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You do realise that although Freo put in the official offer to the AFL it doesn't mean that we didn't make a play for him. What the lodgement by Freo means is that they probably have the best offer on the table, or Pearce just prefers them as a destination. It is unlikely that a formal proposal would be put forward without the players approval. How about thinking things through before blindly having a go at the club.

Will you delete your Demonland account too?

Agree. We need to recruit so as of next year we can play the structures and game style we'll be playing in 3 years. If that means some short term stop gap solutions while we work to develop a younger alternative then thats what we need t do. The recruitment period The Free Agency phase - is generally only going to deliver us player with a "lifespan" of the next 2-3 years and ready to go in 2013. Low risk, moderate reward and moderate price (no picks but lots of cash) The Trade period - would ideally deliver us players with "lifespan" of 5-7 years and ready to go in 2013. Low risk, good reward but high price (i.e lose high picks and lots of cash). The Draft - will provide us with players with a lifespan of 10+ years but unlikely to be ready/prime for a couple of years... High risk, high reward with moderate price (high picks). Getting the balance right between these three elements of the recruitment period is key to our prospects in 2013 and more importantly our prospects of pulling together a premiership winning team in the next decade.

I don't know whether Lynch is coming or not, but I support this deal if it comes off. Lynch is underrated and has had to play a role that has been diminished with Darling coming into the side, Kennedy developing as the main forward and one of Naitanui, or Cox spending significant time in the front half. And he's still kicked over 30 goals this year Kennedy being injured helped this. Twice he's kicked over 50 in a season, including 65 one year. I reckon he'd fit in really well at the Dees and Neeld's structures. But I'm also not perturbed by his age. Naturally he'll only command a two year deal, but he's a very athletic type who has hardly ever been injured and it wouldn't surprise me at all if he's got 4 year and 80 games left in him.

Updated: Demon Trade Bait/FA: Rivers (Cats, Saints, Hawks very keen, Lions now also upping the ante) Petterd - (interest from 4 clubs blvd to be Pies, GC, PA & Bulldogs) Martin - (interest from Pies, & Saints) Cook - Seems likely to stay but Roos & Blues have interest Bate - Seems certain to move North most likely to Lions potential swap for Karnezis or to GC for Toy Bail - 2 Clubs making enquiries, Lions blvd to be very keen Garland - Fate will depend on Rivers but Dees keen to use as bait for a speedy mid such as Pearce Morton - Small interest from Swans & Cats, most likely to stay a Demon Moloney - Seems Brisabe or Bomber bound with PA trying hard still. Gysberts - Cats keen but Demons playing hardball & asking for Brown plus a mid pick or an established player w/pace, Motlop mentioned. Demon Targets: Shannon Byrnes - Good as signed - may be announced today/tomorrow Sharrod Wellingham - In talks this week with pies but potential Martin trade appears a long way off, will either be a Demon or a WCE. Angus Monfries - Had talks with Management, waiting on PA to finalize offer & Demons may match depending on other pieces - most likely ends up @ PA Patrick Karnezis - One of many clubs with medium interest, potential trade for Bate or Bail Danyle Pearce - Not far off if mail is right, she blv he will be in red & blue by next week,firming by the day! Chris Knights - Demons very confident, blv they are ahead of Tigers offer - Tigers win out & will announce probably today he has signed! John Butcher - Hearing more today, Demons going HARD. Could be part of Caddy monster deal. Gaining momentum in many circles =, that demons may be his home if a deal can be agreed on with PA Levi Casboult - Inquiries made & may be an easy get if others don't fall Dees way - Now looks close to re-signing with Blues. Tom Swift - Early days but discussion has occured Ben Warren - Most certain Demon among the lot, could even be PSD Christian Howard - Potential trade for Petterd Steven Salopek - Dees fighting it out with Dogs & Bombers. Aaron Cornelius - Seems to be available & Demons watching closely Cam Pederson - Now appears to be a Done deal according to many. David Myers - Seen as a key target with much more to come on this one, hearing it more & more! David Rodan - One of 6 clubs thinking about signing him, some feel Demons may even announce him today also, Dees see his pace a real plus for them! Quinton Lynch - Dees & Pies now in box seat, Demons offer far better will depend on how much Q wants immediate success. Nathan Lovett-Murray - Demons again like his pace, seems to be a back up plan but interest is noted. I'll update if I can be bothered later as I have a few more from this arvo.. For those who enjoy just knowing & understanding its all just talk & to make even simple trades happen can be tough.. ENJOY!!!

You guys spend all your time bagging our list, our recruiting, our overall performance and then you think someone who says we were a big disappointment this year is stretching it?! Fark.............rying out loud

He's got it right. We embarrassed ourselves this year.

