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Think a few need to recalibrate their sarcasm detectors.

Our last attempt at getting experienced players got us Vince, Cross and Tyson; 3 of our best 5 players currently, while still having a pick low enough to draft a talent such as Salem. Who says that isn't what's going to happen again this time?

Clark and 22 for Geelong's 13 and 33 On trade 33 to Collingwood for HL

I just voted.... I reckon he is gone.

Joke. I have lived with Norm Smith's Curse for 50 years.

Not sure on which thread to put this...there is a bit of commentary around like: Adelaide & Bulldogs are 'basket cases'; Collingwood & Bulldogs have a mini player exodus because of coaches and Essendon & GCS coaches have hatchets hanging over their heads. My point? It is such a good feeling to not have that negative commentary about us and that for once we have 3-4 years of clear air and stability about our club. Hopefully, this helps during this recruiting season.

I dont think LinkedIn is for you then.

2014 AFL Offseason ‏@theafloffseason 18h18 hours ago Both Taylor Hunt and Travis Varcoe have declined an offer to join Melbourne as part of a deal for Mitch Clark. Good!

Well, Tom Scully will be relieved. Someone else has finally left the club on worse terms than him.

I really struggle with the concept that letting him walk is better than *any* trade. It's the kind of logic 4 year old children use when they're not aware that chucking a tantrum gets them absolutely nothing when a bit of negotiation might get them something slightly less than what they wanted. I hope the MFC have moved well past that logic, because we're NOT the ones holding the aces here. We all think Collingwood would be stupid to play "hardball" on Lumumba - well we're in exactly the same boat as they are with Clark.

2-3 years of his experience and toughness at both ends of the ground. If not too expensive, a yes from me. Would help a Frost and McD too. Even could help Hogan up forward.

Varcoe has issues, is damaged goods, is injury prone (not in 2014) and is a shadow of the player he once was. He is 27 next season we MAY get 1 or 2 ok seasons out of him but we will never see him as the player he was in 2011. Varcoe is way unders for our best player, a KP Forward no less who from all reports has performed excellently in all physical testing at the MFC, Geelong and Collingwood. I am not saying Clark is without risk but he comes with massive upside. Varco may be considered with other players and picks but knowing what I know I would be disgusted if this is the trade. We need to trade Clark for a younger talent that we can at least get 5 years out of. He is actually worth a player who Geelong don't want to lose rather than a damaged has been who Geelong have been trying to off load for years. I am sure Roos will not get sucked into Varcoe (unless only part of the deal). We can do much better there is some exciting young talent on the Geelong list.

Don't know about you guys, but personally, if a work colleague leaves my employer to take up a position elsewhere, that person is then dead to me. If I see them on the opposite side of the street, I'll cross, walk up to them and spit in their face. I think it's only reasonable to expect such a reaction.

Nonsense! Dunny is not bagging out all upset supporters...he is having a go at supporters who have made offensive and most likely unfounded comments directed at Clark. He is entirely within his rights to do so, particularly when he knows what Clark has been through. And to say that he should inform us of what Clark has been through is even more nonsensical...we have all known about his mental illness, and it is only now that he has decided to move elsewhere that the sour grapes are starting to ferment and he is being accused of never having depression, of being of low moral character etc etc. The wages comment also makes no sense. The amount of abuse they have to cop from us is far worse than what a few unnamed supporters would suffer. What would you do if your employer abused you in the way that Dunn, Clark and any number of players on our list have been abused? Personally, I'm more than happy to see him having a go at those keyboard warriors.

