Tough one both we could get would be sensational but we can only have 1.

Cloke 25, big gurellia, has a motor as a CHF, Clark and Cloke would make a great combo with assistance of lighting quick Jurrah and High flying Howe would be exactly what Neeld needs

Colin S

Otherside-

Boak 23, Classy mid, Kicks goals also what we desperatley need to add to our centreline.

Fore me Cloke gets the Nod. Why? Hawthorn have Franklin and Roughead who create alot of headaches for opposition defences and ours could create that sort of havoc with Clark and Cloke plus a fit Jurrah really excites.

Boak whilst a real classy mid which i know we have been screaming out for all season, seems to go missing at times ala Colin Sylvia which isn't up our ally also coupled with the emergence of Blease and a fit Gysberts, Trengove and Jack Viney and some high picks in the draft, we give our selfs more opportunity for depth. Only time will tell.

Beams would be great but wont leave Collingwood and Caddy doesnt do enogh for me.

Cloke.

Boak is a good player, not a great player. He's no Dangerfield.

Besides, we need quick, pacy mids. We've got enough grunt.

this is an honest question. Would having Cloke, my man crush Mitch and a fit and firing Jurrah be too much? Who would play more of a CHF and who would be Full Forward? Cloke is a beast and can tear any opponent apart one on one and Mitch has speed and a great leap and is a better kick for goal. Jurrah can leap tall buildings and when fit is dangerous on the run and can kick goals anywhere. I can see Howe as a midfield/wingman he is getting more and more touches around the ground. SO who plays where if Cloke becomes a Demon?

EDIT: Sorry to the OP i didn't answer your question I'd take Boak because we need a midfielder who can kick some goals.

If it was one or the other Cloke FA won't cost us anything in the draft. Boak would be nice too but ultimately don't think either will come to us.

Boak

Cloke comes with a hefty price tag!

I dont think we would be seriously considering Cloke.

Boak adds ALOT more than Cloke anyway.

Does anyone on here watch Cloke?

He is having an ordinary year, he is overrated and his asking price is over a mil a year!

Clark is having a FAR better year than Cloke with far poorer delivery than Cloke gets.

So, how about adding Boak and improving our delivery into Clark and he will be even better than he is now!!

Scary, yes. But scary good.

Cloke, or Boak?

Boak!

For the price of Cloke, even if he's only 25ish, & likely to play over 100 father son games with us,,, One dicky knee does it all in.

Boak + someone else, Sewell??? +++ a gun kid,,,for the sort of money we'd pay for just one Cloke in the closet?

If a knee got one, like Rolf Harris's, Jake the Peg, we'd still have another 2.

Boak 10 times out of 10.

Like I've said before, no point having Cloke if you have no midfield to get the pill to him.

Also one would have to start questioning whether he is worth the advertised $8-900,000. Even with the Collingwood midfield behind him he's not having a great season, let alone the Melbourne midfield.

Boaaaaak boak boak boak boak BOOOOOOAKK BOAK BOAK BOAK (like a bird)

I think we can find a mature Key Tall to trade in, along the way, in the next 1.5 - 2 yrs.. they don't have to be the biggest gun CHF, but an honest powerful unit who works hard for the team... a Mooney styled guy, who also runs hard both ways for the team should do us.

One will turn up, with all the interstate teams happening, they're will be one coming back.

Clearly Boak for me. Our midfield needs mature class and he offers it.

We need midfield class. Everyone knows that.

Probably Cloke though.

My impression is that Cloke is easier to 'get' and I understand the value for money argument, I do.

But he would be a an 80 goal FF for us, and it would allow Mitch Clark some more freedom and Jurrah and Howe can do whatever they want.

With that said, it starts and ends in the midfield. I just don't know if we would be better off developing the mids we have, get Viney and Pick 4 in there and see if that is enough to dramatically improve.

if were as simple as selecting one...Boak.

neither are Melbourne bound However. Cloke will remain filth., Boak wants to purr.

P.S.

Sidearz has re-signed with the Filth so cross him off

If money was not an issue than I simply can't contemplate a scenario where Cloke is not the choice. One player is top 3 at their position, one player isn't.

However, it sounds like it will take 900k for 5 to go with Cloke, that's way too much when you consider we're paying Clark, and Jamar is already re-signed. And really, I think the gap between Clark and Cloke is really less than most would believe.

So Boak, maybe if Cloke would accept 4 years, but I'd still be hesitant to concentrate so much money in two guys who ostensibly play the same position.

Boak, no question.

And Boak to the cats is rubbish, unless they give up a Menzel, Duncan or Christensen plus picks.

Any club in VIC is close enough to see his family regularly.

Plenty of cats players & officials have lived in Melbourne over the years and commuted.

I think the teams with the strongest hands would be us and the bulldogs.

And I think we'll give it a red hot crack.

Considering we would have to trade hard to get Boak, while Cloke comes through FA meaning we don't have to part with any high draft picks, means Cloke for me.

P.S.

Sidearz has re-signed with the Filth so cross him off

Hmmm.... 2 years.

