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For the first time since 2004, where I predicted Melbourne taking Matthew Bate and Jordan Russell, I've decided to post a return of the Goodoil Phantom Draft. Here is the first round, with the rest to follow next week. It includes bids and trades to add a bit of silliness to it. 1. Adelaide Crows - Riley Thilthope - 18, 201cm 102kg - West Adelaide The Crows are in an interesting spot. Thilthorpe, the local product, makes a lot of sense, but taking him at one doesn't necessarily juice the most value from the pick. Trading down is a possibility but if they do that they will want to position themselves to get extra draft material and still get Thilthorpe, which would probably require another trade back up with a third party and it could start getting messy. Trading one pick back with North, who could then facilitate another trade for themselves is a possibility, but in the end just straight up taking Thilthorpe, who is a promising South Australian ruck/forward ends up the pragmatic thing to do. He has Matthew Kreuzer-like ruck potential but also good forward craft in a strong athletic frame that could cause AFL defenders problems for a long time. Number one draft picks get financial perks and it would be a strange decision if the Crows bid on Ugle-Hagan and denied their own player those benefits just to hinder the Western Bulldogs by 300 draft pick points. NGA Academy Bid - North Melbourne bids for Jamarra Ugle-Hagan - matched by the Western Bulldogs. 2. Western Bulldogs - Jamarra Ugle-Hagan - 18, 196cm 85kg - Oakleigh Chargers The Kangaroos bid on the best talent in the draft and the Dogs have no choice but to use the flawed points system that benefits them greatly to take Ugle-Hagan, a highly skilled and mobile key forward from the Warrnambool area. He will likely slot straight in as the third tall forward for the Dogs and wouldn't shock if he is in the 25-40 goal range in his first year at Whitten Oval - a very exciting player! Trade - The Kangaroos trade Pick 3 and their future second round pick to Gold Coast for their first and second round picks in this 2020 draft and their 2021 first rounder. 3. Gold Coast - Logan McDonald - 18, 196cm 85kg - Perth North hold highly valuable draft stock here but I think they trade out of it with a host of teams willing to pay a premium for access to McDonald. Here the Roos drop effectively three spots to get Gold Coast's first rounder, they also get the Suns' redundant second rounder this year and a very nice looking 2021 pick swap (based on current ladder positioning). The Suns with all the AFL help they've been given are happy to sacrifice draft capital at a loss to get blue chip talent onto their list and McDonald fits that line of thinking His performances at WAFL senior level have been ground-breaking and he meshes prototypical key forward physical attributes with genuine footballing ability, along the lines of Tom Boyd, who had one of the strangest AFL careers ever, but was talented enough to be paid $1 million per year at a point and went close to winning a Norm Smith Medal. A McDonald-Ben King combination is a salivating prospect for Suns fans, if any exist. 4. Sydney Swans - Denver Grainger-Barrass - 18, 195cm 78kg - Swan Districts It wouldn't shock me if the Swans are in the Logan McDonald trade up sweepstakes, but Grainger-Barrass is a nice mix of need and best available and would be a good pick for the Swans if they stay pat at this draft spot. A rangy centre half back with strong intercept skills, he should slot straight in to Sydney's back 6 and be a long-term fixture there, projecting to be one of league's best defenders in time. NGA Academy Bid - Hawthorn bids for Braeden Campbell - matched by Sydney Swans 5. Sydney Swans - Braeden Campbell - 18, 180cm 73kg - Pennant Hills Hawthorn annoys the Swans and forces Sydney to take him at pick 5. It's a no-brainer for the Swans. They get a two-sided midfielder/half-forward that will step straight into their best 22 and were it not for Matthew Rowell being eligible, likely be a debut year Rising Star contender. 