mo64

But Wiseblood's opinion is based on facts, whereas your speculation is based on wishful thinking.

I would have thought that the Tiges would rate Ben Lennon as highly as Matt Crouch, so I'd be surprised if they'd offered Crouch big bucks and let Lennon go. Who said that the Saints aren't offering the big money? Just read the Adelaide BF forum, and a thread was started a month ago saying that the Saints had offered Crouch $400k.

Correct. Dangerfield arrives at Tullamarine, then gets shuttled to Geelong.

Varcoe had a career best year. Lumumba had a career worst year. Clark rarely got on the park, which was par for the course.

Well Hartlett would cost us pick 6, so the rest of the deal stands alone.

Kane Mitchell for 2nd rounder + player? Have you seen him play? I suppose he could replace Riley and McKenzie as a permanent Casey player.

That's what I said.

I rate Duncan, Motlop, Guthrie, Cockatoo, Horlin-Smith plus an elite player in Selwood. If you had a star-studded team already, you couldn't fit Dangerfield into your salary cap.

I said Vince's career at Adelaide was inferior to Hartlett's career to date. Vince's highly impressive 2 years with us would elevate him on a par with Hartlett. And can someone explain why they seem to think that we can land Prestia?

And Hartlett may not have come 3rd in a B&F like Terlich, but I know who is the better player. There are relative merits to B&F results. Since getting over his hamstring problems, Hartlett has been a consistently very good player, whereas Vince was a good player at Adelaide.

I'd trade pick 6 for Dixon in a heartbeat, and pick 24 for Howe is about right.

Not bad. Probably the best trade suggestion I've seen for a while.

I seriously doubt that you've seen Hartlett play. Hartlett's career to date at Port has far exceeded Vince's tenure at Adelaide. If we can land him in trade week, the acquisition of Melksham would be more palatable.

Who are the industry insiders? I immediately equate our 2nd rounder as being around pick 20/21. This year, once FA compensation is allocated, it may be around pick 25. Admittedly it's supposedly a shallow draft, but I still think it's overs.

I think it's just an analogy for a player who racks up meaningless possessions without hurting the opposition. Grimes has been dropped or made sub a few times this year, even though his possession numbers have been ok. This makes you think that the FD aren't that rapt with his game. Players can hurt their own side by calling for the ball short and wide, hence allowing the opposition to structure their defence. I've felt that Grimes and Garland are the biggest culprits at doing this at Melbourne.

No. He can only play as a 1st ruck, and we have Gawn. Spencer is an ideal backup 1st ruck, because he won't get a game unless Gawn is injured, and would be relatively cheap. King will be an ideal fwd/2nd ruck in 2 years time. If we offload Dawes, we'll target a forward with 2nd ruck potential. Maybe Walker or Kersten from Geelong. BTW, Fitzpatrick was never considered a ruckman by the FD this year.

Hardly. Was an athlete with a poor football IQ. Only possible position for him was as a fwd/2nd ruck, but he couldn't ruck and was a useless forward.

Clubs will always back their system to get the best out of players. Frawley and Sylvia were free agents, so minimal cost. Other clubs are just being realistic with their assessment of the worth of players like Howe and Watts. Howe will have suitors, but not at his manager's asking price.

The same Greg Denham who said that Essendon are asking for our 1st rd pick + Howe for Melksham. Clearly he reads fan forums like this and Big Footy, and is stupid enough to repeat sarcastic trade suggestions. Denham is a [censored], with no journalistic credentials.

But 4 years isn't a standard contract for someone on an average salary.

Agree with everything Healy and Matthews had to say. The bloke should be on a base payments contract. I'd love to know where he will sit in our payments structure. If he's in the top 10-15, that's laughable.

Every selection that doesn't turn out comes at a cost. There are at least a dozen players selected after Sellar that are making an impact at AFL level, including Lachie Neale and Aaron Hall. Goodwin isn't necessarily in the best position to assess Melksham's worth compared to other players out there.

Mick Malthouse's love of Daisy Thomas clouded his views of an injury riddled player, past his best. And Carlton are paying for that decision big time. There are probably other players out there that offer more than Melksham, and could come at a lesser cost. Melksham's CV isn't impressive, and that's what most on here are judging him on.

His role changed with the acquisition of Malcelski and Saad, plus KK plays a similar role. I'd prefer McKenzie with ball in hand running off half back ahead of anyone in our team, other than Salem. I also believe he's gettable, unlike Prestia and O'Meara.

I hope they have a trade target that addresses our needs. If GC are involved, my guess would be Trent McKenzie.