Look Farmer I get it. I get the pro Gresham camp.
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Look Farmer I get it. I get the pro Gresham camp.

The point is everyone knows the uncontracted FA's and Gresham therefore is a candidate for selection.
For good reason, you seem to state its a fait accompli Gresham is coming to Carlton.
I will tell you why I think you sound like an apologist for the club against that back drop.

I have no idea why or how you can compare Acres and Gresham. I do actually, but it doesn't correlate whatsoever. Except, both their former teams let them go to better offers.
Acres had an outstanding season and Finals series the year prior to arriving. Gresham has not. Acres was worth taking at $400K to play, Gresham is depth and is not worth $400K

Acres filled a position of need, the wing, Gresham is a "midfielder who can kick a goal", but we have no shortage of midfielders. Just look to see at our depth players who cant get a game when Walsh Cerra and Kennedy are back.

As for fighting for spots for small forwards, do you really think that isnt happening with Durdin, Owies, Motlop, Fogarty, Cottrell, and since Cuningham and Martin have returned, bloody hell, You know we have to fit in Harry Charlie and possible SOS into that forwadline? Gresham is a peripheral player for the Saints and was unimpressive when the heat was and he had plenty of incentive to to display his wares on Sunday. There was no room for Fisher, who along with Cuningham, Fogarty and Motlop run through the middle, as did little Durds before coming to Carlton. We still have Cerra Walsh Kennedy to return to the midfield, now we want to add Gresham, to run through the midfield. Anyone can run through the midfield, but can they perform in 2024 and beyond? I don't care what he did in 2020 and 2021. We are talking 2024.

Acres came top fill a position of need on the field, and now Gresham is filling a spot for depth/ age profile for how much? Point is he takes up a list spot and does not fulfill a need. I could go on with the comparison...
Now the argument is Age profile; 26-30yo? Really?

Lets see who we've got to fill that age bracket?
Cripps, Kennedy, Hewett, Acres, Owies, Cuningham, Cincotta Kennedy Williams, Boyd, Saad, Fisher, and that's just those who can play midfield, add Newman, Silvagni,, Harry, Pitto, Durdin, Weitering add Dow and Fogarty next year...how many is that so far? 22/45...and we need to add Gresham to fill a shortage? I think you're very wrong.

How many players have we got over 30 in a potential premiership year. Not as many as previous Premiership teams that's for sure. In fact we have none this year and only Doc next year. Point is if there's a gap in Age profile one could argue its the 30 plus, but I'm happy where we are at.

The story keeps on changing to fit this square peg in a round hole.

There's better options than Gresham. Some are sitting on our list and looking at the door because we need to make 3 changes and get some new young blood in the team, or someone who will help us in Finals. Gresham wont get a game with us unless he finds that form from 2-3 years ago.

No offense Farmer, I love yu mate, but I think the argument against Gresham is stronger than the excuses I'm hearing to get him. If you know its a fait accompli that's fine, and I thank you for bringing light to the situation, but until he is signed, I will be disappointed to think we may sign him for the reasons I'm hearing to this point. Terry Wallace had the job at the Swans till the crowd gave their opinion.

I'm sure supporters like me, and the media noise before trade period will be quarrelling about who we could take to make a big difference to our team as our Premiership window is open (and reigning Premiers too). Being a Destination Club will shake out many more candidates at the end of the year, so I'm not counting on Gresham.

I see Gresham as the sort of player we needed 3-5 years ago, when we lacked senior bodies and had salary cap space to blow. Not now

For me, he is far from an automatic selection in our best 22 when we have won 7 in a row and still need to fit in Walsh, Cerra, McKay, JSOS, Kennedy, Gov, Boyd to come back this year and Willams next year plus we have Durdin, Binns, Carroll, Cowan kocking on the door. That's 12 players to fit in to calculations plus next years draftees. We're going to have some very good players missing out.

Our salary cap has to be getting tight and $400-500k is a lot to have tied up in a depth player who probably doesn't even get in our best 22. That's the difference between another $400-$500k player and an All Australian level player. I think our strategy now should only be recruiting genuine stars who will be definitely be first 22 and make us stronger - or young guys on the cheap who won't take up cap space, have plenty of upside and can develop into our stars of the future while providing depth at the same time.

For me Gresham just has list clogger written all over it. He'll be in and out of the team and mostly sit in the 2s eating up salary cap space. All the while he's probably hit his ceiling and won't be getting any better.

I'm not pro at all. Just balancing the reasoning and looking at why we might get him

I see Gresham as the sort of player we needed 3-5 years ago, and he knocked back our approach when we lacked senior bodies and had salary cap space to blow. Not now that he's devalued at the Saints


For me, he is far from an automatic selection in our best 22 when we have won 7 in a row and still need to fit in Walsh, Cerra, McKay, JSOS, Kennedy, Gov, Boyd to come back this year and Willams next year plus we have Durdin, Binns, Carroll, Cowan kocking on the door. That's 12 players to fit in to calculations plus next years draftees. We're going to have some very good players missing out.

Our salary cap has to be getting tight and $400-500k is a lot to have tied up in a depth player who probably doesn't even get in our best 22. That's the difference between another $400-$500k player and an All Australian level player. I think our strategy now should only be recruiting genuine stars who will be definitely be first 22 and make us stronger - or young guys on the cheap who won't take up cap space, have plenty of upside and can develop into our stars of the future while providing depth at the same time.

For me Gresham just has list clogger written all over it. He'll be in and out of the team and mostly sit in the 2s eating up salary cap space. All the while he's probably hit his ceiling and won't be getting any better.

I see Gresham as the sort of player we needed 3-5 years ago, when we lacked senior bodies and had salary cap space to blow. Not now

For me, he is far from an automatic selection in our best 22 when we have won 7 in a row and still need to fit in Walsh, Cerra, McKay, JSOS, Kennedy, Gov, Boyd to come back this year and Willams next year plus we have Durdin, Binns, Carroll, Cowan kocking on the door. That's 12 players to fit in to calculations plus next years draftees. We're going to have some very good players missing out.

Our salary cap has to be getting tight and $400-500k is a lot to have tied up in a depth player who probably doesn't even get in our best 22. That's the difference between another $400-$500k player and an All Australian level player. I think our strategy now should only be recruiting genuine stars who will be definitely be first 22 and make us stronger - or young guys on the cheap who won't take up cap space, have plenty of upside and can develop into our stars of the future while providing depth at the same time.

For me Gresham just has list clogger written all over it. He'll be in and out of the team and mostly sit in the 2s eating up salary cap space. All the while he's probably hit his ceiling and won't be getting any better.

does afl do incentive deals like mlb & nfl?

plays x amount of games gets a bonus etc

gov needs one of them.

the lid is off baby!

Good news. Obviously the Cunners contract needs some of that conditional jiggery pokery in it too.

ok, iit's easy then ... give gov a contract where he's base salary is minimal but with a games played bonus where he can earn good money.


cfc will be the place to be over the next half decade. players will come to us like they did primetime hawks and cats - playing for unders bcos we're winning flags.

That would leave Silvagni Dow Marchbank S.Durdin Fogarty Plowman Philp Curnow Honey as those unsigned

That's 9.

I expect Silvagni to sign
Fisher has been rumoured to return to WA?

For me Ed Curnow Philp Honey Plowman all go.
The rest I have no idea. Haven't things changed