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Must remember not to ask you to speak at a funeral.

Oscar is an unassuming bloke, who probably underrates his football worth. He has his flaws (don't we all!), but he gave it everything and should be respected as a man and as a footballer who made it to the elite level. Hope he gets another chance, and if not, finds a rewarding life post football.

It's always a bit of a mystery why some players of limited ability are embraced by fans, whilst others become the subject of total derision. There's a fine line between 'cult favourite' and 'scapegoat'. Oscar wore way too much abuse over the years and became a scapegoat for many of the teams overall failings. It was almost comical at times the things he was blamed for - even when it wasn't his opponent, he wasn't even in that part of the ground. Every goal Melbourne would concede would somehow be pinned on OMac. Wish him all the best. Always a Demon!

Like many here I thought Oscar was better than many rated him but in a sense it's a relief to see him go because I hated the spiteful and unnecessary comment that followed him on here. I met Oscar once at training last year and couldn't have been more impressed. Articulate, thoughtful and intelligent he is in the process of finishing a science degree at Melbourne University. If he wants to be picked up then I hope he is but I suspect he might focus on his career after footy. Good luck Oscar in whatever you do, I wish you every success. You can be very proud of what you achieved, very few play over 50 AFL games. My avatar isn't changing for a while yet.

Wish him well. Never thought he was as bad as many on here and think he would be handy at another team lacking tall defenders

I wondered who'd be the first to make a nasty comment. No surprises there. All the best, Oscar.

Played 81 games which puts him equal 212th out of 1,358 players who played one or more games for the club. That puts him in the top 16% of all players. It's even better than that if you then add in all the players who were on the list but never played even one game. He should be proud of what he's achieved.

Not sure how anyone could be negative about this trade. Brown is the most productive forward we've had since Neitz, and we essentially traded him in for a pick in the 30s. We basically traded Preuss (a 25 year old ruckman played 10 games) for Brown (a 27 year old key forward played 130 games for 287 goals). Even if Brown goes at 50% of his peak output, he'd still be our leading goal kicker! On paper, it's possibly the best trade the club has done this century. F*cking stoked we pulled it off!

THE TASMANIAN TIGER by Whispering Jack I first saw Ben Brown on a cold Tuesday night in May, 2013 playing for the Werribee Tigers against Queanbeyan in a televised Foxtel Cup game before a sparse crowd at Etihad Stadium. His teammate and former Demon Jordan Gysberts was the star of the side’s 85-point belting of the hapless ACT club but the then 20 year old, 200cm Brown was also a stand out. Earlier that year, the athletic big man had left his native Tasmania in an effort to make the grade after being overlooked in three drafts. The man with the mop of unruly hair, the bearing of a high jumper and the number 50 on his back, read the play well out of defence that night and went forward to kick three goals. When his team was knocked out in a low scoring semi final by East Fremantle a month or so later, Brown was named the side’s best player. The Tasmanian Tiger was destined for bigger things — North Melbourne picked him with its third selection in the AFL Draft later in the year and he was soon impressing the football world with his high marking and distinctive run up for goal. After breaking into the side in mid 2014, Brown made the full forward position his home and he won the goal kicking at North Melbourne four times (2016-9), booting more than 60 goals and featuring in Coleman Medal calculations in each of the last three of those seasons. The journalism student was also an impressive performer in the media and starred in an edition of Foxtel’s Open Mike turning the tables on compere Mike Sheahan. A knee injury curtailed his output this year and, after 130 games and 287 goals with North, he was traded to Melbourne earlier this month. Brown has great football bloodlines. His grandfather Jim Manson was a top line player who won the best and fairest at Glenorchy and is Tasmanian Hall of Famer. Brown’s uncle James Manson played in Collingwood’s 1990 premiership team. The young Ben Brown represented his state in the Tassie Mariners Under 18 team and then played with Glenorchy before moving across Bass Strait to play with Werribee. The Demons are hoping that Brown will have an immediate impact by straightening up its forward line which has lacked potency since the departure of Jesse Hogan at the end of 2018. Melbourne GM of Football Josh Mahoney said of him last week, “What we’re excited about with Ben Brown is not only what he can bring, but what he can do to help the development of Sam Weideman and Luke Jackson.” The Tasmanian has worn the number 50 guernsey throughout his years in Melbourne and he’s put his hand up for the number again at his new club. Demon fans will be hoping that it won’t be too long before they can put the pandemic behind them and return to watch the bearer of the distinctive number 50 rise above a pack in the forward line, pluck the Sherrin out of the air with his vice-like grip and welcome the return of football to the MCG.

