McPhee walks out

[merc_2]

Just heard on SEN. Adam Mc Phee has officially quit.

[bomberdonnie]

Good and f*** off then

[Jazz_84]

always liked him but his exit will strengthen our backline, enjoy the next 3 years with the rest of the bomber rejects at the bottom of the ladder.

[84859300]

So the play has been made.

Drama, suspense and finally a result.

In short, I think it will free up a spot for a young player on our list who can be a bit more impact and play at either end, while being a bit more mobile. McPhee's OP killed him for us for at least 2 season as he battled on. At the end of it, he became a one way player who struggles to turn when the ball goes the other way. I didn't think he had the most consistant field disposal but he seemed a 50/50 option each time he had a shot on goal.

If he head to the Dockers, I think he wille be in their FF line as a goal kicker. They need a big body as a third option to free up Pav on the ball more.

As for us, it probably is a little disapointing that we ddin't get compensation in the recent draft.

If we are able to get Luke Ball, I would think that we have picked up a player at least as an equal in skill in return. Being in the pivot, I think he'll fit our structure a lot better than if we sought a HBF to replace McPhee.

Makes me wish that Skippy hung around for one more year.

[Gatsid]

Houli to come in and play off the HBF, pick up Ball in the draft with pick 26 and the Bombers are better of without him. I've always defended McPhee, I always thought he was serviceable without being great but we don't need morons at the club. He was offered a 2 year deal, if he's so sure he's worth 3 than play good football and come the end of your 2nd year you'll get offered an extension. As far as I'm concerned he can run away to where ever but I certainly don't wish him any success, I hope he heads to Fremantle and regrets his decision each and every week.

[Mrs Mercuri]

wow.... enjoy your time at the bottom of the ladder Smokey... you have made a horrible mistake.

Im disappointed that we didint get anything for him but if we draft Ball i suppose it makes up for it a bit. Does that mean we get a pick in the PSD now??

[BenDoolan]

f*** off you leech.

[swoodley]

Sad to see him go and despite some of the OTT remarks here, he will go out as Crichton Medal winner which is a lot more than the majority of players who have played at the club ahve been able to achieve.

A slap in the face to the club, and whoever is in charge of contract negotiations should get a kick up the arse.

If we can give Mark Williams (and possibly Luke Ball) a 3 year deal, then I think McPhee's desire for a similar length contract was reasonable...after all, he was part of the leadership group this season and regardless of the mistakes he made, he gave his all every week.

Good luck with your future Adam (even if I don't like your decision).

[swoodley]

f*** off you leech.

poor form BD....do you think Mark Williams and Luke Ball's decisions to leave their clubs are any different to McPhee's?

Both chased better deals and in ball's case, St Kilda will get nothing in return.

Why is Smokey's decision any worse....we welcome Williams and will do the same with Ball if he comes our way.

[paddyl90]

Meh. Don't care he left.

Good - No more having to put up with his bullshit indecision, costing us goals and stuff.

Bad - More experience gone out the door.

[Megan]

Shame.

I don't think it's necessarily all that bad for the club, or for him in fact but it's always sad to see someone leave the club like that.

[chickster]

f*** off you leech.

poor form BD....do you think Mark Williams and Luke Ball's decisions to leave their clubs are any different to McPhee's?

Both chased better deals and in ball's case, St Kilda will get nothing in return.

Why is Smokey's decision any worse....we welcome Williams and will do the same with Ball if he comes our way.

The difference in the Ball and Williams cases is that one was completely honest and up front with his club before, during and after the trade period (Ball), while the other got the best deal he could when he was pushed out of his club in order to get Shaun Burgoyne across (Williams).

While I am not a major McPhee fan and am slightly disappointed to see him go for no compensation, I would have been livid if the club had given in and handed him a three year deal! In no way has his form over the past 3 years warranted such a term, and as others have said, if he took the two year deal and played to a high level, a third year would still be very likely.

Who knows, maybe the club stuffed up the whole contract process and we are blaming Adam by default, but I guess for me the bottom line is that I'm not going to lose over this. Bye Adam, thanks for one great year, good luck getting tips on chest marks from Chris Tarrant!!!

[s'dreams]

McPhee's position in the starting 22 was always threatened by the emergence of Hurley (you know can also play forward can play back) but the 2 main diffs are (1) Hurley is a true KPP and (2) Huley is 20 (19?) and McPhee is 26 ...

In terms of the 3rd defender or 3rd forward as many have suggested:
(1) Is this a real argument for a so called "required player" ??? would have thought that the 1st or 2nd possies are required .. the 3rd is where you wean the youngsters or keep the loyal servants who can contribute; and
(2) there are lots of options ... back - Myers, Houli, Slaterry the younger, Still ... forward - Zacha, Myers, NLM

Not fussed to be honest (I haven't bought the argument that McPhee is a leader at the club)... though disappointed that yet another EFC player cruels our ability to trade with the West.

Cheers - STI

[BenDoolan]

f*** off you leech.

poor form BD....do you think Mark Williams and Luke Ball's decisions to leave their clubs are any different to McPhee's?

