Kids cost more than veterans as they need more coaching to learn team rules, professionalism, recovery, training techniques (such as not injuring yourself doing lifts), diet management etc etc etc etc etc.

#averageisthedevilsstatistic

Yeah, you're right but we pay the kids less money. A lot less.

Cost of player + what we pay them = is it worthwhile.

Anyway, the point I'm making is having 1 overseas project player is no big deal - if we imagine that that overseas player is on our list instead of a rookie or a late 3rd round pick or 4th round pick then what's the problem?

Maia Westrupp's name was brought up but he was on rookie wages and he wouldn't have cost us much more than any other new draftee. It's cost effective if done properly - it's certainly not high risk either.

As it stands, the competition is recycling any number of C & D graders. We've traded out our fair share of them - Gysberts, Morton, Blease, Sylvia and quite a few others. Why not look beyond our shores?

The biggest innovation and risk we've done under the current regime was signing Roosy for a short term deal and handover on 1.5 million a year. Got to spend money to make money.

I wouldn't say Vanders was either safe or risky. He was the best player available, there are good 18 year olds who dominate TAC who would've been just as safe in many regards, or a good VFL player. Most of our other picks, including the next pick were for 18 year olds. Bennell is risk/reward and the risk was too big for the potential reward, but I see it more as an age profile/window thing than due to our shaky footings as a club. We are just too far off a flag for the reward to mean anything giving it's unlikely he fully turns it around.

Personally I find it hard to believe we can't scrape together 100k it might cost to have an international/category B rookie. We are choosing to have 1 less player based mainly on the money. I really don't believe the difference between 44 or 45 is anything much for coaches, sports science, list management etc. But when every cent counts I can understand it. The one thing that surprises me is that these american ruck prospects attend the Roos draft camp and often get looked at by Sydney. With the need for a developmental ruck prospect I'm surprised we haven't had one on our list outside the usual 44.

Maybe when Roos goes the extra cash will be distributed in to signing one. Maybe our recruiters are just waiting for the right guy and none of the category B athletes, Irish or American prospects have impressed them.

I'm not sure either yourself or Macca actual understand what "innovative" means to be honest. It's not doing something well, it's not even doing something we haven't done before, it's doing something no one has done before. Having an international rookie is not "innovative". Signing a coach is not "innovative".

As for "scraping together" 100k. Would you have been happy to wipe out almost all of last year's profit for the sake of having Maia Westrupp? If you're saying it shouldn't matter about the money because it gives us another player, then have a think about what the actual difference is between 44 and 45 and then think about that 100k going to someone like Brendan McCartney instead of Maia Westrupp.

Josh Mahony on now.

Mahoney on trade radio right now:

- Melbourne weighing up Toumpas whether to keep or trade

- Still keen on holding Howe and think they are a chance

- Discussions about Watts but doesn't look to trade him

Mahoney on trade radio right now:

- Melbourne weighing up Toumpas whether to keep or trade

- Still keen on holding Howe and think they are a chance

- Discussions about Watts but doesn't look to trade him

So he is saying we don't want to trade any players is that right??Or we cant trade players for the right or any deal. What about Dawes or Spencer?Did he mention them??

Lol....

Mahoney on trade radio right now:

- Melbourne weighing up Toumpas whether to keep or trade

- Still keen on holding Howe and think they are a chance

- Discussions about Watts but doesn't look to trade him

Sounds like his cards are remaining close to his chest.

Mahoney on trade radio right now:

- Melbourne weighing up Toumpas whether to keep or trade

So did it sound like Jimmy would be happy to stay?

Gee whizz...

So he is saying we don't want to trade any players is that right??Or we cant trade players for the right or any deal. What about Dawes or Spencer?Did he mention them??

It was a very brief chat, they grabbed Mahoney when he was walking past and journos fired off brief questions. Cards seem very close, don't want to give anything away it seems like.

Im hoping we have Melk, Bugg done by the end of the day and Toumpas out. Then we can concentrate on the other stuff

Lol how cute.. id love to play the role of match maker for you two but i don't deal with pheasants.

