No one hates the contract extension. I'm just worried that we always seem to sign mediocre players to decent deals when they haven't quite earned it.

If earning a contract was a prerequisite we would have about 5 players on the list.

And Viney was our second best midfielder in terms of talent last year (there is a wake up call Jack Trengove) but Matt Jones had the second best year out of our midfield group.

Vince, Cross, and the improvement of others will threaten that in 2014 but he looks to be able to lay claim to being part of a more competitive (both inwardly and against peers) midfield immediately.

Ridiculous rubbish? Comparing M Jones to Michael Barlow, a standout at AFL level is just that. Who cares about Jones'rise to AFL level, there's no way in hell he would have got a game with any other AFL team last year, so it all it shows is how relatively weak our midfield was. Nicho was drafted from the ammos, is he the next Barlow too?

You've misinterpreted my comparison it seems. I'm not suggesting that he's MB, but that there are similarities, particularly reflecting on his impact to our shambolic midfield last year.

I can tell you, from contacts at the Box Hill Hawks, that MJ was considered by the HFC recruitment team to be the best non-AFL listed mature age midfielder in the 2013 draft. That he was 25 and a midfielder, when they had a full midfield was the reason they didn't pick him up. Todd Viney has friendships at HFC and was worded up re MJ. It was considered that the speed with which he took on the midfield role at Box Hill was exceptional, and that his work ethic and AFL ready physiology was top tier. The feedback from MFC is that they he has performed beyond expectations, and considering his relative inexperience (<50 games), his durability, ball finding, athleticism and uncompromising commitment (as compared to let's say Colin Sylvia), they feel he has significant continued upside. Hence the contract.

I'm not thinking you'll change your opinions of Matt Jones, but that you will if he meets the expectations MFC have of him.

You've misinterpreted my comparison it seems. I'm not suggesting that he's MB, but that there are similarities, particularly reflecting on his impact to our shambolic midfield last year.

I can tell you, from contacts at the Box Hill Hawks, that MJ was considered by the HFC recruitment team to be the best non-AFL listed mature age midfielder in the 2013 draft. That he was 25 and a midfielder, when they had a full midfield was the reason they didn't pick him up. Todd Viney has friendships at HFC and was worded up re MJ. It was considered that the speed with which he took on the midfield role at Box Hill was exceptional, and that his work ethic and AFL ready physiology was top tier. The feedback from MFC is that they he has performed beyond expectations, and considering his relative inexperience (<50 games), his durability, ball finding, athleticism and uncompromising commitment (as compared to let's say Colin Sylvia), they feel he has significant continued upside. Hence the contract.

I'm not thinking you'll change your opinions of Matt Jones, but that you will if he meets the expectations MFC have of him.

Nice profile of him on the MFC app and website today also.