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10 years and 2 days later it was the start of our 7 game run to winning the 2021 flag.

I think what he's saying is more around the draft capital we would need to give up for him. Port will demand a first round pick. We currently have pick 8. Houston will be 28 next year and there is no way he's worth a top 10 pick in my honest opinion. With where we are at with our list management I think we need to bring in elite midfield talent through the draft and this year's draft is absolutely choc full of them this year especially in the pointy end. I've seen the talent on hand and if we can keep our pick then I'm pretty excited to see what Jason Taylor can work with. Giving up a first round pick for a 28 old half back flanker doesn't make sense to me as much as hes a gun. You can find cheap good half back flankers through the trade, draft and free agency. With Tassie coming in, we need to continue to stock pile on talent through the draft if we are to remain competitive. I can see someone like a Sid Draper for instance coming in and having an immediate impact for us in the midfield similar to a Sam Walsh or Matt Rowell. There are many like him in that first 1-15 bracket.

Christ almighty we have had some bad luck this season!

You have to give credit where it is due; Cranky Franky managed to complain, in a thread about the 2021 draft/trade period, about five of our players and four of Hawthorn's players without a single one of them being from the 2021 draft/trade period. Nine throws and not one in the dartboard. Right now I'm picturing Cranky Franky going into a KFC and demanding a Big Mac, and when they won't give it to him saying it proves they are too timid to handle his opinions on the cheese.

I saw a sparrow on the wing today. Omen perhaps?

Howes to replace him or Bowey to the Wing

wow we have come a long way...

Centre Square a horse I am in with Clarry, won the 3rd race today at Ballarat.

Let it go Tom you germ

It's a bizarre argument anyway. I mean, so what if a noob on a footy forum thinks we should rest players etc and not try and make the 8. It's the very definition of a moot point. It's like me saying this morning I really don't think it should be super foggy this morning. Oh look it's still foggy! The club will do everything in its power to win the remaining games, regardless of our opinions.

Take the top 10 pick to the draft

Put him on ice. Thanks for giving us some real highlights this year CW. I reckon he'll tear the pre season apart and we'll see him go up a level next year.

Life is more complicated than this. Sometimes you can't make it for all sorts of reasons or you don't live in the country or the state. The problem I have is probably with the 5-10k or so that would normally attend that game in the past 3-4 years. They are the bandwagon supporters that give most of us a bad name. I was embarrassed by the crowd the other night and have copped it this week from mates that support Carlton and Essendon. We have a really good conversion of supporters to attendees and members, but like all clubs, we have some softies.

When one door closed… I would love to see us try Bowey or Howes on the wing in Windsor’s absence. It would be easy to plonk Hunter back in there, but it won’t achieve much right now.

Might be a blessing in disguise, as it will give him a few extra weeks off after a very demanding season where he probably played more games than anyone imagined.

And what positive outcomes would you say that your sanctimonious, holier-than-thou grandstanding has achieved?

Not necessarily. The article provides our average age across the entire season. It says our average has been 25.9. On the weekend we were 25y10m (maths equivalent to 25.8). Against Fremantle, 25.67. Against Essendon, 25.33. Against Brisbane, 25.25. Meanwhile we were 26 or over in Rounds 1-4, hitting 26.4 against Hawthorn in Round 2. So the average spits out in the middle, but post-bye we have been fielding a much younger side than we were fielding at the start of the season. We've had the younger 23 in four of six games post-bye (the only two where we've been older were vs North and GWS).

Ok... so the club says no, the player says no, the contract is so large and long that all potential suitors are ruled out, so those two geese waste oxygen circling around to the conclusion that he won't be traded? I guess they can kiss goodbye to their Pulitzer Prize?

Coz its a F@#$%!@ Basker case of a competion run like an under 7 school House competition in the Bronx. UNTIL the other AFL clubs ark up and we have an AFL reserves comp, nothing will change. THIS IS AND HAS BEEN SHIZZEN FOR FAR TOO LONG🤮

It was reported in the media (The Age) last week. He's starting light running which he's very excited about. When asked will he be back for the later finals if Melbourne were in it he said he's strictly no contact for 3 - 4 months. (Which I took as meaning if we're in the GF he'll play out of the square and kick 6)

He would be the perfect replacement but he's a Geelong boy who wouldn't entertain leaving and is about to take over from Stanley.

