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A little thing I whipped up of Cross, looks good in the Red and Blue!

Great work Melbourne. Our midfield next year may have just gone from third world to developing country.

If the signing is true that I am more excited about this pick up then Vince or Tyson! why? Cross is regarded as one of the most professional players in the AFL in regards to his training and body conditioning. His humbleness and leadership is a highly regarded in the AFL circles. Been known to be one of the fittest player in the AFL in the way he will gut run both ways without stopping. This bloke is a crazy running machine. Would be well worth the watch on training day this summer just to watch blokes try and catch him, he is seriously one fit man. Cross is also a big family man so there is no better role model for the likes of Toumpas, Viney, Barry, Pick 9 coming through. He will also show them how hard you need to gut run and be the most professional player you can be. He will be the first on the track and the last to leave as he is always working on his weakness and improve his game. Terry Wallace said recently that he is the most dedicated person he has ever come across in his football career. He also mentioned that is a coach in waiting. So think of it as a playing assistant role he will have with us. Nathan Jones will love going into battle with this bloke. One of the most courage's players in the AFL with his fearsome attack on the footy. Mark my words our midfield will get a massive boost next year with this bloke leading from the front.

Hi all, this is my first post Just like to say that I'm happy we have Cross as he will be a good leader to the younger guys.

Cross a demon. 1 year contract confirmed on 3aw

It's october

We lost a player, have picked up two ready to roll mids, a hugely promising and highly rated inside mid, and still hold a pick in the top 10. Meanwhile, Barrett thinks a 30 year old outside runner is going to catapult his side from outside the top 8 into the top 4. Nuff said!

Haha, oh dear. He is honestly an embarrassment to this sport. As soon as word got out that Cross wouldn't get a new contract, every footy fan in the country saw that we'd be the best fit for him. Ah Damo.

Why do you follow the [censored]?

Saying "confirmed" with an unreferenced anecdote is not a confirmation. You know this.

I'm worried. Tyson isn't smiling.

Barrett is making the same mistake so many modern journos make. As soon as he gets some TV exposure he begins to not only report and "journal", but offers his opinion as if people think it is worth something. And even though Neeld's trade approach last year was a failure - it also was NOT scattergun. It was a specific plan to bring really good training examples in and among our very young list. The plan simply didn't work. Scattergun implies no plan. Does Barrett seriously think that Roos and the footy dept. people are trading players in without clear objectives? We are yet to see if the plan works but it is clear what they went after, and they got exactly what they wanted.

Back flanker definitely for mine. Hes actually a very good reader of the play and despite the occasional stuffing of his deliveries is very good at instigating rebounds. Gets a bit lost in the hectic traffic of the midfield..leave him back please.

Thanks, made me smile.

wow, dare i say it we may actually have a fooking midfield now? fook me fooking dead!

Imagine Lennon's name being called out at pick 9... "Number 9, number 9, number 9, number 9, number 9......."

A more accurate shot too

Now to watch Taggert, Evans, Toumpas and Trengove develop properly.

Crazy talk. Tyson could be in the top 5 mids in the game in 3-4 years. Gun.

Come on Fan, give a little. Sylvia was an erratic footballer but curiously he played some of his most consistent footy under Neeld - I would have like to keep him but with Vince as a replacement it's neutral outcome. No-one was "wetting themselves" over Rodan and Pedersen but I'll be wetting myself when Clark and Dawes get fit. I haven't lost a minute of sleeping over Rivers and saying that Moloney is our best midfielder is like saying Dopey is the tallest dwarf. And as of this week Moloney would probably be 5th tallest dwarf - yeah it could be handy to have him but where Neeld alienated Moloney, he attracted Dawes. Everyone is glad Neeld has gone but the overall list management of that period is positive IMO.

I will be very disappointed if we don't get Cross. We need to improve our midfield. Dramatically. Not just maintain it. Thus far, we have one experienced mid coming in (Vince) and he is simply replacing one departing (Sylvia). We need another experienced mid IMO (ie, Cross).

You'd take him to the toilet store and I'd bring my trident

I know they're highlights packages but I found the Freeman video a bit underwhelming. Good speed but just seems to run (granted quite fast) sometimes into then out of trouble and jam it on the boot. Did not show him winning the ball well or showing good decision making or really even looking that balanced as a running mid. I found the Lennon video the most satisfying of the players that could be around the mark of our pick. Good size, decent speed, well weighted kicks, showed clean hands and decision making. Hey but I wasn't impressed with Hogan in the champs so what would I know

Clearly there has been an emphasis on bigger bodied mids. Vince 186cm Michie 185cm Tyson 187cm Cross 187cm

Master, I love your work but you've got to set aside this emotional attachment you have for Jordie. Jordie has zero decision making skills and his awareness to find free team mates when under even the smallest bit of pressure is absolutely shocking. Cross hasn't got a great kick but his decision making and awareness are light years beyond Jordies. Anyway, very exciting news.

