SA Footy

As reported

The SA-born Fremantle captain will not start contract negotiations until his WA club names its coach for next season. If it remains Chris Connolly - rather than West Coast assistant and local hero Peter Sumich or Brisbane premiership captain Michael Voss - Pavlich, 25, will seek a trade to the Crows.

This will trigger a set of complicated negotiations with the Dockers challenging Adelaide coach Neil Craig's reluctance to trade the significant investment he has made in the Crows' young players.

Fremantle, needing to rejuvenate its list, will want quality young players - such as future team leader Nathan van Berlo, a West Australian - rather than draft picks in a year when the AFL draft pool is not highly rated.

Any potential deal by the Crows can be blocked by players rejecting their use as trade bait, out of concern for what is unfolding at Fremantle.

And it becomes more messy if the Power, which has a high count of WA-drafted players, starts a bidding war with the Crows. Adelaide could be forced to pay beyond market value for Pavlich, a four-time All-Australian and club champion in the past two seasons.

Also blurring the picture is the prospect of Carlton looking to unload contracted forward Brendan Fevola to Fremantle.

The notion Pavlich will stay with the Dockers if Connolly's tenure is not extended is now on public record in Perth.

Connolly is publicly denying his fall-out with former captain Peter Bell after the 2004 premiership season has had a ripple effect with Pavlich.

"It's the first time I've heard of that. It's certainly a good story," said Connolly, who is being tipped to fill the Melbourne coaching vacancy. "I think last year I wasn't getting on with Peter Bell and this year I'm not getting on with Matthew Pavlich.

"We certainly haven't had an issue."

This denial has done little to dismiss the notion that if Fremantle keeps Connolly it will lose Pavlich to the Crows.

Port's recent talks with Pavlich's Perth-based management team have left the Power far from enlightened. But the club senses Adelaide will be Pavlich's club of choice if he seeks a trade.

Adelaide says Pavlich's management has clearly told the Crows the former Woodville-West Torrens SANFL player will not decide his future until late in the season. Adelaide is planning trade strategies if Pavlich announces his move away from the Dockers.

And the Crows add that if Pavlich decides to move to a new club, the deal "could get nasty".

A long-standing observer of AFL trades commented yesterday: "Fremantle will play hard ball. And they will start up a bidding war, not just between Adelaide and Port Adelaide. If they get the Victorian clubs chiming in, it will get very complicated. That's why big-name players don't change clubs. It gets far too complicated."

Pavlich is playing coy on his future, repeating as his defensive line: "It (his contract) will get resolved when it gets resolved. That could be soon; that could be later." But Pavlich is on the attack to any suggestion he would be betraying the club if he left the Dockers after only one season as captain.

"I've been commited for eight long years now. It's a very long time," said Pavlich, who joined the Dockers as a first-round draft pick (at No. 4) in 1999. "I'm very much commited to the Dockers and have been for a long time. So things will get resolved when they get resolved."

If he is leaving Fremantle to chase a premiership,would his chances in the next 5 years be better with Adelaide or Port Adelaide?

If he wanted to join Adelaide,I think he is 3 years too late.Port may be a better option,then again,he might just want to play for the Crows.

Booney wrote:If he is leaving Fremantle to chase a premiership,would his chances in the next 5 years be better with Adelaide or Port Adelaide?

If he wanted to join Adelaide,I think he is 3 years too late.Port may be a better option,then again,he might just want to play for the Crows.

three years?? were we suspposed to win in 2004???

one year maybe not three....

Maybe Pav should just sign a one to two year deal given that at the end of 2008...

http://realfooty.com.au/news/news/push-for-free-agency/2007/07/10/1183833519738.html

The Corws will find some excuse not to trade for him...like he bites his finger nails...

LMAO. Whoever ends up with him will pay through the bloody nose, no doubt about it.

regards,

REB

Pav would be great for us

Despite what some people think, the Crows have a good squad of young players coming through to go with a handful of older players most of whom have more than 1 season left.

Crows older crew is no different to Port's with Tredders, Wakelin, Cornes, Lade, Wilson, Brogan yet most people assume Port are this young side on the up and the Crows are being booked in to Resthaven

Crows could let a couple of mid-field types go for Pav expecially as Pav can play in the middle if required. If he is in any doubt about coming, offer him the captaincy!

