We can forget about that Premiership in 2012.

Following from what Cazz said about our ranking system for contract negotiation, I was wondering if anyone might be able to tell us which two players T-Bird falls between in this system.

You wouldn't be giving away too much IMO, unless of course the CFC have completely cocked it up.

He falls somewhere between Fevola and Longmuir.

Do the maths people. $6,470,000 in salary cap to go around 40 players and 5 rookies. That's $144K per player.

Now assume the bottom 18 players actually average roughly half of that ($75K), with half of them on base payments (about $55k from memory), and the other half on the remainder of larger contracts from when they were starting players. Add in the rookies on $40K - that's $1.55 m gone. Add Fev, that's $2m gone. Add Stevens and Whitnall - that's $3 million gone. That leaves $3.47 million for your remaining 19 players out of your starting 22. That's $182k per player.

So any time you go "T-bird - he's worth $300k easy", that's $120K you've got to take away from someone else in the starting side somewhere. 10 guys from that remaining 18 who have to take a $12K pay cut. Or 5 who have to take $25K. How many times can you do that before your last 12 players are getting paid absolute peanuts and have no incentive to stay whatsoever (ie you never have any depth in your bottom 12 players)? Waite’s on more than $182K. So is Walker, so is Lappin, and if Simmo’s not he should be. That’s four already. So that does that mean players 11-22 are on now? …. $120k maybe?

Now obviously the salary cap is going up but we will have two No.1 draft picks and a pick 4 who will expect to be paid accordingly within two years. That combined with increases in the various base payment levels will eat up most of the salary cap rise.

Now the above numbers are just approximations, but the point is there is never as much space in the salary cap as people think there is. This is why it is laughable, in hindsight, that we ever believed we were under the salary gap when we were paying Campo and Lance $500K each and Kouta a cool million.

We can forget about that Premiership in 2012.

Both papers would be more worthwile if you could wipe your arse with them

I will be absolutely amazed if Thornton does not re-sign at Carlton.

But just in case - I would offer our pick 12 ...

Whitnall/Thornton for Pick 12 and Nathan Jones

I already told you Jones was as good as Murphy

Now if any one calls me negative ill snot them!!!

For those who suggest that we will get Hawthorn's pick 6 for Thornton, it wont happen and because it wont happen Thornton must stay.