Rumour GFC 2025 Player Trading, Drafting FA, Rumours and Wish lists Pt 1

[Zouz Kitty]

schrader beperkend - wtf?

As I said earlier I don't have knowledge of specifics of AFL contract clauses but I would have thought there are always grounds to break an employment contract by all parties if the circumstances warrant.

This is a cluster**** as you say, and you are right that if MFC facilitate a fair trade they will be viewed much more favourably by their players and the broader community.

Their members will be split on this of course. But would you rather support a club and coach that has some active and real concern for players' mental and physical (e.g. Trac) wellbeing or flails about with their arses exposed from one cockup to the next? And I might add increase immensely the potential for future legal issues around negligence?

We can only hope that a few at MFC remove their heads from their rectums and make something happen that is a positive not just a posturing.

Schrader beperkend = damage control

Yes agree, there are always grounds to break an employment contract if all parties agree.

There are comparisons to Bowes’ contract, about which, I know zero.

 

[Gunf]

It used to just be a couple of days because there weren't that many trades. Look at (randomly chosen, I swear) 2006 - there were 7 trades in the whole week.

A lot of factors have opened up trade week, IMO:

1. Just increasing professionalism - so, with the maturation of the game, comes increasing player movement. As we get further from the old zoning days, where a lot of players were drafted to their 'local' club, the one-club player becomes a thing of a the past.
2. Future pick trading
3. Free agency
4. Back-loaded salaries creating headaches for clubs (Treloar, Bowes, Lukosius, GWS in general, Grundy, etc)
5. Clubs being much more aggressive in courting players
6. Longer careers

It has been over half a week and we have had 2 trades if this pace continues we will have 3 maybe 4 trades this week

FA are different as they start before trade period and in most cases don't require a trade (unless it is us )

 

[Farmer2Goggin]

The major issue I have with drafting Oliver - at any price, to be honest - is that in the full-time era in particular, one senior player who is a bad cultural fit can absolutely suck a club dry.

Anyone who has worked with a really difficult, toxic teammate at work can probably attest to how it dominates the room, and the team - and what a breath of fresh air it is if they leave, regardless of how good they were at their job.

We even had the same at my shit-tier old man soccer team a couple of years ago. The best player in the team (by quite some margin) was also a sulky, selfish prima donna - and the year that he left, we didn't replace him as an individual player on the field, but we played a hell of a lot better, and were a hell of a lot happier doing it.

Oliver absolutely spells trouble to me, and has no evidence (unlike Stengle) that he has managed to curb the worst of his behaviour before coming to Geelong.

Tend to agree - seems he is sorting his life out as he should.
However if the quiet farm life a la Tom/Jezz and Rhys is part of the attraction I'd be worried - our guys have families and are at a stage in their lives that will flourish in that environment.
I wonder if Oliver is ready for that lifestyle yet?
Caveat is I'm assuming a bit about his personal life at the moment................

 

[Play it Sam]

Do people forget that contracts can be renegotiated?
Remember when Bowes came in, the first thing the club did was to redo the contract

Yeah I know, but can't see anyone in their right mind dropping their ongoing yearly wage by half a mil - he can't want us that badly.

 

[Gunf]

Yeah I know, but can't see anyone in their right mind dropping their ongoing yearly wage by half a mil - he can't want us that badly.

Very few people would be willing to give up 400k+ per year for 6 years

 

[Play it Sam]

Very few people would be willing to give up 400k+ per year for 6 years

Club buy Rhys's farm and lease it to him, can finalise property for $10 after his last year?
Or too paper baggerish?

 

[Reg Hickey]

Yeah I know, but can't see anyone in their right mind dropping their ongoing yearly wage by half a mil - he can't want us that badly.

He might.

If there are mental health issues involved and he's scared that staying at MFC could send him off the deep end.

If he's still getting $800k+ for the next 6 years, so almost $5m locked in.

If half the lost money would've disappeared in tax anyway.

I could definitely see it.

 

[Gunf]

Club buy Rhys's farm and lease it to him, can finalise property for $10 after his last year?
Or too paper baggerish?

Way to much paper bag but i like your thinking

 

[Reg Hickey]

Very few people would be willing to give up 400k+ per year for 6 years

Yup, most wouldn't. Some might though. Depends on the individual and the circumstances.

 

[iameviljez]

Tend to agree - seems he is sorting his life out as he should.

Doesn't seem that way at all to me. Bloke turned up to 2024 patently unfit, and apparently his behaviour at the Brownlow just a few weeks ago put a number of Melbourne teammates' noses straight back out of joint.