I thought this deserved its own thread (apologies, WJ as you have had a fantastic 50 Years Ago thread running during the year. In 1964, 16 yo Donna Steele was an absolute demon fanatic. Inspired by her Demon-loving father, Don Steele, Donna kept a scrapbook of her beloved team throughout this special year. Now I have custody of this book and would like to share it with you all out there. I am posting a couple of pictures to get the ball rolling. The book covers the fortunes of the team, round by round and is a magical read. Few of the pictures would have been seen by modern-day footy fans. All in all, it is a treasured tome. Over the next few days I will put it all together into a slideshow. For now, I just want to get the text clear enough to read. http://postimg.org/image/nktjk0f05/ http://postimg.org/image/3ns7oslit/ http://postimg.org/image/ycr3z3ugl/ http://postimg.org/image/aaevhz379/ http://postimg.org/image/z8nlek451/ http://postimg.org/image/s1qhwfilx/ http://postimg.org/image/ftctlgaut/ http://postimg.org/image/vhe0s8qgl/ http://postimg.org/image/gk5jr8d85/ http://postimg.org/image/5r2mwglbp/ 2nd Tranche: http://postimg.org/image/tofphnunp/ http://postimg.org/image/yj9efxsz9/ http://postimg.org/image/44dfb899x/ http://postimg.org/image/qrsohdotx/ 3rd instalment: "... in which the '64 Demons go about their paces in a series of practise matches, and serious injury overcomes one of their new recruits." 4th Instalment. Includes coverage of thrilling season-opener v Geelong. Melbourne went down in a close match, but served notice that it will be a contender in 1964. 5th Instalment These selections review Melbourne's defeat of Carlton. Note commentary on Frosty Miller, later to become a star in the red and blue for Dandenong.

He cost us the Bulldogs game (and Goal of the year nomination against) by failing to lay a decent tackle on a 19 year old. One of the worst errors of the year. Bye chip

I don't think it's how strong clubs do it. It's how clubs who don't want to be traded with do it. I've posted it before that I knew a guy who spent time with a club and sat at their table during trade week. His story went that clubs like Roos's Swans would target the player they want, put their best offer on the table immediately, the trade would be done within the hour, and both clubs can move on with other things. Other clubs, like Essendon, would make completely unreasonable demands and waste everybody's time (which is not limitless). We saw this ourselves with the Darren Jolly trade - fair price (late first rounder) offered straight away, deal is done, we move on. My mind also goes back to the Brock McLean deal - the trade was executed within the first couple of hours on the Monday of trade week and we were well compensated (that we blew the pick on Gysberts later is beside the point). On the extreme end of the scale, Essendon missed out on Josh Caddy altogether a couple of years ago because of their unreasonable trade demands. I'm not suggesting we roll over and take any shafting Geelong will offer us. I just don't want to see a long, protracted negotiation that saps all our time away from getting the deals *we* want to get done. And I definitely don't want to see him walk - someone hasn't done their job if that happens.

We picked up Dawes for pick 20 in 2012. At the time Dawes had mental issues that had stopped him from being able to kick straight or mark yet pick 20 was considered fair. This being the case considering that Clark is our best and most highly paid player, taking into account the risk and upside associated with him but also considering that I am told Clark impressed in physical tests at Melbourne, Geelong and Collingwood and clearly also passed mental assessments at Collingwood and Geelong I think a pick of about 20 is fair. If Dawes was worth pick 20, Clark is worth pick 20.

Given Brisbane CEO Greg Swann's public views on the worth of James Frawley, we should manage to get Merrett for pick #75 without any trouble.

Swann is not ignorant of the rules but rather, is playing politics knowing that his own club benefits from us not getting band 1 compensation in the likely event of Frawley jumping ship. If it was his own club that was about to lose a player who was being lured by a long term big money contract and the prospect of playing finals football, he would be singing a different tune. Hypocrite.

Not for me. A forward line with Dawes and Merrett could be a bit slow and cumbersome. Merrett is a bash and crash forward and I don't think we need that - we need more class inside 50 not more bang-and-crash. As for defence, we already have some experienced key backs in Garland and Dunn. McDonald is coming along well. Pedersen can also chip in as back up. I definitely see a need to recruit another young KP defender but not a 30-year-old who will only play for a couple years.