Or perhaps our club embodies Hugh Hefner more, we have a large number of younger bodies at our house but they are largely for show as nothing works like it did in the 50's.

Lol we're like the unattractive sex tourist. We have a bundle of cash but still nobody will even look at us. I feel sorry for us

We have assumed unwisely for a number of years that high draft picks turn into very good players. This has been our folly lets not go down this path again. We need seasoned players as well as kids.

You have got to be kidding. You have said this on the 1st day of FA and a week before Trade Week starts... WTF.

It tells us that Neeld knows that MFC has a sheet list and you cant change that overnight Money alone wont get champions to a club like MFC,so he plans to develop a team that plays within its ability with ruthless commitment...like the Swans. If he can do it then you'd say he's on the right track and the Swans victory shows its possible.

I hope we get Lynch just to prove Denhan wrong!

I attended a forum conducted at AAMI Park this evening on the MFC's approach to free agency, trading and drafting. The Melbourne Business Community function was hosted by Chris Connolly with speakers Mark Neeld and Tim Harrington. Some of the general information about FA and trades has been published on the websites of the AFL or club or discussed at previous meetings while there were some mildly sensitive issues that can't really be expanded on publicly but no specific players who we were seeking over the next month or in the draft were named. Suffice to say we did gain an insight into the type of player the club is seeking but that was predictable. We should know by now that Neeld wants those who play hard contested football. He wants players who uncompromisingly want to be the best in the game. Those who are happy just to be AFL footballers need not apply. Neeld says things will be different in 2013. The players now know how they are expected to present themselves on 29 October when the pre season starts. The volume and intensity will be lifted from 60% to around 75% of the optimum as part of a 3 year plan to get the team up to the standard of the leading clubs. One of the innovations we will see is the introduction of combatative training designed to harden players in mind and body. Naturally there was discussion on players (there was the usual Jack Viney stuff but we need to wait seven days for the outcome) and while I won't elaborate here and now, it's clear that most of the rumours we've been hearing and reading about are simply not true. I can say that we never made a 7 year offer for Cloke and were never seriously interested (for various different reasons) in the four free agents confirmed earlier today (Goddard, Pearce, Chaplin and Knights) or in Lynch or Tippett, nor has there been an offer made for Wellingham. In some cases to bid for these players at 8% of the salary cap is not warranted in the stage at which the club is at present. In short, the rumour files and such threads both here and elsewhere on the Internet are way, way off the mark. Some of the stuff is complete bollocks! The club will get involved in the right deals and we should get what hopefully will be a good mix of 18 year olds and more seasoned players including possibly some from the state leagues but the scuttlebutt and innuendo is just that! Anyway, I just wanted to say well done to the club for keeping us informed. The lack of any sizzling news might disappoint some but I was impressed at how these guys are sticking to what they call their "premiership plans" and persevering undaunted with their programme to rebuild this football club.

You can see the confusion though, when you're quoting a comment about Jared Rivers in a thread about Jared Rivers?

Any mature recruit we get will a have a sense of the mercs about them. Even if it is only a perception. Look at Clark - we know how invested he is in the place, but the perception remains that he is at the club for coin and do you think I give a flying fruitcake? Bet your arse I don't.

Dan Richardson (Byrnes manager) said he is leaving Geelong and it's well documented that Melbourne are very keen so I wouldn't expect any issues for Shannon.

stardate -171753.42269152726 Captain Archer reports a decaying radio broadcast of unspecified origin but believed to be that of relayed message sent from the once existant AFL headquarters timestamped to the era of the Republic of Oceania's reign pre that of the United Confederations. approx late 21st Century ( pre-stardate ) the message is deteriorated but the words "the investigation into tanking is ongoing " can be made out. According to Starfleet data this refers to an ancient enquiry that apparently led to no conclusion and was eventually given away as a waste of time and resources. Take us to Warp No 1 !!

Are people here seriously trying to say Watts is better than Franklin? Or did I just misread this whole thread? Think I'm going to have to give Demonland a wide berth for a few weeks so my brain doesn't turn stupid.

If this system is going to work in a similar way to the NBA then a formal offer isn't sent into the league for approval unless the player has approved it. It in no way suggests that other teams haven't tried to recruit that player. It would just be a circus if every team that had an offer for a player had to officially submit that offer to the AFL in order for the player to accept it. In that case we would have multiple clubs officially submitting offers, but which offer would the team who currently has that player have to match. It's nonsensical. I firmly believe that no formal offer would be submitted unless the player/player agents have signed off on it. Therefore, we never know who formally made an offer to the player because we only hear the final transaction. Look at the following article on afl.com http://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/208/newsid/148928/default.aspx It seems to support what i'm saying in respect to the offer process. There appears no capacity for another team to lodge an offer with the AFL once one team has lodged it's papers. Therefore this suggests that it is the offer that Pearce/Pearce's management has deemed the best.

