Scully

[Sylvia Saint]

Well I for one am genuinely worried he will leave. It's all good and well to spruik about mates, premierships, success etc... but at the end of the day GWS are going to offer him a massive deal, one we won't be able to match. Of course I hope Scully plays the loyalty card and stays a Demon for life, but nobody knows for sure that he will go down that path. He might see the GWS offer as too good to refuse.

I'm also worried that his manager hasn't come and and squashed these rumours.
I remember Campbell Brown being quizzed on the Gold Coast on the first or second Footy Show of 2010. His side-stepping of the question had me thinking "He'll be leaving for sure".

It's going to be a long year anyway. He better ****ing stay!!!!

 

[thetank]

Re. Gaz and Bomber Thompson: It was Bomber's suspicions that Gaz had committed to GC that resulted in Bomber's ill-treatment of Gaz, and not vice versa.

People need to think about this issue with their head and not their heart.

If you were playing for MFC, with the next contract likely to be $450k/year over 3 years, would you turn away a $1.0m/year 6 year contract at COLLINGWOOD (an extreme scenario, for instance)?

The extra money sets up children's education plus extra in trust fund, funds any medical treatment for family, investment property, early retirement, provides capital in establishing businesses, etc. Things which affect a footballer for many years after the playing career is over.

Between the financial stability of my family and "loyalty" to a football club (which frequently only goes one way), I know which option I (and most other people) would choose.

 

[ThePuppetMaster]

1. i doubt gws would go for scull, sure he had a brilliant first year, but you would think some older, recognised star players would be higher on the agenda

2. IF scully did leave, it would reflect really poorly on him IMO, to leave a club two seasons in after being a no.1 draft pick, would really say a lot about him and his ethics.... know from reports we have heard what a stand up bloke he is, with a good head on his shoulders

 

[Frank Grimes]

To dispel any rumours, all Scully or his management have to say is that Tom hasn't committed to GWS, and contract negotiations with Melbourne will be discussed at year end.

While that may help a little, I'm afraid the only way to dispel any rumour is for him to sign the dotted line for Melbourne. Until he does that the rumour is going to intensify. Though it would be concerning that there is no effort so far to dispel any rumour on his or his manager part.

I'm a bit 50/50 on if he'll leave or not. At the time I found it odd though that he did not sign the extension to his contract like Scully and Gysberts did.

 

[Demon 86]

I'll give odds of 50-1 on Scully leaving.

As for poster above- why would u sign extension before playing a season in which ur value will triple? Makes zero sense- tho we will no doubt here that idiotic argument a lot until he re-signs. Ps- excellent username

 

[melbournemartin]

Maybe GWS care more about drafting quality footballers than players purely for marketing?

Oh wait, Folau...

We're safe then Scully, as much as he's a star in the making, is hardly a household name in Western Sydney.

 

[dee64]

1. i doubt gws would go for scull, sure he had a brilliant first year, but you would think some older, recognised star players would be higher on the agenda

2. IF scully did leave, it would reflect really poorly on him IMO, to leave a club two seasons in after being a no.1 draft pick, would really say a lot about him and his ethics.... know from reports we have heard what a stand up bloke he is, with a good head on his shoulders

Disagree on both counts. Scully is a perfect target for GWS. The kid will be a recognised star sooner rather than later.

And why would it reflect badly on Scully if he left? He's a professional footballer who may want to maximise his earnings in what can sometimes be a brief career. He didn't choose to play for Melbourne. He ended up with us due to the AFL's draft rules, and similarly the AFL has rules that allow a new franchise like the GWS to poach him.

If he leaves it's a poor reflection on the club, and the ridiculous AFL rules that would allow this to occur.

 

[eliasd82]

I'm also worried that his manager hasn't come and and squashed these rumours.

It would be irresponsible for his manager to do that.
He wants to get the best deal for his client. Holding out is a smart business move but killer for supporters...

A lot more rumours and articles like this to come guys!

I just hope it is a bit like how Pavlich deals and signs at the end of the season.

 

[Demon 16]

I dont mean to sound sceptical - but the money factor is somewhat mitigated with the clubs improved financial position.

There are other incentives that can be offered that dont affect the salary cap (think Essendon purchasing mathewlloyd.com for $1,000,000 - or Visy employing Judd as an 'ambassador' and guaranteeing him a role after football).

The tempation of GWS will be strong, but Melbourne FC will do more than just offer Tom Scully cash within the salary cap - I have no doubt.

 

[richskee]

How can the AFL not support teams with developing players, there should be an age bracket in place for these situations. This topic is going to do my head in all year, ala Ablett GC.

I'd be guttered if he left, an act of betrayal of the highest degree. MFC has to play smart here, otherwise we could get shafted.

Jimmy needs to have a chat to the kid.

 

[richskee]

"Diamond Joe, long time no see. How you been buddy?"

