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the right thing done http://www.afl.com.au/news/2016-08-26/demons-keep-the-faith-with-jack-trengoves-new-deal

Had a look at his 29 games and 2014 - 12 games, 5 of which were as a sub 2015 - 10 games as a defender, 3 of which were the last of the season coming back from hamstring injuries. 2016 - 7 games the last few of which he played under duress from illness. So he has played about 20 full games, fully fit. So if would be fair to say he hasn't had much of run at it to show what he can do. But there is a lot to get excited about. In addition to his silky skills the things that have stood out for me: Coolness under pressure eg the winning goal vs Ess in 2014. Roos said he was the guy he would always love to have the ball in those circumstances. So come to the crunch he is the guy who will deliver a goal when we most need it eg after the siren in a GF. He is equal to Jack Watts with his footy IQ. We don't have many of those. He can certainly find space which enables him to make the right decision nearly every time. Nearly always hits targets. Brings others into the game. Plays the role he is given and follows instructions. Can kick goals. He may not look fast as all his games have in a game plan that was defence focused and we had a shutdown/limit the scoreboard damage style. I think he will relish the 'take the game on' offensive game we now play and his speed of foot, hand and brain will make him a real asset. This is an edited version of Plapp's review 2 weeks ago: '...He played an inside mid role and spent some time forward...but the one thing that I was really pleased about his game on the weekend was his ability to fulfill and play his role. But when he got the ball in his hand, he really hurt the opposition and always seemed to manufacture an inside 50 or help set up a goal. Every time he touched the ball was huge for us on the weekend.' Sorry to be a bit long-winded, just wanted to put his 3 years in context. Understand why people have doubts but for mine he has shown enough brilliance to predict he will be a key factor in getting us into the finals in 2017.

Fair reward for effort and loyalty.

Warms the cockles of an old mans heart. Well done to Jack and the Club.

Heath Shaw was 28 when he played his first game at GWS. How has that turned out for them ? Heath Shaw is their general down back. He organises teammates and uses the footy well out of defence. How often do you see him in a midfield rotation ? Answer - never. How often is Grant Birchall in Hawthorn's midfield rotation ? Answer - never. Hibberd will be a terrific mature pick up in a young team with an even younger backline.

When a player showed the early form he did, and is of such high calibre as a person, you'd wait for as long as you could before giving up. I thought the club would give up, but I'm very pleased that it hasn't. Everyone just ignore Picket please. Unfortunately we live in a country where we grant anyone the right to an opinion, no matter how unsavoury or downright mean spirited it is.

I'll take that congratulations now: http://m.melbournefc.com.au/news/2016-08-26/trengove-signs-on-until-2017

Sometimes it goes beyond the on-field. The club's retainment of Trengove speaks of the importance of making decisions which also impact the fabric of the club. We got it wrong with James McDonald et al and it set the club back a long way. There's no denying it. Whilst there's every chance Trengove could falter, the key thing, for mine, is how we treat a respected and courageous clubman. It's the right decision.

Bloody good news that. Go Trenners.

A fit Salem and Hunt on the wings makes me McAvaney-excited.

Pickett, take some advice. Say what what you have to say then STFU. You're like a child the way you carry on.

What value could be put on his attitude and comradery with Track during their rehab? How inspirational would it be if he can make it back to being the champion player he was previously on his way to becoming?

Yep, super news this, and a decision that makes sense. Now that he has a full season under his belt he can have a dip this pre season at getting back to his best!

Oh the irony.

I am curious, as to whether we can gain some useful picks by trading players, who are surplus to our needs. I actually think the Bombers are quite happy for Hibberd to go, as I am told that they refused to match our offer, both in dollar terms and years, which would have seen him stay a Bomber. They used a lot on Hurley and the others and one clearly had to go to make room. Now of course, he is the greatest player that ever lived. Like some others on DL, I am still not sold on him, but he could be useful with that long left foot kick. However, I am a real fan of Taylor and trust him to find us a gem.

I want him to play whatever position will make him the guy delivering the ball inside fifty. The only player I'd want to do this more is Jack Watts, and Jack's unavailable as he'll be busy receiving the ball from Salem inside fifty.

If you've ever watched a Melbourne game, you'd know there are always three jumpers on the field. The Melbourne one, the other team's one, and the three guys dressed in green playing for the other team.

People, if you see posts that upset you, use the "Report post" button that appears at the top of the posts. Don't engage in an argument with the person about it, that is likely to end you up in hot water as well for topic derailment. I'm getting very tired of continually having to clean these threads up to keep them readable, and bans are going to start being handed out.

This news makes me smile.

As I said in the Trengove thread on the trading board, this is the right decision. Deserves at least another year to have a fair crack at it. If he makes it, then it's amazing. If not then no harm is done. Plus he continues to bring experience and leadership to the younger guys on the list as well.

So happy with this. Made my night. Go Dees!

I disagree I reckon he needs a good solid preseason (uninterrupted) and will reap the rewards in 2017.

Delighted for Jack and delighted that our great Club has done the right thing by him. We've come a long, long way as a club since Junior McDonald was pushed out the door.

I like to think the AFL has delayed Hunt's nomination to the final round at the request of the Herald Sun who want to use the headline "Rising Star finally in the Hunt"

Well he can either play 1 more senior game or he can play possibly 4 or so more VFL games including a grand final. Seems clear which would be better for his long term development.

Illness aside, I personally still have a question mark beside his name. I can't really put my finger on it but there's something lacking in the way he plays the game. Maybe the HBF role isn't for him and time on ball might aid his development. Seems to be a lot of praise for a bloke who has neat skills but not much of a body of evidence to suggest he'll be an integral cog in next years machine.

Wing/Midfield. The prospect of a fit/healthy Salem on the wing is quite exciting.

