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Good question, I forgot to ask.

People thinking Fritsch will be dropped this week are deluded.

Oliver is an absolute gem. He’s hard, loves the club, plays second fiddle to Tracc and Gawn in the medias eyes and is our best player a minimum 15 weeks a year, every year. I firmly believe he will go down in history as the greatest Melbourne player ever. We are blessed to have him, and I hope all our supporters appreciate how special he is.

Track to play his 100th consecutive game against Port Adelaide next week, the 17th Demon to do so 244 - Jim Stynes (1987-98) - VFL/AFL Record 226 - Adem Yze (1997-08) 144 - Don Cordner (1942-50) 135 - Billy Deans (1943-50) 127 - Richard Taylor (1922-29) 131 - Greg Wells (1971-77) 127 - Clayton Oliver (2016-22) 123 - Hassa Mann (1959-65) 117 - Brett Lovett (1987-92) 113 - Brian Kenneally (1962-68) 109 - Nathan Jones (2012-17) 107 - Shane Woewodin (1997-02) 106 - Brian Dixon (1956-61) 104 - Gary Hardeman (1971-76) 101 - Norm Smith (1937-42), Denis Cordner (1951-56) 99 - Christian Petracca (2018-22)

Seriously, that’s ridiculous I love Jacko, but he’s replaceable we don’t have to go like for like, rejig and plan slightly and make the most with our trade

If he is staying, but contract not finalised, he could easily say that. I find it unlikely that he doesn’t know what he wants to do by now. The usual result when you are hearing nothing at all by now, is that they have decided to leave, but don’t want to say, to avoid the fuss that will be caused, during the rest of the season. If he has decided to stay, I think he would have said it by now to stop the speculation. If you follow that logic, he is probably gone. BUT, then again.

If you take your arm off the ball to draw the tacklers arm high it should be considered prior and holding the ball. It’s ruining the game. Supporters absolutely loathe it.

If that Ginnivan want to duck his head in every play someone should just remove it from his shoulders.

This is where supporter culture comes from. Without pain there's no pleasure. Imagine if you were a supporter and had to put up with the rubbish they've provided over their existence. If they make the finals in 2022 you'd be ecstatic. More importantly, many more potential fans will come on board if they're up the top for a few years. Fair weather? Yes, but some will stick. But you have to lose and lose and lose and still be a fan, to be a real fan.

[censored] I HATE the pussie cats as it seems nearly every time will play those [censored] wits we end up with an injured player such as Mayx2, Viney, Oliver etc and of course it’s always ACCIDENTALL which is bull [censored] I HATE THE [censored] wits AND HOPE WE BEAT THEM IN THE FINALS. If we meet them again. GOD I HATE THEM.

I'll easily cop Jackson leaving to be honest, but I think Gus leaving would hurt deeply then ever. Not so much front an on field perspective but off field in terms of culture and setting the standards. Gus is one of our leaders who typify's that team first attitude. Please sign Gus....

Gold Coast are a real footy club now

Look at it this way. All the Pies supporters will now have their hopes up and be dreaming of a Premiership, which will make them being bundled out of the finals all the more sweet for the rest of us.

I'm daring to dream. Pies losing this would improve my mood no end

Let's just hope he's not doing a Ben Dover on us

What a stupid comment.

Jackson ‘I’m not sure what I want to do next year. I miss my mum, and it rains sometimes in Victoria’. Oliver ‘I’ve just signed a 7 year contract and had my thumb smashed. Just cut the bloody thing off and I’ll see you at training in the morning’. Clayton is what I’ve waited my whole life as a Demon supporter to have. Enormously skilled, tough, determined, and committed to our club.

1990 Darren Millane. Played the last month of the season with it. Every game he re broke it. Plastered it up during the week, played the next game with it strapped up. Never been a fan of anything black and white but that was the most amazing thing I've ever seen. He was still marking the ball and playing incredible footy. Was a huge reason they broke the 32 year drought. Oliver has Millane - like courage.

If he’s gone he’s gone, no point dwelling on it and becoming bitter, just look forward. I’m sure we’ll be well compensated so I’m excited to see who we will get as a result.

That was everything that is so frustrating about inconsistencies in umpiring all wrapped up in five seconds of football. Just garbage

Freo are a top 4 rival so I'd prefer if they lose

Great win by the suns. I love it. Great for the club. I hope they go on to make finals.

Tracca joins an elite group next week and I hope that Clarry can keep his run going. But don’t want him to risk further injury.😢✅💕

This x 100

I think he would be fine if picked.

When does Weid ever use his frame? The difference between Weid and JVR is that Weid like a to fly for marks, generally from behind. JVR reads the flight better and stands under the ball. JVR is more like T Mac. If our coaches are worried about JVR's lack of size, why the hell have they got him playing 2nd ruck at Casey in the past 2 weeks, competing against guys over 200cm? JVR will take the 3rd best defender, after BBB and Fritsch. He's ready now.

Your just jealous because they are taller than you.

Weideman has had plenty of chances and is not the answer. J V R IS the future and his time is now. PLAY him this week

I watched the second half and JVR looks like the heir apparent to T-Mac. He's around the same height and can play that same tall, marking link role between the midfield and forward line. Really exciting prospect. We should move his family over here now before Freo make their inevitable play in a year or two.

Just catching up on the thread. So is Dunstan being delisted or going straight into the seniors?

