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And it's not as if Cripps finished the season completely empty handed...

Just met Gary Baker ex Demon ruckman who owns a restaraunt in Hobart called Rockwall. Top bloke who was one of my heroes as a kid. I had the Barrassi special, which is an Eye fillet steak with melted blue cheese....amazingly good. He sat down and had a chat with me about Dees stuff, he was chuffed that Hoges won the rising star, and we got talking about past champs, and he said Gary Hardeman was one of the most underrated players in the History of the VFL /AFL, played centre half back and regularly beat superstar centre half forwards in his day. A great night, totally unexpected after a good day for the Dees.

Great news for us. Freo probably aren't too confident about Hogan so they've been going for McCarthy all year.

They just reported on sunrise that Jesse Hogan has declared he wants to be a one club player.

Just enjoy Hogan's win. Why do you care so much about looking out for Bryce Gibbs?

Knocking a cigarette out of a bouncers hand in the Gold Coast ,in his free time, just shows his commitment to fitness. `

Last year GWS offered pick 7 for Howe in a stronger draft. They made such an offer not because Howe was worth that but because he has an ability to execute one of the most exciting skills of the game better than anyone else I have seen. His marking abilities excite the crowd like few other individual acts. It is perfect for either of the new franchises to help excite their lifeless crowds and so Howe is perfect for either of these creations. Bennell, potentially great player, potential three strikes victim who is bringing bad press to the Suns who could desperately do without it. A player that they have backed themselves into a corner with. If the Suns don't trade him, they will have to delist him, pay out his contract and watch him enter the PSD. He is a player a new club would be taking a big risk with. Howe might not get close to Bennell when it comes to overall ability, but a swap of Howe for Bennell is a fair trade IMO, one in which both clubs are taking a risk but in which both clubs could win from the trade

You've said nothing that counters anything I've said. There is no dancing around Watts' failure to contribute thus far in his career. I have backed him the whole way up until the second half of this year when my patience with he and the rest of them, including Roos, finally ran out. It's not frigging good enough. 7 seasons and 115 games. He has finished 9th and 10th in the best and fairest as his only placings. This year he was dropped twice. He STILL REFUSES to do what everyone in the country has been pleading for him to do which is put his damn head over the ball and get hurt in the contest. What 'extremes' am I seeing here? I don't care how good a clubman/bloke he is, it shouldn't be used as currency in the argument for him remaining part of this team. If we had 22 Wattses it would be a lovely bunch of blokes but it would go winless. We need our culture dictated by the likes of Viney, Jones, Dunn, Vandenberg, Brayshaw and Hogan, and we don't need blokes like Watts (whose attitude is the anithesis of theirs) around the club diluting the spirit that we are trying to build.

Wonder if our 1st rounder and Howe for Bennell and their end of 1st round compensation would get over the line?

You'll just have to trust that the rumours I heard are from people within the trade who should know. I am not saying it is signed sealed and delivered but progress has been made. As to my sources - I will have to remain stum.

Even Venom Denham reckons we are a shot for him, with Howe going to GC17 as part of the deal. Get. It. DONE.

The thing is that Bennell is exactly the type of player we need, lots of pace and bucketloads of skill and X factor. Imagine him hitting up The Hulk laces out. I'd take the punt.

AFL 360 from last night, with Jesse interviewed

*ever.

I think the Club believes our indigenous leadership is strong - both Jetta and Garlett are well respected off field. Hence the presence of the Krakouer brothers at training the other day. Whispers are strong that Bennell is Demon bound.

No.

I find it pretty hard to accept that at 21, Gysberts was beyond redemption. North Melbourne would have taken him on the assumption that he was a talented player who had been "Melbourned", so if he was good enough they'd have persevered. He was given the boot after his first contract and if I recall, didn't play a game. There's no magic development that happens between 18 and 21 that can't happen afterwards if the player is talented and driven enough. Gysberts clearly wasn't. I wholly reject the idea that it's ever too late to develop a player.

It's a no brainer if the club feels it can manage his behaviour. Not only is he talented, his output is consistent. Even in the face of the off field drama. His first game back from the post pictorial suspension he netted 39 touches. Even in his quieter games, Bennell hits the scoreboard. His performance is quite extraordinary when you consider the chaos of his year off field.

I know what you mean, I agree with you and I disagree with you.

Larry, Curly and Moe. Nyuk, Nyuk, Nyuk.

Not even a small part of you that hopes he stays?

Hogan's main aim for the season was to not be dropped. I'm a "very competitive man" and I was determined to "not be dropped". Jack Watts drops himself.

Howe for Bennell would be perfect. I don't know if GC would take that as a straight swap but Bennell would be far, far more useful to us going forward than Howe would be.

Harley staying at GC is not an option. He'll be gone regardless. He could potentially go cheap, but all it takes is for minimum two clubs to buy into the notion that his upside is too great to drive the price up. I suspect it will happen.

Cut it out, That's the "better to apologise rather than seek permission and be denied" approach. They have learnt nothing. Arrogance in the extreme. You can't deal with these idiots. FFS they want a 1st and 2nd rd draft pick for Carlisle!! And a 1st rounder for melksham. No wonder they never do a trade.

Wow.....The Hun have given us that latest on each club re trading. Hot off their internet site. MELBOURNE The Dees were linked to Gold Coast’s Dion Prestia and Adelaide’s Tom Lynch but missed out on both. Out-of-contract swing man Jeremy Howe still hasn’t made a decision about his future which isn’t a great sign at this time of year. I feel so much more informed now!