6. Hawthorn - Archie Perkins - 18, 186cm 77kg - Sandringham Dragons Will Phillips and Elijah Hollands are still on the board, but the jungle drums beat loudly that Perkins is Hawthorn's man. From a needs basis, Perkins makes more sense than Phillips and the similar Hollands has an ACL tear in his medical history, so those factors may be in Hawthorn's reckoning, but Perkins brings X-factor, pace and run to a team in desperate need of some reinvigoration. It would be an interesting pick and if it unfolds this way, comparisoning between Perkins and Hollands will be a thing the Hawks have to deal with. All in all, though, you can see why Hawthorn would go in this direction. Trade - The Kangaroos trade the current pick and Pick 30, along with 2021 third and fourth rounders to Collingwood for original picks 14 and 16 and their 2021 first rounder. 7. Collingwood - Elijah Hollands - 18, 190cm 84kg - Murray Bushrangers Collingwood's unusual offseason gets stranger as it executes a trade to get it one of the consensus top five players in the draft, the highly skilled Hollands. They give up their two late first rounders which are vulnerable to Reef McInnes bids and their redundant future first which they want to discard before a bid comes for 2021 father-son prospect Nick Daicos. In addition, they get points in both years to service bids with. North sacrifice access again to a top talent but they still have a very strong 2020 draft hand and now have three first rounders to play with in 2021. The Pies hope Hollands' flair and skill will help Pies fans forget the losses of Jaidyn Stephenson and Adam Treloar. He is a very talented player, especially around goals, but the ACL history is worrisome, especially considering what the Pies are giving up to get him. 8. Essendon - Will Phillips - 18, 181cm 79kg - Oakleigh Chargers The Bombers mop up the slider from the accessible consensus top 5 in Will Phillips, the hard running inside midfielder from the Oakleigh Chargers. It's a great result/pick for the Bombers, he helps in the area they are weakest and he has leadership intangibles that will be of benefit - a likely round one contributor for the Dons as a two-way,, inside-out midfielder. 9. Essendon - Nik Cox - 18, 199cm 82kg - Northern Knights At 9, Essendon goes with a less steady pick and takes the incredibly athletic 199cm Cox from the Northern Knights. It's hard to project what position Cox is best suited to play but as a mound of clay, he is an exciting project for new coach Ben Rutten to work with. The Bombers would have loved to be able to get hold of McDonald via but their picks were in a trade no man's land sufficient to entice Adelaide or North. In time they hope Cox can have an impact up forward with his endurance and unusual elasticity for someone of his size. Trade - Essendon trades the current pick to GWS for what were originally GWS's picks 15 and 20. 10. GWS - Zach Reid - 18, 202cm 82kg - Gippsland Power Essendon trades its third first rounder to get a couple more players in the door slightly down the order. GWS jumps up to get a future cornerstone defender in Reid, who has nice kicking skills to match his wiry 200cm frame. He will take time to fill out but with Phil Davis now at age 30 and with Sam Taylor struggling to get on the park in recent times, it seems sensible to invest in the position group. With GWS strong draft hand in terms of volume of picks, they can afford to take what might be a bit of a risky trade jump on a player whose physical one-on-one strength development will be a pivotal factor going forward. NGA Academy Bid - Port Adelaide matches Adelaides bid for Lachlan Jones 11. Port Adelaide - Lachlan Jones - 18, 184cm 87kg - Woodville/West Torrens No surprise that Port matches the bid that comes for Jones from its cross-town rival, a well-rounded half back who could play straight away for the Power and a steal for what they will give up for him under the broken points system. 