very average player... no chance

Fire Sale!

I think we'll just leave that one in the fire

Nein, nein, nein!

He is the Essendon supporter whipping boy and for good reason. A turn over merchant in the Jack Grimes mould. Need I say more?

I'd prefer to bring back Cale Morton.

Yeah. At least we can be 100% certain that Cale wasn't in body building drugs.

People complain about Watts being soft, have you seen melksham play?. Melksham is the softest bloke in an essendon jumper and you want to sign him??

Pass

He is a PEGS boy, who was coached by Ken Fletcher. From what I saw in his first few years, he is a very talented player. Put players like Brayshaw, Petracca and Viney around him and I Am sure that he can perform. People under rate how much the recent culture at the Bombers has set guys like Melksham back.

he'll be scarred !!

Isn't this the guy we were all crushed got dropped for our match versus Essendon?

I believe Injectiondon are expecting a top 5 pick for him

I Wouldn't touch any player that was at Essendon in 2012/13.

Might get traction for a mid to late second round pick. Cannot imagine we'd be interested - but probably an upgrade on our bottom 5. If they want to give us Melksham, Kavanagh and a pick to take them both off their hands, I'll consider it. (In all seriousness, he can play football and if there was a suitable nothing trade e.g. if they were interested in Bail or Jamar(?) I wouldnt set demonland on fire).

Obviously Melksham is not the 'A-grade' midfield target we'd be hoping to land over the off-season, but as far as topping up the depth of our list goes, there are a number of things that appeal to me about him.

Firstly, I rate him higher than a host of plodders we currently have, some of whom are about to be off-loaded. Those names include Bail, McKenzie, Matt Jones, Terlich, Riley. He possesses more attributes than all of those guys. He'd be a much better 'depth' replacement which we'll actually need considering injuries hit every list hard during most years and we all witnessed shallow our depth is.

Secondly: As a former top 10 draft pick and with one consistent playing season in 2013 with a top 5 BnF finish, there is clearly something to work with. How many times have we as supporters seen players benefit from a new start at a different club? He fits the age bracket of games experience that we sorely miss. He sits at just above 100 games played.

Thirdly: We have to remember that the development of our really young guys in Stretch, Neal-Bullen etc is extremely important and players like Melksham can provide good cover for a year or two while our young kids develop the right way at the lower level. MFC have a history of playing their young guys too early and a in a side that doesn't give them enough support. Id be happy to give a fairly experienced and relatively young AFL player in Melksham a chance at showcasing himself for two years as a means of giving further time and development to our younger guys.

He's a hard runner, is tougher than some posts suggest and his skills are actually better than all of those names I mentioned in my first point.

Of course I wouldn't want to move heaven and earth to land him and I'm also not sure what the wada/asada deal is with him etc but if he were a third or fourth midfielder we landed this year and didn't have to give up much for him, I'd be pretty stoked.

We won't pay much, but if he does leave Essendon, I reckon he will be on our list next year..

Also, I'm sure Goodwin will have a pretty good idea about how much or little upside Melksham has.

Obviously Melksham is not the 'A-grade' midfield target we'd be hoping to land over the off-season, but as far as topping up the depth of our list goes, there are a number of things that appeal to me about him.

Firstly, I rate him higher than a host of plodders we currently have, some of whom are about to be off-loaded. Those names include Bail, McKenzie, Matt Jones, Terlich, Riley. He possesses more attributes than all of those guys. He'd be a much better 'depth' replacement which we'll actually need considering injuries hit every list hard during most years and we all witnessed shallow our depth is.

Secondly: As a former top 10 draft pick and with one consistent playing season in 2013 with a top 5 BnF finish, there is clearly something to work with. How many times have we as supporters seen players benefit from a new start at a different club? He fits the age bracket of games experience that we sorely miss. He sits at just above 100 games played.

Thirdly: We have to remember that the development of our really young guys in Stretch, Neal-Bullen etc is extremely important and players like Melksham can provide good cover for a year or two while our young kids develop the right way at the lower level. MFC have a history of playing their young guys too early and a in a side that doesn't give them enough support. Id be happy to give a fairly experienced and relatively young AFL player in Melksham a chance at showcasing himself for two years as a means of giving further time and development to our younger guys.

