hemingway

I think he could have very good foot skills, but he is lazy in his execution and loses concentration. Not alone there.

ashdemons22 seems to have more authenticity than DTJ. And more imagination. You need to market yourself a bit better.

Yes you have said too much Ash. Very brave man. Many Demonlanders are now in a lather and will be in an excited state over coming days.. This is either the greatest call of all time or will be embarrassing. And you know how Demonlanders can turn and eat their own.

Yes that is a fair point. There was a leap in my logic

Whether we keep or trade Toumpas is naturally a judgement call. He clearly has talent, however, he is a slow developer. Like many others. Will he develop into a top-line AFL player? Maybe. He has been restricted by injury. Also, he has not had much game time to develop confidence in his own game and that of his teammates. There are others (you know the ones) who selectors have persevered with despite indifferent form and low possession count. Toumpas is one of those guys who has got something. But how long do you wait? That is the question. In two years time, he could be an established top-line player or still be a fringe player. What I do know is that the MFC has to be hard headed in its decision. There are clearly project players (Max King) that can be allowed time to develop. However you cant have too many young players that are on the long term development list. The MFC has to develop the best team possible in the shortest possible time. I would not trade Toumpas for another young player that needs development time. i would trade him for a player ready to go.

Perhaps a short term deal was proposed by the Dees and rejected. I agree that a 2 year deal would make more sense. A little easier for the Hawks when their list is so deep.

No doubt old chap but the values are just as important. Would the Hawthorn crowd have chanted Cyril's name so loudly if he had done a Frawley? More importantly what is your favourite Scotch ?

Warmed my heart to read Col's statement. A humble guy. This heartfelt comment is what all supporters want to hear from their players but in today's cattle market very rarely get to hear or read. Call me old fashioned but if loyalty completely disappears then the game will be much the poorer. It is encouraging to hear the sense of belief that players like Hogan and Garland have in our players, club and direction. This spoken belief sustains me. I was thinking on Sat that James Frawley might be happy and also lucky to play in a premiership side, but it never seems quite the same as for the one club player.

Simply a fantastic guy to have around a footy club. Great news and makes his delisting a little less disappointing....although I think we could have used him on the field. Very happy though he is staying with the Dees.

What a good idea. and a lets get David Hale thread as well.

Wow what a narrow assessment. And said so emphatically !

Yet it is trading time and it was our own coach who said that all players were potentially trade able. Although given the story on Hogan........not everyone. Perhaps we should not take the coaches comments too literally but it does suggest that Roos has an open mind on our list. If you look at the Hawthorn template you can see what player attributes every coach must be seeking. .

Following a footy club like ours is all about hope. So we can dare to dream even if the dream is unrealized, as dreams are often symbolic of our hopes. None of us would be following our beloved old demons without continuing to hope for future success and a flag, Perhaps we are hoping for a miracle but miracles are sometimes realized. I enjoy the speculation because of what it represents. I have greater joy when the speculation is based on reality.

point taken boys.

agreed glory.one more year for me.

So true Lucifer. I really don't get too excited about these stories. The West Coast story has been known for a long time. Sure, there are plenty of clean footballers, however, the demands of the sport (read all professional sport), means that both illicit and prescription drugs have been taken for a long time (in the case of the VFL/AFL beginning in the 1970s with the use of anabolic steroids). Bulked up players have been around for a long time. There are differences in use starting with individual use moving to organized programs, but the use of drugs has been a part of the game for a long time. This is why the self righteous attitude of past AFL administrators that the sport was clean (Demetriou being the classic case) has been just pure b.............. and been about protecting the brand. Those in the game will continue to push the boundaries to seek a competitive advantage so drug use will not go away. Do I think that MFC players have taken stuff over the years, Absolutely, although perhaps not in any organized way sanctioned by club staff. Anyway, as you say Lucifer........"they weren't the only ones"

Agree CB. Would have given him another year, good depth player, and hard tough uncompromising, despite some skill deficiencies. Given some of the softies we have at the club, always hate seeing a hard nut get the flick. Hard to develop consistency when you are in and out of the side. The nature of selection is such that some players seem to be given a go and others not. Careers are made or broken on the whims of the selectors.

As I have said on another thread, I really feel this club is in good hands and the right decisions on trading and player management will be made.

I think this tells us something.

The silence from the club is intriguing but if we do land someone worthwhile, the silence will be further indication that the club is now a professional tight knit organization. Both on the football side and admin side. No leaks, no-one feeding the media with [censored] bits. We are no longer a laughing stock. We have had a year where the general impression is that this is now a tight lipped club going about its job off creating a long-term viable footy club. We have come a long way thanks to those now in charge.

Of course you do ivá. Given the consequences of a wrong prediction, your last wish is obvious I would have thought. Perhaps Roosy was smiling with the thought of getting away from Melbourne and landing the big fish in the waters off Hawaii. Of course if your prediction is right, you will go from martyr to hero straight away.

You have just raised the expectations of all demonlanders. I was getting depressed over the silence at Melbourne. Now I am excited. If this is a rumour and not fact, you will be tracked down and shot at dawn or slowly tortured.

From a straight footballing point of view I would take him in a heartbeat. He is a ball magnet and can play inside and outside. He would be an outstanding acquisition to the midfield. However, you have to weigh that up against the off-field issues and whether he is worth the risk. He is in the old language a larrikin who likes a drink.Is he the sort of guy that needs micro management with very clear boundaries. He seriously wants to play AFL footy and his skirmish at Zagames was a wake-up call. Having said that I have been told that he has no interest in Melbourne but would be happy to go elsewhere in particular the Pies. So the discussion is probably irrelevant.

Also find him an enigma. His best can be very good -attacking, line breaker, great mark, and rebound but at his worst -fumbles, makes mistakes, lacks effort or just goes missing. He is clearly a confidence player. When the team is up and about, Garlo can be a great asset, but when getting belted, he can be awful. He is not alone. If you believe as I do that we have a developing side and that more wins will come, Garlo will be an asset.

Not embarrassing. Shows that money is an important component but not the only one. Danger was probably ever only going to Geelong or remain at Crowland. He seems like a principled and honest person and had been in discussion with the Cats for some time. It is clear that he wants to return home making the Cats the logical choice. In a car congested city like Melbourne (quickly becoming the most unliveable city) why would you want to commute from the Bellarine Peninsula to AAMI park. Unless you were going to throw in a helicopter.