 

[Flyswatter]

Bailey weighs in

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/tom-scully-sees-future-now/story-e6frf9jf-1225999851531

 

[ThePuppetMaster]

Disagree on both counts. Scully is a perfect target for GWS. The kid will be a recognised star sooner rather than later.

And why would it reflect badly on Scully if he left? He's a professional footballer who may want to maximise his earnings in what can sometimes be a brief career. He didn't choose to play for Melbourne. He ended up with us due to the AFL's draft rules, and similarly the AFL has rules that allow a new franchise like the GWS to poach him.

If he leaves it's a poor reflection on the club, and the ridiculous AFL rules that would allow this to occur.

we would have taken him at no.1 anyway, trengove is the player we got via afl draft rules

no number 1 draft pick from the last decade has moved clubs, a no.1 pick is a huge investment for a club and you would hope tom would realize the show of faith in him, also being a no.1 pick would no doubt give tom a lot of pride... i'm sure he would want to repay melbourne

 

[stickman11]

Not to sound rude but 6 million dollars sets a person up for life! All thought gazza being a kid associated to geelong would never leave (no one knew the heated relationship with bomber Thompson) footy is a business now. No doubt future champion player Scully is all I say is hope your side does well and shows potential to win a flag soon to temp him to stay.

Western Sydney will be seven years off from being in a position of winning a flag. Even if they overpay a couple of youngsters, there will be plenty of teams willing to pick of some of theirs. Nothing breeds more resentment when a couple of players are being overpaid compared to you.

Being a professional, Scully won't just look at money -

 

[Hannabal]

And why would it reflect badly on Scully if he left? He's a professional footballer who may want to maximise his earnings in what can sometimes be a brief career.

This is an argument I don't buy. Scully is a professional footballer, but he's also part of a team that is playing sport. He's not a lawyer, or an accountant, he's a sportsman. A football club is tribal and different to a mainstream workplace. It's not the same. Kids grow up playing for their jumper and for the teammates by their side. If they're ultimately good enough they can then make a living doing it, but footy is first and foremost a sport and secondly a profession.

It's the same with how many people now view football clubs. They think it's purely a business. That's not tue. Footy clubs are a membership/community based sporting organisation that need to be run in a business like fashion to ensure survival and hopefully prosperity, but they're definately different to a stock broking firm. If you tried to run the club in this fashion it wouldn't survive. Without pashion a club has nothing. Without pashion a sportsman has nothing.

It doesn't matter how, or why Scully ended up at Melbourne, the facts are he's there. It would reflect terribly on Scully to leave a well run club with quality people purely for money - especially when he's going to be well looked after anyway. If he thought the club was the pits and hadn't provided the appropriate development opportunites then that's a different matter.

If he does leave I doubt it will be put down to the latter and yes, it will reflect very poorly on him.

 

[melbournemartin]

With Ablett we never saw Thompson come out with articles like this. Good signs.

 

[thetank]

This is an argument I don't buy. Scully is a professional footballer, but he's also part of a team that is playing sport. He's not a lawyer, or an accountant, he's a sportsman. A football club is tribal and different to a mainstream workplace. It's not the same. Kids grow up playing for their jumper and for the teammates by their side. If they're ultimately good enough they can then make a living doing it, but footy is first and foremost a sport and secondly a profession.

It's the same with how many people now view football clubs. They think it's purely a business. That's not tue. Footy clubs are a membership/community based sporting organisation that need to be run in a business like fashion to ensure survival and hopefully prosperity, but they're definately different to a stock broking firm. If you tried to run the club in this fashion it wouldn't survive. Without pashion a club has nothing. Without pashion a sportsman has nothing.

It doesn't matter how, or why Scully ended up at Melbourne, the facts are he's there. It would reflect terribly on Scully to leave a well run club with quality people purely for money - especially when he's going to be well looked after anyway. If he thought the club was the pits and hadn't provided the appropriate development opportunites then that's a different matter.

If he does leave I doubt it will be put down to the latter and yes, it will reflect very poorly on him.

Don't forget - while Scully may be a "sportsman", his agent is a businessman, and will get paid a proportion of Scully's contract. The agent will be looking after his own hip pocket first and foremost.

Anyway. I hope all of the financial theorising is proven to be untrue, and that a bit of footy romanticism wins out at the end. In the meantime, all of us Dees supporters are going to be going through what the Cats fans did last year. Curse GWS.

 

[jimmyclean]

The agent will be looking after his own hip pocket first and foremost.

The problem with using this argument is that the agent does whatever Scully wants, if he doesn't he is likely to hurt his hip pocket, in losing Scully as a client.

Achieving the wants and needs of his client comes first, the amount of cash he makes as a result is a by-product.

The size of the deal is not the agents worry, getting the best deal possible from the employer their client wants is.

 

[ben_1301]

Having played footy Tom I can say with 99.99% confidence he won't be going anywhere! This is all about him getting as much $$$ as possible at Melbourne!