11. Adelaide - Tom Powell - 18, 180cm 70kg - Sturt The Crows go down the local path again and select the son of Matthew Powell, the nuggety midfielder/half back who played 16 games for Adelaide in the 90s. His son is a different type of player, a smallish accumulating midfielder with neat skills who has dominated the SANFL junior scene in the last 12 months. He may take some time but once he fills out, which he should given his dad's muscular physique, Powell should be a nice cog in the Crows midfield going forward. Adelaide will be hoping he can have a Caleb Serong-like impact in time. 12. GWS - Heath Chapman - 18, 193cm 81kg - West Perth The Giants again go to the defensive well and select West Australian Chapman. Though they play in the same third of the ground, Chapman brings a different role to the table than does the earlier-picked Reid. He is a mobile intercept marking type who likes to take the game on, carry the football and deliver by foot. Some would think it's excessive for the Giants to in effect use three first rounders on defence but down the line a defence of Reid, Chapman, Taylor and Nick Haynes could not only be impassable but also outstanding on the intercept and in delivery. 13. North Melbourne - Finlay Macrae - 18, 186cm 72kg - Oakleigh Chargers The Kangaroos finally make a pick after executing a few trades that will no doubt get tongues wagging on draft night. They take Macrae the smaller younger brother of the Bulldogs midfield star. Similar in a lot of ways to his brother, this looks a nice pick for the Roos as they start to replenish their list with the surfeit of picks at their disposal over the next two years. Fin Macrae could be one to really blossom and play at a level above his draft status, as even though his brother was a high draft pick, he was an enormous improver once he entered the AFL system. 14. Fremantle - Oliver Henry - 18, 187cm 77kg - Geelong Falcons The way Freo's list is set up, I think this has to be the pick as the Dockers have a dearth of forward 50 marking options. Henry is a mobile third type of forward who should be a nice fit alongside Matt Taberner and Rory Lobb. I think ideally the Dockers would like to go with the local midfield product Jack Carroll at this point but the marriage of need and best available makes the Henry pick a sound one all the same. 15. GWS - Sam Berry - 18, 181cm 81kg - Gippsland Power After hopefully shoring up their defense for the next decade with their first two selections, the Giants go to work on their midfield and take the tough tackling, inside operative Sam Berry. With Callan Ward nearing the end and his likely successor Jye Caldwell now gone, he will help bring a hard edge to the Giants' core that has probably been lacking in recent times and in effect takes Caldwell's spot on the list as his direct replacement. NGA Academy Bid - North Melbourne bid for Reef McInnes which is matched by Collingwood. 16. Collingwood - Reef McInnes - 17, 193cm 86kg - Oakleigh Chargers North cheekily use Collingwood's original pick and bid for McInnes. Collingwood match and get an intriguing midfield prospect with excellent size, speed and versatility potential. With Hollands and McInnes the Pies have done well to replace some of the spark lost during its controversial trade week. Trade - North trade the current pick for Geelong's 2021 first rounder and the second rounder they have that is tied to Essendon. 17. Geelong - Tanner Bruhn - 18, 182cm 75kg - Geelong Falcons After bringing Collingwood to account, North then add an unholy fourth 2021 first rounder and a valuable second rounder to its books and executes a trade with the Cats. Geelong get a local product they rate a lot higher than this spot in the draft and the Kangaroos are playing the long game under new coach David Noble. Bruhn has been on the nose in recent times, maybe clubs think he is more of an outside player than is desirable, maybe it's because he is so underexposed, I'm not sure. All the same, with this ball skills and poise, he seems a nice pick here for the trade backwards then forwards Cats. 18. Essendon - Nathan O'Driscoll - 18, 187cm 76kg - Perth Here the Dons go with the West Australian midfielder and in adding him and Phillips they've added a physical edge to their midfield. O'Driscoll is a big-bodied mid or half-back who is a fierce tackler and a decent left footer. When you think about how interested Essendon was in trying to get Josh Dunkley, O'Driscoll is the kind of player that can shore up the kind of weaknesses that the Dons were looking to solidify with that failed trade attempt. 