No it's not, strong clubs do it, and it sends a signal that we won't be screwed by stronger more successful clubs.I would rather make a statement, stuff up a competitor from getting significantly stronger and watch Clark squirm in the draft, than end up with a poor pick or a list clogger. Sometimes you have to make a strong statement that says enough is enough and we actually stand for something. We owe Clark nothing. He has done nothing to help us, and we should do the same. If we don't look after ourselves, nobody will. They'll [censored] on our graves and tell us it's raining.

remind me why we are doing Brisbane a favour again? Not a chance in hell we are moving from pick 3 to 5 just to get Merrett why not just swap pick 41 for him?

Agree absolutely with the hardball approach.I would line up the Pies as a backstop and tell them we will try and steer him to them if Cats won't do a proper deal. Then because of Rivers, MC and probably Chip I would demand Cats first pick or tell them we have a deal ready to go with Pies.

I think maybe Geelong was pushing that, as offering 2 players is what I've heard they'll do, and those 2 were in the happy-to-give-up pile. It's certainly not what we'd ask for. In fact I think, if they're under contract, they're probably in Geelong's how-do-we-delist-a-contracted-player-? pile, and they're hoping the answer is MFC.

This mornings SEN phone poll was "Do you think Geelong should give up its first round draft pick for Mitch Clark"? When I heard it I thought you have got to be kidding. Well the final result was 66% of callers said yes!! So there you have it, the people have spoken Balmy! Now let's do it.

Delighted that we signed Goodwin when we did, otherwise we could be part of the circus that is about to unfold with GCS & Adelaide looking for coaches and Bulldogs & Essendon potentially looking for coaches...we can sleep easy, folks!

wow, we are actually kinda stable for a change. It's nice watching the world burn, instead of being burnt. Someone pass me more gasoline.

How's this for a random event. The tradie that just came to my house claims we will pick up a 'big fish' and that Roos expect we will be much better placed.

I know the player sponsor for Toumpas. He hasn't mentioned anything of this supposed homesickness. He thinks Toumpas is an extremely confident young man who will back himself to come good.

He's a bit of a thug, exactly what we need.

Did Dunn help pay for Clark's ridiculous 13 game (?) salary through membership, merchandise, donations, raffles, game attendance etc. like the rest of us? Then that's fine, he is entitled to snarl at at Mitch's detractors. Oh wait...what?

But one who has stayed and reaped the benefits is Boak from Port. Imagine what he will feel like when they win the premiership. He could have easily taken the easy way out but dug in and helped get the club to where it is now. Some players have it others take the easier road.

Shocking. What an absolute blindside that is.

This was from a player manager. Must be a genius. I have an old commodore to swap him for a new Ferrari. He should be ringing me soon.

Roughead a close second.

James fantasia just gave us a massive wrap on trade radio for the way the footy club has installed a succession plan after Roosy. Good to see a positive for once.

Think its time to bring this up. I tweeted Paige Cardona about Angus Brayshaw and Paul Roos being interested. She tweeted me back saying that every Sandy game she went to Roosy was in the huddle breaks talking to Brayshaw. I reckon its an interesting insight and I'm a massive fan of Brayshaw. Tough inside midfield with good skill on both sides of his body.

Mahoney confirmed on SEN this morning that we, alongside Frost, have been sniffing around this bloke to fill the hole of Frawley "It's very early on in negotiations, but we'd like to think we're well placed for both of them," (http://www.afl.com.au/news/2014-10-01/dees-target-defenders?utm_medium=RSS) Thoughts? 29 Years old. Can be very dangerous. Has a heap of Cee U Next Tuesday about him, which is what our players need. Especially if you look at how Hawthorn played/won the Grand Final. Wouldn't mind him as long as we don't give up much for him.

