http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/where-will-these-guys-play-next-year/story-e6frf9jf-1226073722957

Interesting article about where players may end up next year - and Bate is the first one up.

... and they mention Morton and Pettard at the end.

Petterd won't leave, but I agree - he's best 22.

Bate to GWS seems likely. Richmond I don't know why they put it there.

Bate is gone. Would be upset to see Ricky and Morts go unless we got something nice in return.

I would have thought Ricky Petterd would be as safe as houses to be on next years list, but you never know.

shows how little of our games these guys actually watch, or how much they know. he questions why petterd is ever out of the team. probably because he was playing average footy. good to see him play well yesterday, but think he needs to do it for 2-3 weeks before he is promoted.

Bates I agree is not only gone, but ought to go for his own sake. He wont progress much if any at Melbourne now his card is marked. Good luck further afield Matty.

Im not totally enamoured with Cale. I feel he's been written up far better than hes really tracking. He has a few good games here and there but Im not convinced of his long term worth and would seek to trade him whilst others still might think he has some and before we all possibly know he doesnt.. Even if he did turn ot kinda OK somewhere else I feel his real worth is in what we could use his trade for.

Sometimes when making something and its not quite going right , you start again. This is how I see Cale. Rarther put his value in someone else and start again.

Ricky Bobby pleases and annoys me. Hot/Cold...Up/down. on/off. Id like to see how his season progresses otherwise he migh well find himslef on that table..

if so for all..so be it

Im more concerned about teh well being of a team , rather than any particular players right to stay a dee .

Bate to GWS seems likely. Richmond I don't know why they put it there.

If I were Bater, and things don't turn around here, (If he can't get his form cranking), then I would suggest he looks to GWS, for the bigger money and possiblly more longevity.

The Tiges would be too short a stint and poss the same @ the Doggies.

We might have some trade currency end of the year.

Bate, Maric, Dunn and Warnock could all be possible trades.

Warnock to Hawthorn or possibly Carlton reckon they'd both love a KPD.

Definite 2nd rounder and maybe able to hold out and get a first round

Maric depends on Wonaeamirri getting back to regular footy. If we don't see Wona

for the rest of the year expect to retain Maric as insurance. Reckon Essendon or Sydney would be interested.

Bate Richmond, GWS, Bulldogs all candidates really seems on the outer at the moment.

Dunn along the same lines as Bate suspension was really silly and may struggle to get back into the side.

We have many runners but few of the size of Morton. Injuries have slowed his career down. He has a broad range of skills which will enable him to fulfil his elite status in time. Short sightedness to lose him. Very hard to expect to trade him for anything near his value. Petterd plays at the moment one of the hardest positions on the field small forward. When our team collapses the small forward suffers most and usually carries the can. On those occassions backmen can camoflage their poor game with inflated statistics because the game is all in their half. Petterd has abnormally good pace off the mark (how often does he mark mtrs in front of his opponent) and elite spring (a small who plays tall). Once again you don't find someone with these skills easily. He can be a multigoal scorer because he's got what a lot of others don't. In my op would be tragic/foolhardy to let him go. Very poor list management.

Three Melbourne players on this list and all three are not getting a game due to poor form. And they wont get a game at any other club if they play as bad. Just ask Bruce and McLean, the grass is not alway greener.

Three Melbourne players on this list and all three are not getting a game due to poor form. And they wont get a game at any other club if they play as bad. Just ask Bruce and McLean, the grass is not alway greener.

It may be for us.

Warnock to Hawthorn or possibly Carlton reckon they'd both love a KPD.

Definite 2nd rounder and maybe able to hold out and get a first round

They'd want to be desperate to pay first round for a good ordinary player who will be 28 by the time next season kicks off.

Bate would get us a 4th or maybe 3rd rounder, Morton would be good to see the back of but only for the right price. Petterd's of more value to us than a pick. Our forward line isn't exactly solid just yet. He's my only real worry about leaving. And partly because as that mid-sized tall he has a lot of competition. Howe, Dunn, Jurrah, Green... Who are all trying their hardest to play as talls at the moment, some with success, like Green and Jurrah, and others being patchy or unknown quantities like Howe and Dunn... And Ricky himself. Once we DO get two bona-fide talls, it's gonna be interesting to see if there's room for a guy who's really only appropriate for one position.

Dunn - elsewhere

Bate - elsewhere

Petterd - MFC

Morton - MFC

I'm a strong advocate of keeping Warnock. With the inevitable injuries that come with the modern game, you can never have too many quality defenders.

However in saying that, Could there be a straight swap of Warnock to Hawthorn for Ellis?

