Jets confirm they'll let O'Donovan walk

Firstly, as a Newy fan, my sources tell me that Griffiths and McKinna did everything possible to keep Roy in Newy, but it was not to be the case. Additionally, that Ajax model is becoming realised in Australia already. Look at the likes of the Jets. Thurgate, Vujica, Champness, Petratos etc, and in Adelaide, Stamatelopoulos, Kiito etc, Victory with Deng, Kamsoba, City with Wales and McGree. If Roy wants to leave what most would call a green pasture, then so be it. There are plenty of senior players out there who would relish the opportunity to play with a young team that is shaping up to be class act.

It’s a funny stat that (might be true, don’t know) but Maclaren was the same - he often drew a blank against the better sides. It would be interesting to see a mini-table of who scores against top sides. I’d assume Fornaroli is up there. And yeah, he’s likely to want $200k+ which puts him in the top 7 earners, but I’m not sure there’s many better strikers out there demanding less? For Roar I’m assuming they’re looking at him as a partner for DWS, one young/cheap and one older/expensive...not sure on WSW up front next season?

Our players are moving sideways, theirs are moving UP the chain (or at least trying). If a player moves on to a bigger and better club, it's hard to begrudge him. Here, they just move sideways.

There is no p/r here ... err, there is no second division here that’s why. So yes, they are going around in a smaller pool ... but they’re still going around in Scotland etc. We just beat ourselves up over nothing sometimes.

It's not about discipline, Bulut is probably my all time favourite WSW signing - it's about ROD not being worth the $$$ he would be asking. I read elsewhere he's only scored against lower ranked teams this season too, without checking if true then that is a pretty ordinary stat considering Perth is only 2 matches away from debuting Fornaroli.

Actually there is a big difference. - There is no P&R here, these guys are going just around in a circle. - Established bigger clubs and playing continental competition is not really a thing here, we don't have Celtic, FC Basel etc. these guys aren’t moving to work their way up the system, they’re moving for their agents and a small increase in pay. Progression in Scotland looks like Queen of the South>Hibs>Celtic>EPL or championship. In that instance, 4-5 clubs not an issue, your career is going somewhere. The type of movements we see here are the equivalent of Motherwell>Hibs>Aberdeen>Hearts>Kilmarnock i.e going nowhere. And yes, you’ll find examples of *some players doing this in SPL and Swiss League, what you want see is half the players in the comp doing it year in year out.

Waste of space at this age, Jets have a good attack they just needed to get rid of Vargas and other layabouts.

“It dilutes the integrity of the league” That’s a very Australian thing to say. If you look at the Scottish Premier League and Swiss Leagues, both similar in size to ours, you see a similar pattern - by the time players are in their mid-20’s they’re often wracked up 5 or more clubs We tend to worry about nothing in this country - players circulating is normal, many would be better off staying put and (like you) I wonder what sort Agents fees play in all this. But let’s not blow it out of proportion - the HAL is just like other leagues in the world that’s all.

Couldn’t agree more Nem. Scott Galloway to Melbourne City Daniel Georgievski to WSW Nathaniel Atkinson to Perth Matt Millar to Newcastle These are just nothing, merry-go-round signings for next year, the worst are still to come and there will be dozens of them. Most of these guys would be better off staying where they are but have agents p!$$!ng in their ear and are just a few extra bucks. Galloway will be 25 and on his 5th club, half the league for ---- sake. It dilutes the integrity of the league

I just think you’re over-reacting. His disciplinary record this season (1 yellow in 19 games?) suggests he’s learning his lesson albeit after a second incident. He’s definitely got a bit of mongrel about him, a bit like Berisha - if it can be tamed he’s very good.

Brisbane can have him if he means that much, I don't want him anywhere near WSW.

Sure, because a striker who can score a goal every second game can’t be of any use to Wanderers lol. He’s had two disciplinary issues (the head butt and the Karate kick), outside of those two brain snaps his disciplinary record is pretty good with typically no more than 4 or 5 yellows in a season.

Your suggestion on Ajax is spot on, and for slightly different reasons Norwich City in England as well. Both clubs have got their models right. HAL clubs have become locked in to short-termism; there’s a variety of reasons for that not least the cap on the number of players (20), the cap on how much you can pay them, an inability to loan out/in adult players, and lack of transfer payments all of which mean once you have players you’re stuck with them. All stuff we’ve mulled over before of course. Jets reaction to O’Donovans departure was a bit disappointing I agree - having signed him from Mariners themselves they seemed surprised they could lose him lol.

I agree Nemesis. I like Roy, he had a lot of fire and mongrel in him, but that also lead to him being absent for nearly 25% of his time at the Jets. My take is that he was playing the Jet's off against the Roar, based on how quickly he'll have a contract from them in his hand, and that's his prerogative. There's people out there crucifying Griffiths and McKinna for letting him go but at the end of the day, your boss determines whether you have a desk and a key to the office. That's a result of not only your work performance but also of cultural fit.

I absolutely do not want this guy anywhere near WSW. That rumour needs to end now, if this is the level WSW are aiming for then cancel any plans for making finals next season.

Clubs should not be relying on any particular player. If they need to, then they should be locking them in to a longer term contract. Jets poached O'Donovan from CCM. They knew the sort of mercenary they were getting. Should be no surprise he goes chasing as much money as he can squeeze out of his remaining career. Look at Ajax. That should be the template for every A-League club. Young, technically gifted players are there across Australia. Recruit them. Give them decent financial compensation, not just the minimum wage because you've paid too much for some recycled Aussie, or foreigner you saw on Youtube. Interesting to hear that right now, there are talented players in the NPL who are earning more money from semi-pro football with a full-time non-football job, than they would get from A-League clubs minimum wage, most likely never get match time and then get discarded for no reason.

I feel sorry for Jets supporters here. I suspect he’s leaving because of what’s going on behind the scenes more than anything. Fans just don’t deserve it.