mo64

What about Hogan? I would have thought that 8 of our best 22 remaining would be pretty standard turnover for clubs that don't make the finals over 3 years. I'd also argue that Roos thought the Garland was best 22 when he gave him a 3 year contract last year.

You do understand the difference between trading and drafting in players? Bugg, BenKen and Melksham were crumbs and are never going to make a massive difference to our list. I stand by my point that the reason why the FD doesn't leak is because there is nothing to leak. And we've known about Hibberd for quite some time. Who leaked that?

Nothing if they're a FA. But what's the point of saying you love how the FD rarely leaks who we're are chasing when in reality, we're probably not chasing anyone of note other than crumbs like we got last year. And BTW, most clubs target a player first, then find a way to get the deal done. Who in their right mind could have thought that Geelong could get Dangerfield, Henderson, S.Selwood and Z.Smith in one trade period. And most are questioning how Hawthorn will be able to get O'Meara, Mitchell and Vickery in this year. They'll find a way. The hard part is trying to get the player to commit.

No, I'd prefer it if top liners nominated us now as their club of choice. Trade negotiations start mid year not in trade week.

Just remember. It's only a problem if you're losing.

Not many of us can sit at home studying the form, knowing that your business interests are bringing in a nice income. Having said that, I've heard The Dr.'s philosophy to punting, and he's very disciplined. He keeps spreadsheets of all his bets and sorts them by bet type. There are no impulse bets, which is the downfall of 99% of punters, including myself.

For one of the few times, I agree with you Saty. It's a common trait amongst Demonlanders to think that everything will be rosy because we moved on certain players. They applauded when Neeld conducted a clean out, then 3 years later applauded Roos when he conducted a clean out. Unless the players that are replacing them can reach a superior level, save your applause, and appreaciate the efforts of the players delisted.

I don't think the B&F list of 2013 reflects that at all. You have to understand that the game has evolved. What the likes of Garland, Terlich and M.Jones offered in 2013 was perfectly acceptable at the time, but doesn't cut it now. The other 7 on the list all had talent. Some have taken their talent elsewhere, some are still playing well and some didn't live up to expectations.

Nah. Two of Dr.Turfs daughters date Footscray VFL players.

If Grimes wasn't a free agent, and another club had an interest in him, the club may have arranged a token trade to soften the blow. Being a FA, it becomes a pointless excercise. I actually doubt that Grimes will be picked up. The parallels between the careers of Grimes and Jed Adcock are remarkably similar. Both former captains delisted by their club. And after watching the VFL GF last week, the right call was made in both cases.

Too early to say. 3 years ago you would have said that they were all required players. If next year we're talking about BenKen, Melksham and Bugg in the same light, we've still got a way to go.

I refute your argument that at the start of 2015 we were 18 months behind the Dogs in development. And I also refute your argument that analysts believe that was the case at the time. Your statement is purely based on hindsight, and it serves no purpose because it can't be proven or disproven. As you say "there are a multitude of factors that determine how a team develops."

Well we fell short of achieving our goal.

Daniel Chick?

Your argument doesn't factor in the abilities of the coaches. The Dogs development has been fast tracked by a brilliant coach. Any comparison to the 2014 Dogs is irrelevant because they had a poor coach. Name one analyst who thought that the Dogs would be anything other than a bottom 4 team in 2015, especially after their B&F from 2014 in Libba did his knee? The days of premiership clocks are over. Free agency and a more fluid trade period means that it's far easier to make a monumental leap. Planning for incremental improvement is doomed for failure. When Roos arrived, Peter Jackson expected us to be playing finals by 2016. Roos has brought stability to the club but little else. Unless Goodwin is more inventive than Roos, we won't be playing finals next year.

Good comparison. There'll be plenty of interest for him.

I'm not questioning the commitment of the Casey players. I was having a dig at Melbourne's commitment to Casey, when in previous years of making the finals, we'd put our players out to pasture. How could they develop a winning culture when Big Brother treated them like sh#t. Prior to this year, Casey had lost something like 9 finals games in a row.

The problem I suspect GNF is that your source doesn't understand the 2nd language of the AFL, which is "Lying". Many of us on here became nervous when talks were put on hold this time last year. His manager comes out with the usual spin about wanting to see the direction of the club, blah, blah, blah. Lies. To appease the members and media, the club's spin doctors then come out and say that it was mutually agreed to put talks on hold till the end of this season. More Lies. To top it off, your source then comes out and says that Hogan will re-sign within 6 months. The b#llshit meter was now on high alert. Anyone with half a brain would understand that it's not in the club's interests for Hogan to remain uncommitted after trade week. Either the club and your source couldn't read the tea leaves with everything that Hogan and his management have said to date, or they're gullible.

How have Casey grown their culture? Casey only had 6 players in the GF team. That makes it hard for them to attract quality players and talk about club culture. The only difference between this year and past is that Melbourne had a good run with injuries which improved Casey's home and away performances, and we allowed qualified players to play finals.

Weid has all the tools to be a top-liner. Just needs to put on some muscle and improve his endurance. His ball handling below his knees is really impressive. Hulett on the other hand looks like a good park footballer. Put him close to goal in lower leagues, and he has the strength to be a good goalkicker. Doesn't have the agility or skill to play the role of a 3rd or 4th tall in the forward line at AFL level.

Yeah I heard it, and it's exactly how you say. Gordon admitted that there are numerous off-field things to put in place, and the Hawks are helping them out, as they have staff who are experienced with GF week. Great gesture by the Hawks.

His manager is just a WA agent of Stride sports management which is based in Melbourne. His residency has no influence on Hogan's decision.

Yes and no. Young players don't have to dominate games to get me excited about them. I've seen enough of Oliver and glimpses of Weid and J. Smith to believe that they have got a lot to offer. And they all showed a bit today. The players that I thought before the game that shouldn't be at the club next year were Spencer, Garland (both contracted), Terlich, M. Jones and Grimes. I'm a Dunn fan, but he was average today, and I think will be traded. I'd like to see Tengove do well, but I'm afraid he's cooked. Kennedy, Michie and Newton are just fringe players, who I've now seen enough to think that they won't take the next level. ANB's disposal is deplorable. And then there are times when he wins contested ball but is too slow to dispose of it. Not sure he's AFL standard. And I'm not sure if White and Huelett have enough strings to their bow to succeed at AFL level, but they have time on their side for development. So to answer your question, I had preconceived ideas about all the players, and as it turned out, they all lived up to my expectations, other than Dunn.

Are you serious. The Dogs list has had a massive overhaul since McCartney got the sack. They lost Griffen, Cooney and Higgins. Everyone tipped them for bottom 4 in 2015. Players like Johannisen, Wood, Hunter, Dahlhaus, Wallis, Roughead were just fringe players. Picken has been a revelation. Boyd and Morris were on their last legs. 7 other players who played yesterday have arrived since 2015. Just accept what everyone else in the football world can see. Beveridge gets the best out of his players through a brilliantly devised gameplan. And that's the job of a coach.

Not this crap again. Beveridge has totally reformed how the Dogs play since he took over. In 2015, they were a high scoring attack focussed team that were easy to score against. In 2016, they are the best defensive team. In essence, they are a different team from 2015 to 2016. This has got nothing to do with the time that McCartney was there. McCartney might be good at developing individual players, but he was a failure as a coach. The game is constantly evolving. To suggest that we'll reach the level of the Dogs, simply because McCartney is a development coach is fanciful.