Billings

[damienc]

So this place is never happy with what St Kilda does. If St Kilda goes left then everyone says it should go right and if they go right then everyone says it should have gone left. Mmmm. Seems like it can never get anything right or left!

Well, you're right of course but if everyone was happy, this forum wouldn't exist. So there's that.

[SaintPav]

Where did the idea that he doesn't want to be at the club come from?

Read Dave Misson comments
Billing’s made it quite clear he wanted to move for opportunities/fresh start
The clubs actually done the right thing by a 150 gop player
They had to pay Melb to take him
IF we end up saving sone of his salary over next 2 years and free a list spot for someone that wants to be there it’s a win
Better than paying Jack full $1.2 m next 2 years to be injured or sitting at Sandy
Bye Jack

Yeah I've seen all those comments, but still nothing indicating he didn't want to be at the club.

Sounds more like the club made it clear they didn't value him (incorrectly IMO) and he was put in a situation where he had no choice but to leave.

Sad if you ask me, and we have a track record of incorrectly putting players in this situation.

Your new profile pic.

OMG

[CQ SAINT]

I like the fact that the last 2 years of Billings cost $1.1m and the next 2 years cost only about $250k. He can keep the 11 games.

[Teflon]

I like the fact that the last 2 years of Billings cost $1.1m and the next 2 years cost only about $250k. He can keep the 11 games.

Bang on!

[Teflon]

Where did the idea that he doesn't want to be at the club come from?

Read Dave Misson comments
Billing’s made it quite clear he wanted to move for opportunities/fresh start
The clubs actually done the right thing by a 150 gop player
They had to pay Melb to take him
IF we end up saving sone of his salary over next 2 years and free a list spot for someone that wants to be there it’s a win
Better than paying Jack full $1.2 m next 2 years to be injured or sitting at Sandy
Bye Jack

Yeah I've seen all those comments, but still nothing indicating he didn't want to be at the club.

Sounds more like the club made it clear they didn't value him (incorrectly IMO) and he was put in a situation where he had no choice but to leave.

Sad if you ask me, and we have a track record of incorrectly putting players in this situation.

Player tells club to do a trade
And nothing from the player indicates he doesn’t want to be there….

[saintsRrising]

I like the fact that the last 2 years of Billings cost $1.1m and the next 2 years cost only about $250k.

That is basically how I think of it.

As I have said many times before Billings has been a decent player for us. Though injury riddled the last 2 seasons.


BUT with the players we have now, and the strategy we have to build a new core of youngish players around King, Nas, Owens, Windy etc it meant that for the next two seasons that Billings will have been outside the best 22, and would have been depth.

So you can either payas you say $250K or $1.1 million and in terms of our best 22 get the same result in terms of Billings input.

The cheaper option means that an extra kid can be drafted who may or may not make it.

The more expensive option gives you better injury coverage, which may or may not be needed. If needed we will probably not be Top 4 competitive anyway.


The Club has taken the pragmatic decision that out 2023 list was not GF Good Enough, and that changes had to be made to try and become GF Good enough. It may or may not work. But our 2023 list as is was not going to work either.


If Billings has stayed the [players in front of him for positions that he may have played are Butler, Higgins, Hills, Henry, Owens, Phillipou.

Billings is back in the next tier with Hotton and Byrnes.

In addition with Sharman emerging, Hayes possibly getting on track and Membrey now possibly playing in 2024 along with the young Caminiti another selection scenario is one less small in the team.

[B.M]

Not unhappy about trading him out

Unhappy about the trade

The deal was embarrassing

Pick 50 odd and paying him. Billings was worth pick 50 odd without pick purchasing. Considering we were picking up - what I hear now is the majority of his wage we should have been compensated with a better selection

I would have told Melbourne to fk off and shopped him to a bottom 4 team

[Yorkeys]

What, forced them to take him against their will? Send bikies around?
Bottom 4 have good draft picks why do they want a $500k guy who is consistently inconspicuous. We are lucky Dee's are dysfunctional @ the moment.

[Scollop]

Now that it’s done there’s hardly anything to be gained discussing what should have happened.

Yes, we could have got a better pick if we made it clear to potential bidders (at the start of trade week) that we were going to pay part of his salary for 2 years…Did we do that?