'Lord Tennyson, in the 1850s, invited a Russian nobleman to his house on the Isle of Wight and used to send him off with a gun in the mornings to walk the hedgerows. One day the Russian came back looking pleased with himself and reported in a thick Slav accent that he had shot two peasants. Tennyson corrected him, saying "two pheasants". "No," said the Count, "two peasants. They were insolent so I shot them." '

From "The Big Shots - Edwardian Shooting Parties" by Jonathan Garnier Ruffer, 1977

Edited October 11, 201510 yr by La Dee-vina Comedia

Im hoping we have Melk, Bugg done by the end of the day and Toumpas out. Then we can concentrate on the other stuff

Bugg Yes. Melksham i would wait until the Howe deal is done.

Melksham deal will be done by midday today according to trade radio

Edited October 11, 201510 yr by juzzk1d

Melksham deal will be done by midday today according to trade radio

Cant say I really think Melksham is much of an upgrade but he can tackle which is good. Averaged just over 16 possessions a game

Dont know why we want him other than Goodwin has a relationship

Cant say I really think Melksham is much of an upgrade but he can tackle which is good. Averaged just over 16 possessions a game

Dont know why we want him other than Goodwin has a relationship

Mahoney early last week kept mentioning how we are looking at wanting to bring in competitors. Players who run to the contests, compete, tackle and apply pressure which I think is why blokes like Toumpas and Watts keep getting their names thrown up to be traded out.

Bugg Yes. Melksham i would wait until the Howe deal is done.

So that Essendon could complicate things by trying to ask for too much? Like any decent picks we bring in?

Just get it done.

Mahoney early last week kept mentioning how we are looking at wanting to bring in competitors. Players who run to the contests, compete, tackle and apply pressure which I think is why blokes like Toumpas and Watts keep getting their names thrown up to be traded out.

I really appreciate that the club needs more competitors but we also need players with skills otherwise we should just hold on to players like McKenzie if we just want players who tackle.

Edited October 11, 201510 yr by Clint Bizkit

Mahoney on trade radio right now:

- Melbourne weighing up Toumpas whether to keep or trade

- Still keen on holding Howe and think they are a chance

- Discussions about Watts but doesn't look to trade him

Cant say I really think Melksham is much of an upgrade but he can tackle which is good. Averaged just over 16 possessions a game

Dont know why we want him other than Goodwin has a relationship

Mahoney early last week kept mentioning how we are looking at wanting to bring in competitors. Players who run to the contests, compete, tackle and apply pressure which I think is why blokes like Toumpas and Watts keep getting their names thrown up to be traded out.

SEN are reporting that MFC are looking to play Melksham in defence rather than midfield.

If so the features you both describe would be a real asset to creating turnovers and getting the ball moving forward for us.

It also releases Salem to the midfield and is coverage for the loss of Howe and maybe Grimes at the end of 2016.

Melksham has also shown he has good skills and can get the ball so he may work out really well for us.

Edited October 11, 201510 yr by Lucifer's Hero

Nathan Brown full of comedy gold as usual. Suggesting that Collingwood will trade Ben Kennedy to us for pick 61. Based on their respective careers to date, we'll get pick 80 for Toumpas.

he might rotate back but he won't play predominantly there.

but these days, to be frank, you expect players to push back and forward no matter where they play.

Nathan Brown full of comedy gold as usual. Suggesting that Collingwood will trade Ben Kennedy to us for pick 61. Based on their respective careers to date, we'll get pick 80 for Toumpas.

I laughed at that as well haha

Nathan Brown full of comedy gold as usual. Suggesting that Collingwood will trade Ben Kennedy to us for pick 61. Based on their respective careers to date, we'll get pick 80 for Toumpas.

I don't think it's out of the realms of possibility, and for that reason I'd take Kennedy and not trade Toumpas.

SEN are reporting that MFC are looking to play Melksham in defence rather than midfield.

If so the features you both describe would be a real asset to creating turnovers and getting the ball moving forward for us.

It also releases Salem to the midfield and is coverage for the loss of Howe and maybe Grimes at the end of 2016.

Melksham has also shown he has good skills and can get the ball so he may work out really well for us.

For a guy that averages not many disposals for a mid, he has a lot of clangers.