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But he's still a chance to come to Melb right????

With gems like those, he could be one of many posters on Demonland.

How many on our list have? The vitriol towards Howe is ridiculous. For a majority of his career he's played as a forward in a team the gets the ball inside 50 less than every other. As a backman, he's probably taken more contested marks than anyone else in the team. I'm not saying that a trade cannot benefit us, but Howe's performance has been better than many on here are saying.

Pick 25 is a steal for 2013 Jake Melksham and it's overs for 2015 Jake Melksham. I suppose I have to back Goodwin's assessment of how he thinks Melksham can be developed.

I thought Slobbo, for once, summed up the Howe situation quite well today: "Jeremy Howe asked for a trade from Melbourne on Monday. He wants somewhere about $500,000 and the Demons basically said you bugger off. For a guy who can mark the ball and, as yet, do none of the other fundamentals very well, it points to a huge salary and a huge ego for a player whos living on taking a speccie every second week."

Defantasyland: Howe for pick 10 (via Charlie Dixon trade) from GC Melksham is worth our 3rd rounder 43 These players are roughly equal value. Meanwhile deals are getting done ...

Chris from Camberwell has been ringing in for over a decade - SEN/3AW. His whiny voice is arguably the worst ever heard on the airwaves and he is always, and I mean always, asking incredibly inane questions.

God no. NO.

Pick 25/28 seems like a bargain for an established player to me. Reckon people way, way overestimate the value of draft picks.

It's their first two picks and a promising young player. It seems cheap on paper, but practically speaking it's hard to see how they could have offered up any more. As a neutral supporter I think it's a good result. Edit: The alternative was to spend time negotiating with picks they didn't have yet, then have to trade to get those picks to give Adelaide. That would have held up the trade and probably held up every other trade. I'm glad both clubs took the sensible and practical approach and got the job done early and fairly.

Just heard that Danger has told Geelong that he wants a trade to Hawthorn.

Rumours that Goddard wants out on SEN and Tigers interested in Grimes. Id take Ben Lennon thanks

Before making those sorts of statements, remember that we're meant to be in the middle of the Watts-Cook era.

Must get Suns 1st and 2nd round picks for Howe and Dees 1st round pick

I don't get the negativity, with Cross gone we need another established mid/half back. Pick 25 is a lottery, at least we know what we are getting with Melk...tackles hard, is pretty quick, and has room for improvement. Nice one FD

what an absolute bargain for geelong.

Posted in the Jeremy Howe thread but relevant here too. Howe to NM, Bastinac to Brisbane, Aish to us and we top Brisbane up with a draft pick?

I'll stomach Melksham, but genuinely don't want this bloke.

Given how out of touch with the game Matthews is, I wouldn't take any solace from his views aligning with mine.

I read the first 6 words and nearly vomited Salem to play midfield. Salem NOT moving anywhere. Phew!

i don't have 100% faith in anyone that level of faith is for fundamentalist zealots

All the comments about Jeremy stuffing us around seem to miss the more likely point that we are forcing his hand and leaving him with little option. As another poster alluded to, he is the opposite of Watts in that other clubs perceive his value to be more than what we do.

Jeremy is starting to get on my nerves. Feels like he's burt his bridges but continues to play coy...

Geelong recruiting team are building a big hole of no youth to try maintain their ladder position. Repercussions is going to be gold

The alternative would have been horrible - get Danger for free and keep pick 9, 28 and Gore

I don't think it's out of the realms of possibility, and for that reason I'd take Kennedy and not trade Toumpas.

'Lord Tennyson, in the 1850s, invited a Russian nobleman to his house on the Isle of Wight and used to send him off with a gun in the mornings to walk the hedgerows. One day the Russian came back looking pleased with himself and reported in a thick Slav accent that he had shot two peasants. Tennyson corrected him, saying "two pheasants". "No," said the Count, "two peasants. They were insolent so I shot them." ' From "The Big Shots - Edwardian Shooting Parties" by Jonathan Garnier Ruffer, 1977

Well he wasnt at Essendon, Moorabbin or Avalon airport so we can rule out the Bombers, Saints and Cats We must be on his short list

Howe < Redden. It's no use being flexible if you can't play a position at an AFL level. I think if he stays, he will struggle to stay in the 22 forward, back, middle, bench, anywhere...

Maybe I am looking at this hypothetical deal the wrong way, but unless there was a pick coming back with 3, that we could use to get say Bugg, I see it as a poor deal for us. Anyway it is hypothetical only.

I just checked...and yep...still there !!

You have a way with words BB. So eloquent.

If a second round pick is the going rate for Melksham, we should be demanding a mid first round pick for Howe. I can't see how effectively swapping Melksham for Howe improves our list, particularly if the talk of a four year deal at $400K per is correct.

