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We have spoken to his manager about this for 2026 and I'm certain there is a level of mild interest in him playing for Melbourne but he's said that he's very very happy at Freo. His Victorian partner and he have a place in East Freo. She's happy too.

WHY do you have to shout???

Such a classy move by the AFL to sell the sponsorship rights to player retirement announcements. Maybe I should do the same thing on Demonland? ’The Heart Beats True’s 💩 opinions are brought to you by Sorbent 3 Ply Toilet Paper’.

Most announcements come arvo Wednesday. They'd have training and announce then or after, media released later. Also, taking a look back at the 2022 draft national and rookie drafts... 24 key position players (193cm+) were drafted 7 have debuted. 5 have played 6 or less games Only Tylar Young and Aaron Cadman have played a lot (29/28 games) Yes we'd like Jeffo to be further along but he's not alone. If he gets a game this year, he'll be ahead of two-thirds of the KPP drafted in 2022.

I can't see a scenario where we trade out our first round pick and not get back into the first round of this draft. We know we need mids, this draft is stacked with them, and JT is the master of picking mids. This may well be the best draft hand we will have in a long while, especially if we rise up the ladder next season and then Tassie comes in. I would be quite shocked if we gave away our first rounder for a 28 year old half back, as much as I highly rate Houston and can completely understand where he fits into our side.

Cal Twomey said that he thinks he'll be playing at Melbourne next year and it will take our pick 7 and next years first as a starting point. I'll be absolutely mortified with the club if we part with pick 7 for a 28 year old half back flanker and next years first.

Is this an AFL thread?

And as for inheriting the best defence in the competition May, Lever and Petty all brought in after Roos departure you may remember the Frost, Omac defence previously

Who is delusional? We are not "sinking": this year is gone - but he knows he can't say that. And I don't blame him for the bad year either, as I have made clear on many threads. I think it is good that he is not rushing the development of a young key forward.

Geelong landed Dangerfield at 25 years of age for Dean Gore (who?) pick 9 and 28. I am in disbelief posters think even one high first round draft pick is 'fair' for a 28 year old half back who was a rookie pick! The talk of two first round picks is just the dumbest thing I've ever heard and was made up by Sam Landsberg when he was spit balling and nonsense and having a guess at what their asking price would be. Nobody knows what's going on. If the reports of him wanting to come home are true, then we will not be giving up two first round draft picks and if we gave up any, it'd have to be a late first roundee with a swap that saw our second rounder improve for this year. He's on a three year contract, there simply must be something going on for him back home which is why people have us as landing him but it means we have the upper hand.

https://www.melbournefc.com.au/news/1621609/goodwin-talks-forward-six-media-conference-focuses “We want to be playing finals footy and right now we're still a chance,” Goodwin said.

I think we need to find a genuine lockdown defender for the smalls to release McVee. Playing half back and some mid time is fine for him and that's what Sheezel and Daicos do.

Genuinely think that Andrew Dillon and Laura Kane wake up every Monday and have a meeting discussing how they can annoy as many people as possible. But this is what you get for having a lawyer and a failed North Melbourne football manager running the game. At least Gillon had a personality and Demetriou understood how football works.

spoke to someone today whose mail is normally very good and said we are a better chance than not to have him with us in 2024 doesn't think it'll be two first rounders also thinks we'd be mad to trade out of 2024

Yes, I agree with you Dazzler. We can't be parting with our pick 7. If Port Adelaide insist that pick 7 should be involved, then we should walk away from it the trade. Hearing Simon Goodwin's media conference today said for the the 3rd time, we no longer have Angus Brayshaw and Christian Petracca is out for the season. It's an absolute no brainer we have to go to the draft to get 2 Elite midfielders. I can't stress enough how important this trade period is and we need to nail it. No mistakes or misfires, we have to hit the targets. Tim Lamb, I hope you are reading this message. Please don't get up 2 First round picks for Houston. If Chris Davies insist, just walk away.

was never the same after he snotted andrew brayshaw - that's when his career really ended

Waterman just signed on with West Coast, thankfully one less club to deal with.

We're playing the MFC Harry Sheezel as a lockdown small defender. It's football terrorism.

Is it possible there is a potential salary dump at play here? Think about it - Butters, Rozee, JHF are all entering prime and will demand big $$$. They probably paid overs for Thatcher and Ratugalea. Wines probably still on a large backended deal following brownlow year. I have no way of knowing but its possible. It is why perhaps we havent heard Port come out and blatantly refuse it. The 2 picks is all media speculation, so it has no merit.