Well I always liked Oscar and hope he gets another chance. So thank you Oscar and good luck. I think he will be picked up.

He is one who I think was affected by the 666 rule. His strength was zonal play, getting to where the ball was headed and killing it. He did his best work leaving his man, or choosing which option to go to, and when to push hard up the ground, leaving his man exposed, during our Diamond Defence phase. He would have been a great combo with Jake Lever if we had ever got the full zonal defence going for an extended period. 666 exposed his man on man strength weakness and only ok ability on the lead. May was brought in to take the number 1, but he still needed to play a role as a lock down/lead spoiling defender, occasionally being a 3rd man. Unfortunately he is probably a little too tall and not agile enough to use his strengths playing the 3rd tall defender role in the current game. It isn't a surprise we tried players like Smith instead. As others have said, 81 games is a great effort for a limited footballer. If people understood his role better, I think they would have more appreciation for those 81 games.

He just didn’t have quick reactions All the best Oscar and thanks for 81 games 81 more than me

Officially delisted - Thanks, Oscar, for your time with us. McDonald’s time with Melbourne comes to an end

Thanks for wearing the red and blue with pride, Oscar. Really hope someone takes him as a DFA.

I first saw Ben Brown on a cold Tuesday night in May, 2013 playing for the Werribee Tigers against Queanbeyan in a televised Foxtel Cup game before a sparse crowd at Etihad Stadium. His teammate and former Demon Jordan Gysberts was the star of the side’s 85-point belting of the hapless ACT club but the then 20 year old, 200cm Brown was also a stand out. Earlier that year, the athletic big man had left his native Tasmania in an effort to make the grade after being overlooked in three drafts. The man with the mop of unruly hair, the bearing of a high jumper and the number 50 on his back, read the play well out of defence that night and went forward to kick three goals. When his team was knocked out in a low scoring semi final by East Fremantle a month or so later, Brown was named the side’s best player. The Tasmanian Tiger was destined for bigger things — North Melbourne picked him with its third selection in the AFL Draft later in the year and he was soon impressing the football world with his high marking and distinctive run up for goal. After breaking into the side in mid 2014, Brown made the full forward position his home and he won the goal kicking at North Melbourne four times (2016-9), booting more than 60 goals and featuring in Coleman Medal calculations in each of the last three of those seasons. The journalism student was also an impressive performer in the media and starred in an edition of Foxtel’s Open Mike turning the tables on compere Mike Sheahan. A knee injury curtailed his output this year and, after 130 games and 287 goals with North, he was traded to Melbourne earlier this month. Brown has great football bloodlines. His grandfather Jim Manson was a top line player who won the best and fairest at Glenorchy and is Tasmanian Hall of Famer. Brown’s uncle James Manson played in Collingwood’s 1990 premiership team. The young Ben Brown represented his state in the Tassie Mariners Under 18 team and then played with Glenorchy before moving across Bass Strait to play with Werribee. The Demons are hoping that Brown will have an immediate impact by straightening up its forward line which has lacked potency since the departure of Jesse Hogan at the end of 2018. Melbourne GM of Football Josh Mahoney said of him last week, “What we’re excited about with Ben Brown is not only what he can bring, but what he can do to help the development of Sam Weideman and Luke Jackson.” The Tasmanian has worn the number 50 guernsey throughout his years in Melbourne and he’s put his hand up for the number again at his new club. Demon fans will be hoping that it won’t be too long before they can put the pandemic behind them and return to watch the bearer of the distinctive number 50 rise above a pack in the forward line, pluck the Sherrin out of the air with his vice-like grip and welcome the return of football to the MCG.

Only 7 players have played more games than Oscar coming from draft pick 53... his brother being one of them. Oscar owes us nothing! As for the miserable souls who think that the announcement of a players delisting is a good opportunity to offer up their bilious appraisal of a loyal clubman's career... take your self-important, cold hearted, hopelessly flawed smugness to a club that cares... Collingwood! PS: You know who you are!

