Rumour 2023 Rumours and Speculation (Rumours total 37!, 1 (busted) BIG FISH ALERT last October 9th) (9 confirmed! 17 Busted!)

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Would certainly be interesting if Melbourne were using the threat of a trade to get better behaviour from Oliver without any intention of following through. I wonder if there's been a few bluffs called from the involved parties

Agree but is a weird approach threatening a guy on a guaranteed multi million dollar contract that can't be traded or cut without his permission.

The only thing they can hope for is Oliver's professional pride and not wanting to spend the rest of the decade in the VFL.
 

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Even if Oliver wants to leave, Melbourne don't have to trade him. That's the beauty of the contract, Melbourne can issue all the ultimatums, Oliver can call all those bluffs, then at the end of the day not trade him
The last thing Melbourne would want is to force someone to stay for 7 years on $1m a year. It would be a culture killer. Imagine young players being told we can’t pay you more because that unfit guy over there who doesn’t want to be here is taking up all our salary cap.

personally I thinks it’s one of 2 scenarios.

1. Oliver is the one disgruntled and wanting to leave, in which case it will still happen. The meeting then would have been how to make Melbourne come out of it looking good and with pick 1.

2. They thought that by threatening Oliver with trading him that it would be the wake up call he needed to improve his attitude. He then called their bluff and everyone has been madly scrambling since. The meeting in that case was how to spin it so that the club looks like it’s in control of the situation.
 
For my own mental health I’m gonna assume it’s not happening haha

It doesn’t seem like the saga is quite done though, for sure
clint-eastwood-magnum-force.gif
 
The last thing Melbourne would want is to force someone to stay for 7 years on $1m a year. It would be a culture killer. Imagine young players being told we can’t pay you more because that unfit guy over there who doesn’t want to be here is taking up all our salary cap.

personally I thinks it’s one of 2 scenarios.

1. Oliver is the one disgruntled and wanting to leave, in which case it will still happen. The meeting then would have been how to make Melbourne come out of it looking good and with pick 1.

2. They thought that by threatening Oliver with trading him that it would be the wake up call he needed to improve his attitude. He then called their bluff and everyone has been madly scrambling since. The meeting in that case was how to spin it so that the club looks like it’s in control of the situation.

Will Smith Reaction GIF
 
The last thing Melbourne would want is to force someone to stay for 7 years on $1m a year. It would be a culture killer. Imagine young players being told we can’t pay you more because that unfit guy over there who doesn’t want to be here is taking up all our salary cap.

personally I thinks it’s one of 2 scenarios.

1. Oliver is the one disgruntled and wanting to leave, in which case it will still happen. The meeting then would have been how to make Melbourne come out of it looking good and with pick 1.

2. They thought that by threatening Oliver with trading him that it would be the wake up call he needed to improve his attitude. He then called their bluff and everyone has been madly scrambling since. The meeting in that case was how to spin it so that the club looks like it’s in control of the situation.

Or 3 … Oliver is a crazy mutha and they don’t know what the hell is going on in his addled brainy bits - but really like how good at footy he is. They are just hanging on for the ride like the rest of us, completely unsure where it will end!!
 

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Even if Oliver wants to leave, Melbourne don't have to trade him. That's the beauty of the contract, Melbourne can issue all the ultimatums, Oliver can call all those bluffs, then at the end of the day not trade him
It's happened before - Sydney with O'Keefe and Papley springs to mind. But more often than not, if a player doesn't want to be there the club tends to cut its losses.
 

Interesting part further down in that article:

LEAGUE TO PONDER COMPENSATION CHANGES​

THE AFL is set to assess whether it begins to consider the length of a contract in its free agency compensation formula.​
Currently, while a restricted free agent must be offered a minimum two-year deal to trigger free agency compensation, the final length of the contract is not a factor in deciphering which band is triggered.​
It means that, hypothetically, a three-year deal activates the same band of free agency compensation as a five-year contract provided the financial terms across the offer are the same.​
But, while it will not be introduced ahead of this year's free agency window that opens on Friday, the League is pondering whether the length of a contract becomes part of its formula in deciding free agency compensation in the future.​
The AFL currently has a detailed points-based formula that decides free agency compensation, which considers a range of factors including the financial terms of the deal and the age of the player moving clubs among others.​
Clubs losing players are made aware of the compensation being offered with 24 hours of a restricted free agency deal being lodged, with that package then made official if a choice is made not to match a rival club's bid.​

Clubs are not allowed to alter the terms of any restricted free agency deal throughout the life of its contract. – Riley Beveridge​
 
I am willing to bet that Himmelberg will still be traded
Burgess is probably coming to replace him. We'll bring in someone else for defensive depth.
 
It's happened before - Sydney with O'Keefe and Papley springs to mind. But more often than not, if a player doesn't want to be there the club tends to cut its losses.
I think it's unlikely a club would cut their losses for one of the best players in the competition
 

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