than the club wanted to offer early on. Then lockdowns blocked everything.

Brady wanted to make a show of strength when dealings reopened and after Brown's poor season he moved to cash him in as part of a list rebuild.

He took an aggressive approach mailing out to the members then couldn't pull off any trades for rebuilding draft picks he expected. By then there was no turning back once he'd made up his mind to cash Brown in, Melbourne knew they could now play hardball to trade cheaply for an unwanted but undervalued player and the rest is history.

He was underrated, still is. North definitely didn’t do a great job of pumping up his value, but he also didn’t have a great year.

I could be wrong, but I just think things turned a bit while they were in the hub. I don’t just mean Brown.

After Shaw took over, he had them playing really good footy. Beat up a few of the better sides, then the following year, they were uncompetitive.

 

[Val Keating]

His manager wanted an extra year on top of our original offer which would've made him the highest paid player at the club ("not even going to take this offer to my client without the extra year" type stuff), he then had a s**t season and got injured so when his manager came back wanting to accept the original offer we withdrew it.
We also reckoned his knee was completely rooted.

I've alluded to it a few times but guess it probably doesn't matter much now due to recent events, but I heard that straight from the mouth of our recently departed Ben Amarfio.

Why we decided to put all our cards on the table and not at least attempt to get a decent return for him though I will never understand.

Interesting. Cheers.

 

[1975]

Bit sick of these insinuations towards him and his family.

Thoroughly decent guy who I felt we managed badly. So he asked for good coin on a good length deal - why not? He'd been a strong performer every year until then. Then had a horror 2020 on and off field.

Other clubs underrated him due to being a North player IMO, we did every trading and bartering 101 move wrong - and Melbourne snapped up a bargain as a result.

Glad he’s not running around on 750-800k at nm.

 

[King Corey]

Glad he’s not running around on 750-800k at nm.

Why?

He's averaging almost identical goal and disposal averages to Larkey and took more marks and laid more tackles per game for the last 2 years. And that was playing as 2nd or 3rd forward.

Factoring in his character and marketability and I think it would've been a sound deal.

 

[The Filth Wizard]

Why?

He's averaging almost identical goal and disposal averages to Larkey and took more marks and laid more tackles per game for the last 2 years. And that was playing as 2nd or 3rd forward.

Factoring in his character and marketability and I think it would've been a sound deal.

Gee, if he's identical to Larkey then we'd end up with two players massively overpaid in our forward line.

 

[LuvtheKangas]

Why?

He's averaging almost identical goal and disposal averages to Larkey and took more marks and laid more tackles per game for the last 2 years. And that was playing as 2nd or 3rd forward.

Factoring in his character and marketability and I think it would've been a sound deal.

Surely you're not suggesting Larkey is on anywhere near 750-800k? he'd be on around half that, surely.

Not really identical on that basis. And his "marketability" doesn't appear to be something Melbourne has leveraged. Not even a bit.

 

[Carey4life]

Why?

He's averaging almost identical goal and disposal averages to Larkey and took more marks and laid more tackles per game for the last 2 years. And that was playing as 2nd or 3rd forward.

Factoring in his character and marketability and I think it would've been a sound deal.

Also does a hell of a lot more km's than Larkey, which is beneficial for forward structures.

Always thought that was underappreciated by AFL fans.

 

[hilly]

Guessing Melbourne's inside 50s (in terms of quality and quantity) are quite a bit better than ours.

I wouldn't conflate AFL clubs with the media when it comes to rating our players - the former for the most part think the latter has no idea.

 

[hilly]

Also does a hell of a lot more km's than Larkey, which is beneficial for forward structures.

Always thought that was underappreciated by AFL fans.

Which of his seven disposals impressed you the most on Friday?

 

[Mcarcherey]

His manager wanted an extra year on top of our original offer which would've made him the highest paid player at the club ("not even going to take this offer to my client without the extra year" type stuff), he then had a s**t season and got injured so when his manager came back wanting to accept the original offer we withdrew it.
We also reckoned his knee was completely rooted.

I've alluded to it a few times but guess it probably doesn't matter much now due to recent events, but I heard that straight from the mouth of our recently departed Ben Amarfio.

Why we decided to put all our cards on the table and not at least attempt to get a decent return for him though I will never understand.

North stuffed up making it known that they were trading him out, Melbourne picked him up right at the end of trade period, we may've even ended up delisting him...but in saying that there must be more to all this, maybe it's the hub stuff - something smells when Collingwood and Essendon were screaming out for KPF (collingwood still are) and neither tabled an offer to him. In the years prior to Brown leaving the media (even mcguire i believe) were throwing up hypotheticals that collingwood should pay him $1m a year to get him.

Although he won a flag with Melbourne i found it pretty odd they were the club that took him, they already had Mcdonald and Weideman with Jackson/Gawn resting fwd - he was handy for them, but if they had Weideman in they still would've won the flag.

 

[My Left Foote]

If we could just stick to the litmus test of how he compares to Jack Mahony

42

Jack Mahony

Age

22

Ht

177cm

Wt

73kg

Pos.

M/F

Career

Season

Last 5

D

8.4

2star

K

2.6

1star

HB

5.8

4star

M

1.0

1star

T

2.2

4star

CL

0.0

1star

D

8.4

2star

K

2.6

1star

HB

5.8

3star

M

1.0

1star

T

2.2

3star

CL

0.0

1star

D

8.4

3star

K

2.6

1star

HB

5.8

4star

M

1.0

1star

T

2.2

4star

CL

0.0

1star

then you have all the answers you need.

 

[koshari]

Glad he’s not running around on 750-800k at nm.

Nothing personal but when you got polly on a 5 year deal sitting in the stands and are still so far under the cap its just plain stupid, its one thing to be a miser but to have a list so devoid of talent that you are even struggling to meet the cap perennially frontloading contracts its an indictment on the recruiting and development staff that we don't have enough talent to even be anywhere near the cap. i dont see any reason you would virtually delist a top 22 player unless you were like collingwood and had pressure on the cap,

fwiw i dont think our performances would have been much different if brown stayed either but it would have taken a bit of pressure off larkey, and if comben had actually arrived you simply could have not played brown. and the excuse of using the list spot is moot when you waste it on a coaching position which should be in the soft cap.

 

[koshari]

If we could just stick to the litmus test of how he compares to Jack Mahony then you have all the answers you need.
View attachment 1500099

I know Mahony is the definition of vanilla but comparisons to brown are absurd.

 

[My Left Foote]

I know Mahony is the definition of vanilla but comparisons to brown are absurd.

Indeed it is absurd, that's the joke!