I gonna take a punt on this.............smoking?

Am I the only one that wants us to just move him on? Low ball him. He has far greater value to us on the trade table than on the field. His trade could help transform our midfield.

He really is exactly the type of player we lack. I remember seeing Ablett and Bennell cut us to shreds a couple of years ago. I was in awe of Bennells skill on that particular day.

so being best 22 in a shyte team means you can't be traded so who does that leave as being tradeable

Peter Vardy played some great games when he wasn't injured

I'll humour you and ask.... why would Heeney be asking for a trade after just one season with Sydney? Makes zero sense to me.

Still it has shown to have some value in the past. I get impeccable mail from another club, yet I was wrong about a certain defender just recently, as the drastic change of heart that had occurred hadn't been passed on to me. Made me look a little silly, much to my amusement. If anything it showed me that you can have the best contacts around, but this industry remains fluid and timing is everything.

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.

I would hate to see Jack Watts play for another club. For better or worse he is a demon. I felt exactly the same about trenners - and for that matter hundreds of players over the years. Roos made it clear last year that everyone is tradeable and with the Treeners near trade the club showed that they are prepared to make the hard calls. So it wouldn't be a shock if they did trade him. But i for one really hope they don't.

Harley Bennell has kicked 6 goals in a game before (from midfield). Nobody on our list has done that. He has speed and skill, which we lack. He is a match winner, which we lack. He has confidence, which we lack. He is worth the punt when we have people like Neville Jetta to mentor him.

You must be feeling very generous today WJ Just continues the "we make our own rules attitude " IMO.

SWANN: "We need to keep pick four because Melbourne have done a really good job of trying to sell the world that they'll get pick three for James Frawley and that pushes us back to five and that has a little bit of an effect on our ability to trade as well," Swann told AFL Trade Radio. "I know 'Roosy' (Melbourne coach Paul Roos) said everyone he speaks to thinks that pick three is a fair pick (for Frawley) but we certainly don't and we would have thought an end-of-first-round (pick) would be the best for James. It has a big impact on us. "We're talking pick three – it's a massive pick in a draft. I would have thought that would be reserved for top, top-echelon players. "We'd just like to think that it wasn't just a standard fait accompli that James gets pick three because there's a whole lot of stuff that goes into it and obviously it has an effect on others around where Melbourne's pick is." Swann said it wouldn't be appropriate if the AFL gave the Demons pick three as compensation for Frawley just because it knocked back their application for a priority pick last week. Bwahahahahh Bet he wishes he didn't say this stuff but they were so intent on getting Beams they didn't think therough the implications

Prestia and Bennell. We would then have a bona fide midfield in 2016.

He packed up and went home to SA for 4 yrs '78-'80 and came back for a year in '81 and was great. From memory he was a Board member for a while. Came 2nd in the '74 Brownlow. He at CHB and Greg Parke at CHF were probably the best combination in those positions I can remember. Soon to be finally rivalled by J Hogan and T McDonald or possibly O McD. Has the unfortunate distinction of being only one of 4 players to have played more than 200 games and never to have played in a final. Steve Smith is another one. Trevor Barker and Geoff Cunningham are the others.

I'm not geeting my hopes purely on the basis that Hun are all over the place. The other day they reported we ruled him out now its written that we might be a chance. So i take it with a grain of salt. MAKE IT HAPPEN ROOSY!!!!

It's a good thing AFL clubs aren't run by mugs like me. I'd be attempting to broker megadeals like Bennell, Dixon and Prestia for Watts, Howe, 2015 first rounder, 2016 first rounder.

Wow 15 years!!!!! We have only been waiting 52 years and still counting! My heart bleeds for them!

Geez, you're a hard task master, wanting elite kicking for half back when your squad already has Vinca and Salem there

Dion will come home eventually. If he loves the club, one player won't get in his way. My ideal off season is getting Prestia and Bennell. Of course, I'd love to get someone with elite kicking for half back, but these two blokes will immediately lift us to between 10th and 8th. THE BEST 22: Jetta Frost Dunn Vince McDonald Salem Watts Prestia Bennell Kent Pedersen Brayshaw Petracca Hogan Garlett Gawn Jones Viney Tyson, Vanders, Stretch, ANB/Harmes/Trengove/Lumumba At full strength, with some confidence, that team could beat anyone. That's a pretty deep midfield too - Vince, Salem, Prestia, Bennell, Brayshaw, Petracca, Garlett, Jones, Viney, Tyson and Vanders.

Nothing could drive Leunberger's price into band 1 compo. No club will pay 600k for Leunberger. I think at the very most, and only if a side really wanted Leunberger, they'll offer 500k. But that is absolute maximum IMO, he just hasn't been on the park enough, hasn't always performed, and is injury prone. Kreuzer on the other hand, he has performed, has more upside, is more versatile (can play forward), but is probably even more injury prone than Leunberger. I think teams are running a big risk to trade for either player, I seriously doubt there will be a price war for them. I hope Carlton don't get pick 2, I would be extremely surprised if they did. And Leunberger is at best a band 2 compo prospect.

I thought everyone in Tasmania was related..

To be fair, who amongst us doesn't think Harvey is a [censored] and Johnson doesn't deserve a punch in the nuts?

Not surprising. Before Kent tore his hammy they were a formidable duo and had a good on field partnership. I think losing Kent has really hurt us. He's very important to our structure and I hope this injury set back doesn't take away from his speed and power. Those two beasts will make opponents cry for years to come.

I have two daughters who I am happy to offer up....