Yes, there may have been a slight possibility of offloading him without paying any of his salary (if perhaps we did it smarter by playing him in a role in the last 2 h&a rounds where he could have picked up 20-25 possessions and perhaps been targeted in the forward line for a goal or two)… Sort of like fattening up the pig for market or putting a few ribbons on to make it look pretty.

Personally I would have played JB in those last couple of home and away rounds. Not sure if that’s when he presented with hamstring awareness - and if he did, he basically sealed his own fate.

But really, all that matters as is that Ross and selection committee were not interested in playing him. He was fit and available for selection for the Elimination final, but he didn’t make the team. That might have cost us in the short term, but playing Caminiti, Sharman, Owens, Windhager, and Phillipou will hopefully aid their development in the long term.

[Vortex]

Not sure if that’s when he presented with hamstring awareness - and if he did, he basically sealed his own fate.

Bye round early June, waited until he returned from Noosa to get a scan. Rumours were Essendon had started chatting with him again but clearly Richo told him to enjoy the surf in Noosa.

[damienc]

This thread is wallowing in the past. The guy plays for another team. It is utterly pointless to endlessly debate about him or what the club got for him or didn’t get. Move on.

[Vortex]

It is utterly pointless to endlessly debate

If I was thinking of renaiming SS the front runner would have to be ‘Pointless And Endless debate R Us’.

[B.M]

What did George Santayana say again?

[skeptic]

You can’t always get what you want?

[B.M]

That was Mick Jagger

[skeptic]

Oh right.

Is it: My heart will go on?

[Scollop]

“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it”

In St Kilda's case we should also practice this one;

"Don't look a gift horse in the mouth".

We picked Cho over Choco. McCartin over Petracca. In both cases we looked to find fault with the clear preferred choice and we outsmarted ourselves.

[The Fireman]

It is utterly pointless to endlessly debate

If I was thinking of renaiming SS the front runner would have to be ‘Pointless And Endless debate R Us’.

How apt lol considering how you have mastered this facet with your input

You have totally outed yourself .

[saintsRrising]

I would have told Melbourne to fk off and shopped him to a bottom 4 team

And that would have worked not at all.

And do you really believe that the Club would not have tested the waters with all other AFL Clubs?

Do you also believe that Billings and his manager would have tested the waters? I mean his manager even went public bigtime almost pleading for another club to take him.

Do you further believe that Billings will have had no say at all on where he went? He reportedly said no to Freo.


The reality is that Melbourne was probably the only club interested enough to put up an actual deal, or at least the only club interested that Billings would also have been content to go to.

A few other clubs may have thought about it, but in the end Melbourne was the only club willing to dance. And they would have know it as well.

[TheGreatZacsby]

Are we all still hanging on about Jack f****** Billings. Just get over it. He’s gone. Move on.

[B.M]

Same deal - us paying his wage - for a late second

Or another pick up his salary for a zero pick

There would have been suitors

Bottom clubs need to pay salary and also need experienced player

Mid clubs need to gamble a bit to get up and contend

Top clubs after either depth or a bit of cream

I think Billings will be the bargain of the trade period
Only upside for Melbourne

[saintsRrising]

There would have been suitors

There was only the one that was willing to deal.



Pies went with Shultz instead of Billings.


Most of the trades this year were for young players swapping clubs. Especially the bottom clubs.



Plus Billings had healthy 2 year contract with us. So we could not force him to go anywhere that he did not want to go to. Not that you could with an uncontracted player anyway.

[Jacks Back]

What did George Santayana say again?

You're living in the past B Man

[TheGreatZacsby]

Can we close this thread down. It’s all B.M talks about his how we are paying Jack Billings at the Dees. So what. We can’t change it. Move on to the draft FFS

[amusingname]

There would have been suitors

There was only the one that was willing to deal.



Pies went with Shultz instead of Billings.


Most of the trades this year were for young players swapping clubs. Especially the bottom clubs.



Plus Billings had healthy 2 year contract with us. So we could not force him to go anywhere that he did not want to go to. Not that you could with an uncontracted player anyway.

For an astute footy mind, Marto seems to struggle with the reality that players cannot be traded against their will.