I understandthat taking an old bloke from another bottom team doesn't really inspire a lot if people. It didn't inspire me. But the more I think about it, the more benefit I see in it. We had 1 guy getting the ball last year, Nathan Jones obviously. Just 1. Trengove became a reactionary zombie, Sylvia never hunted the ball first his whole career, Jack Viney too inexperienced etc... It's no wonder Toumpas struggled. Adding the likes of Cross, Vince and Taylor will guarantee Toumpas doesn't go half a game without getting a touch ever again. We need ball getters, and equally as important we need good users to get it to. Jones, Cross and Viney getting it out to Vince, Toumpas and maybe Watts is so much better than what we had last year it's not funny. It just creates a much better balance and will go a long way to letting Trengove, Viney and Toumpas (Watts) develop naturally, not be under consistent pressure to perform miracles in a garbage team.

The whole point about getting Daniel Cross is twofold, as has been all our trade/draft activity......developing culture and plugging midfield holes. For where we are, or have been this year, for the next season he fits the bill absolutely perfectly. The fact that he is not part of the Bulldogs development plans and thus surplus, in no way means he won't be of huge value for us next year. If you compare picking him up against last year's end of career recruits in Rodan and Byrnes, and for similar expense and sacrifice, he's a glaring winner. The other way to look at it is how he compares against the 2-3 years younger Col Sylvia. At least for the next 12 months, and barring injury, I know who I'd rather have. Great pick up.

Videos are up on the AFL site http://www.afl.com.au/2013-draft/draftees/midfielders/

That's better finally a rumour on the trade/draft rumour mill thread

Time and a place. I don't see any other coaches throwing press conferences in October either. They are letting the trades do the talking and I'm liking what I'm hearing.

I hear he's busy trying to make us less horrible.

I've actually noticed how little we have heard from him since his appointment and I've loved it.

8 a chance but for the flag you could have donated to Demonland!

i've always wondered what barracking for a team with a midfield must be like? Next year i get to actually find out. hooray!

http://www.afl.com.au/news/2013-10-21/cross-joins-Melbourne Great pick-up, bring on 2014.

Cross is now a dee

watching Ben Lennons highlights gave me a 7Yr Norwegian Wood twitch www.youtube.com/watch?v=lY5i4-rWh44

Apparently on SEN this morning it said Cross had signed with the dees??

Yes, ambitious isn't it. Saints have got 41 too. Maybe Jamar + 40 for 41?

That'll teach me to attempt obscure humour on here ;-) (it was a silly reference to Mark Chapman, John Lennon's killer).

Why does everyone want Grimesy to be a mid ?. He is ( when fit ) better than a halfway decent back flanker... leave him there

Jetta will thrive under Roos. Bookmark it.

Why bring religion into football?

Come on! Selective memory! Moloney WAS and IS a consummate spud. He was nothing but a selfish meathead. Look at how well he has gone at Brisbane. Good at one thing and one thing alone - if the ball is rammed down his throat by Jamar at a stoppage, he can bullock his way through a pack before slamming the ball on his boot indiscriminately. He got a lot of the ball that way, but rarely found it in open play. Horrible defensively, poor agility meant he had a hard time sticking a tackle, and his name and the phrase "footy smarts" have never been used in the same sentence. He's somewhat of a leader, but a negatively influencing leader. He was a long straight kick, but he was no great talent when it came to spotting up a target. Some positives, but so many negatives that people gleefully overlooked because he was getting his hands on the pill. Trust me, most other teams noticed and were happy to let him get it, adding to his false economy. It's no coincidence that in 2010 when we smashed Sydney by 70 odd points that Moloney was out of the side. Or that he was stinking it up in the middle during 186. Rivers has a degenerative knee condition, and the club knowing this offered him peanuts. He gets a game at Geelong, but they need to nurse him through the season to have him right for finals. And it's only getting worse.

SEN rumour - cross signed with us over the weekend

Living up to your name with the above. A sure way to ruin whatever momentum we have would be to trade Dawes, Frawley, or Clark. We have got enough kids.

Frawley for no picks, Dawes is invaluable to improving our culture and Mitch Clark is exactly what we need - now we are improving our mids. We have enough youth already on our list and enough young quality already coming in this year. Experienced players like Frawley, Dawes and Clark are absolutely necessary.

Who cares? If he can play as good as Swan he can shoot smack into the veins in his eyelids for all I care.

C"mon Nasher! "All we are saying, is give Dees a chance!"