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Another interesting insight from Jesse Hogan's dad was that next to Jack Viney's hardness and natural mongrel, Jesse thinks Christian Salem has the same set of lovably nasty attributes!

I just watched Daisy Pearce's acceptance speech at the B&F awards. She was so articulate and knowledgeable and put together a fantastic, well-researched piece which demonstrated how important the MFC's support of women's football is. She was very aware of the historical significance of the women's games and it is easy to see why she is captain. As much as I loved seeing Bernie, Jack and TMac's speeches, and their 'knockabout' style, Daisy's was by contrast, outstanding.

Just putting out some love for jack. His breakout year has somewhat gone under the radar given hogan and other youngsters coming up but he was unbelievable this year and it's been highlighted now with almost winning the BnF off 16 games! He hasn't even played 50 games yet! We have an absolute beauty here and I believe he will lead us to success. Some stats: No 1 average tackles. 6.6 - next highest vince with 4.8 No 1 ave contested possessions. 12.1 - next highest vince 10.2 No 1 ave clearances 5.6. - next vince 5.2 No 1 ave centre clearances 2.4. Next jones 1.5 Another preseason and a full 22+ games next year and watch out! I'm confident he will become a genuine A grader. With confidence his disposal will continue to improve.

3AW team seem pretty confident Hawks are going after Bennell hard. Would be infuriating if that came to pass.

I watched the Swans game with my Swans supporting sister. I witnessed Heath Grundy take a strong contested mark on the wing, turn inboard and kick it towards a stationary teammate in the middle, and have it chopped off by a Freo players at full pace. I rarely get emotional during neutral games, but on that occasion I hit the arm of the couch and yelled "come on, Melbourne!"

Please! Not another Jack Watts thread?

How anyone can be so dismissive of a player like Bennell, with his stats, is mind-boggling. I'm glad so many of you aren't managing the list. We have two proficient midfielders with a third (Viney) on the way through and Petracca, Brayshaw and VdB to come. That's not nearly enough. More importantly none of the above are goal-kicking mids, which are rolled-gold property in Premiership circles. Melbourne should at least have a good, hard think about it. If they go all in, I'll back them in. He's worth our 1st-round and Howe for a 2nd-round or whatever's been mentioned - baggage or no baggage. If he fails, it's one spot on a list that didn't break the bank. Cut our losses and move on.

I originally posted this in the Viney thread in response to Webber, but it probably belongs here instead: When thinking of a player whose attributes include: soft featured, smallish, classy ball user, you don't expect the next item to be: hard as a cat's head, but that's the case for Salem. As someone described him last weekend after that tackle on Cameron: the baby faced assassin.

You're absolutely right RTG. The Age has become like a demented Cleo. The Daily Life section has obnoxious articles that discuss body parts,often suggesting surgery,then next day telling them to not have surgery. Was Will Anderson ever funny? Just because you shout your punchlines doesn't make them so. Articles painting any anti-muslim sentiment as immediately racist, though Africa and the Middle East are at war with ISIS. As are Australia. Articles on food suggesting fat free muesli then next to it a special calorific recipe. I can't take it anymore. Nice to read one on a guy shyteing his daks in front of a finals crowd, as the Age itself does daily.

like a lion hunting an antelope.

In truth, you lost me at 'top ten draft pick means there's clearly something there'. He was taken one pick ahead of Gysberts. And you kind of managed to get worse from there. Having a few close friends who are Essendon supporters, I've known pretty much the whole of Melksham's career up close. The reason? A lot of Bomber fans get wound up every time they see him. "Here comes a turnover", "oh, let's see him go high and give away a free", or the more simply "what's the point of getting to a contest if you can't actually make a contest". I actually had a bit of sympathy for poor little Milkshake, because he definitely tried. You could see his legs pumping along all day, but the results were a lot like out-of-form Brock Mclean. Get to a contest, fail to really affect result... repeat... Finally, in a midfield crying out for speed, Melksham ain't the answer. You comparison to Garland, and dismissal of any meaning to the Melbourne Football Club Best & Fairest, is odd. I can't think of a time in fifteen years as a member where the Bluey was ever voted on by 'the board', as you say. There have been 'all the coaches', 'the head coach', 'the coaches and even some player input', 'the coaches with Cameron Schwab sending them irritating text messages', really a lot of variations, but it has never, ever gone outside the football department. Personally, I'd recommend trying our luck with a late draft pick, rather than committing to Melksham. Maybe Goodwin is convinced that all the guy needs is some special attention to really improve his game. If we get him, I'll have a little chuckle and look forward to being annoyed by my Essendon friends, but won't write him off completely, not right away. Maybe he will, like Mclean, turn things around and manage a couple of years of solid contribution before fading again.