19. North Melbourne - Brayden Cook - 18, 188cm 74kg - South Adelaide The Kangaroos, with all eyes on them and a probable draft documentary deal brewing, elect to make their second selection of the draft and not add to their 2021 pick haul by adding South Adelaide talent Brayden Cook. Cook has torn the SANFL under 18s apart this year and with his dash, high marking and goalkicking acumen, will be an exciting addition for the Roos. With Tarryn Thomas, Jye Simpkin, Luke Davies-Uniacke and now Macrae and Cook, things probably aren't as bad for North as they appear, especially with what they can now do in the 2021 offseason. 20. Richmond - Bailey Laurie - 18, 180cm 75kg - Oakleigh Chargers Having lost Jack Higgins, the Tigers find what could be a direct replacement in Bailey Laurie, the diminutive midfielder/forward with game-breaking ability and punishing footskills. He might find access to the best 22 difficult early on, but long-term he seems the perfect type of player for the Tigers's forward half systems, with midfield versatility down the line an added bonus. 21. Melbourne - Jack Carroll - 17, 188cm 79kg - East Fremantle The Demons add the talented West Australian midfielder from the same WAFL club as Trent Rivers and Luke Jackson. A left-footer who can cover the ground quickly and with plenty of upside, the Dees will be pleased to add some running power to its midfield on the outside, whilst he further develops his promising inside game. NGA Academy Bid - Melbourne bid for Blake Coleman which is matched by Brisbane. 22. Brisbane Lions - Blake Coleman - 18, 181cm 78kg - Morningside Brisbane hold on to the exciting and quick half-forward Coleman, the brother of Kaidean Coleman, who gives them another speedy operator inside 50 to combine with Charlie Cameron. Melbourne would have loved to add him to Kysaiah Pickett as a crumbing forward combination. 23. Melbourne - Jake Bowey - 18, 175cm 66kg - Sandringham Dragons With their second first rounder the Dees take the small but very evasive and neat kicking small Jake Bowey. The son of ex-St Kilda rover Brett Bowey, Bowey will bring an element of dash to Melbourne and with his kicking efficiency maybe add that dimenson that will help balance Simon Goodwin's ball-winning brigade, whilst also helping the Demons' inconsistent small forward play if deployed in attack. Trade - Essendon trades the current pick to Hawthorn for Hawthorn's second rounder and 2021 third rounder 24. Hawthorn - Max Heath - 18, 204cm 88kg- Sandringham Dragons The Hawks trade up a few spots to avoid coughing up a pick unnecessarily to a Connor Downie bid and take a swing for the fences with Heath, a developing ruckman who could be their long-term solution to the ruck position. A giant man with a physical approach, Heath is very much a raw ball of clay but in time could be worth the investment. With Downie to come, the Hawks take the view that this in effect a free hit and take a risk that could pay off in spades. 25. St Kilda - Cameron Fleeton - 18, 192cm 81kg - Geelong Falcons With their first pick, the Saints add developing Geelong Falcon key defender Cam Fleeton. A more long-range project type player, Fleeton can take a mark and has shutdown defender potential as well. Raw in some areas, the Saints hope he develop into a quality key back and will give him time, something they can afford to do as they've once again bolstered their list with proven commodities, Brad Crouch and Jack Higgins.