If Wright is looking for a fresh start and Bombers want him off their books I’m all for it. He’s contracted until 2027 so guessing we would take on the full salary but maybe only give a third round pick or something. Given we have Brown, Schache, Tomlinson and potentially TMac all off our list we need some mature key position players to replace them.

You really think an autocratic coach would last as long as he has and keep all the players onside? Have you ever dealt with anyone under the age of 30? Autocratic coaching styles do not work anymore. Why did he sign on then? Because we have so many poor coaches and poor players? That's you inference... Sure, but do you think 9 years into being amongst our core players (with 2 of those under Roos), wouldn't have given our players time to assess this, and that they'd be switched on enough to know it was all going to go south because he was a walk over? You don't win AFL flags unless you hold players to a high standard. To think any different (and I'm not saying you are) is naive in the extreme. It is a cutthroat industry with 17 other competitors. My family has connections with three players on the current list and I can categorically tell you Goody is not "soft", nor does he let the tail wag the dog, because again, that could be the inference here. But this doesn't mean he is a coach that shouts his head off either. Management is a balance. My understanding is Goody has the balance nicely set.

Actually I know inaccuracies have cost us games before but Fritta, JVR and Dan Turner all have pretty good goal kicking routines

It will, because it is rubbish. Cranky has run this line in a dozen different threads and each time he gets asked to say what should have been done he leaves the thread and starts again in another. His whole premise is wrong and he is just a whinger.

We were top 4 on the ladder and heading into a finals campaign in jvrs first year. We are not making finals this year. So a game or two in the seniors will do him good

Yes

The fact he signed, along with many many others who had plenty of options/strong lure of going home, suggests that this isn’t a lie. Players who aren’t happy don’t stay. There are many avenues now for players to depart, especially when we are talking about players the quality of Kosi, Petty, Langdon, not to mention Trac and Clarry who signed long deals under Goody.

I agree with all of you. I was at that game and so disgusted by the feral supporters around me and their jeering that I left and went and sat downstairs. I will never forgive their No 4. I cannot watch a Collingwood game and I cannot even utter that thugs name. Even seeing his face makes me tune out. He ended Gus’s career and suffered no consequences. In fact he got rewarded which really rubbed salt in the wound. There is a special place in hell reserved for people like him.

Let’s just make the season 12 months long. We need games daily, we need more special rounds, I want a clown round where everyone has to play in clown shoes. What could go wrong? It’s not like we have the highest number of injuries on record or anything… 🙄

Hopefully they bomb out of finals and he reconsiders his level of happiness 😁

If Freo go after Bolton, I would certainly go sniffing around A Brayshaw. He can come finish what his brother started...

Yeah, don't agree. And JVR is a really good second ruck, but I prefer him focusing on marking and kicking goals. He fatigues way earlier as a forward because of his ruck work. He gets to contests and he's so stuffed he can barely get his hands up to mark. Take it off his shoulders and he'll kick 35-40 goals as a KPF.

Grand final: Cox 67% Cameron 59% (Mihocek 92%, Frampton 82%) Prelim Cox 71% Cameron 70% (McStay injured 66%, Mihocek 94%) Qualifying final (when they had their best side available for the full game time) Cox 67% Cameron 52% subbed (McStay, Mihocek both 88%) Aside from 1% against the Giants (which was probably when McStay was down injured) they never played 4 talls on the ground at the same time. And when they did play a ruck in the forward line it was generally Cox filling in for Frampton in the grand final, covering McStay's injury in the prelim or briefly for McStay/Mihocek to have a breather. We tried sitting Gawn/Grundy on the bench for longer periods or forward line and neither of them liked it. And I doubt that will ever change for Max, especially if the rotation is with Peter Wright who will have no desire to ruck for large parts of the game. JVR should get there with time but I don't see him on the McStay level of athleticism just yet and definitely nowhere close to Mihocek who is just a freakish work horse who goes hard for 90% game time at CHF (or did for years until injury this year). Unless you're Nick Riewoldt that's a job for a 24/25+ year old not a kid who will still only be 22 next year. If they really do think JVR is ready to play CHF then maybe a Peter Wright level lump at FF/Ruck would work, but there's still a matter of the other tall forward needing some agility and ground game (much like the way Jamarra fits in between Naughton and Darcy) and I'm not convinced that will be Jeffo or anyone else on the list any time soon. I'd go hard for a genuine answer like Waterman and leave JVR as the back up ruck for the next couple of years or just keep experimenting with mobile ruck/forwards and try to find a Chol rather than a Fullarton. Wright would be a distant 3rd choice if there's nothing else available and the price is very right.