He would've been exactly what we need.

Next.

Both?

Cloke

A midfield can be built, and quickly (especially with a raft of high picks in the upcoming apparent "super draft")

We also have some valuable mids who will mature into that role (Grimes, Trengove, Blease on rotation, Gysberts)

Viney will be coming in, we need to snare a couple of classy mids in the draft, fast track their development (we'll have a grunt midfield to offer them protection) and then have them ramming it down Clark / Clokes' throat

Stuff Cloke and Boak.

Lets go after Beams, Wellingham or Goldsack.

Id be happy for MFC to pay them a bit to get them into the red n blue.

Wellingham and Beams are tough mids, but can play outside and Goldsack would be very, very handy in any side.

My impression is that Cloke is easier to 'get' and I understand the value for money argument, I do.

But he would be a an 80 goal FF for us, and it would allow Mitch Clark some more freedom and Jurrah and Howe can do whatever they want.

With that said, it starts and ends in the midfield. I just don't know if we would be better off developing the mids we have, get Viney and Pick 4 in there and see if that is enough to dramatically improve.

Having 2 massive contracts to pay causes too many issues along our future to contend with.

I won't factor in salary, etc, as the club deals with list management decisions, not me. Besides, that's not the OP's question. So I'll answer purely on who the more valuable player to the MFC would be.

One of these players is an A grader having a bad year and the other has never had an A grade year, even though he potentially could become an A grader.

One of these players is as rare as hen's teeth and the other is relatively common.

One of these players improves our spine and gives us more flexibility with Clark.

One of these players is the type that you build a premiership team around, in fact, said player has already been a dominant key forward in a premiership team.

One of these players comes from a club that is rich in elite practice and culture. The other comes from a bottom club.

Imo, one of these players gives us a better chance to build a premiership quality side.

Clearly for me it's Cloke. In fact, it's a no brainer. That's not to say that I wouldn't like Boak running around for Melbourne next year, of course I would, but given a choice between the two it's an easy decision. Premiership teams are built around big quality key forwards. GWS are going to be served by Cameron and Patton for a decade, which makes them almost a certaintly to win a flag when one considers the quality young mids they already have. But if anything, GWS show that it's not impossible to quickly develop a young midfield with real potential. They're unbelievably lucky with Patton and Cameron, as you can wait a decade for two forwards of this quality to come along. Who says there's no luck in football ?

I recognise that our midfield is pox. I recognise that our midfield is slow. I recognise that Boak would improve it. But I also believe that Trengove will come good, I believe that Viney will be a gun, I believe that Grimes will be better once he has a preseason where he trains as a mid, I believe that the club is going to develop Howe as a tall mid, I believe that we'll recruit at least one other young gun quick mid with pick 4 in this year's draft, I believe Gysberts still has a lot to offer, and I believe that a player like Jones will be even better in an improving midfield.

I may have a different view if we were discussing Marc Murphy, or Joel Selwwod, who were in Boak's draft, because they're 'A' graders, but Boak isn't. Despite Cloke being out of form, he's the second best key forward in the competition and a giant of a man. They don't grow on trees. He's still only 25. Would Sydney have won a flag if they'd never recruited Barry Hall ? And how do the Dogs look when even an old Barry Hall retires ? They've still got Boyd, Cross, Cooney, Higgins, Picken, Liberatore, and Wallis, yet they're crud without a top line key forward.

Cloke would be massive for this football club. Boak would be handy.

Boak.

I have no doubt that Mitch could be our Cloke as early as next season. Having Jamar in the ruck, and with Gawn back (and maybe Martin/Spencer/Fitzpatrick), Clark will get the opportunity to play in the one role, which his past seasons show that when he gets continuity playing in the one position, he is very, very good. Clark is having a very good year in a pi$$-poor year for forwards at our Club, so I'm happy launching our premiership assault with Mitch as our number 1 forward.

As most know, I believe you need 2 "big" forwards to win a flag. We have 1 (Mitch), and he's a bloody good one. The 2nd one could already be on our list. The 2nd one doesn't need to be that good. Nathan Ablett was far from good when he was a KPF, Hawkins' first flag didn't see him as a great KPF, Dawes isn't a star, there's no reason why one of Stef Martin/Watts/Cook/even Jamar if Gawn comes on, can play that 2nd tall forward.

We need to boost our midfield, and we need to do it fast. We need forward pockets (Jetta) and half forward flankers (Howe) that are rotating through the midfield and kicking goals. Boak isn't rated as highly in the midfield as Cloke is in the forward line (does that make sense?), but that doesn't mean to say he isn't worth more to our team. We need a minimum of 12 players rotating through our midfield, and Boak would be a very welcome addition. We can't sit back and assume that Gysberts will be a star, or that our picks this year will be stars, we know what we are geting with Boak, and if any of Gysberts or the 2012 additions can be better than that, well fantastic for us. But I don't see the point in spending top dollar on Cloke, on the "hope" that Gys, et al make the grade, especially when we already have a big bloke down there that's travelling pretty good so far.