It’s worth bearing in mind, that although picks will be pushed back in the draft sequence by NGA selections, later picks will come in as the later draft picks are eaten up. e.g. While the dogs will select JUH early, it will eat up their pick 26, brining our picks 28 & 50 forward. It will also likely eat up their 33, 41 & 42. 50 will come in more as Port’s 35 & 47 are eaten up for Lachie Jones. Sydney’s 34, 37, 43 & 48 should all evaporate. Freo’s 32 will disappear. GC getting ridiculous concessions stings. Having said that, we also have to factor the picks clubs receive back as “change” from the points used to match bids, so 50 will likely push back out a bit, but 28 might be in a bit of a sweet spot. This is something I tried to unsuccessfully articulate last year, but it’s a bit easier now with real world examples; in essence, trading into later picks in this draft may not be such a bad thing. The COVID implications make it even better if you back your talent ID dept to have done the work earlier & better than the opposition.

Another embarrassing piece of rubbish from this club. Just Shut TFU and perform on the field FFS

You must really dislike May, Lever, Hibberd and Langdon, then. It works both ways, you realise.

I get the angst and I agree that his premiership medallions aren't worth as much as others. Yeah, he was at the highest level and should have got the best out of himself no matter what the scenario was. But think about how poorly the club was being run. Our priorities: Losing games. High draft picks. Arguing with suppliers about the colour red. Blazers. Complicated logos. The presidents health. Whiteboards. At the time I was really disappointed with how Chip left the club. In hindsight I think it was a fantastic decision for him and don't begrudge him a single thing.

I think his kicking is fine. He’s had off days for sure like every player but broadly his stats match-up with his peers. It’s the double grabs that are the big knock on his game imv. Cut those out and he’ll be a real threat for us. I don’t think the MFC have done a good job developing Sam. KPF will have off days. It’s important to persist and Goodwin hasn’t done that dropping him after some bad games, not picking him at the start of this season, which has obviously dented his confidence. Sam has had runs of games where he has been very good so he definitely has the ability. This year he needs to be backed in. Told he and BB will be our spearheads. Sending him back to the 2’s serves no purpose anymore. Let’s see what he’s got this year with BB beside him. I think he’s got the goods and will deliver 40 odd goals for us. Over to you Sam.

If I got a 2021 Collingwood Callander from a KK with Treloar in it, I would rate it as the best Christmas present ever

I think the question should be Why do we need footy calendars at all. The kids are into ipads these days so I think their day has passed. btw the Collingwood calendar is probably worse than Norths

Not saying that any D’lander is a hypocrite (God forbid), but in the interests of full disclosure and transparency I think we should all declare, before passing comment on chip, whether we have ever a) changed jobs in our life b) choose an option which resulted in a greater financial return to us c) choose an option which provided us with greater opportunity I tick all the above. He gave 7 good years of good service when we were a rabble, (the last year club and player had separated in spirit) and we got pick 3 when he left. Won his medallion at the Hawks and has now taken the option of an extra year at the saints. Are people seriously saying he should forego a years income, at a level that he’ll probably never be able to earn post career.

Unless a side relocates, the finances just don't add up. They want access to the AFL $12M distribution, their Government to tip in $8M, but where does the rest of the $40-50M per year needed to run an AFL club come from? It isn't memberships, that barely scrapes together a couple of million for any club. Sponsorship is a major input, but it needs a bucketload to still get to the break-even point. The AFL is subsidising GWS / GC to the tune of $30M each per year. And they are doing that to "create" television time, that the networks are prepared to pay. Even they cannot afford another money drain, which wouldn't create more air time to sell ( you need two teams for that). North is already half way there. That is probably the best chance for the Tasmanians. Especially if their government swings the support money to them instead of splitting it with Hawthorn.

I didn’t notice until I saw this article that James Jordan has been put on the rookie list. This appears to have implications as to the club’s list size and the number of players it can select at the draft. With Jordan now on the rookie list, the scenario is - • 33 players on the Primary List (max 38) • 4 on the Rookie A List (maximum 6) • 1 on the Rookie B List (max 2) AFL list changes 2020: Every club’s ins and outs after first list lodgement These are the changes ~ MELBOURNE INS: Ben Brown (Trade) Jay Lockhart (Promoted rookie) OUTS: Harley Bennell (Not retained) Kyle Dunkley (Not retained) Mitchell Hannan (Trade) James Jordan (*Delisted, moving to rookie list) Kade Kolodjashnij (Retired) Oscar McDonald (Delisted) Aaron Nietschke (*Delisted, moving to rookie list ) Braydon Preuss (Trade) Corey Wagner (Not retained) Joshua Wagner (Delisted)

...with him holding the premiership cup aloft. I think I'd almost get an A0 size framed poster for every room.

I've never been one to criticise the club for these puff pieces or media commitments. But I think someone needs to take Max aside and explain to him what a dynasty is.

