MJ, Bradley, Mckinnon gone...

Sartorius · Post by **Sartorius** » Mon Oct 15, 2007 7:43 pm

From official site:

Essendon delists three players
Monday, 15 October 2007
Essendon Football Club today announced three further delistings as it prepares for the upcoming NAB National Draft. Mark Johnson, Kepler Bradley and rookie Lachlan McKinnon have all been advised they will be delisted.

Essendon coach Matthew Knights said these decisions are never easy, particularly in the case of 29-year-old Mark Johnson.

"Mark has been a great servant of the Essendon Football Club and we sincerely thank him for his contribution," Knights said.

"Not many players achieve what he has – a Premiership and a best and fairest and he should be very proud of that, particularly given he started his career on the rookie list.

"I spoke to Mark prior to trade week and told him we would try and find him a Club because I could not guarantee him a place in the side next year. At least now he has time to weigh up his options and nominate for the pre-season draft should he wish to continue playing."

Since Essendon gave Johnson the chance to join the Club as a rookie-listed player, he has played 194 games and made the most of his opportunity. He departs as a Premiership player (2000) and a Crichton Medallist (2002).

"It was a difficult decision but this Club can’t shy away from doing the things that it believes are in the best long-term interests of the Club," Knights said.

"Not all of these decisions will be popular but we have set a clear direction. We want to inject youth into the team next year and this means that a player such as Mark - who turns 30 in May - did not fit into our plans.

"Rather than have Mark playing for Bendigo and waiting for limited opportunities at senior level, we thought it much fairer to be honest with him and give him the chance to nominate for the pre-season draft."

Essendon chief executive Peter Jackson said the Club would explore ways to give fans the chance to thank Johnson for his service to the Club.

"He has been a very good player and got every ounce out of his ability. No matter what the future holds I hope he remembers his time at this Club with great affection. We thank him for everything he has given this Club," Jackson said.

"We will certainly be looking at how we can most appropriately thank him. Given the season is over and the Crichton Medal has been and gone we will need to see if we can do something next year provided Mark is comfortable with that."

Knights said the decision on Kepler Bradley and Lachlan McKinnon was made today following long discussion with list manager, Adrian Dodoro, last night.

"We would like to thank both players for their contribution to the Club and we wish them well in the future," he said.

Kepler Bradley played 49 games for Essendon after debuting in 2004. He was taken by Essendon with selection 6 at the 2003 National Draft.

Lachlan McKinnon had spent the past two years on the Essendon rookie list.

Essendon’s list changes post 2007 are:

Delistings:

James Hird (Retired)

Mark Bolton (Retired)

Chris Heffernan (Retired)

Scott Camporeale (Retired)

Mark Johnson (Delisted)

Kepler Bradley (Delisted)

Richard Cole (Delisted)

Lachlan McKinnon (Delisted)

Listings:

Adam Ramanauskas (Rookie List Upgrade)

Heath Hocking (Rookie List Upgrade)

Darcy Daniher (Father / Son Selection 39)

Draft Selections:

6, 23, 39 (Daniher), 55, 71

Windy_Hill · Post by **Windy_Hill** » Mon Oct 15, 2007 7:56 pm

Huge news - albeit hardly surprising.

I am still not sure about delisting these guys as MJ provides depth and experience. Kepler may have produced under a different regime but gee, you would have to think that if Matty Knights doesnt want him (after he won the Bendigo B&F) then he really must suck!!!

Still, it does send a clear message to the rest that only exceptional effort and committment will be rewarded. If you dont cut the mustard, then time to go.

Dyson and Johns spring to mind as players who now must deliver or adios next year.

Anyway, good luck to the delisted boys - especially MJ as he really has been a great servant of the club. His job in the 2000 GF in shutting down a white hot Jeff Farmer was fantastic.

DYSON#2 · Post by **DYSON#2** » Mon Oct 15, 2007 8:03 pm

yeah i hope all 3 do well, hopefully kep does ok somwhere else

Post by **Megan** » Mon Oct 15, 2007 8:07 pm

unsurprising decisions, however I'm not rapt with either - at 29 MJ is in the twilight years, and we all know he hasn't been playing his best footy but he's a guy I've always admired at Essendon because, well, I like the feisty bastards.

Feel for Keps, wanted him for another year to be played under someone who perhaps knew him a little better, as I thought Knights did (Maybe he did and that's why he's gone...) and under someone who might try him in more appropriate positions.

Thems the breaks. I hope they both succeed in whatever it is they want... it's a shame about both.

I hate this time of year.

uptick · Post by **uptick** » Mon Oct 15, 2007 8:09 pm

DYSON#2 wrote:yeah i hope all 3 do well, hopefully kep does ok somwhere else

Keps walked or pushed ?
http://www.bombertalk4.com/viewtopic.php?t=4166

sydbomber · Post by **sydbomber** » Tue Oct 16, 2007 7:58 am

Sad for Mark Johnson , but he was on the downhill slide. A great servant of the club.

