Just don't tell anyone else!

McDonald's defensive actions are superb, and with Chip an RFA next year there's no way that they'd look at trading him I don't think. We'd be left with Garland and Dunn as our only talls in the backline.

On Howe, I envisage he and Watts alternating from half-forward to wing, where one will always push defensively. He definitely needs to work harder on his game when not in possession, but he seems to have the application and desire to do so.

Our biggest issue at the moment for this trading period is that we don't have a lot of currency to work with.

As is always the case, the only players people will want are those we won't want to give! If you do a list on our untouchables and then questionables and then definites you will find we don't have a lot of bargaining power! Except for our draft picks!!

As is always the case, the only players people will want are those we won't want to give! If you do a list on our untouchables and then questionables and then definites you will find we don't have a lot of bargaining power! Except for our draft picks!!

Very true, picks and our NQR players that have ability that other clubs may think they can get the best out of. For me our 3 biggest tarde bait options that clubs may be willing to look at are Blease, Tapscott & Jetta, especially if you combined them with a pick, it just depends on who/what we're trying to get back in return.

Our other biggest tarde bait option is certainly Fitzpatrick, but given that he just signed a 2 year deal and the uncertainty over Clark's injury I wouldn't expect us to trade him.

I think our only must-holds are:

N Jones

Watts (by dint of the fact that we signed him to a new deal)

Dawes

Viney

Frawley

Clark

Garland

McDonald (although that would change if Chip signed an extension to his current deal)

Gawn

Unfortunately, they are more likely than not the players with the greatest currency on our list.

At around 6'3" that's a bit of a stretch.

positionally though he played as a small forward, more of a crumber than a power forward.

I think our only must-holds are:N JonesWatts (by dint of the fact that we signed him to a new deal)DawesVineyFrawleyClarkGarlandMcDonald (although that would change if Chip signed an extension to his current deal)GawnUnfortunately, they are more likely than not the players with the greatest currency on our list.

add Howie, Grimes, Trengove & a kid called Jesse Hogan.

hindsight bias.

having said that i saw rockliff play and thought "oh my" he would be an extremely good pick up, but if jurrah didnt go sour he would be the perfect small forward for our list.

secondly, i also remember watching a vic metro match where a one armed addam maric kicked 4 goals in a best on performance and thought crap this bloke is going to be a star.

recruiters stuff up, players stuff up and at the end of the day would have been nice to be able to take both :|

*edit for censored

No. It's not.

positionally though he played as a small forward, more of a crumber than a power forward.

Played as a forward not small or power, sometimes key but better suited as 3rd tall. Could crumb, take the big mark, do things never seen on a football field before.

I have never posted a rumour based post as I have no connections to the club or players but I was told of one today that really excited me.

Tom Rockliff has agreed to terms with the MFC and will wear the red and blue next season and beyond. I heard he and his girlfriend have become home sick(she is from benalla), and Tom is sick of the off field crap going on up there.

My source is my mates sisters best friend is the girlfriend

Don't shoot the messenger, but I thought I would put it out there for all demonlanders to know

That's what this thread is all about - great stuff!

Would take pick 2.

Played as a forward not small or power, sometimes key but better suited as 3rd tall. Could crumb, take the big mark, do things never seen on a football field before.

i feel like he would slot into a small forward role, due to his movements and his speed.

i agree he played the third tall role, but positionally he is suited to the small forward role where he can just sit in the 50 and crumb, he just lacked defensive pressure.

No. It's not.

alright, apologies, but i believe there is an inkling of hindsight bias, like with nearly all of our draft picks

Edited September 26, 201311 yr by Mad_Melbourne

Pretty sure Hogan = Jehovah himself.

Sorry, I thought that was Tom Gillies.

Would definitely give pick 2 for Tommy Rockliff. Absolute gun who's only going to get better

Sorry, I thought that was Tom Gillies.

Haha nice Django, had a laugh there!

And yes, on my other post it was Hogan on my HFF under a lesser persons name to try keep expectations at a minimal.

Haha nice Django, had a laugh there!

And yes, on my other post it was Hogan on my HFF under a lesser persons name to try keep expectations at a minimal.

I was a bit slow on the uptake with that one!

What about Tom McDonald as trade bait? His kicking is atrocious at times.

are you drunk?

1. would absolutely love Tom Rockliff at the Dees, know him personally and I can tell you 100% the fact we haven't won a lot recently would to him seem like more of a challenge than a deterrence. Pick 2 for Tom Rockliff and pick 25

2. Jeremy Howe, James Frawley, Jesse Hogan and Jack Viney would be my only untouchable players for the MFC, Jeremy howe gets his output questioned on here and perhaps rightly so but the thing for people to consider is like a lot of our players this is a highly talented young man who has played just over 50 games and is playing out of position. I for one would not like to be the defender who had to play on Jeremy howe ( who won our goalkicking this year, mind you ) when the teams other three best defenders are on Clark, Dawes and Hogan.

Wouldn't even take pick1 for Jeremy howe, the kids upside is almost limitless, and he compliments our forward line perfectly, and he is loyal as a dog, he would bleed for the MFC, whack him on a half forward flank in 2014 and watch him fly away under Roos.