I really cannot understand comments such as this. Being an AFL footballer is a career, just like any other career that any one of us might have (or have had), and so, AFL footballers, look to improve themselves and secure their futures, just like any of us do. I had a career as a Technical Writer and when my manager left to go to a bigger and better company, he contacted me and asked if I'd like to move and join him at that company on better wages, with better conditions, and with more talented developers; I jumped at it, as I'm sure most would, and it certainly did not diminish my caring about doing the best work that I possibly could... in fact it had the exact opposite affect, it reinvigorated me. On the flip side of that coin, I was working at a company called Oracle and at the age of 62 was made redundant. Not so different to an AFL club delisting or trading players who are now surplus to their needs. Do you regard the MFC with the same disdain, for only caring about winning flags and attracting large sponsorships at the expense of players like Oscar McDonald? Has that diminished your love of football?

Sounds to me like it might not be possible to come up with a deal where at least one of the clubs will end up over the cap. Pies cap + Dogs cap + Treloars salary > 2 x salary cap Wonder if Treloar will be willing to backload to help them out ...

Perhaps Tasmania should have 2 head(quarters)

Of course, if you're living in Ohio, you're in the land that has alternative facts.

It's finally been confirmed that Trump will leave the White House with Grace and Dignity. Just as soon as Grace finds her shoes, Dignity gets dressed and they both get paid.

yeah, it's called a career

Totally with you here 'Macca'...I think we wanted him out the door to get the extra pick in lieu of a priority pick that the AFL weren't keen to give in name but gave us as compensation. Chip played some good footy for us but the last year went through the motions as we did by playing him forward. Club and player were in a holding pattern. Plus, he was a better player than most give credit for, a bit unlucky not to pick up the Norm in his premiership year. Good luck to him if he can get another year out...

As for coming out of retirement Frawley might have got the tap on the shoulder at Hawthorn (they do that at the Hawks) So the Saints offer him a 1 year deal when he is still fighting fit ... what's the big deal? You're a long time retired

Roos played Frawley in the forward line in the 2014 season and then didn't seem all that perturbed when Frawley explored free agency And there's a good chance that we'd got word that we were going to be compensated well with his loss (turned out to be pick 3 which we used to claim Brayshaw) I saw it all as win/win And just because we draft a player doesn't necessarily mean we own that player. These days, a player gets to make choices as well

I would think it was for a bit of both... money, as I stated in my previous post, who wouldn't jump at the opportunity to make their future a little more secure financially (it's nothing to do with greed), but I would also think that as players like Frawley have known little outside of football for the best part of 15 years, it must be very hard to turn away from a sport they obviously love playing with a passion.

It’s reported in the article which WJ linked. The ins and outs etc are as quoted from the article. So potentially we have 5 picks in the draft and will possibly hold one back for later drafts.

I’ve attended many VAFA B and C section games in recent seasons (none in 2020). A number of clubs in those competitions rely on canteen sales, raffles and post game bar sales. If these facilities are limited/reduced next year because of ongoing restrictions/precautions relating to Covid19, many of those clubs will struggle. More so, clubs in lower divisions. Junior clubs are also doing it hard. The game depends on players coming up through community grass roots footy. There are tough times ahead.

Yep, ok ill retract ridiculous comment, but I do think its overly harsh. The misses stand out in our memories, because they have come at times we could have won if he kicked them, but overall his kicking for goal has been good and I'm not sure he has been poor often enough enough for it to be a pattern or concern yet.

He missed some extremely gettable goals this year for a forward that actually has a good kicking style, and also kicked quite a few from point blank finishing the good work of others (good work from him too to get into that position). The Brisbane game in particular I remember him missing a couple of fairly standard shots, we lost that by a goal, and vs North he should’ve had a massive bag but finished 2.3. True over the course of his career he’s been a decent set shot.

He has 46 goals 25 behinds for a career accuracy of 65%. Ridiculous comment.

To be fair, development (I think) is generally misunderstood and is not about turning kids into superstars. It’s about rounding players out and giving them the tools to be able to develop into young men who are capable of managing being AFL players, who can then blossom. I found it interesting listening to the Sacked podcast yesterday with Barry Hall, who said that the culture was bad when he was at St Kilda but he was lucky to have some good influences who helped him to develop the tools to stick around and eventually somewhat fulfill his potential. Also being taught how to play as a proper KPF, after getting by in juniors on talent having been a tall mid who went through a massive late growth spurt. Just having someone to spend the time with kids who all chase the footy and use their raw talent, then face the reality of needing to learn the defensive aspects of the game at AFL level and work on their craft, positioning, etc. A club doesn’t need superstar coaches for this work, but they need to put in the resources.

