SaberFang

Yeah, but he's the captain of one of the "big 4," so like it or not he (and countless other thoroughly average players at Richmond, Essendon, Collingwood and even Carlton) gets plenty of media attention. Marc Murphy and Brice Gibbs aren't fit to tie Jonesy's shoelaces, but you can guess who receives more PR fellatio every year.

Thanks to the club that recruited him, if he's anything less than Stephen 2.0, he'll be a disappointment. You could not be more misguided as a club.

Likewise, Carlton are doing it as well. They're already throwing Silvagni's kid to the wolves in the media. It's like the media and PR departments just can't help themselves. Anything it takes to get a few extra memberships, even if it means lumping unnecessary pressure on their 18 year old kids.

Yep, the parallels are amusing. I was listening to SEN this afternoon and the hosts were going on about top-up players. Eventually one of them said something like, "just get the kids in! Throw them into the furnace and see who thrives! They have some great young talent and this Parish kid seems like a future captain, so throw them in and see who stands up and leads their team, it'll be really exciting." I laughed. As a wise man once said, history is doomed to repeat itself.

We haven't heard much about Oliver. Conversely, Essendon can't shut up about Parish. Guess they need something for their members to look forward to.

He's no Colin Sylvia, granted.

Nice little video of Parish's home life on the farm. Get the feeling he and Bernie would get along like a house on fire if he comes to us with pick 3. Perfect mentor for a kid moving from country life to the big smoke. http://www.afl.com.au/video/2015-11-20/darcy-parish-farm-to-fame

Both scenarios are perfectly likely with Weideman, Milera and Francis in the sights of the Bombers and Suns.

Geez, this pick-up sounds better and better all the time. Imagine if he proved as ingenious as the VDB recruitment.

Exactly. It's not like anyone else was banging down the door for Melksham at his price, why did we rush into that one with such high currency when we knew we were shopping Toumpas for a lower second rounder?

Exactly, it's a rubbish argument. Pick 25 as it stands now will be pick 25 in a month's time.

Roos should probably disable his email right now.

Is it POSSIBLE they made a handshake agreement not to take Parish with pick 4 in exchange for us paying overs here?

[censored].

LOL Hawks give up 18 for Carlisle. Eagles give up 17 for Redden. We give up 25 for... Melksham.

Agree. I'd rather the club didn't do anything stupid like a Tom Boyd deal. They're building the list for sustained success.

Dodoro, never again. Even Essendon fans hate him.

Fair enough. I can see the upside but there's a large element of the unknown taking a player facing WADA sanctions. Think that's a first for our club. I can understand taking the punt for key position players like Ryder and Carlisle but find it a bit perplexing for a fringe type like Melksham. Guess we have to back Goodwin and McCartney on this one.

It's already pick 25 factoring in GC's compensation pick. And you've got the Academy situation backwards; clubs now give up multiple picks to secure Academy prospects, thus moving later picks up the draft not down. Sydney for instance may need to burn multiple first rounders to secure Mills. I guess FA compo could affect where pick 25 falls, but of the 3 FA's so far Danger was traded and Selwood and Suckling only gave compo in the late 30's. I was guilty of judging the Frost deal prematurely, but the value of that really came down to luck on draft night. Don't think anyone saw ANB or T-Mac's brother sliding that far. I'm just hoping this isn't a straight swap for 25 because we've gotten much more currency in the past for our picks.

The general point I'm trying to make is that most other footy people are in disbelief at the trade. I've already had about 5 texts tonight on the subject.

It isn't just this forum. I just skimmed over 300 comments from 18 clubs worth of supporters... there was not one comment from someone calling this a remotely fair trade. I know it's only Facebook, but even most people can see that the Dangerfield trade was relatively win/win for those clubs in the long run. " Massive overs, the guy is a fringe player and a 3rd round selection at best" "you must think it's Christmas. Melbourne don't ever deserve to make finals." "I reckon bombers would of accepted pick 80 for him" "This is why Melbourne are the biggest joke of a football club the pay way overs on average players, first round pick for Dawes few years back and now an early second round pick for melksham , get ready for another season of mediocrity" " I would of been happy for him to be delisted but I'll take pick 25. " " If Melbourne ever had the plot, they have surely now lost it.." "waste pick 25 for a vfl player lol" "Bombers #winning melksham anything over $300k a year is abhorrent behaviour from Melbourne" "Best news ever. We even got a decent pick for the list clogger" I had to stop, it was seriously just pages of abuse. https://www.facebook.com/AFLTRDON?fref=nf

By all accounts no other team would touch the contract we're prepared to pay him. We could just as easily have gotten him for free in the PSD.

No need to panic until WADA finds him guilty.

Curious how we're going to also get Bugg and Kennedy without getting Essendon's third rounder back. I'd think Collingwood will want something in the 20s for the latter, Bugg something in the 30's.

Fingers crossed. Or, as mooted earlier, we're trading in a later second rounder somehow.