Fantastic news. I've followed Jack since his days at Sturt and I'm glad the club has shown faith in his recovery.

You spent several years pushing the case for one of the most useless forwards we have ever had on our list, Juice Newton. That says it all about your credibility.

His work ethic and positive attitude is a massive influence for the younger players to c.

That's a given with Trenners

That's great news. I think he's a great player to help our list going forward. Just as importantly however is keeping his presence and leadership around the club. He's a popular, highly respected figure in the playing group, and cutting a person of that calibre after what he's been through can be like poison to a playing list. Go Trenners!

Absolutely! Sensible duration. It's now up to Trenners to prove he still has it. Fantastic role model for our young bunch of potentials. Good onya Jack!

nice caricature of b scott

This guys is seriously rated by Swans - they cannot afford to keep him though without losing a JPK, Jack, Heeney, Mills, Parker...not to mention Tippett and Buddy on huge deals. Ala Mumford in recent times, something/someone decent has to give. I have it on good authority he is leaving the Swans - AFLPA friend works with his old man (who does stuff for AFL) and has showed me texts from him saying that he just can't stay at Swans with what he's getting offered elsewhere. He will probably/could potentially win a flag, so not a bad way to go out. If we get him - it would be huge!

Get him up to AFL standard running fitness and he will be a star.

I can see plenty of appeal. He's a beautiful user of the footy. He is strong in a one on one contest. While he is not lightning quick, he has plenty of pace. He will bring some further experience to our backline and he is calm under pressure. With our club pushing for a finals place in 2017, we need experienced players coming in, not more kids. After trading away our first rounder for this year already, we can't land a big fish. So we need to add further quality to our side, and Hibberd is just that. Quality. You can never have enough of it. With the addition of Melksham our side is starting to look much more settled on paper.

I think with Oliver there is a clear sub-text to his being dropped aside from the VFL eligibility aspect, and it's "work your ass off over the break, and hit the start of preseason at AFL level fitness."

Would love to see him get some midfield time; he's hard, poised and and has excellent skills by hand and foot. Failing that, would like to see him in a bit of space on the wing. The breakaway pace of Hunt on one, with the laser foot of Salem on the other- forwards will be climbing over themselves. Much will depend on getting his treatment right so he can hopefully get a proper run at the full preseason.

You mean, the coaches might try to avoid another Bryce Gibbs 26 disposals to half time situation with Dangerfield or Selwood getting 30?

He is absolutely a terrific bloke and a first-class human being. About 10 years ago, a friend of mine was in a plane crash in which a number of people died. Miraculously, she survived, but suffered severe burns to large parts of her body, and the combination of that and an infection meant she ultimately had to have both legs amputated. This would be hard enough for anyone, but was particularly so for my friend, whose favourite past-time was running and competing in marathons - the loss of her legs was devastating. My friend and her partner had been involved with the Swans at this time, and ended up coming into contact with Roosy, who took a close interest in her recovery, which was a long, slow and incredibly difficult process. We see and hear often how players do the right thing by visiting hospitals, spending time with sick kids and the like, but for the most part, by necessity, these relationships are fleeting, one-off acts of kindness. There's just not enough time in the day for it to be any other way. In a way, this happened to my friend, who worked in Parliament House in Canberra - many senior politicians and other 'notable' people were around to support her at the beginning, but most disappeared pretty quickly and got on with their lives, as people do. Roosy was different. He stayed in touch with her, regularly checking in on her health and her rehab as she slowly tried to put her life back together and recover from the horrific trauma of the crash. His friendship and support was invaluable during this time, helping to keep her spirits up despite regular returns to hospital for more surgery and the painfully slow rehab she had to undergo. Ten years on and she's largely been able to move on from that terrible time, but she's still very close with Roosy and his wife, who are now godparents to her young son. My friend and her partner can't speak highly enough of both of them, that they're just A-1 people with a good perspective on life. He doesn't do it for accolades, or because he feels obligated - he does it because he genuinely cares, nothing more and nothing less. So yeh, I reckon he's a legend in more ways than one.

Just look at the players Geelong had in their 2002 VFL Premiership side... Seemed to work well for them. Ablett, Bartel, Hunt, Mackie, Johnson, Kelly.. just to name a few

Surely we can't be thinking of overpaying a player that hasn't come from Collingwood or Essendon? Can we look a little long term, considering the prospect of a 10%+ salary cap increase on the horizon?

Ps. Is rated as the 25th player in the league on AFL player ratings. His age is undeniably irrelevant in this case. So I wish people would shut the fark up about us 'not being a retirement home'. Cross provided a huge amount for our club but was clearly battling away toward the end. Harvey's skill-level and general impact on game-day is miles ahead of Cross's and that's not to pot shot on Daniel because he was a huge role model at the club. Harvey would fast track our development without one iota of a doubt, provide further protection so that young guys can continue to develop at Casey for a couple of years and also make a genuine impact onfield come game-day. When will people realise that we need more than Jones and Vince as players who have 150 + games experience in our starting 22? We need more leadership and experience. We're desperate for it. Posters that wouldn't want Harvey because of some pathetic 'annoyance' factor are clueless. Absolutely and utterly clueless. The same ones who if in charge would still be playing Sylvia, Jamar, Howe, Garland, Frawley. It's incredible. Emotional bias is like a [censored] disease around these parts.

I agree juzz, apparently Hawthorn have been chasing him for quite some time. The fact that he's not going back to his home state and coming down to Victoria, to me, suggests a deal between player and club has been done for some time. Just a matter of Gold Coast agreeing to the trade.

Still doing much teaching BBO? Perhaps you could teach Picket some manors.

Good. I want one big trade move to be excited about. I'm willing to settle for a fake rumour

Wish him well. He and PJ have given us back our footy team.

Spare us.