Silly season is here at last.

I'll take Buddy everyday of the week

Goddard lodged papwerwork with AFL for move to Essendon. Who was the fool who posted he was coming to Dee's? http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/essendon-lodges-goddard-paperwork-with-afl-20120930-26tdm.html

Brent Moloney

Blame Cale Morton....

Rodan ? No Probably thought Port had a Rodin.... that would look good upon Schwabby's desk

G'day Jordie & all. That was my quote. I tried BF under a different name so I wouldn't get harassed, obviously that didn't work. Should of stuck with the good crew on here. As I mentioned, the Butcher approach is true & Dees quite keen. Club is very active with Tippett not out of the question yet either. I'm expecting an exciting few weeks, all the best. HG.

I think he is unrestricted Norm. No option for the Dees to match.

According to Trade Week Radio the MFC will hit the Wellingham chase hard as soon as he returns from Perth.

Other than Blease,Nicholson and the injured Bennell we have no one who can run faster than me and that is saying something. At least this guy can run and spread. Certainly not the worst idea I have heard.

I live in SA and watch a lot of port if there is a spud its Pearce, total front runner who continually turns the footy over

Simply an unattractive proposition for free agents at the minute....................apart from a truck load of money potentially, the appeal isn't that great, and the lure of future success non existent for a player in the last 3-5 years of their careers.

We better not be contemplating giving up Brodie Grundy or Jimmy Toumpas for him...

Pretty simple. Franklin was the target the whole team looked for all game. He had 9 shots on goal thanks to the whole team working the ball into the 50 so he could have a shot and he only got 3 out of 8 shots. Roughead spent a lot of time in the ruck, he certainly wasn't the key forward target, he created more of his shots than Franklin. He can also hang his head in shame for bad kicking but wasn't the target Franklin was. Malceski nearly got as many goals as him and he was a backman who was under instructions not to go into the forward line.

I like the other unfounded rumour better than this unfounded rumour.

People saying that he "made the most of it" are missing the point of what others are saying. Question: Did anyone here watch any of Morton's games recently and honestly think to themselves "wow, he wouldn't have done [insert something he did here] at W.C. or Richmond" or anything along these lines? I'm shocked that people don't really see this for what it was; a player being in the right place at the right time. He played alright because, well, he's an alright player.

He must be thoroughly sick of playing in Grand Finals by now.

Here in the states i'm a journalist. The college football team which I cover has been outscored 103-6 in the first half this year. I think i'm a masochist.

[censored]! I just realised Cale Morton is Keyser Soze!

I will be honest, not going to lie here. When Mitch Clark arrived at Melbourne i thought he was overpriced and a true B grader. Mitch proved that in Melbourne he is a true A grader and can easily go a long way to winning the Coleman Medal next year. Wellingham can be an A grader at Melbourne. Imagine in a couple of years what our midfield could be Trengove, wellingham, Jones, Grimes, Mckenzie, Viney... that is very solid and potentially could shape up to be a geelong midfield

Didn't this fella kick the first and last goals of the GF?

Highlights how ridiculous it is (most of the time) to say that "player x, y or z will never be a premiership player." He played a role - no more, no less. He did nothing yesterday (or last week) that I haven't seen him do throughout much of his career, so I don't really think he's improved necessarily.

I dont think we have an age bracket tbh, we lack expericne, especially with Moloney (maybe not the best experience bu is experience) and Rivers going, Green. Our top end is shallow, and Lynch fills a need imo, we can play Fitz or Watts or Cook under these guys with alot less pressure. We needed a second tall when Clark went down, i dont care if Lynch is just a stop gap persay, we have the $$$$ and need another target, why not?

Which team? Don't worry, it's just a development phase. A few high draft picks, free agents, moneyball trades, fitness coaches, GPS units and preseason time trials will have the team playing for a premiership (provided they don't merge first).

I like the still footage because you can't see that we're 78 points down at the time.

He needs to fix two things: 1) Stop diving. 2) Stop trying to always push his opponent under the ball, grow a set and actually try to beat his opponent in the air.

Our best defender... who spent half the year as a forward? Chip the Spud. FFS. For every poster with the rose coloured glasses on, there's one with poo coloured glasses on that sees the worst in everything.

