I tend to agree but I think shocking is a bit strong. I have a few concerns:

(1) are we too top heavy? Watts, Jurrah, Howe, Clark, Petterd all go for the big marks and are a little slow when chasing the running bigman. Oh to have a young Aaron Davey to crumb and chase in the forward line. Maybe Jetta but not sure. Maybe Nicholson. Maybe Bennell.

(2) It is alot of money over 4 years for someone who has settled for his 2nd preference. Will he try as hard as he would at Fremantle?

(3) I have a feeling Martin will be used as a spare parts player between defence and ruck and may be wearing the green jacket often. Gawn's place idk. Whilst Clark may play FF, he is likely to play in ruck with one of Jamar or Martin injured.

On a positive, Petterd and Jones will welcome another tatt man -not that I am a big lover of tatts.

I see others leaving: Bate, Dunn, Maric. I do not think a huge loss but I wish them th ebest and hope noone boos them when they play against Melb.

Melbourne manage to convince the exact type of player we need, the only one in the league currently available, when it looked like we had no chance we were aggressive and persuasive. Yet the only positive you can see is that he has tatts?

Come on mate, cheer up, this is a good thing!!! Big win for the Dees, we finally managed to get our man. Have some faith brother!!

I think Mark Neeld has a game plan that he's wanting to implement at Melbourne and with this recruit he's moved a big piece into place. Essentially Mitch Clarke at FF offers the following:

- the midfield a quick get out of pressure kick deep into the forward line (moloney will love this).

- the big lead up option to the 50 m (aka Cloak and Daws)

- provides our small forwards with a roving target at the feet of Clark

- free up Watts and Jurrah with 2nd and 3rd tall defender on them.

- allows Watts to play higher (in the midfield) when required

- allows Jurrah and Petterd to find space and avoid tight contested pack marks, also gives him a good set of shoulders to climb...

- allows us to develop Gawn, Lucas, and Fitz at Casey properly without having to play them early.

I'm sure there is more...

Big get

From Mark Neeld on twitter " A big welcome to Mitch Clark, he is a great fit for the Demons - adds versatility and experience to the team"

We are all assuming that Clarke will play predominately as a KPP. MNs comments indicate he may have extra plans for Clarke. Perhaps rotate Clarke and Jamar in the key forward spot.

Clarke only kicked 27 goals in 17 games this year, but he doesn't need to kick 50-60 to be effective. If he can pot 30-40 goals a season, and free up Jurrah and Howe to kick 30+, and Sylvia and Watts to bag 20+, then he will pay his way. I also suspect that Davey will return to his first role at the club, as a fast high-tackling goalsneak. You wont see him on the backline next year in any great capacity.

Don't be surprised if the club keeps Warnock. Our game plan will change, with less emphasis on precision kicking out of the backline.

So far we have lost Scully and pick 12 for 2 1st round compensation picks and the big tall forward we desperately needed for team balance.

This is a great morale booster for the club.

Bloody happy with this result, our recruiting staff should be commended. Perhaps the only concern I have is that he may still have a desire to return home in the next couple of years.

But ultimately I hope that by that stage we will be right in amongst the contenders and his desire for a chance at a premiership will trump the go home factor. This will hopefully give Jurrah the assistance he needs to play with more freedom.

Neeld would have had a big say in this no doubt, and he obviously has a vision for the club that would benefit from the addition of Clark. Now, whether Clark can fulfil that position is yet to be seen, but I trust the MFC in their decision to go after Clark.

Looking forward to 2012 a great deal.

Bloody happy with this result, our recruiting staff should be commended. Perhaps the only concern I have is that he may still have a desire to return home in the next couple of years.

But ultimately I hope that by that stage we will be right in amongst the contenders and his desire for a chance at a premiership will trump the go home factor. This will hopefully give Jurrah the assistance he needs to play with more freedom.

He did sign a four year contract, so hopefully that at least keeps him there for that period at least!

Yet the only positive you can see is that he has tatts?

Come on mate, cheer up, this is a good thing!!! Big win for the Dees, we finally managed to get our man. Have some faith brother!!

That was meant to be tongue and cheek.

I think Mark Neeld has a game plan that he's wanting to implement at Melbourne and with this recruit he's moved a big piece into place. Essentially Mitch Clarke at FF offers the following:

- ..........

- provides our small forwards with a roving target at the feet of Clark

- .........

I'm sure there is more...

Big get

who are our small forwards?

Great work DEES

Mitch and Jamar/Martin alternating in the forward like.

Great twin towers combo

Looks like we've added a few more tatts to our collection.

Well done Dees.

Welcome Mitch.

Can we find some room for Mitch on the Demonland header?!!!

Huge piece of the jigsaw just fell into place.

To quote Crowded House... "now we're getting somewhere".

That was meant to be tongue and cheek.

who are our small forwards?

I'm still holding the torch for Wonna and Aaron to return...

As I said just a concern. Here is a conspiracy theory. Plays crap for 1-2 years and then Melbourne seeks to trade him to Fremantle for nothing. Perhaps a stretch. What I was thinking more is that he misses his family so much he does not play as well as if he was with his family. Common amongst interstate players although I recognise he has been interstate for some time.