 

[iameviljez]

FA are different as they start before trade period and in most cases don't require a trade (unless it is us )

yes, but FA has opened up the game significantly, both from a cultural perspective in terms of making movement more acceptable, and also creates the threat of the pre-agent. Also just that movement creates movement (i.e. with Player X coming in, that means Player Y's opportunities are limited and he probably needs to leave for more game time).

 

[Play it Sam]

Doesn't seem that way at all to me. Bloke turned up to 2024 patently unfit, and apparently his behaviour at the Brownlow just a few weeks ago put a number of Melbourne teammates' noses straight back out of joint.

Possibly medicated and undertaking CBT, which is a hugely goal driven therapy (conquering situations that cause anxiety for instance). Would hope his team mates are used to him and have more empathy. He could be irritating but it's not like the drongo behaviour Newman and Fevola, et al, have displayed on the carpet- or we would have seen more reported on the night.

 

[Zouz Kitty]

And in 2025 we have an update to Free Agency rules - all players who've played 100+ games for their club become free agents when next out of contract, with restricted free agency condition removed

Fantastic!

Here comes TDK in 2026
Butters in 2027
Reid in 2028

 

[iameviljez]

Possibly medicated and undertaking CBT

I don't think Oliver gets the benefit of the doubt any more, and we don't give these excuses for other people who are influenced by substances.

 

[Tony Barber]

I do want Oliver. The guy is a jet (footballer). But no way do I want us paying 1.2mil. We would never have done that contract if he was with us.

He just has too much stuff going on. And with the club obviously planning ahead they just cant tie up excess cash.
What happens if someone comes for one of our players next year (i.e SDK) and offers cash we cant get close to then we are stuffed.

It happened with Mumford remember. That actually bit us on the bum.
We were paying him minimum chips and Sydney offered $450k and we couldn't get near it.

People have said Humphries was smart to only do a 2 year deal because his next contract will be a lot larger. Where will we get the cash from?

These are the risks you take.

It would be the reason that Melbourne are looking to offload. They took a risk and it has stuffed them up.

 

[Gunf]

yes, but FA has opened up the game significantly, both from a cultural perspective in terms of making movement more acceptable, and also creates the threat of the pre-agent. Also just that movement creates movement (i.e. with Player X coming in, that means Player Y's opportunities are limited and he probably needs to leave for more game time).

True but 2 weeks is still to much evidenced by no trades since Monday

If it was Monday to Monday you can bet we would of had at least a few more traded by now maybe even 5+ more

 

[Tony Barber]

Fantastic!

Here comes TDK in 2026
Butters in 2027
Reid in 2028

TDK looks like going to Brisbane eventually.
Butters will move this year.
Reid........ there is just no way we can get him. It will be the largest trade in history.

 

[Gunf]

Fantastic!

Here comes TDK in 2026
Butters in 2027
Reid in 2028

Change TDK to Cadman and you have a deal

 

[Tony Barber]

True but 2 weeks is still to much evidenced by no trades since Monday

If it was Monday to Monday you can bet we would of had at least a few more traded by now maybe even 5+ more

It's Monday to Wednesday right now. You're crying over 2 days?

 

[Tony Barber]

Change TDK to Cadman and you have a deal

That I could live with.

 

[cats_09]

It's Monday to Wednesday right now. You're crying over 2 days?

Add in free agency which starts on the previous Friday and it's 13 days in total

There's simply no need for it to be that long other than the AFL wanting to keep the media attention

 

[Zouz Kitty]

Tend to agree - seems he is sorting his life out as he should.
However if the quiet farm life a la Tom/Jezz and Rhys is part of the attraction I'd be worried - our guys have families and are at a stage in their lives that will flourish in that environment.
I wonder if Oliver is ready for that lifestyle yet?
Caveat is I'm assuming a bit about his personal life at the moment................

Add Jim’s Mowing fortnightly to Oliver’s contract

 

[cats_09]

Fantastic!

Here comes TDK in 2026
Butters in 2027
Reid in 2028

With those years, do you mean the year in which they'd be a free agent or the year they'd first play for Geelong?

Based on the theoretical suggestion, Reid won't have played 100 games by the end of 2027 which would mean he wouldn't be a FA

While for Tom DK, he's next out of contract at the end of next season and he may reach the 100 game mark for Carlton either

 

[Zouz Kitty]

Change TDK to Cadman and you have a deal

But does he ruck?

 

[cats_09]

TDK looks like going to Brisbane eventually.
Butters will move this year.
Reid........ there is just no way we can get him. It will be the largest trade in history.

Where's Butter going to be playing next year, because that's one move the media hasn't got wind of yet