Anyone see 360? Ben Hudson from Brissy promised an overseas mate he'd get him a Grand Final ticket, couldn't get one, so he's running the sprint to get two tickets. lololololol

I respect your opinion but I dissagree with you here. Clark was a big strong player who had a dissappointing season the year before we drafted him, came to Melbourne purely for the money and the fact we could make a trade happen. Had played an AA year in a position we weren't recruiting him for and was panned from several quarters as a bad move before he played a game, I'm glad we were right and it gives me great faith in the new coaching group, but we clearly overpaid in a risky way. Dom Tyson is potential, our list is full of it, we haven't done too well trading off it the last few years. Wellingham is a premiership player in a team which has played strongly every season he has played with them, has more finals experience than our entire list put together and is a valuable player in one of the leading mid-fields in the comp. I love Mitch Clark, but Wellingham has already acheived far more as a footballer than Mitch. All good sides have older players to lead and help young players realise their potential. Young Dom Tyson in our side as it currently stands would be learning from Nathan Jones as the best performing most experienced leader with not much experience backing him up, It takes an incredible person to get to elite standard with little to no example to follow, and we have seen average players become great simply by following a strong example. This is why we need players like Wellingham. As for value, you seem to argue that players have absolute values and absolute grades which determine them. The fact is in every market place multiple factors affect value. In this case the main things with Wellingham are: 1. Collingwood are hamstrung by a tight salary cap and having to overpay Cloke and a few other players to get them to stay. Who knows what they would offer Wellingham had Cloke and or Beams/Thomas left? My guess, enough to keep Wellingham. Melbourne has a loose salary cap becoming looser with the loss of 3-4 highly payed players, a front ended contract would have no-where near the impact on our cap as it would have on the pies (or several other contenders) we will not destroy our club or our culture by paying more than teams with tight caps, the fact we are a bad team means that the only way we can get players is to pay for them, we can't guarantee immediate success. 2. Teams must draft/trade to fill needs, Collingwood's current list has a multifaceted midfield which runs deep and has bright new talent coming through quickly to put pressure on current members. Wellingham's value to a team in this position is vastly different to Melbourne, who have one midfielder who proved himself this year and a bunch of potential, also our midfield is not multi-faceted, we have no quality players of Wellingham's type. 3. Collingwood has a strong experienced list with many leaders on every line who have played finals/premiership games. They will not be losing nearly as much in the way of experience and leadership as Melbourne would be gaining from a player like Wellingham. 4. Collingwood's players have every right to be arguing for more money, they have been consistantly successful both as a team and as individuals. The Pies have a Brownlow medalist, a Coleman medalist, a Norm Smith medalist and a team of premiership players, they can expect to be rewarded for their performance and it would put a dent in their team's morale if they felt underappreciated. Melbourne has been close to the worst team in the comp for 5 years, many of our players are already overpaid due to potential that is yet to be realised. Others have been overpaid as due to our dearth of experienced talent we have had to pay overs to keep them. Others are overpaid merely to meet the minimum cap! Melbourne's morale will gain more from having good players come to the club than it will from players feeling that we overpaid or that 'big contracts' are creating discontent, what have they done to earn that right? We can't flick a switch and undo our poor performance anymore than we can just put every player on our list on exactly what we think they are worth without risking losing all that we have. As for the players you mentioned, Sydney overpaid for Shaw, who was a wreck and far from a guaranteed commodity, McGlynn who has exceeded himself, and had to pay a fair amount at the trade table and in contract for Kennedy, the only reason you are arguing they didn't overpay is their team success, if Melbourne had drafted any one of these players for the price Sydney paid I have very little doubt there would be similar argument about their worth on here. Shaw certainly wasn't a premiership player playing in one of the leagues top 4 midfields like Wellingham so I don't really think this example is relevant. Also I think Sydney identified these players as filling needed roles, just as Wellingham/Clark/Brynes would fill important vacant roles at Melbourne. I tend to think that getting the right players to play these roles is more important than whether we pay them the same amount as they would have earned at their previous club. Also the swans have played in 12/14 finals series, were a popular choice as it afforded players less media scrutiny and a more comfortable lifestyle and was a matter of years from its last premiership, there were other elements in play in drafting all the Sydney players you mentioned and as a result they would have cost more to come to Melbourne/Victorian clubs. Leaving aside the fact Sydney pays their list over a million dollars more than every Victorian club as a result of 'living in Sydney allowance'........... I think you have too little faith in our new FD, I don't see them going after players for so much that we ruin our cap, or that our playing list is malcontent. Rather I see them using our currect circumstances involving FA and our salary cap situation to leverage getting the best available players filling our needs. I'll say it again, Wellingham to Melbourne is a great move, whether we pay him a signing bonus or not.