The Brian Lake Dilemma - You're in charge of the negotiation

[Max469]

Re: The Brian Lake Dilemma - You're in charge of the negotiation

Our best 3 players are Lake, Cooney and Murphy. Without them, we aren't going anywhere.

I am in the 'do whatever it takes' camp here. There is absolutely no way we can lose him except for finances...and in this era of the salary cap we should not be able to be outbid.

Make it happen and make this issue go away.

I agree.

So many are sounding like they are would be happy to see him go if he does not take what is offered. - no way. Brian Lake is such an integral part of our team.

Give him what he wants.

Many are not complaining about getting Hall - so the money we could pay to Lake may go to a player that is clearly unstable on a football field.

So we don't give Lake what he wants and walks (yes, I know the club is bigger than the player and all that) and then Hall's first week out there, he goes BANG. He is gone on holiday for a few weeks.

So then we have lost both of them and then what?

Sorry Hall will not be our Messiah.

Please feel free to Flame me - I don't care and I am happy and willing to accept egg on face if he proves me wrong.

Please stay Brian.

[LostDoggy]

Re: The Brian Lake Dilemma - You're in charge of the negotiation

I voted to do what we need to do to keep him. I am worried that if, for whatever reason, we can't re-sign Brian, we will be the losers. I have trouble imagining that we will gain the equivalent of what we have lost through trades of players or draft picks. As a fan have really enjoyed watching him play over the past couple of years. I think he is good for our club and he is important to our success. I have been hooked on all the gossip about his motives and was starting to think badly of him, but I don't think thats right - I have always viewed him as a loyal and dedicated bulldog, so I'm going to reserve judgement until something official is released, and in the mean time, hope like hell that he puts pen to paper!

[Rocco Jones]

Re: The Brian Lake Dilemma - You're in charge of the negotiation

Sorry Hall will not be our Messiah.

Why do so many fans who are against us getting Hall use this argument? He does not have to be our messiah, he just needs to be worth what we are giving away for him. Pick 67/PSD pick benchmark isn't a messiah. It's a player who is worth the 42nd spot on your list.

[mighty_west]

Re: The Brian Lake Dilemma - You're in charge of the negotiation

Why do so many fans who are against us getting Hall use this argument? He does not have to be our messiah, he just needs to be worth what we are giving away for him. Pick 67/PSD pick benchmark isn't a messiah. It's a player who is worth the 42nd spot on your list.

I guess alot of people may see the dollar signs on his head, as being reported in the media, and think that money would be of better use to make sure Lake doesn't leave.

Plus the emotions of others knowing this big power forward wanting to come to our club, and the expectations of how much of a difference that could make to our side.

[Rocco Jones]

Re: The Brian Lake Dilemma - You're in charge of the negotiation

I guess alot of people may see the dollar signs on his head, as being reported in the media, and think that money would be of better use to make sure Lake doesn't leave.

Plus the emotions of others knowing this big power forward wanting to come to our club, and the expectations of how much of a difference that could make to our side.

His price really isn't that much. It's $325k a year right? (perhaps 350). That isn't much more than an average, regular senior player.

If we need to find more money, I would much prefer us delist Eagle.

[mighty_west]

Re: The Brian Lake Dilemma - You're in charge of the negotiation

His price really isn't that much. It's $325k a year right? (perhaps 350). That isn't much more than an average, regular senior player.

If we need to find more money, I would much prefer us delist Eagle.

I have to be careful on how much he was reported to be asking for, so i won't even try..

I like the idea of having him in the forward line, look forward to seeing opposition defenders trying to work over the likes of Hill or any of our other forwards with Big Bad in the same postcode!

[Mofra]

Re: The Brian Lake Dilemma - You're in charge of the negotiation

If we need to find more money, I would much prefer us delist Eagle.

His effect on the salary cap would be less than keeping a first or second year player as half his salary would be under the vets list provisions next year.