When have I ever been anything but club first? I will support and be loyal to our players until the end. But once they’re out I couldn’t give a single [censored] about them. I want what’s best for my club. We are in a premiership window that we waited 57 years for. I’m not about to let a 3rd year player that we spent pick 3 on just walk out for lesser compensation than we deserve and make our direct competitor a better side. I hope the club is a lot less compassionate than some of the supporters here. This is a ruthless business and we need to get the best deal for ourselves. Jackson’s needs are the lowest priority for me if, after giving him everything he could ask for including offering to help move his family across, he still chooses to leave. Of course I want him to stay. But if he doesn’t I move on very quickly to getting us the best deal possible and that won’t happen if Jackson holds us over a barrel and refuses to entertain going to West Coast. I think it’s ludicrous to use home sickness as an excuse but then insist on going to a specific club. That’s not real home sickness.

Almost as delusional as those expecting Selwood to get suspended for a kicking in danger

I've just been reading Roger's Thesaurus. It was educative, informative, enlightening, illuminating, instructive and edifying.

Collingwood win another close game that they shouldn’t have. It’s driving me insane.

Collingwood brainless twits booing Stephenson when they were the ones that squeezed him out.

Hugh shout out to Paddy McCartin. After all he has been through to be playing a big role for Sydney and now getting the praise he deserves. Fantastic to see Paddy able to start fulfilling his significant potential. In a way he lived in Petracca's shadow. Kudos to Sydney for taking the risk and giving Paddy another chance and to make a name for himself in his own right.

Good to see respectful conversations can happen on DL.

Sorry, I was responding to your post in which you said Weid would be offering more than Brown in those areas, which led me to believe you were comparing the two for the same position. I agree that Weid is judged unfairly by most on here. I thought he did really well when he was asked to play ruck, particularly vs Adelaide as the first ruck. My view, though, is that Brown offers us more right now than Weid does as a permanent forward, and that contrary to your posts Brown has indeed started to show better form. Brown's starting point is unreasonably low given how poor he's been this year, but reality is what he produced in the first half on Thursday is precisely what we need for a full game. The trend is at least in the right direction. Bringing the ball to ground is far more important than you're letting on. I'm not suggesting we pick someone who does nothing other than bring the ball to ground but our gameplan relies on us not being outmarked in our forward half, so it's a critical role. Part of the reason Brown's disappointed me this year has been how often he's been outmarked. We lost to Sydney largely because we were repeatedly outmarked by their defenders. And there is significant disappointing with Spargo, ANB, Bedford and Pickett - well it's not easy for them to get involved with the way we move the ball if our taller forwards get outmarked. With all that said, I'm not necessarily opposed to JVR playing. Bowey's a great example of why we should be thinking about bringing in new blood. But we can't play him on his own and for the reasons I've covered, I think Brown holds his spot over Weideman.

Thanks Dazz. I can’t remember the Oliver post that he refers to. You seem to be far more competent with the Forum than me, so would you be able to find my Post on Oliver all those years ago so we can check the wording because I have always tried to be careful about never overstating my impeccable intel. Cheers.

Went down the highway to moggydishu last night. First time I had actually stopped there in 5 decades. What an appalling ground. It is one thing to spend money on a desal plant we didn't need and cancelling a road we did need, but spending our money on that abomination is unbelievable.

Brilliant re: your response above to a Clayton Oliver/jackson post. For the life of me, this going home crap is just that - crap. If not, then don't tell me AFL is a professional sport. It ain't. Just say you're leaving for more money and leave it at that. We will understand. All of us have moved around the country, sometimes the world, for work. Suck it up afl players or move on and get out of our way. Clarry's signing just put the Jacko issue in context. Taylor and Co. will do the best deal and develop the best solution to support the Dees once-in-a-generation squad no matter what. Clarry/Viney/Gawn/Trac (and Angus) are cultural icons and all have done the hard yards of this squad and consequently a priority. Jacko's a Flag player at 19ish. Success has come too early to him to appreciate those with more history of the dark days. Players can either get on board - or not.

Maybe Dusty Springfields' "Wishin and Hopin" is more apt.

The club is confident but I am told the hold-up is the new EB and how much extra cap space we have. As stated elsewhere, Luke has told teammates he wants to stay but that can change quickly. All will be revealed eventually so let's just get on with trying to win and get a prime finals spot

Yeh great, bring in Chandler and Laurie, two other blokes four foot two.

As it sits right now I'd prefer to keep Gus than Jackson. That could change next week but this week its that.

JVR was better than good, he was easily the best forward on ground, and after having to play the second ruck for large parts of the game I was impressed with his engine going up against Ceglar and then taking mark after mark. So unused to seeing a Melbourne player take contested marks (he took 6). He also was able to spoil to advantage and followed up. This game was just a good example of why Weideman is absolute toast - this kid is the real deal. Other stand outs tonight were Dunstan - he was pivotal to the win, even if Laurie got some cream on the outside and was good with it. Dunstan is a cut above - and deserves another go, good on him. Still gushing about JVR, what a game.

Didn’t like him anyway.

I can’t stand Selwood but anyone who thinks this is deliberate is clearly delusional. It was a footy act. Stupid and careless yes, and the free was paid. If we play them again, then we will remember.

He also said Luke Dunstan had met with dees well before it came out in the media last year and was a certainty to sign. He's had more right then wrong and has great links through his friend through player management.