AFL 2025 Silly Season

[Jim05]

Disgrace by us.
Merrett will leave next year for stuff all

What? Showing backbone is disgraceful? Sometimes, just sometimes you need to show who's in charge. And it's not someone that signs and contract and then wants out part way through. That sets a terrible standard in your club.

He is leaving next year for stuff all.
Had a great chance to load up at the next two drafts

Big deal. You will get a first rounder anyway as compo. Like I said, that sets a standard that our club should've set too.

Not next year. We will get maybe a single first for him in a trade.
Not to mention the rift that is between players already. Going to be a messy year

[whufc]

Bit of a changing of the guard this trade period.

Is this the first time we have seen multiple deals not go through for decent players?

Without the stats feels like clubs aren't willing to be as friendly as they once were. Also combined with the receiving club traditionally knowing they can get massive unders.

Going to be interesting to see how it all plays out....

-Does Ah Chee get to Adelaide
-Does Merritt / Marshall play well or shite next year.

[stan]

Bit of a changing of the guard this trade period.

Is this the first time we have seen multiple deals not go through for decent players?

Without the stats feels like clubs aren't willing to be as friendly as they once were. Also combined with the receiving club traditionally knowing they can get massive unders.

Going to be interesting to see how it all plays out....

-Does Ah Chee get to Adelaide
-Does Merritt / Marshall play well or shite next year.

Achee will get to Adelaide.

Merrit will play well as he's a class player. He can't be captain though, however Essendon are about to implode so this might be one of many issues soon.

Marshall didn't have the fall out that Merrit did. He'll play and probably spend more time forward.

[stan]

Respect for Essendon
Respect for Brisbane
Respect for St Kilda

Carlton you pack of duds

Disgrace by us.
Merrett will leave next year for stuff all

Fancy wanting 4 1st round picks for a 30yr old, joke of a club, glad we didnt fold.
Now we need to go hard for Butters and/or Humphrey next year.
We'll get Merret for a packet of chips after he goes through the motions next year.

Carlton have done well, their ins are what the modern game requires, plenty of small goal kickers.

This is all good in retrospect as we all jabe 20/20 hindsight, but I wonder if the Hawks should have turned there attention to poet with that offer?

Pick 10, future 1st and pick 22, maybe put some more Mayo on it and look at at 2027 picks as well and start talking Butters?

I know the stance for this year was he's not going anywhere, buy maybe 2 first and an early second and maybe a bit more would have got them talking.

[whufc]

Bit of a changing of the guard this trade period.

Is this the first time we have seen multiple deals not go through for decent players?

Without the stats feels like clubs aren't willing to be as friendly as they once were. Also combined with the receiving club traditionally knowing they can get massive unders.

Going to be interesting to see how it all plays out....

-Does Ah Chee get to Adelaide
-Does Merritt / Marshall play well or shite next year.

Achee will get to Adelaide.

Merrit will play well as he's a class player. He can't be captain though, however Essendon are about to implode so this might be one of many issues soon.

Marshall didn't have the fall out that Merrit did. He'll play and probably spend more time forward.

Do you think other clubs will watch Marshall / Merritt with interest?

If both go on and be super professional and have decent seasons we might see more teams get a bit stronger at the draft table. The worry seems to have always been about their performance if kept at the club.

[am Bays]

With this being such a poor draft year and Tasmania on the horizon I think this was a bad year for players wanting to be traded.

A late first this year just doesn't have the currency of past years and with "future future" picks (2027 draft) going to be impacted by Tasmania clubs were much more reticent to give up picks and players - I mean Geelong's 2027 1st round pick could be in the 30s.

Didnt stop the "steak knife" trading but the big trades were much more risky for clubs.

[stan]

Bit of a changing of the guard this trade period.

Is this the first time we have seen multiple deals not go through for decent players?

Without the stats feels like clubs aren't willing to be as friendly as they once were. Also combined with the receiving club traditionally knowing they can get massive unders.

Going to be interesting to see how it all plays out....

-Does Ah Chee get to Adelaide
-Does Merritt / Marshall play well or shite next year.

Achee will get to Adelaide.

Merrit will play well as he's a class player. He can't be captain though, however Essendon are about to implode so this might be one of many issues soon.

Marshall didn't have the fall out that Merrit did. He'll play and probably spend more time forward.

Do you think other clubs will watch Marshall / Merritt with interest?

If both go on and be super professional and have decent seasons we might see more teams get a bit stronger at the draft table. The worry seems to have always been about their performance if kept at the club.

I don't know, it's almost uncharted waters now with a player in Merrits situation and then staying at the club.

If he ends up so poor playing VFL, then it's not going to help.

With Marshall, it won't matter as much. During trade week, the tall blokes all tend to turn into elite players.

[Booney]

Essendon aren't competing for a premiership any time soon, the list has holes galore and there's lots of work to do to get it into the top 8, the top 4, let alone challenging for the flag. They have a 30 year old who wants out, who simply doesn't want to be there and in turn another club have offered them 3 picks inside 25 across two years + a player and they've turned that down as a matter of principle because the new President wants to draw a line in the sand?

They are a joke of a club, aren't they?

[wenchbarwer]

For all of Jim's "positivity", I'm actually really happy how it panned out.

