A selection of key questions and answers from CEO Andrew Fagan’s press conference on Thursday …

Q. How will the Club proceed with Patrick Dangerfield’s Free Agency request?

AF: “Obviously, it was disappointing news but we understand that his reasons were personal and family related. Now, the issue becomes one of compensation. We will do everything necessary and take every decision necessary to achieve the maximum and optimal compensation for the Adelaide Football Club.”

Q. When do you get a look at the offer Patrick could get, possibly, from Geelong, so that you know whether you can or can’t match it?

AF: “There’s a process and a timeline for when a club may put its bid forward that’s part of the Free Agency window (October 9 – 18). We’ll commence those negotiations and do all that we need to do to ensure that we can look after the interests of this Club.

“I can absolutely assure our members and supporters that we’ll be doing that with vigour. We’ll go as hard as we need to, to try and get what we want.”

Q. Is it fair to say the Club won’t be satisfied with the compensation pick (most likely) pick No.14?

AF: “We’ve got a pretty firm view of what we’re after. I think it’s inappropriate for me to articulate that in this forum. There’s a negotiation to take place. We’re going to try and get what we would like and we’ve got a pretty clear picture of what that is.”

Q. So, you feel you’ll be able to match Geelong’s offer for Patrick assuming that’s where he goes?

AF: “That’s something still to play out. At the moment, it’s a negotiation and that’s where it will start. If we get that far, we’ll make decisions at that point in time.”

Q. How much compassion are you prepared to show in regards to the family issue?

AF: “Ultimately, Patrick had to make a decision as to where he wanted to play his football. We did everything we could possibly do to keep him. In Patty’s own words, if it was just on the Club, the health of the football program, the chances of future success here at Adelaide, his enjoyment of the City and the people he spends time with every day and every week, then he’d have no reason to leave. But for a compulsion to go home and be back in Geelong with his family and Mardi’s family – that’s the basis of his decision to leave.

“Now, there are some processes in place that look to compensation. We’ve got to work our way through those, but we’ll be doing that absolutely with a Club-first attitude and looking after the interests of the Club for 2016 and onwards.”

Q. How do you feel about AFL Free Agency at the moment?

AF: “I think it’s the start of a process that is going to get bigger, broader and wider. I come from a Free Agent environment (in Rugby) and I think that we (the AFL industry) are perhaps a little immature in that regard. As an industry, I think that perhaps the system is a little ‘half-pregnant’ at the moment as well. That’s the reason that there’s lots of debate around the issue of compensation and comparing one player’s exit to another one. It’s because the system probably just doesn’t cater for it at the moment.

“The rules that are in place are the rules that are in place. As far as we’re concerned, we’ll be working our way through those to ensure that the interests of this footy club are looked after.”

Q. Will Patrick be welcome at the best and fairest ceremony on Saturday night?

AF: “He is welcome. He contributed enormously to the success of the team this year and was an important part each week … he played his role and he deserves to go to the best and fairest. I understand that people are emotional about it and very passionate but I think that we need to recognise the performance of all individuals who pull on the jumper throughout the course of the season.”

Q. When were you first officially told of Patrick’s departure?

AF: “It was a few weeks prior to the end of the season, just before finals. It’s important to understand that through the course of the season we asked Patty, that when he was to make a decision that he would let us know what that decision was, either positively or negatively, so it would give us appropriate time to continue to manage our list.

“We made the undertaking that if he was to tell us prior to the end of the season, then we would certainly keep that information confidential. It was in our footy Club’s interest to get that information as soon as possible, so that we could proceed with our list management discussions with greater levels of certainty. We’re appreciative of the fact that he was able to tell us once he’d made that decision.”

Q. What do you say to fans who suggest they had a right to know Patrick’s decision at the time?

AF: “It’s part of the riddle. I only knew (Patrick’s decision) because of the undertaking that was made to keep it confidential should he be prepared to tell us prior to the end of the season. If that undertaking wasn’t provided, then he wouldn’t have told us and like most other Free Agents, we’d be finding out sometime in October. That’s not in the best interests of our footy club.

“I think our supporters would understand that it’s better to strike an agreement like that, keep it confidential and be able to proceed with other important discussions within the footy program for the benefit of the football club.”

Q. How do you feel the situation has been handled over the past 12 – 18 months?

AF: “My personal opinion is that the whole process has been handled as well as possible. It’s not easy. If you look back at this at the component pieces, we’ve got enormous scrutiny on Patrick Dangerfield for the entire pre-season and in-season period. During that period, he was able to play well. His performance contributed to the team playing well, he played his role.

“When we got to the post-season period, I wanted to ensure and the conversation I had with Patty was that, ‘You need to tell the players to their faces. You need to not be that person who does it by text message or Instagram, or who maybe doesn’t even say, ‘Goodbye’ and just leaves because you owe it to them’. He is his own man and he was up for that. He said, absolutely, he wanted to be able to do that. So that was always going to happen post-season.

“I also wanted him to go to the B&F and have the opportunity to walk the room, talk to sponsors, Board members, staff members, the receptionist on the front desk and his coaching staff, say, ‘Goodbye’ and ‘These are the reasons why I’m going’. I think that’s really important when you make these tough decisions. You know people are disappointed and you (have to) front up and let them know why.

“It’s perhaps unusual but I think it’s the way it should happen. Let’s not have an elephant in the room at those sorts of events at the end of the year.”

Q. Was it hard not to be able to answer questions about Patrick’s future honestly once you knew of his decision to leave?

AF: “Throughout that entire period, I think I provided the same boring line which was, ‘We’re not going to provide a running commentary on contracting matters’ and I didn’t. That line effectively didn’t change from week one until yesterday.

“The hard thing was knowing that you’d lost a player. It’s always going to be a hard thing whenever we have a player that decides to leave the football club. The wheel turns. We’ve got a Club that’s in great shape. We’ve got a Club that returned to finals and finished sixth, a significant improvement on last year particularly given some of the circumstances we have had to deal with throughout the course of the season. We’ve got a great football program now.

“We’re in a unique position that we’re hiring a Senior Coach with a great program in place. We’ve got a realty healthy list that we’ll build upon, so that we can continue to improve over the coming years.”

Q. Can you explain the decision to appoint Scott Camporeale as Senior Assistant Coach without a new Senior Coach in place?

AF: “We had already had discussions with ‘Campo’ much earlier this year around a renewal of his deal as a midfield coach. Those discussions actually took place with Phil Walsh and myself prior to Phil’s death.

“Effectively, there was already a commitment to stay on with the Club and we obviously endorse that, so I’m very happy he’s keen to return to that (midfield) role as a better coach. We’re going to benefit from that. I’m absolutely positive that whoever is appointed Senior Coach will be rapt to have Campo as a Senior Assistant.”

Q. How will you feel if Patrick Dangerfield wins the Brownlow Medal on Monday night?

AF: “If that happens, he will have won the Brownlow Medal while playing for the Adelaide Football Club and it’ll be a unique part of the history of the Club for years to come, I guess. If he earns that right … the Club will be pleased for him. He’s performed well throughout the course of the year and he deserves the accolades that he’s received or might receive in the future.”

Q. Are you confident Daniel Talia will be cleared by the AFL Integrity Unit?

AF: “Absolutely. We issued a statement earlier this week and I’m absolutely confident.”