mo64

Knows where his off stump is, and leaves the ball well.

I think his salary demands were the big sticking point for other clubs. Plus no-one was prepared to cough up anything substantial to make the trade worthwhile to Brisbane. It seems to me that if a club really wanted him, they could have got him.

Why do we need your take when we've heard how things transpired in the Lewis press conference? BTW, your take isn't even close to reality.

Unfortunately for us, Dunn had more currency than Garland.

Just reported on SEN that Dunn to Collingwood will go through soon. No mention of picks involved. Good pick up by Pies.

Lewis' relationship with Todd Viney was the reason why he chose us. He's maintained a strong relationship since Todd was at Hawthorn.

Why wouldn't he nominate for the main draft? If he's a delisted free agent, he could just walk to whichever club may be interested in him for the PSD.

Nathan = Nat = Gnat

So we're going to offer Hibberd as a trade for Lewis?

Nathan Brown and Sam Reid. They can have Garland if they like. Clarkson still managed to talk him into staying. Lewis' manager Pickering is a weasel. He's just trying to bump up his commission.

Unless we get him for pick 76, I feel the same way. And unless we've gone down the same path as WCE with Mitchell, and put the plans on the table well in advance, I can't see what Lewis' motivation would be to play for us, other than a pension. And whereas Mitchell still makes players around him better, I'm not sure that Lewis can do that now.

Did you raise your concerns when we acquired Cross on the same terms?

The little sweetener is actually "cr" and "ap".

You do realise that Sam M has 1 year left whereas Tom M has possibly 10 years? Not many mids are as damaging as Sam M, but to say that Tom M. is overrated is ridiculous. He was in the top 3 players for the Swans in the GF. The player at Hawthorn who is irreplaceable is Roughy.

That's a bargain for a player who's just reaching his prime.

Along with your "Hawthorn Blunder" post, it's clear that you've got it in for Clarkson and Hawthorn. Petty jealousy I assume.

Wrong again on 2 counts. It was initially discussed 12 months ago and Mitchell thinks it's best in his interests to make the move now. It's his decision to make as to whether he stays or goes. He could have got a job elsewhere after he retired, but he clearly wants to work under Simpson, and the timing is right for all parties.

I suggest you listen to his interview on SEN this morning. You couldn't hear a more honest unambiguous football interview in your life. Hawthorn also had salary cap pressure when Buddy was becoming a free agent, and they faced the reality that he would go. They didn't dwell on it, and won the next 2 flags.

If you listened to the interview with Mitchell on SEN, your comments couldn't be further from the truth. Clearly Mitchell has a strong relationship with both Clarkson and Simpson, and the idea was raised 12 months ago. Mitchell is up to level 3 of his coaching certificate, and it's clearly his long term goal. Unlike Buckley, Hird and Voss, he would think it best to cut his teeth with assistant coaching at another club. Mitchell also explained that the timing was perfect as his kids are about to start school. You could actually feel the excitement in his voice about the opportunity at WCE, but he equally said he'd be happy to stay at Hawthorn. This isn't a James McDonald type scenario.

Or they're just trying to strike while the iron is hot. The core of their premiership teams is dissipating, so if they went down the youth path, they'd be left with Selwood, some B graders and a bunch of kids. It was evident this year that the difference between 1st and 7th was slight, and the Dogs won the flag against all expectations. It's not unforeseeable for either Geelong or Hawthorn to pinch another flag if their trade targets come off. It would be madness for either club to totally rebuild.

Biggest f' up under the Roos led Football Dept. The 3 year deal was bewildering to some of us at the time, and we were proven correct. He's been struggling as a player for 3 years now, so the new game plan had nothing to do with it. Talk that he would be allowed to go to a new home for nothing, but there were no takers. He'll be at Casey until his contract expires.

Finally someone is speaking sense. Wells and Mayne are not costing Collingwood any draft picks, whereas we're coughing up for Melksham last year and Hibberd this year. So if Wells and Mayne can fit into their salary cap short term, what they're getting paid is irrelevant. Since the Bailey era, Demonlanders have been brainwashed into believing that a total rebuild is the only way to go. People like ProDee boasts about how young our list is. In the modern era of free agency and contracts being broken at will, the idea of topping up will become more prevalent. And if you can top up via free agency as the Pies have, it's a massive bonus. It's all about winning now and not potential. Wells is a jet, and just the type we need. Mayne wouldn't suit us, but the Pies need more forward pressure, so he addresses a need for them.

Well I've heard Rob Kerr on SEN say before trade week that they thought our 2nd rounder this year would get it done. BTW, I think the idea of whether a club leaks or not is a load of bollocks. It has little or no impact on the trade whatsoever. All the talk was of Hawthorn wanting Mitchell and O'Meara. And they'll get their wish because the seeds were sown months in advance, which is why the leaks occur. Some players may have a change of heart, like Lin Jong. On the other hand, you get the chinese whispers which the likes of GNF like to publish. They usually amount to nothing because the message is lost in translation. It starts off as, Melbourne and 7 other clubs have asked Paul Connors about whether Dangerfield would be interested in coming to them. It ends up as, Melbourne have put up a trade for Dangerfield and he's a real chance of coming to the club.

Maybe because that's the outcome they were after, not necessarily ours. They may have leaked it to the media to suit themselves. Giving up our 2nd rounder this year has never made sense. The developments today makes me hopeful that we'll have a pick under 30 this year.

I thought we didn't leak?