For all of Sheedys great points , he had too many favourites which held us back.

Knights appears to be displaying an honesty which is refreshing. I think the players will unite behind him.

Boyler_Room · Post by **Boyler_Room** » Tue Oct 16, 2007 8:26 am

Interestingly 8 delistings (including retirees), 2 elevations, 1 F/S selection and 4 other draft selections in a "weak draft". Means we'll be picking up at least one player via the PSD...

bombercol · Post by **bombercol** » Tue Oct 16, 2007 8:32 am

Sad to see MJ go.

Now a bit bewildered as to why we didn't just trade Kepler Bradley for Freo's pick 56 knowing that he was likely to be let go. Maybe it's because we didn't want to "have" to use this pick when we had pick 55, I don't know.

McKinnon was no surprise.

Thanks to all three boys for their contributions to our club.

The next question......Peverill?????

pear · Post by **pear** » Tue Oct 16, 2007 8:38 am

Boyler_Room wrote:Interestingly 8 delistings (including retirees), 2 elevations, 1 F/S selection and 4 other draft selections in a "weak draft". Means we'll be picking up at least one player via the PSD...

McKinnon was on the rookie list so I think that scuttles your theory.

keri · Post by **keri** » Tue Oct 16, 2007 8:40 am

I'm sad to see MJ go.

Bradley, well, I don't think it would have been in his best interest, or the clubs, for him to stick around.

As for Mckinnon, sometimes it doesn't work out. Good luck for the future

billyduckworth · Post by **billyduckworth** » Tue Oct 16, 2007 9:37 am

bombercol wrote:Now a bit bewildered as to why we didn't just trade Kepler Bradley for Freo's pick 56 knowing that he was likely to be let go.

Good point. Does this mean we TRIED to off load both MJ and Keps in trade week but didn't succeed? Not wishing to put a negative spin on all this, but maybe we didn't try hard enough?

Or is the plan to pick up one of them back again in the PSD??

Post by **Jazz_84** » Tue Oct 16, 2007 9:39 am

Kepler told freo to keep the pick cause im going into the PSD

and i don't get why teams delist a player only to pick them up again in the PSD, really confuses me

billyduckworth · Post by **billyduckworth** » Tue Oct 16, 2007 9:41 am

You've confused me now too, Jazz.

If Kepler told Freo to keep their pick, does this mean he doesn't want to go there? Maybe he's hoping West Coast or someone else picks him up in the PSD instead? Maybe he knows something we don't? (not hard in my case, since I know very little!!)

keri · Post by **keri** » Tue Oct 16, 2007 10:03 am

I think Jazz is trying to say that he wasn't going to sign with us anyway, was going in the PSD, so there was no need for Freo to waste the pick.

billyduckworth · Post by **billyduckworth** » Tue Oct 16, 2007 10:24 am

In other words, Freo outsmarted us and we ended up with nothing. Surely even pick #56 (or whatever it was) would be better than zilch.

andrewb · Post by **andrewb** » Tue Oct 16, 2007 11:00 am

billyduckworth wrote:In other words, Freo outsmarted us.

I never want to read such disgusting filth on this forum again.

Post by **Jazz_84** » Tue Oct 16, 2007 12:38 pm

keri wrote:I think Jazz is trying to say that he wasn't going to sign with us anyway, was going in the PSD, so there was no need for Freo to waste the pick.

correct, Freo knew Kepler would go into the PSD regardless so they withdrew their trade deal

im not too phased about this, surely pick 56 these days wont secure much of a player especially in a weak draft

Essendon4eva · Post by **Essendon4eva** » Tue Oct 16, 2007 12:45 pm

What a spit in the face of Johnson.

""I spoke to Mark prior to trade week and told him we would try and find him a Club because I could not guarantee him a place in the side next year. At least now he has time to weigh up his options and nominate for the pre-season draft should he wish to continue playing."

If it was good enough for Geelong to get rid of King for pick 90, to make sur ehe could continue his career, we should have tried alot harder to find Mark johnson a new home.

And Kepler. Instead of getting a pick for him, and making sure he could continue his career else where, we just de-list him. Sure picks 50 and over are not impressive, but alot of great players have fallen that far. It would have been better than nothing.

I'm not upset they are not playing for Essendon, I am however disgusted we didn't try harder to find guarantee them a new home.

Windy_Hill · Post by **Windy_Hill** » Tue Oct 16, 2007 12:45 pm

billyduckworth wrote:In other words, Freo outsmarted us and we ended up with nothing.

Well, there's a first time for everything!!!!

Stocksy · Post by **Stocksy** » Tue Oct 16, 2007 12:57 pm

You are dead right E4E, we should have thrown Lloyd in as a sweetner for the Bradley deal and Lucas in as incentive for someone to take MJ...

Shame on the club and all involved.