Both chased better deals and in ball's case, St Kilda will get nothing in return.

Why is Smokey's decision any worse....we welcome Williams and will do the same with Ball if he comes our way.

Well IMO, he left because he didn't get an extra year. That is piss poor. If you loved the club and your team mates AND you want to hang around and teach the kids a thing or two, he would have swallowed his ego and taken the two years. But the arsehole would rather sell out and leave the club with nothing. Dog act in my book.

chickster has explained the situation pretty well in regard to the other guys - and that is acceptable. They both expressed their wishes during the trade period.

While I have been a staunch defender of Smokey's in these boards over the years, he can go and suck the proverbial now.

[ealesy]

I'm with BD....f*** McPhee.

Seriously, what has he done in the last couple of years to warrant a 3 year deal. Only the very good/extremely promising/elite players of the competition or players who move clubs get more than a 2 year deal (ie Williams)

Ball on the other hand was clearly not rated by his coach, for f*** sake he was one of their best players and biggest possession winners in the Grand Final despite the coach only reckoning he was worthy of only playin 46% of the game. Realising his coach does not rate him he asked to traded, St Kilda could've got pick 30 for him and got him to the club of his choice. Instead they continued to f*** him over, and now he will go in the draft pretty much exactly where they were offered a pick for him.

No one in list management should get a kick up the arse for this, they should be appluaded for not being held to ransom.

People spent all year slagging off Mark McVeigh, but a lot of our blokes could take a leaf out of his book, for how many years did he take 1 year deals and work his arse of to not only get another deal but to improve and get a better deal each year. It is only the last contract or two he has aske for and be given 2 year deals.

Suggests to me that McPhee reckons he only has 2-3 years left and that he had stayed with us he wouldn't be in our best 22 and would unlikely be offered another contract. If that's the case fair enough, but it says a fair bit about the bloke.

Clearly he was never going to accept a 2 year deal, pretty certain the club would have made it pretty clear to him before trade week that there was no way he would be getting a 3 year deal. In which case he should have fessed up that he was not satisfied with that and allow us to get whatever we could for him. Instead he kept prolonging contract talks. Of course knowing McPhee he probably simply couldn't make a decision.

In the end the decision is only going to hurt him, he and his wife, now have to move to Western Australia, away from both of their families, just after opening a business and having their first kid. Is being assured a 3rd year of contract money really worth that upheaval, if so all I can say is the Shockers must be paying him a ridiculous amount of coin, good luck to them and him, but in the end I reckon this will simply be another addition for the Freo Trading and Recruitment Hall of Shame.

[Windy_Hill]

Should have traded him 6 weeks ago if we were not going to meet his demands. Knowing Frenantle, we could have got their first round draft pick.

The only hting that smells about this affair is we lose a B&F/AA for nothing. Contract negotiations should never be done after trade week.

[auditor]

To be quite frank......I'm glad. I remember a comment that our beloved "Robbie"once said about him. He described him as a 12 yo in a mans body, or words to that affect.

I totally agreed with him at the time and still have that opinion.

There has been times during his time with us that I have been impressed with some things he has done but I can honestly say there were more times he disappointed me.

I would like to say though good luck Adam and all the best.

As for going back to the Shockers well it tells me he is none to interested in success only the dollars, and that is sad.

see ya Adam.

[bombercol]

Wanting to be re united with Mark Harvey..............one more bad year and Harvey will be lining up at Centrelink.

Not disappointed to be honest.

McPhee frustrated me, made too many mistakes and poor judgement calls for a player of his abililty.

Was never our worst player but he is certainly not irreplaceable. Outside of one year he's really only been a "good ordinary player".

From what we saw from Pears and Hooker and now there's a huge oportunity for Darcy Daniher, we've got the cattle to cover him.

Let's move on......

PS: Worried about being shown the door if he struggles at the end of his next deal, when at 29, I think every club would consider showing him the door not just us....Adam you've just made it harder for yourself because now you have to start your career all over again.....at 27. The grass may not be greener on the other side....especially at a club going nowhere because they have a bloody anchor on the jumper.

[danstar84]

He can get f*****. I think we signed up the more important guys. I prefer NLM to Mcphee. Mcphee hasn't been much good since his first two years, and to be honest, he wouldn't be in my best 22 anyway. The thing we lose is a senior body, and possibly a draft pick that we could have received in a trade had we known that he would do this.

Maybe now we can get a young player in who can work with our game plan and move the ball on quickly. Not get the thing, stop prop, prop again, and once more and then turn it over.

I think that someone like Daniher can come in a take his spot.

[hop]

I've bumped into Smokey the last couple of years over the Xmas break down at Anglesea. He always looked super fit - but the one big surprise to me was how small he is. 186-188cm - (6' 2" in the old) tops. Too small for a KPP and too indecisive to play a running role.

Disappointed he's gone - but glad the club stood firm.

Let his epitaph read "Servicable but selfishness made him replaceable"