DemonWheels

Much Appreciated!

Pretty happy this has all been finalized before the end of the year so everyone can move on ( most importantly the MFC). Wishing 'H' all the best with whatever comes next - I hope you leave us with good feelings about the club you've spent the last couple of years with. In my memory of 'H' over the last few years, he isn't involved in a lot of pivotal memories (on ground) but what I do know is that he joined us when we were basically a basket case club / team - how can anyone really quantify his influence? He won a premiership medal in 2010(?) and spent every day with our young team for the last 2 years - so in my mind I still see us gaining a lot out of this trade compared to those who see us gaining nothing after the Clarke / Varcoe / Lamumba deal. Super impressed with MFC management on this one too - this is the sort of thing that historically lingers and plays out in the media - Golf claps all round!

Corrrrrrrrrect. With so much AFL devoted media still needing to earn a pay check to get them through Christmas and January it's no surprise that they start pumping up Collingwood and Richmond - they do it EVERY YEAR - Why? Because their crazed fans (no different to us) click onto the articles on the Newspaper websites, on the AFL website, facebok posts through FOX and SEN, as well as picking up the paper (all of which sells advertising space). Same can be said for Freo and WC over there in the West. The media will try and make a news story out of nothing to sell some space and attract attention their way - even when there isn't really a story to tell. With regards to the article itself (I haven't read it) - I know where we stand and who we are better than in the league. We have a bloody tough, honest and hardworking midfield now with some spark and flair developing on the edges, probably lacking a bit of pace but we're easily the most competitive (and 'potentially' talented) bunch of players I've seen in my time (30+ years). Next year will tell us a lot about where we're at and our prospects for the next few years. Fingers crossed all goes to plan.

Awesome thread, love hearing everyone's expectations and thoughts for next year. In my opinion our list has definitely improved over the off season - by exactly how much is hard to say - but I'd suggest with Melksham, Hibberd and Lewis at the very least joining our best 25 we are adding some extra quality. Include a fit Salem and some more fitness into last years recruits and we're looking even better. Our depth across the board is pretty solid and I reckon if we get a decent run with injuries we can improve on last year with a similar bump up in wins from the year previous. Looking for at least 12 wins. If everything is truly right in the world and 2017 treats us nicely - then North will plummet, Pies lose their coach and implode, similar story with Tigers if they don't fire, Carlton begin to stumble, Port have the pressure on and are almost in the same boat, Weat Coast might drop away again in an off year, Hawks might have lost their soul and most importantly St Kilda begin to top out with a lack of true talent (they worry me) then we might just jump a few more places than previously expected and imbed ourselves in the finals. Can't wait!

Hawthorn trade out Sam Mitchell and Jordan Lewis. Their first pick at 76: Michell Lewis

A quick google gives me this but I don't know much else: http://m.westernbulldogs.com.au/video/2016-04-12/hannans-vfl-screamer

So happy to not see a Melbourne jumper in the traditional photo of the 'Top Ten' picks (on AFL site now) - we're ready to take the next step now and look forward to seeing some magic from Jason Taylor in picking late picks for us to develop.

Exactly. Whats stopping him from playing and having an awesome year next year and earning another contract as opposed to having it 'triggered'. Just get on with it.

Awesome thread, thanks everyone for all the clear and concise information. I don't live too far away so I look forward to contributing where I can. Particularly looking forward to seeing the new players - for some reason I feel like Maynard and Smith might be bigger players than their Rookie status might suggest but I'm keen to see them in the flesh before I commit to that statement. Go Dees.

Some more images here for those interested in the new faces: http://www.aflphotos.com.au/galleries/results/?q=collection:AFL 2016 Training - Melbourne 071116&image_id=478305

I'm getting burnt to a crisp in Bali on my honeymoon and couldn't thank you enough to all the posters contributing to this thread with rumours, whispers, possible trade deals and draft pick possibilities - no matter what happens I've loved the entertainment and the hope that this period brings. The last few years I've felt desperate during this period for news of a star joining us but it's always felt a bit far fetched with where our team was at. But we now have a solid core group of professional and talented players that are set on a journey towards some form of growth and success that I can believe in the possibility of A grade players joining us to make the team even better. Cant wait to see what the next few days brings. I remember when there was a heap of speculation about the possibility of Paul Roos joining us and to me it just felt right. All the talk of Dangerfield / Parker / Treloar / Kennedy / Shuey over the past few years never felt real enough to me but this time around - with Lewis, Rocky and Hibberd - it feels like a real possibility and hope the Dees can pull it off. In Taylor / Mahoney / Goodwin we trust!

Although I would have loved to watch the Casey game, this Ess V Cats game is pretty good to watch - lots of goals and good quality footy.

Seriously lucky we're not down by 6 goals or more already - they've kept us in the game through bad kicking. We have to tighten up and start playing footy not whatever that was in the first quarter. Feeling a lot like the same game last year - if we've improved as a club we need to come out and take the game on.