Treloar was in the Pies calendar

If you're confused, how do you think he feels....

Christ this club just can’t help itself. It loves to talk and that’s about it. How about shutting up and just getting to work?

An interesting hour with Trac Podcast Trac with Dylan Buckley

Pates, went to all the games this year at Carrara/Metricon. Almost always a decent breeze, with very little protection from the minature grand stands and virtually no protection at one end. I do remember Weid missing those set shots and thinking if he had just nailed one, we would have been home. But he wasn't Robinson Crusoe that night, by a long way. Harley Bennell, who was a gerally a beuatful shot on goal also missed an absolute sitter that I thought he would have nailed in a heartbeat 99 time out of 100. Our feild kicking in general against the Dogs at Carrara was abysmal, resulting in numerous abhorrent and costly turnovers that went a long way to loosing us the game - again quite windy conditions. Perhaps this is something for Yze to work on with the team?

Yes agree however he should stick to the bike ride interview leave the footy out of it . Bad timing'.

no chance. omac will not play afl again.

We've had a lot of players go backwards since 2018

Stevens said Egan is 'very highly rated in the AFL coaching fraternity'. I feel like journos always say that whenever a coach leaves one club for another, or moves on to something else. If they were all this good then the game would be a far better spectacle than it is right now.

Don't know much about the Saints backline but a one year contract for a proven player makes sense if you have a short term hole to fill I very much hope we are looking very hard at finding a mature crumbing forward for the year. From Frawley's viewpoint who wouldn't put another $400k in their pocket when for the rest of his life he will be lucky to hit six figures.

AFL great Neale Daniher, who has helped raise tens of millions of dollars to fight motor neurone disease while battling it himself, will be honoured at the MCG. The former Essendon player and Melbourne coach will have a walkway in the MCG precinct named after him, reports Seven’s Tom Browne. The move was said to be driven by Victorian premier Daniel Andrews, assisted by the MCG.

Yes, because as if another poor season wasn't enough, lets give up on taking ad revenue buy not posting content. Bringing in less money doesn't solve any problems mate.

i think players playing for three or more teams will become more and more the norm the cachet of being a 'one club player' has completely disappeared in the modern era, with afl player and club mentality finally catching up to where overseas sports have been for 40+ years

I can’t wrap my head around the concept of switching allegiances like that. If Maxy, Trac , Oliver and May decided to de-camp, on mass, to a rival I still wouldn’t be for turning. Even if there was a time machine that took me back to the fateful time when I got hooked on the Dees I still wouldn’t change my decision. That said I do wonder whether I should inflict the Dees on my kids. It’s a hard road.

Do you expect the players to stay silent the entire pre-season? They need to drum up some press and positive attitude to pump up the clubs exposure.

glorious just glorious

I love Gawn and I know these garbage articles are just fodder for the media and have to be done. But Jesus if my eyes could roll out of head while I read the same thing each pre-season, I would have gone blind years ago.

Alternatively, you could leave the petty politics out of it and give credit where it's due if, as reported, Daniel Andrews is the one driving this proposal which we all endorse.

So far we have big tax payer money for Geelong, Footscray, North, Richmond, Carlton and Essendon. I really don't understand how the general community benefit of spending huge amounts of money on AFL teams. I get the financial impact AFL has on the Victorian Economy but State and Federal governments just throwing money at clubs isn't money well spent. St Kilda and Collingwood have had recent cash to upgrade their facilities I'm sure Hawthorn has received a good whack for Dingley, seems we are the only club that has missed out I hope we do have a good business case for a location as it seems all means of Government are pumping cash into AFL facilities.