I haven't watched much of Ellis, so I'm not sure we'd get our worth here. But he was a no. 3 pick and makes an interesting proposition...

Spot on. Stevo just another internet expert.

Cheney and Buckley also fringe players at best. This club aint that stupid.

A change of clubs helps marginally - mostly for the reinvigoration/reborn factor for first 12 months then its back to routine

Three Melbourne players on this list and all three are not getting a game due to poor form. And they wont get a game at any other club if they play as bad. Just ask Bruce and McLean, the grass is not alway greener.

Dunn - elsewhere

Bate - elsewhere

Petterd - MFC

Morton - MFC

+1

Bate has hands like bricks at the moment and I think it's because he's trying too hard and snatching at the ball; he should have a look at Jurrah and see how soft his hands are and how he takes a mark.

Bate isn't a bad footballer he just lacks confidence and is playing much harder than at any other time since he started at Melbourne. If he can hold a couple of marks and regain some confidence he will be in the mix.

Morton is a good footballer and will be at Melbourne next year and the year after that.

Petterd will be a Dee for a while, he loves playing for us and when he's on I love seeing him play.

The funny thing in that article is that there is no mention of Warnock, although he is probably the most tradable of the fringe players in terms of market value. He is a quality defender who struggles to get a game simply because we have too many tall backs. Very few clubs have the luxury of not playing someone like him.

I would not want to trade Morton. He has stalled a bit, but he is still a young player and his potential is huge. He is worth keeping around until we are seriously shooting for the flag. If he comes on then he is another huge weapon and if not then he can be traded. To offload him now would be very premature.

I can't see Petterd going anywhere. He has been dropped because he gave a shocking defensive performance, but he is quality and can play anywhere on the field. He's exactly the sort of player DB loves.

Bate I can take or leave. He's a decent medium forward, and perhaps could be reinvented as a big bodied bullocking midfielder, but I suspect he could find more game time elsewhere. THe suggestion that he could go to Richmond is not without merit. Given the amount of attention Jack R draws, he would probably be able to get a fair bit of the ball when his man gives him space to focus on the bigger threat. He is also a very good assist player, something that has fallen off this year with his limited opportunities.

Yeah, I was going to edit my post to add Warnock, but couldn't be bothered.

I'd say he's pretty certain to move on too.

I'm a strong advocate of keeping Warnock. With the inevitable injuries that come with the modern game, you can never have too many quality defenders.

However in saying that, Could there be a straight swap of Warnock to Hawthorn for Ellis?

I haven't watched much of Ellis, so I'm not sure we'd get our worth here. But he was a no. 3 pick and makes an interesting proposition...

With Tall backs:, Garland Warnock Davis McDonald Cook McNamara all vying for an AFL callup, I think the writing is on the wall for some who've been around for some time.

It seems that with T McDonald and Cook and Davis seeming to settle in fairly quickly at senior footy, the demand for VFL spots is tightening, and will put pressure on the senior Melbourne team for advancement. This is making the position of the more senior players on the frindge, uncertain of their future.

Petterd will stay. He'll be back in the side by the end of the year for sure, he's serving his penance at Casey, and deservedly so, but he is good enough to work his way back.

Bate will not be on our list next year. I'm not convinced he will be on any list, he's just not that good.

Warnock I think will be retained (if he's willing) for depth. Big blokes like him might not be best 22, but if we have injuries we don't want to be resorting to kids, especially when we're pushing for finals (or better).

Until last Friday I would have been happy to let Morton go, but if he plays the rest of the year like he did against Essendon he could turn himself around.

The funny thing in that article is that there is no mention of Warnock, although he is probably the most tradable of the fringe players in terms of market value. He is a quality defender who struggles to get a game simply because we have too many tall backs. Very few clubs have the luxury of not playing someone like him.

I would not want to trade Morton. He has stalled a bit, but he is still a young player and his potential is huge. He is worth keeping around until we are seriously shooting for the flag. If he comes on then he is another huge weapon and if not then he can be traded. To offload him now would be very premature.

I can't see Petterd going anywhere. He has been dropped because he gave a shocking defensive performance, but he is quality and can play anywhere on the field. He's exactly the sort of player DB loves.

Bate I can take or leave. He's a decent medium forward, and perhaps could be reinvented as a big bodied bullocking midfielder, but I suspect he could find more game time elsewhere. THe suggestion that he could go to Richmond is not without merit. Given the amount of attention Jack R draws, he would probably be able to get a fair bit of the ball when his man gives him space to focus on the bigger threat. He is also a very good assist player, something that has fallen off this year with his limited opportunities.

Would you offer Morton a 3 Year contract???