He's a hard runner, is tougher than some posts suggest and his skills are actually better than all of those names I mentioned in my first point.

Of course I wouldn't want to move heaven and earth to land him and I'm also not sure what the wada/asada deal is with him etc but if he were a third or fourth midfielder we landed this year and didn't have to give up much for him, I'd be pretty stoked.

Spot on.

It's amazing how quickly people on here dismiss a guy like Melksham when our midfield group is so poor and shallow.

Before the ASADA saga was exposed, the guy was playing very decent footy and was on-track to becoming an easily above average AFL midfielder. Being Melbourne supporters over the last 8 years, we all know that a draining cultural environment can have a significant impact on players' development. Essendon is no different. Im sure the guy can play at least 30% better than he's been over the last 2 years.

Provided we can get him for the right price, I'm on board.

Edited September 10, 20159 yr by Vanilla Gorilla

I don't like his face but would be a handy addition.

His face is a concern though,as chookrat has noted.

I'm curious, whats wrong here and why such a concern?

We're talk'n bout football here..

I'm curious, whats wrong here and why such a concern?

We're talk'n bout football here..

lol when he plays his face does look rather funny. Slightly constipated look.

Melksham won't have turned his back on a 2 year contract from Essendon unless he has an offer in front of him.

We are very light on for midfielders so I wouldn't be surprised if we are the club that's trying to lure him.

He's no star but a walk up start for us at the moment, and in a couple of years if Melksham and Ben Newton are your fringe midfielders it's a massive improvement on the days where Bail, Jones and McKenzie were starting 22 players.

I don't mind him as a player and I think a lot dislike him because he's often in the opposition's face. I wouldn't mind Melksham along with Kent, vandenBerg, Viney and Hogan trying to really hurt their opponents.

Of course I wouldn't want to move heaven and earth to land him and I'm also not sure what the wada/asada deal is with him etc but if he were a third or fourth midfielder we landed this year and didn't have to give up much for him, I'd be pretty stoked.

You know he's an Essendon player, right?

Pick 10 + 6 years of development in the Essendon calculator works out as our 1st and 2nd round picks + Angus Brayshaw.

He is one of the 34 i take it

He is one of the 34 i take it

According to this, yes:

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/the-names-of-the-34-essendon-players-have-been-released-then-removed-by-the-court-of-arbitration-for-sport/story-fni5f6kv-1227352382547

Someone used this quote elsewhere (could have been in this thread actually), but we only need to recruit players who are going to make us better. Melksham isn't one of those players. He isn't an upgrade on some of the depth players on our list and, therefore, isn't worth pursuing.

If the bombers have offered him a 2 year deal then we'd have to do the same and I'm not too keen on that.

If he gets delisted he'd probably be better than most and worth a shot at taking one of the last spots on the list.

A benefit of having AFL level fit and semi skilled (ie he can kick a reliable drop punt) player finishing off the list compared to a late pick in a bad draft is probably reasonable.

He's the kind of player you consider late in trade week not in early September.

Walk up start... geez. Do a best 22 for us in 2016 and he will be nowhere near it. Unless you want him in the team ahead of guys like Vandenberg , Kent and Harmes,.

Melksham is garbage really - low possession getter, doesn't kick goals, low tackle count. Will give us nothing.

I disagree mate. Yes, Melksham has been disappointing the last 2-3 years but most Bombers have as it's been a toxic environment.

But he obviously had/has some real talent if he was a top 10 pick.

He's 25, hard, competitive, and was good enough to have 26 possessions this year against Hawthorn.

Melbourne barely had 26 possessions as a team that day against Hawthorn when they flogged us by 20 goals without Hodge and Lewis.

I think there is plenty for Roos to work with.

Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't give much for him, but I can't understand why people are so opposed to a 25 year old midfielder with mongrel when we are so light on for a) midfielders, b) 22-26 year olds and c) mongrel.

WJD: most bombers have over last two or three years?

2913 and 2014 they finished the H&A season in 7th place.

Wouldn't consider that disappointing from most of their players