Trac is contracted for 2021 & 2022

No they weren't

It's a rumour. nothing connected to any form of inside knowledge or anything, i've just heard it from 3 different people now who all generally know a bit about what's happening, so thought it was worth sharing :)

Hard to believe posters saying TMac should take a salary cut because he's not performing to expectations. AFL is a very tough business, injuries happen and it's a risk clubs and players share. I've heard a number of cases where players can't even walk a round of golf post-AFL because their bodies are so stuffed - they have to use a cart. Have a think about it ... If a player performs above expectations are we going to be rushing to give him an extra $200K in his current contract? I doubt it.

The last few years the AFL web-site has been very disappointing to say the least, it's like we are back in the 90s, in how they run the site. Although it has info, on the top ten, it seems there is a lack of info, for all the players who will be going past the second, thrid round of the draft. Years ago they would have the clubs and their logos, with their picks, and heaps of information on up in comming players. Thank goodness for all on Demonland for taking the time to give all of us the infomation for this years draft, it's very much appreciated.?

60+ goals a season is about 3 per match. If BB is taking 1.6 contested marks per match that means he's likely getting half his goals from contested marks - not too bad eh? On the other hand if he's taking 2.2 marks inside 50 per game then then about one of his 3 goals isn't coming from a mark. Maybe from a free or maybe on the run? In 2019 (full length games) WC Josh Kennedy's numbers were 1.3 CM and 2.9 I50 M for comparison.

Ben Brown has better career contested mark averages than Josh Kennedy, Jeremy Cameron and equal to Jack Darling. He is in the elite group of contested mark takers in the game and has a 67% goal scoring accuracy for shots on target. In the top handful goals per game scored. Cant get better than that in the modern game.

Best 81 game player ever who really....couldn't play! End of rant!

I hope they keep backing him in for the next 20 years lol.

Was very sick, on iv antibiotics for severe infection that game, and was played anyway! You never know the full story, one very tough young man actually

https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/essendon-boss-hits-back-at-gws-defends-dodoro-on-caldwell-deal-20201117-p56ffo.html This is interesting too. They continue to back in Dodoro even when they’ve just spent 12 months paying Joe Daniher 800k to rehab and got the same result at the end (with the possible exception of sending him to a much more powerful team). Nobody wants to deal with them, and as a result they get player scraps. It’s ridiculous, but it couldn’t happen to a finer bunch of muppets. They’ve been going nowhere for years.

Played a crucial role in that 2018 game in Perth by knocking Jack Darling out in a tackle. Not sure how it happened but Darling was in great form at the time.

Let 'em. As we learned to our cost, when you practice losing games, you become expert at losing games. It's a long long haul back.

Best of luck Oscar! You have it a red hot go, hope the next phase, footy or otherwise is a winner.

Can someone check in with @binman please? How many people can say they played 81 games of AFL footy? There aren't a whole lot, and while I think this move is right for the club moving forward, I can't help but think that Oscar got every ounce of ability out of himself when he played for the club. Okay, that ability might have fallen short of others, but he did a good job for us in 2018 when we reached the Prelim (and in the EF and SF games he was part of a backline that kept the opposition to very modest scores). All the best, Oscar. Hopefully someone takes a punt but, if not, I wish you well in any future endeavours.

Cough.

Something i've now heard from several people, so i thought why not post it in the rumour thread :)

Essendon trying very hard to pry pick 2 out of North Melbourne. they're keen on Logan McDonald and offering multiple top 10 picks for that pick.

Marks per game, tackles, contested marks... don’t care. He kicks lots of goals, he will kick lots of goals for us and is potentially pushing us well into the top 8, even top 4. He had a down year but if he gets back to the previous form we move to a genuine contender.

Charlie has the potential to be damaging on the forward line now that big Ben has been bought into the makeup he will be looking for the opportunistic goal coming his way. As well as LJ and the Weid he could be in his element. In 2020 he showed that he can be of value to the team with a couple of good above average games however has the tendency to go missing for long periods. When he is on song he makes everything look easy with his kicking to position as he gives the the ball off at the right times. Still young and has upside that is on his side he has football sense just needs to apply himself more.

Four time AA, unheard of for this club. Best ruckman in the history of the MFC. Hes got a few years of dominant footy left too... still time for a flag. Cherish him while hes still running around.

