DistrACTION Jackson

I doubt Mumford will still be there when we are challenging them. Same goes for Shaw and Griffen.

100% agree. On a day like that you just have to keep sending it forward at all costs. There is absolutely zero point doing switches in the pouring rain.

Surely if there is buckets of rain forecast we will drop one of the talls, possibly even two?

It would be fairly sweet if Hibberd walked for nothing...... However, I'm predicting that he is 100% gone but will come for a 2nd round pick. The Dons will have to suck it up otherwise he will just walk.

Interesting. I wonder if the players would be happy to use that clause if it would mean Essendon end up with nothing? How sweet it would be if Hurley and Hibberd came over and the Bombers get nothing... haha

As a financial advisor I agree with this statement, 700K today is worth more than 700K in 5 years!

Yeah I understand the total payments will be increasing but what I wanted to point out is a guy like Gibson, who I think is a better defender than McDonald took a lot less than he could've got to be a part of a successful side.

I've got a mate who was an accountant for a few Hawks guys. Gibson was on about 400K, that's how they win flags everyone is willing to sacrifice. We need our players to do the same to have any chance.

He's not really the big defender we want, he's more of a 3rd tall. Wouldn't say no at the right price though, however I think everyone sees we lack a genuine big key defender.

It's pretty hard defending in a side getting pumped every week. Maybe it has though I just thought he may be an option. I'd say if we can't land Hurley then the Brown's will be our next target.

Haha nah that's Harvey...... He's 31, 32 by the start of next season. O Mac really needs another season to bulk up, which I think after next season he will be 100% ready. Merrett is a free agent so would cost us nothing and could be our big fullback for a year or two if his form is good enough. By the way I would only go for him if we can't find another big defender who is younger but we need someone to help protect Omac as he needs time.

I think we have a great core of youngsters and need to add good players through trade and free agency to help push us into the top 8 next season. Hibberd, Hurley, Daw, Prestia, O'Meara, Mitch or Nathan Brown, Daniel Merrett. These are all guys we should be looking at to possibly bring in.

Maybe we can get someone to get him to sign a blank sheet of paper and then we can transpose that onto a 10 year contract? That wouldn't constitute fraud would it?

Just shows how even the comp is this year which is really great. The last few seasons have been so lopsided but I've really enjoyed this season.

On the Dogs I was thinking today that if they are paying Boyd a ton of cash then surely some of their gun youngsters who are much better may want a bit more cash in future. You would think they will have a bit of salary cap pressure and may be vulnerable to have some of them pried. Macrae, Libba, Hunter, Wallis, Daniel, Johanissen to name a few. How will they pay all these guys enough while also paying Boyd close to a mill a year?

100% agree. 2nd round pick would be a good result. Having Hibberd and Melksham at HBF will release Salem to a wing which I think he will be ready for next season.

I think that was just a hypothetical at this stage.

I think we should play Spencer and Gawn in the same team and have a forward line with Hogan, Watts and the resting ruck man. Of course this is not going to happen because our coaches have a love affair with Dawes, but this would give us one of the most dominant ruck combinations in the comp and would give us a genuine advantage in most games.

I'm pretty much convinced by Roos comments he will be coming over….. Hope not for much! Would love to screw the Bombers this time!

Beggars belief why he was played as a forward for so long when he obviously struggled there? I would've preferred to play Watts and Hogan and a bunch of smalls than Frost forward.

I'm a patient man..... I actually think we will still win 10-11 games and will finish ahead of Carlton, Collingwood and St Kilda. The main reason I'm so optimistic is I see a side coming out every week with the majority of players under the age of 25, whereas those three teams mentioned all have a large number of players in the 25-30 bracket. Yesterday we had the following: 25 or under= 17 players 22 or under= 11 players So half of our side was under the age of 22. The fact they were able to hold their own and take it up to a side like Hawthorn in the wet is a credit to those guys. This is why I'm optimistic.

The wheels are slowly turning and we are starting to become a strong side. We play them again in round 20 and if we don't beat them then we will definitely get them next season. It will be so sweet over the next 5-6 seasons when we start beating them by 10 goals, I hate their smugness. We've got the right young players we've just got to persist with them through the good and bad. Definitely need to look at bringing in established talent in the off-season to complement the youngsters, Prestia, Hurley possible targets and we really need to bring one of these guys in! The thing I really enjoyed is that we no longer look intimidated and we took it up to them physically. Incredibly it was a lot of the younger guys who enjoyed doing this which bodes well for the future. It's frustrating at the moment but I can really see the direction and have a great feeling about the next few years.

How do you know what we offered Hooker? It's all media here say and from what they said he was offered the most from Freo.

I noticed Daniel Merrett from Brissy is an unrestricted free agent. Could be a good option as the number one stopper to release McDonald and Frost to being 2nd and 3rd talls for the next 1-2 seasons?

Haha that would be sweet! Coming from WA I hear a lot of Freo supporters sure he is coming to them. It would just be great if he signed a contract extension that week and then came out and kicked a bag of 6 or 7.