That's not an issue when you can just move your family to the most livable city in the world. GREAT GET DEES !! I'M THAT F*kin excited !!!

BTW Finally a Dees player that might make something of wearing the #1.

Huge piece of the jigsaw just fell into place.

To quote Crowded House... "now we're getting somewhere".

Wow - Just caught up with this develoment.

The amazing transformation continue's under Neeld.

Welcome aboard Big Mitch

Massive Massive get Demons - Brilliant Work

MItch Clark + Pick 8 and 9 (ish) for

Scully + Pick 12

works out OK in my book when you consider we have a good midfield group and Scully's potential injury issues

go dees

Positionally, Mitch fills a role that we needed to see filled. He won't just be out there for the contribution of his own game directly, but will bring follow-on benefits to the games of Watts, Jurrah, Petterd, Howe...

It is also pretty clear that Clark fills a specific need that Mark Neeld saw as completely absent in the current structure.

I think there is another side to this too. It is a clear show from the club and the established list managers that they are prepared to commit in big ways to the plan and decisions led by the new coach. It sends a message of confidence in him, and that anyone who isn't happy doing things in his way wont have too many places to go to for a sook.

A much, much more gifted player than Dawes, and I'd have nervously settled for Dawes, thank god he declined our offer.

Mitch is the safer bet for what we need, worth every penny. And for just pick 12 is a bonus.

Getting Clark, Craig, Misson and even Neeld who were all able to choose multiple options is just huge. I haven't seen an off season like it. I could get used to this.

You don't give up a first round pick and 2.2m over 4 years for a spare part. Clarke is going to slot straight into the best 22 and will make us scarier.

Steph Martin could find himself playing around the ground, as could Watts. Huge move. Overnight the sleepy demons have become a team getting some attention.

Something tells me we have another deal or two left in us (Bate/Maric/Warnock). Great work so far by the MFC.

beautiful!!

hopefully he ends up loving this club and will want to stay for the rest of his career...

his 23 now by the time his contract is up he will be 27 if i am correct?

so if he did want to head home hopefully cook or fitzy will be ready to take over and wont be a huge loss if he does decide to go.

I barely read Demonland in the off season, and some of the opinions in this thread, is precisely why.

So many posters here have no understanding whatsoever of footy structures or what this guy will mean to the way we play. I bet they are the same supporters who cry "kick it long" every week.

And pick 12 is a massive mistake? WTF?

Pick 12 in an average draft raped by GWS would have probably netted us some average midfielder who would get delisted in 4 years, or compete for 22nd spot with Jones. Thrilling right?

This is a huge get for us. Had we gotten Dawes people would be saying we did a great thing, but Clark is a far better player, more athletic and more versatile and will completely change our entire forward setup.

I barely read Demonland in the off season, and some of the opinions in this thread, is precisely why.

So many posters here have no understanding whatsoever of footy structures or what this guy will mean to the way we play. I bet they are the same supporters who cry "kick it long" every week.

And pick 12 is a massive mistake? WTF?

Pick 12 in an average draft raped by GWS would have probably netted us some average midfielder who would get delisted in 4 years, or compete for 22nd spot with Jones. Thrilling right?

This is a huge get for us. Had we gotten Dawes people would be saying we did a great thing, but Clark is a far better player, more athletic and more versatile and will completely change our entire forward setup.

fair go, there's about 2 negative posts to 68 positive

As a resident of Brisvegas I've seen a hell of a lot of Mitch and I was very excited when we were linked to him and now elated that we've got him. He has great hands and despite what some bitter Freo fans are currently saying does have the ability to split packs and create a crumb. I'm still of the view that Watts has the potential to play full forward and will start winning more one on one contests. Mitch can do this but he also has great wheels and I can see us constantly swapping Watts and Clark to create real headaches. Jurrah and Howe as third and fourth options is scary. Find or re-juvinate that crumbing forward to complement the bigger bodies and we're in very good shape up forward. Our key backs and our now even stronger ruck division are turning into genuine strengths. If we can land a highly skilled, tough small defender and an elite inside/outside midfielder with breakaway pace, we're starting to have the look of a premiership team in waiting. Tom who?

I bet they are the same supporters who cry "kick it long" every week.

You obviously didn't watch Geelong in the Grand Final this year.

fair go, there's about 2 negative posts to 68 positive

But why does somebody always have to be negative?

FFS this is a massive win for us, and Clark hasn't put a foot wrong yet, but someone just has to come along and have a sook about Melbourne stuffing up.

Why can't supporters just believe that we're capable of doing good things and trust us to deliver?

This woe-is-us attitude is so pathetic in light of the great pre-season we've had thus far.

You obviously didn't watch Geelong in the Grand Final this year.

What?

I agree that with Clark there we can kick the ball long, but we needed that big bodied forward to enable us to do what we haven't been able to do since Neita retired.

Those whinging that we paid over the odds, or that Clark is no good, are probably those who are crying out the most for a big target.