Good get. Happy with a second rounder. I reckon the haters will be surprised next year. Perfect case of a talented player not playing to his potential at a rabble of a club.

I've been saying since FA was bought in that the receiving club should have to give up something. This is what happened with Geelong and Danger. Excellent result.

Definitely a bargain, but would have been a far greater bargain had they got him for free. In the end, I think it is a mature trade, made on the first day of trade period, so hats off to both Geelong and Adelaide.

I really appreciate that the club needs more competitors but we also need players with skills otherwise we should just hold on to players like McKenzie if we just want players who tackle.

pick 25 and Howe for pick 10 (GC from port for Dixon) Make it happen

From the 0 games Goodwin has coached I can tell he is a cross between Jesus and Fergie.

It was a mistake drafting him. Leaving him on the list for another 2 years would be another mistake. I believe he can be a solid player for another club, but he's never going to the reach the heights we'd expect him to for such an investment.

Here's the thing about upgrading from #6 to #3: After Weitering & Schache, there are 4 or so in the next group - Parish, Francis, Curnow & maybe Mathieson. The upgrade gives us the first choice of that group, not the 4th choice. No small thing.

Clearly it depends on how we rate the top 6. I'll back our recruiters. Howe won't take this club anywhere or stand up in real 'heat'. He never has.

Leuenberger is not that. Getting a back up ruck because he is a ruck is not worth it - they will ruck for 20 mins a game. You need to get a forward that earns his money as a forward who can go into the ruck against other 2nd rucks and not embarrass themselves. Leuenberger is not that.

Trengove had a better first year and was a full year younger. Actually, he was 16 months younger. Trengove's next year, i.e.the same age as Brayshaw this year, was far superior. Btw, this isn't a knock on Brayshaw, who I reckon is a future star, it's merely fact.

I note his manager saying in the Hun that not many people realise Howe is an elite endurance athlete as well as a repeat sprinter of high order! Not sure I noticed that in games but at training I know he ticks nearly every box on mobility, ball handling, speed and aerial skill. And his manager says a major motivation is for Jeremy to find one position and play there. Well yes he has been moved around as we have searched for where he can play to his obvious strengths. Has he ever played on the wing for an extended period? He has obvious Isaac Smith like abilities but I don't believe he has ever shown the willingness to work hard running both ways. He has at times looked bloody good at running forward on the wing, think of that incredible running with the flight of the ball mark over Embley at the Gee some years ago (degree of difficulty 9.98). And this year In the last game at Etihad i witnessed him run forward to the pocket and Brayshaw I think just loop up a pass in the air. Howe just launches himself vertically for the mark, the defender had no chance of getting a fist in there. And then he kicks the goal. He should be able to do that three times a game easily. These are all cameos of talent. For some reason he lacks the work ethic or the knowledge of how to do it, to be a consistent 20 to 25 possession outside runner who can kick goals. He learns that and he is worth his weight in picks. I would be happy for him to stay and we work on his potential. But if he goes so be it.

Rubbish. Roos was on record saying that only one of those picks was ever on the table.

Off topic but I'm watching the NBL and blow me over with a feather that fartwit Dayne Russell is commentating. FMD can't get away from this plick even in the off season. God help me! I know I'll mute the coverage that will make for better viewing!

The innovation I see is as follows JV7 ... vandenBerg was a risk in some people's eyes but all we gave up was a rookie spot. ✓ Harmes the same ✓ (hopefully) We gave up pick #2 ((probably Kelly) for an injury prone Tyson and an unknown at pick #9 (Salem) ✓ We gave up a "prized" 2nd round draft pick for an ageing veteran (Vince) ✓ We also listed another ageing veteran (Cross) who had been de-listed by a club that had only won 8 games that season. ✓ The Frost/O-Mac/ANB deal could end up being a good win and if Lumumba finds his form we'll get another win there. ✓ (hopefully) We gave up pick 61 for Garlett ✓ We held our nerve and used picks #2 & #3 on Brayshaw & Petracca ✓ (hopefully) Granted, there's been a few minor misses as well but all of the above examples were met with varying degrees of derision here yet there were also a number of people here who saw each move as an innovative one. The latest is the Melksham move or the possible trading of Toumpas, Howe, Watts and/or Dawes - we need to take risks to get better. Having one spot for an overseas project player is hardly going to destroy the club - that sort of thinking can lead to other positives. We shouldn't be worried about changing things up either - to my way of thinking Roos and co are changing things up. For the first time in a long time I actually have real faith in our FD.

If Goodwin & McCartney think he's worth it then we should trust them on this...my only reservation is what WADA have to say.