will be the next MFC captain.

To anyone thinking about dredging up comments from the pre-season where posters predicted Jack would struggle to be best 22.... ... this is the place to do it

You just knew he'd be all over that Etihad crowd. Conveniently fails to mention the average crowd attendance of 29,710 which is higher than several clubs including finalists in North and the Bulldogs. Destined to go higher as the club's fortunes turn around on field. The two clubs he seems to have a hard on for are marginally ahead on average attendance - Fremantle at 31,461 and West Coast at 32,150. It's verging on depraved this vendetta he has against clubs down the bottom. Just a grade A turd of a human with the intelligence of an earwig.

Anywhoo, back to Harley Bennell coming to MFC in a trade for MJones, Jordie and Bail......

didn't hawks just get burnt on a similar risk and this would cost them real money

I ask the question, do we have room for both James Harmes and Jake Melksham's teeth in the same club?

Whatever reasons we are or have been "a laughing stock of a club" , we most certainly are not so because we gave a new 12 month contract to Trengove! I reckon all clubs would have done so. As for the second statement, we gave Trengove a new 12 month contract, because he deserved the opportunity to come back after his injury, (which he suffered in the service of our club). We gave him a new contract because we are not an rsole of a club discarding players of character like so much garbage. We gave him a new contract because his potential is high and if he fails it will have been worth the risk. I fully support the club in this decision. If he fails, it won't be for lack of commitment, application and effort. If he fails it will be because no-one can predict the future

Or, to be precise, more of the same.

The next best thing to Bennell coming to us is the pure lulz of him going to a side that is so obviously a season away from oblivion. North Melbourne are like a guinea pig in a wheel; endlessly getting average draft picks, endless average performances on-field, endlessly picking up average free agents, endlessly finishing their season with average finals performances. There is not one thing about North Melbourne that indicates a premiership beckons. Nothing would please me more than seeing Richmond smash them tomorrow.

The same Port Adelaide that had to put tarps over their empty seats 2 years ago and were starting to roll them out as they crashed back to earth this year? How about Ryan Griffen leaving a small club and going to a smaller one, and the big dopey idiot that swapped places with him? You're a smug faced bag of shoit, Dwayne. We know you're reading this.

Can't read any more of this (insert Irish word for excrement) without offering an opinion... MFC can not get whoever is available (for so many obvious reasons I do not have to list!) Jake Melksham would be comfortable playing for Bombers if they offered more than is on the table (and they probably will) He is a better AFL player than 13 players that are on our list at the moment! If we are his second choice for a three year deal then count our blessings in a cut-throat, fire-sale period... depending n what we have to give up to secure him. THAT IS THE CRUX OF THE MATTER... What do we have to give up? Anyone who is shooting from the hip about his worth should do no more than watch his most recent game... if you have the time. I already know that Jake has the character and motivation to be a very worthwhile addition to our list. The denigration here of his ability and achievement to date is pathetic.

4 years at $400k+ for a guy who will simply bolster the talent of our depth? No thanks.

Spot on. Happy to see him continue to give us that elite ball user out of the back half that we sorely lack, but in time he will become a midfielder and a damn good one. it says a lot that Petracca names him as someone to look up to. Somewhat damning on the other senior players but a testament to Christian. Fingers crossed for an uninterrupted 2016.

As has been mentioned elsewhere, Roos said in his B&F speech "we will have a team of competitors next year". I have little doubt that Watts is finished at the MFC.