They didn't cave for what they felt was a substandard deal, for once in my life I agreed with David King that the onus was squarely on Hawthorn to offer up a deal that couldn't be refused. Either they didn't value Merrett highly enough or have other plans, so be it, but also kudos for them to sticking to their guns.

Watching Merrett's manager carrying on like an arseclown was hilarious, he's lucky Jarryd Roughead seems like a placid bloke otherwise he would have been put through a wall.

Merrett is contracted for 2 more years, if Hawthorn or another club come around again next year, we get something for him. He's shown this year he's invaluable to a young, developing team, and we can't just roll out there with a team sheet full of 19 year olds again, that's only going to stunt their progress without experience around them.

[Booney]

So what would be an acceptable deal next year then?

I also think Petroro wasn't going off at Hawthorn, I think he was animated with them because Essendon weren't taking the deal not because he thought their deal was below par. He said so much the day before.

[Mr Beefy]

So what would be an acceptable deal next year then?

I also think Petroro wasn't going off at Hawthorn, I think he was animated with them because Essendon weren't taking the deal not because he thought their deal was below par. He said so much the day before.

My assessment of that deal is that Hawthorn were offering more than enough, Essendon just werent interested in a trade. Its almost like Dodoro never left

[wenchbarwer]

So what would be an acceptable deal next year then?

I also think Petroro wasn't going off at Hawthorn, I think he was animated with them because Essendon weren't taking the deal not because he thought their deal was below par. He said so much the day before.

Honestly, I have no idea, a fair bit can change in 12 months, too.

At the end of the day, Petroro has a responsibility to his client. He's the conduit between both clubs and the player, and for it to get to the extent it did, and not have a resolution, is on him.

Look at he Curnow deal, they were close, and some negotiation with Robbie Dorazio got it over the line. Petroro shouldn't promise the world when all he can deliver is an atlas.

And while it's petty, you can't factor out the Essendon/Hawthorn history, either. Two figures from that game in 2004 were deeply involved in this potential trade.

Long story short, we were shit with Merrett, we'd be worse without him. He signed the contract, now honour it. Pretty simple.

[mal]

With this being such a poor draft year and Tasmania on the horizon I think this was a bad year for players wanting to be traded.

A late first this year just doesn't have the currency of past years and with "future future" picks (2027 draft) going to be impacted by Tasmania clubs were much more reticent to give up picks and players - I mean Geelong's 2027 1st round pick could be in the 30s.

Didnt stop the "steak knife" trading but the big trades were much more risky for clubs.

Agree
Excellent post

[Booney]

So what would be an acceptable deal next year then?

I also think Petroro wasn't going off at Hawthorn, I think he was animated with them because Essendon weren't taking the deal not because he thought their deal was below par. He said so much the day before.

Honestly, I have no idea, a fair bit can change in 12 months, too.

At the end of the day, Petroro has a responsibility to his client. He's the conduit between both clubs and the player, and for it to get to the extent it did, and not have a resolution, is on him.

Look at he Curnow deal, they were close, and some negotiation with Robbie Dorazio got it over the line. Petroro shouldn't promise the world when all he can deliver is an atlas.

And while it's petty, you can't factor out the Essendon/Hawthorn history, either. Two figures from that game in 2004 were deeply involved in this potential trade.

Long story short, we were shit with Merrett, we'd be worse without him. He signed the contract, now honour it. Pretty simple.

Melbourne basically showed you how to do it with Petracca. Contracted player wants out, for your culture and your list build you move him out, bring in picks and reset. It was right on front of you.

[mighty_tiger_79]

Hawthorn needed to make an offer too good to refuse

[wenchbarwer]

We have picks 5, 6, 21, 27, 30 already, how is getting in more 18 year olds going to help our list demographic or rebuild?

Petracca & Curnow went about in in an amicable fashion, think that's the key difference. The leaks coming out via the Merrett camp prior to asking to be traded left everyone with a bad taste in their mouth. no surprise they told the Hawks to jam it.

[wenchbarwer]

Hawthorn needed to make an offer too good to refuse

This

[Jim05]

So what would be an acceptable deal next year then?

31yo with only 1 year remaining on his contract will get 1 first rounder tops for him.
We now get to sit through this circus again for the next 12 months with a split playing group
Bottom 4 again, Zach will leave and wouldn’t be surprised if our younger blokes start looking at options too.
What a fantastic 12 months ahead

[Booney]

So what would be an acceptable deal next year then?

31yo with only 1 year remaining on his contract will get 1 first rounder tops for him.
We now get to sit through this circus again for the next 12 months with a split playing group
Bottom 4 again, Zach will leave and wouldn’t be surprised if our younger blokes start looking at options too.
What a fantastic 12 months ahead

That's the glass half empty I was drinking from.

[wenchbarwer]

So what would be an acceptable deal next year then?

31yo with only 1 year remaining on his contract will get 1 first rounder tops for him.
We now get to sit through this circus again for the next 12 months with a split playing group
Bottom 4 again, Zach will leave and wouldn’t be surprised if our younger blokes start looking at options too.
What a fantastic 12 months ahead

That's the glass half empty I was drinking from.

Go get some sushi to cheer yourself up, watch out for your boots