I'm a massive Grimes fan and hope he can get a few more games under his belt before the end of the season - but I reckon his style of play doesn't align with the rest of the team. If he gets caught in traffic he'll hold onto the ball and lock it in. Every other demon player now tries to move the ball forward - no matter how scrappy. If the ball comes to him and he's almost out of the scrimmage he tends to then handball back in and often so quickly it's a complete waste of a posession as no opposition players have moved towards him to then create space for the person he handballs back to. Flat out can't kick to a team mates advantage - which is a particular concern when he's often kicking to a contest: He's often kicking to a contest because once he gets a mark he doesn't move the ball on quickly. Love his effort and would love for him to be part of the team going forward but until he can get a bit more urgent and forget the teachings of previous coaches I'm not sure he stays in the best 22.

Typical Roos style game - get in front and then lock it down OR that could have possibly come from Lyon - get behind and then limit the damage. Either way when the game was open we were much cleaner and won a lot more of the ball. Watching on TV: - Loved Tyson's game, he seemed to adjust to what we all wanted him to do - be the extractor and handball when under pressure but kick when he had space - didn't get caught today that I remembered. - Backline was very good, loved White's work - reminds me a lot of Anthony Ingerson (might just be the glove?) - The run off the half back line is where it all starts - the linking handballs and run towards a moving forward line create huge problems for the defense. - Great to get the W in Darwin and against the Dockers - now let's kill next weeks challenge Go Dees

Never seen so many players from the one team kick as blindly as Adelaide have tonight - every time they get the ball it's on their boot without even lifting their head to see where they're kicking. And of course Cats are there to mark it and send it down the other end. Cats should be way more in front.

Last week was horribly frustrating to watch at the game - felt very similar to the loss last year against the Doggies at Etihad - like we just didn't know what to do once the opposition had the ball so we stopped and let them run right past us, with free opposition players everywhere overlapping and running in waves, creating the illusion that we have fewer players on the ground. This can't happen again today - we need to be switched on and play to our strengths - contested and tight footy. We need to lock them in with manic pressure and force every possession of theirs to be under considerable heat and create turnovers. If they get on the outside and start overlapping were done as we don't have the leg speed to keep up. I've made the trip up and it's a stunning day - very warm in the sun but that will be gone by the time of the first bounce. My first interstate game and hoping we can put 4 quarters of good footy together as I think thats all it will take. We've travelled pretty well this year so far (NAB games and Vs North) and this should bring the team some confidence. Go Dees

Port came with a bit of heat and fight at the very start of the game which I think actually sparked Geelong even more at quarter time - it's backfired big time as the Cats have stepped up and closed them down while creating run and overlap themselves. Take note MFC - hit em hard and they crumble.

Toumpas is having an absolute Mare tonight unfortunately - Brian Taylor is all over him on the commentary and Geelong have caught him out a few times. Just doesn't seemed to have clicked for him.

Listening to SEN this morning with KB (I think it was this morning?) and they were chatting about the decline in true commentators, i.e. Dennis C, Bruce Mc etc. and were suggesting that given these older statesmen were due to exit the game soon with no real strategy behind their replacements the idea would be that the visual / TVchannels didn't require 'specialist' or professional commentators or wordsmiths anymore. They would simply groom current 'commentators' to take their posts once they leave - hence the experiment with Luke Darcy and of course everyone's favourite footy caller BT or Dwayne Wussel. A recipe for disaster in my eyes (ears) as we all know of their flaws - and unfortunately they have very obvious allegiances that appear through every game they appear on. What a joke.

Pretty sure this is because of the broadcast rights. If you want to listen to SEN via internet you need to do it through the AFL app. Which is an issue because there is a delay when you listen live at the game of about 1 minute - best option is to take a pocket radio (got one at Kmart for $12).

Hope our forwards setup and play in front of their opponents from the center bounce so our quick kick forwards and center clearances don't go straight to the opposition - it happens week in week out and it's infuriating. We can win today IF we show up with the correct mindset, no doubt about it. Go Dees!

Big day for our footy club - as much as Essendon will make this all about them and their past / future we need to take the next big step in our own rebuild and win 2 games in a row AND win well against a depleted opposition with all of our players contributing evenly with a stack of goals and highlights so I can watch the replay 4 times in the next week like I did with the Rd 1 win. Go Dees.

I'll admit to being a little surprised by OMacs inclusion over Dunn but reading Roos comments it's pretty clear that we're going for a team that's 100% fit and also has some considerable game time under their belts. It was virtually exactly a year ago that we played against the Suns and Ablett played a game he shouldn't have. Without the sub as security I think you have to play a fully fit team, no 5-10% off players. Particularly against a fast running/spreading GWS side - this game SHOULD go down to the wire if we don't already have it wrapped up by 3qtr time. Go Dees!

Well done Scorps! Sounds like some Dees players contributed nicely as well