Quote Originally Posted by mjp View Post
I think he is going OK. Pies had to up the offer last time because there was a competing offer from (I wanna say Brisbane) worth a lot more $.

Biggest issue with Cox is that he is nearing 30 years old. I think he has some attributes as a second tall in a good side because he can take a turn in the ruck...pretty sure the Pies would have played him in the finals this year and am pretty confident it would have balanced up their front half vs the Giants.

Why would Essendon do it though? I know we all hate them but their list build in terms of replacing players in that 23-27 year group (many of whom they lost through their own doing - aka the drugs scandal) has been going OK. Kelly wants to go home but Geelong is OK whereas Fantasia wants to go home = Essendon is toxic? I think that is pretty harsh.

I'm not sure they would do the Stringer thing again - certainly not on the $ they gave him - but that was a club being opportunistic and grabbing an elite talent (undeniable) who surprisingly dropped onto the market place...As for Shiel, well, not too many people were critical of the 'race to sign' him that went on last year and he had a reasonable season. He was never Adam Treloar but they only paid half the price that Collingwood paid...and the 'Pies had an actual ruckman (the Bellchambers and Draper injuries killed Essendon's season) + other tier one mids in Pendlebury and Sidebottom already in place...who did Essendon have? Parish is a foot soldier, Heppell is a foot soldier...Merrett is pretty good though and McGrath is an excellent small defender but no-one seems happy with letting him play that role.

I don't know. If Hogan was worth a top 10 pick + a second rounder then so is Daniher. If the Bombers get more than that, well, good luck to them (it doesn't hurt to ask).
This is a really well balanced, considered post. Mods: may I suggest a life ban for MJP, this is Essendon after all

I think Cox was originally on super huge coin outside of the cap (category B). I am guessing his contract isn’t quite what it was (has been front loaded in a round about way) but I think you are right that interest came from elsewhere that forced their hand to give him more than maybe they would have.

This was absolutely an attempted salary dump. The question is, who did they have in mind to replace him? I think DeGoey and Mihocek need a tall around them and Ben Reid’s body is a bet you don’t want to go all in on. I feel like they have an iron in the fire. Josh “Moneyball” Jenkins?

There are a few rumours that if Dhead policies had an Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade style booby trapped series of tests, Fantasia would now be missing his head. Obviously you take these things with a grain of salt, but churning through three managers does raise an eyebrow.

On the surface the media are sounding alarm bells if Essington lose Fantasia and Daniher, but one has chewed a whole bunch of cap space (almost) without taking the field in two years and the other misfired and underperformed most of the year (11 disposals and 1.3 goals a game is not really elite) and *allegedly* is the type of character you don’t mind moving on. *Stringer irony noted*