@ettemedia.bsky.social , re last episode and 'breaks [their] silence'.

I also hate the phrase 'opens up'.

I hate those things.

I'm not saying that it's not possible to cook with them... but they're the blunt instrument of outdoor cooking.

Just on the "settlers"... I the language used to describe them undermines understanding of what they're doing.

"Settler" is so... benign.
They have victims.

They should be described in military terms.
They are "invaders" (or "colonialists").
Their dwellings "forward operating bases".

Yeah, but all underpinned by the strength of the US Navy - and in far fewer areas.

For decades now, the safety of worldwide shipping has been essentially guaranteed by the US Navy; I have no idea if this is one of the reasons the country keeps close ties to the US, but it would make sense, given the importance.

A lawless USA is a detriment to the entire world.

Not ideal, but a better standard than is being applied at the moment.

I still find it frustrating when journalists (etc) refer back to things he's said in the past as if it will provide guidance as to what he'll do next.

Yeah... it's a machine. If it *didn't* beat the human record it'd be weird.

Cars, motorcycles, mopeds... they'd all be able to beat the human record. So what?

Your "stunning" adjective is unwarranted.

That's the one.

I don't think he moves your needle.
He's not good enough to change games on his own.

Yeah, he's got plenty of years left in him - unless he cops some sort of catastrophic injury.

Another club would be happy to sign him for 4 years.

Yes, but under Sheedy they also turned into what they are now.

Sure was. Wonderful player to watch.

These days a player getting a 5 year deal at 26 would be nothing... but in 1999, it was a huge deal. We just didn't get that many players performing well into their 30s (at least as far as I recall).

I didn't watch the game, but I lament Essendon's lack of ruthlessness as well.

I mean... being shit for the last 20 years hasn't helped, but we never really hammer teams into the ground when the opportunity arises.

Ruthless. Professional. Relentless. Those are the qualities I want to see.

I think he'll look for a way out, but he'll do it more quietly this time. Certainly there'll be scuttlebutt in the media about it (as there has been for the last couple of years).

I can't see EFC even playing off for a flag in the next four years, let alone the two that Merrett is contracted for.

Like what happened with Brodie Grundy and Clayton Oliver.

Definitely a risk.

I remember Essendon signed Mark Mercuri to a 5 year deal (after he was runner up in the Brownlow), locking us in to a couple of pretty ordinary seasons at the end of his career.

their contract.

Just so I'm clear, we're talking about the draft capital and players the destination gives the source club for the player that is moving, correct?

I think the asking price for star players will increase, but mainly because of quality rather than the length of their contract... but we'll see.

Not bad at all.

I'm pretty envious of the culture that Sydney has created in terms of getting the best out of their players.

Certainly a factor.

My take was that Essendon were shit regardless of whether Merrett was in the team. If we could get some good draft value out of him on the way out it would speed our rebuild.

Yeah, Tasmania's entrance is definitely affecting things; lots of clubs are trying to tie players down for a period covering that period.

"Pre-agency" is the other factor that drives that behaviour from clubs.

I'm not sure the length of contract changes the compensation though.

Despite the bluster, if Hawthorn had come with a useful offering, I believe EFC would have let Merrett go.

If, say Hawthorn had somehow managed to extract Pick 2 from WC and added another top 10 pick for the following season it would have advanced the conversation.

I think we'd all love Papley at our clubs.
IIRC, Essendon asked for him in exchange for Daniher.

Do you think the long contract changes anything in terms of what the other club gives up in the trade? I'd never considered that before.

Hawthorn screwed that whole thing up completely through their arrogance.

Similar to when Essendon convinced Josh Dunkley to switch from the Dogs and then wouldn't pay up.

They were 100% justified.

Hawthorn (and boosters) made a big deal about how many 1st round picks they were offering, but Essendon couldn't have used them - and there was no time to trade out of that draft (even if we found a team that wanted in - which they probably didn't).

We are at a point where the contracts only confirm that a player will get paid X amount over Y years, that's all.

In both cases the club argued that the compensation offered was insufficient.

Daniher was a bit 50/50 (imo), but what Hawthorn offered for Merrett was a joke. Hawthorn figured they could just throw whatever at Essendon and they'd take it. Arrogance.

I missed the "s" in "players." Damnit. The statement I heard was more general than one player or one season - it was about a pattern of behaviour. I can't speak to it though; I mentioned it in case it rang true to you.

Been a while since I expected much from Essendon. ☺️

100%. Jorge did a fantastic job with that album.

Yeah... it definitely feels like a while since we made good use of our top 10 picks last year.

Others who know more about this posited that Carlton picked up some excellent players with early picks but they traded out solid player seeking superstars. I haven't tried to confirm that myself.