In my opinion we don't want to give up 2 firsts for Houston. We have done a great job at regenerating the list drafting consistently in the first round. Especially because our pick this year is looking likely to be a top 10 pick now, a singular pick would get it done. At the same time I wouldn't mind picking up the best midfield talent with that pick also. I would target isaac cumming as an unrestricted free agent to be able to hold onto picks. Cam Rayner as a game changer half forward/mid. He has wildly underperformed given his talent at the lions and if he has a pre season like trac did in 2020, it could be a great get. He would add another dimension to the forward line. Target a genuine back up ruck for Max which has been an issue since Jackson left. Ned Moyle would be ideal but, he probably wants to play as the number 1 ruck. Could both of them play? Otherwise I'd be going for Toby Conway, Nick Bryan, Alex Mirkov, Max Knobel, Max Heath types. We need to target quick and skilful mids. If we are unable to land houston I'd do everything possible to get Zak Butters into the club. Other options would be Sam Flanders, Finn Callaghan, Zac Bailey, Ed Richards, Justin Mcinerney. We haven't landed a big fish since May in 2018 and I think considering the amount of youth we have coming through, we could really do with targeting one of the first few I mentioned in this group. I think the midfield is currently our biggest problem, it needs some regeneration and spark. Target other mids around the competition who were early picks and may not be getting the opportunity they want. A few examples include Neil Erasmus, Josh Ward, Ben Hobbs, Deven Robertson, Angus Sheldrick, Will Phillips, Braeden Campbell etc. This would not only add depth but, they would be relatively cheap with lot of upside.

An item of supporter apparel that I bought in the 1980s still fits me perfectly. OK, it's a scarf, but the point still stands.

Arguing your case!!!! Arguing your case!!!!???? We have asked you several times to tell us what we should have done, not just what you think we did wrong. You consistently dodged that question. Don't talk about "arguing your case"!! And as for your personal shots about people like me being happy with these "dud trades": I am VERY happy that after decades of supporting - yes, Cranky, supporting not carping - I have of recent years been able to go to the games - yes, I do go - and almost always see a competitive and committed team with a good chance of winning. I am VERY happy about that.

How ridiculous to blame the AFL. You either wanted to go or not. Agree 40,000 could easily have tipped it our way. Be interesting to see how many Dees go to Marvel as it’s under cover ( but an away game they will say). And even further to the Power game at night if we lose again vs Dogs. And to the smart a..e who said we won a flag with very little support you are way off target. Optus Oval was alive and well and the support was no doubt for the Dees. And it was loud. If you haven’t gleaned that from watching take another look. Nothing to go with Sat night but support does matter and we got what we deserved a close loss with a miserable turn up. Seriously some Dees fans almost have to justify staying away to think they are not fair weather. KateRoffey speaks the truth. More vocality needed and support on certain occasions. Last years Finals was a great example.

Toby Conway would be the perfect Gawn replacement. Has done his time at Geelong for a few years now. 205cm tall 22 year old who would be ready to step in when needed. Watched a few of his games this year at AFL level and thought he handled himself pretty well.

He's no front runner 'picket', unfortunately he's a great young player. Unfortunately because he plays for them not us...

Love the concept of a retro round except for fitting into my retro gear 😂

I'll ignore the picture but I won't ignore how funny it is.

Is he not going 'anywhere' or not 'going anywhere'?

That and imagine what North might be like in 5 years if they can develop a back line

I reckon the club might lobby for some Sunday 1:10 games next year, purely from a crowd rather than TV exposure point of view. It's the most family friendly timeslot and you can be home before dinner and prepare yourself for the working and school week ahead. 44,000 against the Dogs and 32,000 against West Coast which incidentally was our second biggest crowd at the MCG against WCE suggests that the MCC faithful are responsive to this 1:10pm timeslot. Compare that to the paltry mid-high 20K we got to both North Melbourne Saturday night games in 2023 and 2024. Saturday 4:40pm games are also becoming the next big thing.

Right at the moment I wouldn't trust Hunter to deliver a newspaper.

In a season this even, why wouldn’t you try and make the 8? Wouldn’t you rather we win one final and walk away from this season having removed the finals monkey off our backs and given our young players that finals experience? How is finishing 10th better than finishing 8th? I really don’t get the vibes in here. 5 years ago you’d all be thrilled at the prospect of making the 8. Now we discount it because it only matters if you win the flag? You all do realize that finals experience is really important to winning the whole thing right, and that 7 other finalists will also not go on to win the flag. You think Hawks fans don’t want to make it because they know their chances of winning the flag are incredibly slim?

Seriously, what on earth are you on about? Did you fail the conclusion protocols or something?