cc: @picket fence Matt Jefferson Debut Watch “He's getting closer and closer all the time. We're rapt with Jeffo,” Goodwin said “It's a really tough time as a developing key forward when you get drafted and how long it can take. And his last eight to 10 weeks has been fantastic in the ways developed his game. “Whether that's a game this week or in the coming weeks, we'll wait and see.”

I do want to see him get some mid time from now until the end of the season but I do agree to an extent. McVee to the middle and JVR to the ruck for me are the same thing in that they might fill a need but rob us of a vital strength elsewhere.

So Darcy Cameron and Mason Cox who were Collingwoods main ruck/forward combination last year in their premiership year, are regarded as more athletic and quicker then Peter Wright? Interesting.

I think their plan is to move Houston's salary in to Perryman as a free agent. Get 80% of the player on the same $$ and bank some really nice draft picks. Especially because their half back depth is huge - behind Houston they have Farrell, Bergman, Logan Evans, Burton, Jones, Burgoyne, Sinn, Dyl Williams Meanwhile they need high draft picks to replace Boak, Wines and find genuine quality talls at both ends of the ground. It's a tactic I think more teams should try to pull off when they can land a quality free agent.

Poor Kossie and Nibbler trying to chase 6 blokes. Wright is slow. JVR is....not quick. Any forward or forward/ruck that we bring in should have some athleticism especially if the plan is for some combination of Melk/Jeffo/Petty/Disco as the 3rd tall option. I also don't understand the concern with JVR as back up ruck and/or the belief that he's ready to explode. He shows some flashes and he'll be a good player for a long time but I still expect him to just improve steadily and the runs in the ruck get him involved in the game.

It's robbing Peter to pay Paul and I know Jacob is a physical player who can handle some punishment but he's valuable merchandise for the future. You don't take your Bentley off-road driving. Imagine if we shut down Max for a few weeks and JVR ends up doing some kind of injury in the ruck which could eat into his pre season. I know we're stuck, I know we have few other options but it would be nice to be non-reckless for a change.

How come they've largely stuck around too then? Chaplin, Stafford and Williams all disagree with you. Only Yze left for a senior position.

On the open market I could see Bolton netting 2 first rounders (with one being inside 10) and Baker being valued at a mid 1st rd pick. I’d do the deal if I’m Freo. Dockers list profile is very young, so draft picks not necessarily required to keep the list profile ticking over. To be approaching contention now is impressive and they have most bases covered positionally. I’d do the deal. Both players have premiership experience and can provide succession from Walters and O’Meara in their starting 18, which is actually pretty scary. Cap wise, it’s hard to know in the new world of the ‘23 CBA, clubs have a fair bit of space to play with in the cap now, but I’d love to shake Hayden Young out of there.

I think McVee is a HBF and calls for him to move to the midfield miss his value.

He's only 21 years old though, so has plenty of growth left in his game. A lot of American players don't even get drafted until that age and he's already played 2-3 seasons.

I totally agree. Max said in a recent video he rates him as a ruck, but you can find adequate rucks elsewhere. Above average tall forwards are much rarer. One thing that frustrates me apart from the fact it must take a toll on is body is us getting the ball at half back and me thinking "OK, where's JVR?" And the answer is behind or near the player with the ball because he's playing in the ruck.

I like players who can "turn" a game with one kick in the right way at the right time. Dusty rarely got high 20's possesions but they were often worth 30+ in another's hands .Melbourne mids could take notice ..its not a question of getting cheap possessions ,it's what you can do with the ones you get after you've earned them

Embarrassing you have started an excuses thread with two months of footy to go

That first 1/4 was something to behold The turnovers drove me crazy Giddy has got some skills. That behind the back pass in I think the first or second was some kind of very good

I wouldn’t… that’s a lot!

"We've got so many good players and so many good coaches that it's exciting.” Ed Langdon

Anyone who follows Maxy on Instagram seen his most recent post? One of the slides is footage of his foot and ankle, and the bruising is hectic. No wonder he's been proppy, the fact he played so well against the Dogs just shows what an absolute warrior this man is, we're so lucky to have him.