I think Tyrone Vickery should be enough evidence that things aren't always so clear cut & final.

She just captained the Darebin Falcons to yet another premiership in the women's league.

Lol Captain Cotchin. Less time on the hair, more time putting some effort into a final. Maybe next time.

Elimimond Tigers?

It'll be even funnier if they lose.

Geez Rances hair looks good.

What a choice. But I just saw Scott demanding an apology and the die is cast.

Everyone else may as well just pack up shop and let Hawks, Sydney, Geelong, West Coast, Freo and Adelaide rotate the premiership each year. What could the Hawks offer? Suckling and pick 20? Surely that wouldn't be enough.

Be smashed by half time.

Dwayne reminds me of Christopher Pyne

Its posts like these that have me thinking I must be watching a different game."Perhaps he's not cut out for the type of football Roos demands", I'm not sure what you mean. Do you honestly think there is a club or coach out there that doesn't demand their players compete? I think the the whole outside player thing is dead. You're either inside or both. Examples being Rioli, Pendles, Salem, most of the Bulldogs list. Have you been watching the finals Ron? Everyone at some stage has had to put their head over the footy and win their own ball or compete in the air. When he tackles his opponent still gets the ball out. When clubs are doing opposition analysis his opponent will be told to get in his face and crunch him in the tackle. He will then go missing. If Watts is not traded this year I think next year will be his last in the game. If after three years under Roos he still refuses to compete he will be outcast. If traded he wouldn't get more than two years. By round six next year his new club will be regretting picking him up. And for those who still argue we didn't develop him properly, you are wrong. Was he played a year too early....yes. Was his whole development stuffed....no. He arrived at the club with great skills and footy smarts. They have improved, even if only 5-10%, but they have improved from being involved in an AFL club. Footy is cutthroat. He's not up to it. Should of stuck with basketball.

Will Anderson was never funny. The only thing worse than Will Anderson are people who like him. Edit: (and Rove).

It's a massive yes from me, can't believe people are saying no at some point we need to back ourselves in to take a risk like this lets get it done

What the hell is he doing at the footy? When he should be at home making more baby boys.

No

Jeffy Garlett was considered not worth it this time last year because some young Turks decided to bash him for a Taxi.He was the defendant in that case. If arguing with nightclub bouncers was a crime I'd be doing 100 years solitary. The drug photo was Robbos way of being a prik to deflect criticism from the Bombers. We need pace-he's got it. Let's make a deal!

Which bit of looming WADA penalties does no one wish to acknowledge? All 34 are persona non grata. Its actually irrelevant whether the Milkshakeman is good, bad, soft or otherwise. Hes going a a summer holiday soon...a rather long one. Only an idiot would give this idea oxygen. I thought we'd gotten rid our idiots

I'm scared of him.

Firstly, just because you didn't see what Stef was capable of doesn't mean that others couldn't. I wasn't at all happy when he left. Secondly, You're declaring that because Melksham is a former top 10 pick he must be a good pick up. How about we take Morton and Sylvia as delisted free agents then? They were both TOP FIVE PICKS!!!! You need to accept that sometimes clubs get these picks wrong, or they stuff up the development badly enough to wreck them. You may notice the best picture they have of him is one where he's being beaten to the ball. Actually, we've shown ourselves to consistently pay overs for players we don't really need. Look at the overpayment for Dawes and Lamumba. The Bombers will demand more than the Pies did. We got lucky with Vince and Garlett was out the door anyway. They took some junk picks rather than see him go FA.

I'd rather he stayed at Adelaide than went to bloody Geelong. Sick of clubs being able to prolong their time at the top thanks to free agency. It's an abomination.

Sandy's the footy commentary equivalent of your senile grandfather - a shadow of the great man he was. But you know what he used to be, and that he can't help it, so you turn a blind eye when you catch him urinating in the bathtub because he is confused about where he is. Derwayne is your douchebag uncle, who gets shitfaced, bullies all the kids and pinches all the girls butts, then wonders why they stop coming to his BBQs. He's always been a jerk and you'll never offer him any benefit of the doubt. Your family sounds like a real hoot DA!