Wow, you really take your job personally.

thedeeman - you will think back to your thoughts in this thread in a few years time and shake your head, or at least for your sake I hope you do. Dunn is just being a good friend, you are not his employer, he is not in a position to reveal what Mitch and the club should only reveal, and the situation would still be horrendous if you knew 'the whole truth' that everyone loves banging on about. Clark wants out, the club seems utterly ambivalent about it - they moved on ages ago. Unlike us, they have to deal with the reality of a crocked forward wanting to move whereas we are still stuck howling at the moon over what should have been when Neeld hijacked a Fremantle trade. It's over - his issues remain his issues and we can move on.

Swann's a cantankerous old fool who should get his own house in order before criticising others. If pick 5 isn't enough to get Beams, guess what? There's this magical thing called a trade market. What you do is call the teams with higher picks and offer them players in exchange for getting said higher picks, especially if you've made the inspired decision to poach contracted players from the most difficult trade table club in the league. So how about you get back to worrying about important issues like, I don't know... fixing your club's $12m debt? Making the Lions remotely relevant? Maybe if you've got any spare brain cells after that you could even turn a profit like us, rather than be drip fed money by the AFL?* PS: Next time your club sacks a coach, they should probably make sure the replacement wants to come coach you first. Must hurt knowing he chose us instead. *aware of blatant hypocrisy

It is an interesting one at least. It seems like all the rumors and speculation is directed towards MC doing something irresponsible, causing instability in his life and provoking a more serious case of depression that could not be managed whilst playing. But who knows, maybe it is all speculation. MFC don't seem to be too upset with him leaving, every press conference and comment is painted with a very carefree attitude towards his departure. This further points towards an irresponsible act in his life (that may include something or someone at the FC) and the MFC wanting him out. Again, there are no facts to support this yet. MFC have respected him, taken care of him (and his family), and more importantly, kept their mouth shut. If MC does not come out after the deal has been done and explains why he couldnt stay at the MFC, then we have a reason to be outraged and give him a '$cully like' reception everytime we see him. Until then, bite your tongue 'landers, show some respect to a once much loved demon, wait a few weeks, then unleash hell on a potentially very cowardly man.

Doesn't everything? Dangerfield, Hitler, Stalin, Hussein, Bin Laden.

Mitch as well as Dunn are paid professionals.( some act more professional than others though) We on the other hand PAY to support them. Maybe players might want to keep that in mind. they want to bloody well respect the jumper and the club it represents and gives them the opportunity to live the dream and be immensely well paid to do so before coming at us. Some of us would be only to happy to walk out from a keyboard and tell some of these players exactly what we think.

Does this mean that if Mitch Clark stays he'll get a change of environment anyway?

The Cats would be hoping that Clark fits straight into their starting 22. In fact, you'd reckon that they'd be looking at playing him as a KPF for all of their games (ongoing) He wouldn't be going there as a depth player (not in their eyes anyway) So, they should pay a fair price and the hierarchy at Melbourne should know what that price is. We need to drive a hard bargain and not with a view of offloading someone that we may not necessarily want. It's a tricky one given his history but their 2nd round draft pick doesn't seem to be enough whereas their 1st round draft pick might be off limits. Their 1st round draft pick should be what we're aiming at as a sort of watered down ambit claim. Varcoe might be worth a punt if he's offered.

Kind of disappointing that he would bag out his own supporters yet stick up for someone leaving the club, I love Dunny, but i completely disagree with him on this, barely anyone was bagging him out it was more people being left disappointed that he left us like that. Whether it's his mate or not, I remember on the weekend in the Grand final, some of the Hawthorn players who are best mates with Buddy still gave it too him, including Gibson who knocked him over in front of the supporters to show where his heart lies. Not angry at Dunn, but very disappointed, especially considering that he got it wrong. Demon supporters are allowed to voice their opinions on him leaving, barely anyone said anything about his depression, and honestly, 6 months for someones depression to clear up is pretty fast, my father had it and had it for a while.

pretty sure he's joking man we are jumping at shadows right now

I'm a strong chance to indulge in sexual activity tonight!