Uncle Fester

Fake news. I saw him smile last night. I got told that Eade was coming to coach us from someone that really should be in the know. A week later we hired Neeld. That's not to say that what they said was BS, just that maybe the water cooler talk was furphy stuff. I also find it a little hard to imagine that a Caro or a Barrett wouldn't have got wind and peed in their pants as they rushed to break the story.

Serious? You need to go back and have a look at his post draft interview with Tracc. He was the class clown there. A bit of competition for Gawny I thought at the time. But maybe he isn't enjoying things right now. He knows he's too good to be hanging out in the magoos, and has had a shocking run with the concussions. I'd be feeling a bit deflated too, but that will change the next time he is in the seniors and gets to sing the song.

Even better reason to bugger off to an island - preferably one without extradition treaties.

My two are well on the way to costing me 100K each. Oh, you meant football. Probably less $wise, but emotionally...

I love the use of the plural in premierships. Arrogance and talent can be an exciting mix. Pledging his loyalty to Melbourne, Petracca expressed how important it was for him to remain a one-club player. “It means everything. The club put faith in me as an 18-year-old kid and drafted me, and all I want to do is repay that faith,” he said. “That’s by winning premierships and staying at the club for as long as I can."

Balls. They would have beaten Sydney in the 2005 SF but for the Nick Davis show. Maybe they were dodgy in 2007+, maybe not, but to say it was an overnight thing is to rewrite history.

i'm more worried about the plaid jacket

What's a flag?

Agreed. #10 and second round pick swap. Or #10 and Kent. I think he has it in him to be a very handy player, but it's not working here for whatever reason. Maybe Adelaide can see something similar in him, and back themselves to make it happen. I don't want us out of the first round of the 2018 draft. It's said to be big, and if nothing else the pick could be gold when next year's trade season comes around.

Bloody hell. Do you hide under a rock until this time of year, just to come out and throw sand into the machine? Seriously. Lift your game.

Huh? Can we get a link to that please

There wouldn't be many on the list I'd consider untouchable if it meant getting Kelly and Lever... happy to burn picks too, but the $ tag... I dunno. A price war in the club among the young 'uns wouldn't be good. I don't know if this story is true or not, but I'd like to think it is - back in the 80's one of the guns at Hawthorn went to the club asking for a hefty pay rise. The answer from the club was to show them Leigh Matthews contract and ask them if they thought they were worth more than him. That's a bit hard to do when you have a player on $1.5 a year or so.

The full back

He used to scare me as a kid. I think it was the eyebrows.

If he wants to come here then this years 1st rounder and a later bunch of pick swaps will do. If he doesn't then we can offer all our first rounders until 2050 and we will be wasting our time.

Wasn't his best, but he wasn't on his Pat Malone. About 15 others could say the same. We just never switched on as a team.

How often does selling the future for the next wunderkind work? A first rounder and a swap of later picks or a fringe player that suits their needs is enough. Otherwise we walk and grow our own. Adelaide know they are going to lose him. They don't hold the whip. They will agree to a good deal with whoever he nominates. It's the new world. We'd do the same, because not doing it will backfire.

#StandbyHird

And we got a guy that should probably be AA this year for what now?

I always thought Maxwell was just an average player (but an above average thug), but in 2009/10/11 he was a superb general. He might not have been able to do it himself, but he was bloody good at making sure the young talent was in the right place at the right time. We've complained for a decade that we have had no older leaders, and now we have got one almost for free some think that we've lost in what was pretty much a gift. We will play finals. Of that I'm sure. And when we do Lewis will pay back his paypacket in the first game - and every young talent in the side will learn a million things from him.

[censored] off back to Punt road you bloody fifth columnist

And Richmond chose Corey Ellis with that pick... Sigh... They should have just handed it to us.

Under the radar is fine with me

If Trac can have a day out a couple of times this year, in the way he did against Carlton in the pre-season, then I'll crow. Until then it's cameos and potential. Don't get me wrong - he has all the tools, and I have very high hopes for him, but he needs to show it for 4 q's regularly. (Hoping tomorrow is the start of it!)

I have a couple of Collingwood supporting mates (yeah, I know... shoot me now) and for the last decade they'd rag me about living in the past, QB is your GF... blah blah blah... but when we started beating them... well, the tone has changed. Now they are talking up the importance of QB, and how they will get revenge this year. It's their GF at the moment. Or at least SF with Anzac as the GF. As an aside I'd always love when they say it's our GF. I reply that our GF's against them brought us six flags and them one. Real GF's. They go quiet at that point.