Bombers bewildered by McPhee departure

ESSENDON veteran Mark McVeigh says former teammate Adam McPhee's purported reasons for leaving the Bombers simply don't ring true.

The out-of-contract McPhee announced on Tuesday that he was nominating for the NAB AFL Pre-Season Draft, meaning that the Bombers will receive no compensation for a player who has 167 games of experience.

In addition to losing the 27-year-old, Essendon will also enter 2010 without retired veterans Matthew Lloyd and Scott Lucas, significantly depleting its stocks of experienced players.

McVeigh said McPhee's departure from the club had taken the playing group unawares.

"It was disappointing [that] it was a real surprise," he said on Thursday.

"We would have liked to have known earlier, and maybe we could have got something for him.

"But that's his decision - I know I've read in the papers that he's great mates with (Fremantle coach and former Essendon player) Mark Harvey, and I find that a bit hard to believe.

"Being close to 'Harvs' myself I felt that was a bit of a smokescreen."

McVeigh, fresh from having helped launch the Bombers 2010 membership campaign earlier in the day, took a thinly-veiled swipe at his former teammate.

"Our current players - here before you - are loyal," he said.

"Anyone that isn't, is out."

New CEO Ian Robson, who has been at the Bombers for less than two months after his acrimonious split with the Hawks, said he was also frustrated that McPhee had not spoken up earlier.

"In a black-and-white sense, it's a very disappointing outcome," he said.

"There is a system and process for players to move clubs, and in that sense the view that I expressed to Adam when he rang me to say that he'd made his decision was that if he was of a mind to want to go, we should have perhaps had that conversation two months ago ... then we could have done some business.

"We were very clear throughout the back end of the year that Adam knew he was a required player, and we put an offer on the table that we thought was a very fair offer."

McPhee was chasing a three-year deal but Essendon was only willing to offer two.

Teammate Andrew Welsh signed a two-year deal with the Bombers just over a week ago.