This trade period has been a wake up call for him and he wisely, isn't just preparing for a spot in mfc team next year, he is preparing for his footy career post 2021. With a decent season (VFL or AFL) and barring injury he will attract trade interest next year. One year of his salary will be a lot more palatable to another club than two this year. Moreso with a sal sweetner from us. Hope he can prove the naysayers wrong.

I am looking forward to seeing exactly what happens with TMac this coming season. We might get some insight into what the plans are on where and how to play him from our track watchers in the pre-season. I will be looking for all the usual posters doing their much appreciated work to keep us all informed. Personally, I do not see Him changing his role very much. I do not see him moving back into the back half of the ground and taking up a defensive role. I just do not see him as nimble enough. Lose a few kgs, re-build the tank and get his feet/ankles right and I could see him adding to the forward mix quite well. Playing second fiddle to Brown would give him a chance to get a second or third defender and that may help his form and confidence. While I want to see Weideman develop his game I think with TMac on the list as well a Jackson it will give us plenty of options to structure our attack to suit the different circumstances that opposition teams will present. I could see TMac also as backup for Max in the ruck.

i dont think its wise. i see us sliding to bottom 6. especially with goodwin being sacked by round 5 creating a bit of instability. The game against freo didnt give me much hope for next season

Thanks mate - I've got some stiff competition but I'm just happy for the nomination. I stand by it. Our game plan relies so heavily on small forwards of which we currently have one. I don't think it's too far fetched to say that whoever is able to fill that position is going to have as much of an impact on our success as any player on the list. I'll admit though, I've made the comment taking the current performance of our players for granted. Perhaps, it might be better to have said it is my opinion, that whatever happens in the small forward space will be the most important factor to our success in the next year or two.

And here we have a “blown out of proportion” type nuffie.

Not Melbourne related as such but the following does highlight how our attitude does get things done in trade week compared to others - Regarding the deal for Caldwell, who the Bombers secured along with Picks 44 and 74 for Pick 29 and a future second-round selection, McCartney took aim at Essendon for how they conducted themselves. “In isolation (as a deal), I was disappointed in what Essendon Football Club ... you need to be fair and reasonable to try and facilitate a transaction and that was somewhat frustrating, I’ll be honest with that,” he said on the club’s website. Speaking to the Sydney Morning Herald, McCartney was even more scathing. “The Caldwell one was a millimetre away from not getting done either. That’s Essendon: target a player, high quality, get him in the door, and then not (be) prepared to stump up the price to actually facilitate the deal.” Relating to Hately, who the Giants will now get no return for losing, McCartney said a sour taste had been left by the Crows. “We knew there was a threat there of the pre-season draft ... we were honest with Adelaide right from the word go, he was a Pick 14 two years ago, we thought he was a pick in the 18 to 25 region and closer to 25 in all fairness,” he said. “They weren’t willing to get anywhere near that deal, which was really disappointing considering some of the deals we’ve done with Adelaide over the last two years. “It was left way too late by Adelaide to facilitate something on the night.”

The idea that Salem can be released to the wing is a fallacy in my opinion. The wing position has been our biggest whole for 2 years. In 2019 we had no one who could adequately fill the role on either side of the ground. We subsequently recruited both Langdon and Tomlinson to fill these roles. Langdon has been a god send, but Tomlinson was found a bit lacking and we plugged the hole with Vanders for most of the year. As well as vanders did in playing out of position, I think we can mostly agree that its still our greatest weakness. If Salem could play the role he would have been doing so consistently a long time ago. He simply doesn't have the tank to be effective as a midfielder. In saying all of that. I would love to pick up another youngster who can start at hbf and develop into a winger.

Great that Hibberd is playing in 2021 he is still a valuable piece in the backline where he can link and break the lines. He is as tough as they come and will make his opponent earn the ball. Has kicked goals on the run and is one who does take the game on. A real tough nut.

The 2018 draftees haven't exactly excelled. Sure there have been injuries etc but... 2021 will be their third year. You would hope one of them at least can cement a spot Tom Sparrow, James Jordon, Aaron Nietschke, Toby Bedford and Marty Hore

I reckon this guy is close to the most important player we have. If he comes on and is able to form a formidable combination with Kozzy, then I think our entire game plan will look a whole lot better.