Which is exactly my point. You have a PSD pick and you have the opportunity to take one of the most gifted & exciting players ever seen vs a bunch of leftovers, who do you take?

not the one who had just been left out in the cold by the Pies.

maybe the flashy one should have been a rookie?

maybe the less of a gamble & the solid contributor type should have been favoured.

1. would absolutely love Tom Rockliff at the Dees, know him personally and I can tell you 100% the fact we haven't won a lot recently would to him seem like more of a challenge than a deterrence. Pick 2 for Tom Rockliff and pick 25

2. Jeremy Howe, James Frawley, Jesse Hogan and Jack Viney would be my only untouchable players for the MFC, Jeremy howe gets his output questioned on here and perhaps rightly so but the thing for people to consider is like a lot of our players this is a highly talented young man who has played just over 50 games and is playing out of position. I for one would not like to be the defender who had to play on Jeremy howe ( who won our goalkicking this year, mind you ) when the teams other three best defenders are on Clark, Dawes and Hogan.

Wouldn't even take pick1 for Jeremy howe, the kids upside is almost limitless, and he compliments our forward line perfectly, and he is loyal as a dog, he would bleed for the MFC, whack him on a half forward flank in 2014 and watch him fly away under Roos.

For me, half forward flank is out of position for Howe. I'd like to see him deep where his marking will really hit the scoreboard.

It might be difficult to play him down there with so many tall options though.

We have to keep Howe. I'm aware that he usually only makes cameo appearances in matches, but I believe he is a vital part of our future. Further to that, his highlights make people want to go to the footy. They make people buy memberships. They are one of the few reasons that ANY kid would go for Melbourne at the moment.

I'd be gutted to see Gawn go, but I wouldn't be opposed to it if he could be part of a package to land us a star mid.

I understand your concern but its these continual highlight reel types who don't perform which has been so much a part of dragging our culture down to a soft lazy flashy superficial in footy sense type of club culture.

this Is Not a finals winning methodology,,, and as such is a major part of our deemise. continual disappointments to our supporters has made so many drop off the club, and the rusted on stay & become increasingly more precious about what remains.

its time to get tough & start the supporters ideals over again with winning finals & premierships as the Only important thing.

As is always the case, the only players people will want are those we won't want to give! If you do a list on our untouchables and then questionables and then definites you will find we don't have a lot of bargaining power! Except for our draft picks!!

this is why its may be better to trade out value & multiply the return.

thats why I put up a post with our risky & valuable players to see who would be open to talking trades.

if we are to change quickly we need to bring in fresh players young & old in exchange for some who are talented but haven't made the most or have one eye outside the paddock.

...... this Year!!! there are a lot of players looking to move in trade week & we'll never get a better time to make substantial changes to our culture & therefore the health of our list.

I'm with Ben Hur on Howe. A keeper. The argument that he is lazy has some validity but we can not afford to lose players as talented as Howe. The excitment he provides for fans should not be dismissed either. He has been a rare bright light.

Just as i argued that Watts has suffered from being at the club in a period of complete chaos the same argument holds for Howe (and others like Blease, Tapscott, Strauss et al). Of course professional players have to work hard etc but it is ridiculous to expect players will be able to play to their potential in an environment that is destabilizing - and that's without factoring a poor leadership culture.

Lets see how he goes under Roos. I would expect we'll see him address his deficiencies and reach his potential. In terms of position i like him as a forward with occasional runs in the center. As someone notes above with Hogan, Dawes and Clark opposition sides will struggle to match up on Howe and he provides a great foil to those big guys. HAs well as being a great mark he is also pretty good when the ball hits the ground. But yes he needs to increase his pressure.

Speaking of cultural change, anyone else hear Barrett’s claim that Didak will sign a 2 year deal at Carlton. Any chance Mick will swing a trade for Heater?

I understand your concern but its these continual highlight reel types who don't perform which has been so much a part of dragging our culture down to a soft lazy flashy superficial in footy sense type of club culture.

this Is Not a finals winning methodology,,, and as such is a major part of our deemise. continual disappointments to our supporters has made so many drop off the club, and the rusted on stay & become increasingly more precious about what remains.

its time to get tough & start the supporters ideals over again with winning finals & premierships as the Only important thing.

Howe is not this, he is a young footballer who has played 50 games. He has an enormous upside and works hard on his game as evidenced by his improved kicking for goal this year.

Howe had a very good first half of the season against all odds (check out the early demonland voting if your memory is a bit rusty), he faded in the 2nd half and that's understandable the way the team played, the turmoil around the club and his inexperience.

With a good coaching and development structure and another year under the belt I expect him to be a more consistent performer and really come of age. There is nothing in his approach that says otherwise to me and as for the culture argument, that needs to be laid at the feet of the senior players at the club not someone barely into his 3rd year.

Your assessment of him is way off the mark.

Rockliff was a known talent for Vic Country. I saw him kick 4 goals in the junior champs at the MCG from half forward and thought he was a gun. He was talked about as being a top 30 pick on numerous websites. But recruiters weren't sure what position he'd be able to nail down at AFL level and didn't envisage he'd be the dominant mid he's become. He wasn't a small forward and he wasn't a mid, which is why he slipped. I've learnt over the years that recruiters stuff up all of the time.

In my view Rockliff was never speculative even though he wasn't selected in the ND.

Wasn't he also training with us at the time? *shudder*

Love the Rockliff rumour. Over the years I've done a complete 180 from being annoyed by rumours to loving them.