[Sockeye Salmon]

Re: The Brian Lake Dilemma - You're in charge of the negotiation

His effect on the salary cap would be less than keeping a first or second year player as half his salary would be under the vets list provisions next year.

Not really.With Eagle on the vets list we would be going in with 39 players on the main list rather than 38.

Even if Eagle was happy to play for the minimum $110K, we would still be at least $55K better off salary cap wise.

[Mantis]

Re: The Brian Lake Dilemma - You're in charge of the negotiation

His effect on the salary cap would be less than keeping a first or second year player as half his salary would be under the vets list provisions next year.

It is still money we need to spend regardless of if it comes under the salary cap.

If for instance Eagleton receives $200K next year and a 1st year player gets $100K the effect on the salary cap is the same, but we could save $100K nett. With this extra money we could bump up our payments for 'promotional incentives' of which we pay only about $250K of the available $550K.

[Mofra]

Re: The Brian Lake Dilemma - You're in charge of the negotiation

It is still money we need to spend regardless of if it comes under the salary cap.

If for instance Eagleton receives $200K next year and a 1st year player gets $100K the effect on the salary cap is the same, but we could save $100K nett. With this extra money we could bump up our payments for 'promotional incentives' of which we pay only about $250K of the available $550K.

Will this be an issue next year with the extra Jihad stadium money? Would expect player payments be a fairly high priority for a re-allocation of extra resources.

[mjp]

Re: The Brian Lake Dilemma - You're in charge of the negotiation

Why do so many fans who are against us getting Hall use this argument? He does not have to be our messiah, he just needs to be worth what we are giving away for him. Pick 67/PSD pick benchmark isn't a messiah. It's a player who is worth the 42nd spot on your list.

'I have always been told that my career would not be over until I have been recruited to play full-forward for Footscray'. B. Hall.

(Well, this was previously attributed to S. Minton-Connell, J. Cook, A. James etc etc but why not add one more to the list).

[Mofra]

Re: The Brian Lake Dilemma - You're in charge of the negotiation

'I have always been told that my career would not be over until I have been recruited to play full-forward for Footscray'. B. Hall.

Can we put him at CHF and put this myth to bed?

In any case, we're a different club now culturally. We're building towards a flag, not just vying for survival.

[mjp]

Re: The Brian Lake Dilemma - You're in charge of the negotiation

Can we put him at CHF and put this myth to bed?

In any case, we're a different club now culturally. We're building towards a flag, not just vying for survival.

Yeah...well we say we are a different club.

Meanwhile every year there is a rumour (and in some cases, true story) about how we are chasing a 'big forward' who another club is sick of. Nathan Thompson last year, Hall this year...if it doesn't come off there will be someone else next year.

[The Boy From Brasil]

Re: The Brian Lake Dilemma - You're in charge of the negotiation

I agree.

So many are sounding like they are would be happy to see him go if he does not take what is offered. - no way. Brian Lake is such an integral part of our team.

Give him what he wants.

Within reason, I agree with you. He is an integral part of our team and we shouldn't be penny pinching with him and do everything reasonably possible to keep him. But we have to be responsible at the same time. We cannot give him a blank cheque to whatever he wants.

1)It throws our salary cap into more pressure than it already is

2)It has a flow on effect. If Lake is getting huge money, then our equivalent players will also want big money. It is all relative.

It might not be solely about what Brian wants as well. If two other clubs are chasing him then it might get down to their offer against ours. And I wouldn't have a clue how much they are offering him. If they are offering say $650K per year against our $450K then it is a big deficit to fill and I am not sure he is worth that sort of money. So it all depends on how much the shortfall is between what we are offering and what other clubs are offering.

[Sockeye Salmon]

Re: The Brian Lake Dilemma - You're in charge of the negotiation

Here's another theory.

We need to move someone on before we have the room to offer Lake any more. Perhaps we don't want it known that we have to move someone like Everitt or we might find ourselves forced to take pick 27.