I think offering a guy the Captaincy when he hasnt even been involved in the club would be lunacy...

tell me, when was the last NAB Rising Star nomination for the Crows?

It would be worth trading just about anyone for him.

Surely offering him the captainacy wouldnt be in their so called culture the club and the 'roo' quite amusingly keep banging on about...

Bear in mind that in order to get good players you are going to have to trade good players. Pavlich has had various opportunities to come to the Crows and rejected them, I think that the Crows would be better off focusing on drafting juniors that they can develop rather than existing players from another club.

Without wanting to rip on Freo, who from the Crows is going to be keen to be traded from the Crows to Fremantle anyway?

I have been talkin this up for a long time now.

If the Pav does want to leave the west I feel our biggest stumbling block will be our own administration and there reluctance to chandge the playing list.

Maybe the crows could suprise me and actually make this happen.

Dutchy wrote:I think offering a guy the Captaincy when he hasnt even been involved in the club would be lunacy...

I think you're right in most cases - I was slightly tongue-in-cheek

A small handful of players could maybe cross to other clubs and have enough respect to take the job on straight up - Hird 5 years ago for example. But it may not go down too well with the players.

There's not an obvious replacement in the younger brigade for Roo apart from Rutten maybe - Goodwin prob next in line but age may play against him .... maybe Pav could be captain in 2009 after a gun 1st year for the Crows!

I answer the Rising Star question -

Brent Reilly 2005
Sarge was the next one back in 2000!!!

unless they pull their finger out and get some kids playing some gametime 2008+ might be lean years for the crows

Dutchy wrote:I answer the Rising Star question -

Brent Reilly 2005
Sarge was the next one back in 2000!!!

unless they pull their finger out and get some kids playing some gametime 2008+ might be lean years for the crows

wasn't it 2004 Dutchy??????????????

Dutchy wrote:I answer the Rising Star question -

Brent Reilly 2005
Sarge was the next one back in 2000!!!

unless they pull their finger out and get some kids playing some gametime 2008+ might be lean years for the crows

Must say the one lad they have played all year up until last week is pretty stiff to have not been nominated - J.Griffen

Would prefer to consistantly play finals than bleat about rising star nominations. If individual honors are so important a good comparison would be All Australian representatives...crows have plenty of them.

hondo71 wrote:Despite what some people think, the Crows have a good squad of young players coming through to go with a handful of older players most of whom have more than 1 season left.

Crows older crew is no different to Port's with Tredders, Wakelin, Cornes, Lade, Wilson, Brogan yet most people assume Port are this young side on the up and the Crows are being booked in to Resthaven

Out of this list,Tredrea 27,Cornes X2 26/22 are the most likely to be there in 3-5 years.

But Lade and Brogan have shown,as is most often the case,old cagey ruckmen can be extremely valuable to a team.(Lade more so than Brogan,no doubt).

Adelaide's older brigade of Roo,McLeod,Edwards,Goodwin and Bassett are the type who rely on running power as much as thier 'guile'.These players tend to not hold out as long,and the fact all are the other side of 30,it does appear to be a team relying on the older heads.Dont get me wrong,Porplyzia,Douglas,Van Berlo,Rutten(a miserly big,big man) all have futures ahead of them.
I just feel Port's younger group are 2 or so years ahead of thier Crow counter parts,many of those 23-24 year olds,even if not having played in the 04 premiership,have spent time around a successful club,it is only the older Crow heads who remember the really good times.This might be the difference between which one of us,if either,win a flag in the next 3-5 years.As I asked before,if Pavlich is chasing a flag,who is the better bet to win one in the next 3-5 years?I think Port,if either at all.

Rik E Boy wrote:LMAO. Whoever ends up with him will pay through the bloody nose, no doubt about it.

regards,

REB

So you wouldn't trade for him?

Dutchy wrote:I think offering a guy the Captaincy when he hasnt even been involved in the club would be lunacy...

tell me, when was the last NAB Rising Star nomination for the Crows?

Who cares?

So you're telling me Knights, van Berlo, Griffin, Douglas, Maric aren't good youngsters?

If Maric, Griffen and Douglas are good youngsters why arent they playing regular AFL footy?