 

[BigSexc]

I'll give odds of 50-1 on Scully leaving.

As for poster above- why would u sign extension before playing a season in which ur value will triple? Makes zero sense- tho we will no doubt here that idiotic argument a lot until he re-signs. Ps- excellent username

oo can i put 20bucks on that 50-1? pay out at the end of the season?

 

[Harry Manback]

If you tried to run the club in this fashion it wouldn't survive. Without pashion a club has nothing. Without pashion a sportsman has nothing.

Off you go...

 

[Hannabal]

Off you go...

Link doesn't work for me.

 

[dee64]

This is an argument I don't buy. Scully is a professional footballer, but he's also part of a team that is playing sport. He's not a lawyer, or an accountant, he's a sportsman. A football club is tribal and different to a mainstream workplace. It's not the same. Kids grow up playing for their jumper and for the teammates by their side. If they're ultimately good enough they can then make a living doing it, but footy is first and foremost a sport and secondly a profession.

It's the same with how many people now view football clubs. They think it's purely a business. That's not tue. Footy clubs are a membership/community based sporting organisation that need to be run in a business like fashion to ensure survival and hopefully prosperity, but they're definately different to a stock broking firm. If you tried to run the club in this fashion it wouldn't survive. Without pashion a club has nothing. Without pashion a sportsman has nothing.

It doesn't matter how, or why Scully ended up at Melbourne, the facts are he's there. It would reflect terribly on Scully to leave a well run club with quality people purely for money - especially when he's going to be well looked after anyway. If he thought the club was the pits and hadn't provided the appropriate development opportunites then that's a different matter.

If he does leave I doubt it will be put down to the latter and yes, it will reflect very poorly on him.

Your argument is pure fan romanticism. I'm sure that their are thousands of Geelong supporters who think less of GAJ, but I bet that none of his ex-teammates do.

As for "playing for jumper" and "pashion (sic) for the club, GAJ and Rischitelli had outstanding seasons even though they'd already committed to play for GC17. I would argue that AFL players have a passion for the game, and would play with that passion regardless of the colour of the jumper (Chris Judd). Why, because they are professionals.

And try selling your argument to the dozens of players whose name is thrown up as trade bait every year. Campbell Brown is a classic case of a player who had a passion for the club, yet was royally shafted. Clubs only trot out the loyalty argument when it suits them.

I've never thought any less of any Melbourne player who left the club, including McLean and Bruce. If the club isn't capable of keeping a required player, the fault lies with the club, not the player.

 

[Spirit of 39]

Your argument is pure fan romanticism. I'm sure that their are thousands of Geelong supporters who think less of GAJ, but I bet that none of his ex-teammates do.

As for "playing for jumper" and "pashion (sic) for the club, GAJ and Rischitelli had outstanding seasons even though they'd already committed to play for GC17. I would argue that AFL players have a passion for the game, and would play with that passion regardless of the colour of the jumper (Chris Judd). Why, because they are professionals.

And try selling your argument to the dozens of players whose name is thrown up as trade bait every year. Campbell Brown is a classic case of a player who had a passion for the club, yet was royally shafted. Clubs only trot out the loyalty argument when it suits them.

I've never thought any less of any Melbourne player who left the club, including McLean and Bruce. If the club isn't capable of keeping a required player, the fault lies with the club, not the player.

I agree with what you're saying here to a certain extent.

But it's not just about 'loyalty' and 'passion for the jumper.' Tom trains seven days a week with a group of men, some of whom he would now count amongst his closest friends. They share a common goal of wanting to make the footy club they play for a successful one. They leave no stone unturned to do this. He would have formed bonds and friendships within the club, that only people playing in a professional sporting environment can understand. It would be so hard for him to turn his back on these relationships, especially considering: 1. How young the group is. and 2. How close they are to achieving some success.

I'm not saying that it is beyond the realms of possibility that Tom may look at GWS's offer. But it is not as simple as saying that GWS have offered a much better deal, Scully would be mad not to go. There is more to it. Special friendships and the MFC family are involved.

 

[dee64]

I'm not saying that it is beyond the realms of possibility that Tom may look at GWS's offer. But it is not as simple as saying that GWS have offered a much better deal, Scully would be mad not to go. There is more to it. Special friendships and the MFC family are involved.

Absolutely, it's not just about money, but you don't necessarily lose those special friendships when you change clubs. Did you notice the number of WCE players at Judd's wedding?

I'd be surpised if Scully left, but I don't think it's dishonourable of him to do so.

We seem to have adopted Hawthorn's rigid salary and contract length philosophy, and is the reason why Bruce left. I just hope that it doesn't bite us on the backside again, because unless we start having on-field success this year, the club can't keep playing the "potential success" card as a motivation for players re-signing for less than they can potentially earn elsewhere.