hemingway

Hope your right rjay so I will bow to your greater knowledge. Apropos of another post of mine, I should heed my own words and have confidence in our selection and selectors.

Underwhelmed by this guy given his track record. Unrealized potential is an unconvincing reason to buy him.

If true, that may be a worry.

Hope the club treated him with dignity, respect and some appreciation for the difficult job he had over recent years. As others have said, he came across as a genuine guy with a love for the club.

Remember these guys are not brain surgeons. Seriously, if they had any brains they would not be doing what they do. Sadly, the media is full of jumped up, second rate spruikers of bs. Its across all media covering all subject matter, it's just that sports media is at the bottom of the dung heap. They have a time slot on TV or radio or blog and have to say something that is supposed to be informative and entertaining. Hence the daily quest to bring an exclusive to the table or to break news. The media outlet is not going to give the guys a gig if they bring their mum's chocolate cake recipe to the microphone. Its about headlines and short grabs, and a quick opinion which is said to be an "analysis" of the daily trade talk. Its about these guys developing a reputation as a story breaker. Investigative journalism it is not, but its looking at [censored] bits from sources and twitter feeds. No skill required, its just having a pair of ears and eyes and an ability to build a narrative around the speculation. Until a club announces a decision, it is all speculation.

How times change. A few years ago, Hogan's departure would have been seen as a sign of failure by the club, of yet another star player leaving for the money and success at another club. Perhaps the Frawley departure is a case in point, and he was not even a star. Now most of us have confidence in this footy club and no longer see us as the whipping boy of the Victorian based clubs. We have tasted success and have confidence in the club and its decision makers. Confidence and belief is an amazing thing. We think the clubs decision makers will do the right thing and many now concede that losing Hogan may not be such a bad thing. Imagine the media's take on it a few years ago. No longer. I would love to see Hogan remain but I now have a different feeling about it all. No longer the sentiment of loyalty but a quest for success, whatever it takes.

Some of them make a lot of money, but there is no doubt the wear and tear on the body is a huge sacrifice. A life long sacrifice. I was talking to Robbie Flower one night and he could hardly get off the couch and he said it was just as hard getting out of bed in the morning. Its a reminder of the physical toll of AFL footy and a reason why we should never call players soft.

you mean there are people out there watching it? and the clock of life ticks by

food for thought DS, let me sleep on it.

Well done crew, you deserve recognition and thanks for all your work. You go about your job modestly and deal with the opinions of posters sensibly and without suppression.

now that's the right attitude, you will have a good night.

We should not take these things too seriously Colin. Remember that she is not a Pulitzer Prize winner, just a good story writer who happens to have better creative writing skills than the average footy pen pusher. I enjoy her articles but read them as I would any other journo. The reader will never know the full story.

Selfies with the stars or taking your autograph book HB? Remember they are just ordinary humans who happen to play football. Hope you enjoy your night.

Another ruckman is essential. And a ruckman that can more than hold his own against quality opponents. Have not seen Preuss and I will leave it to better judges than me to determine if he is the answer. We were very lucky this year that Max got through the season. Max will get injured, its not if, but when, and what will be the extent of the injury. Martin would be the ideal candidate but not likely to happen.

Trade talks can be destabilizing depending on the player and how long the speculation goes on. Regarding Hogan, going home is always the elephant in the room whenever his name is discussed. Unless he is prepared to sign a long term contract, beyond 2019, I would trade him and get the best deal possible. Clearly the clubs silence means that Hogan is seriously entertaining Freos offer and the Club is prepared to consider a deal. Its what makes sense for both parties. Get the best possible deal and do it as quickly as possible. I am well and truly over Hogan and want us to build an unstoppable team with a strong culture and team based behaviour we have witnessed in the latter end of the season.

When looking at contracting players you need to see them as: -development players with potential or having particular skills or blend of skills -young established players in your best 22. -players brought in from other clubs with a particular skill set or role. -elite players that you build a team around. Players that have been around for a few years and not cracked the big time should not be retained. You are better off bringing in young development players or players from other clubs.

Exactly, perfect summary of probable situation.

Kent has had his opportunities and seems prone to injury. He clearly wants out, so let him go. After 5 years, time is up.

As with most of these stories, there is no doubt a bit of truth on both sides. We are not privy to Caro's past discussions with Bartlett and Jackson. All we can suspect is that both Bartlett and Jackson were probably disappointed and angry with her speculative piece of journalism about the club and the strained relationship between both men. They may have briefed her regarding their truth, only to feel betrayed by her article. Right or wrong, Caro has been negative towards Melbourne for a long time and has come to conclusions based on her perceived truth. The tanking affair being a case in point. Melbourne is not alone but has probably been her favourite club to pick apart. On the one hand, you can argue that Bartlett looks churlish and perhaps not media savvy, on the other hand, the Club has reason to feel aggrieved at the persistent and ongoing tone of her articles. It would be pretty unusual in any organisation to invite a guest speaker to speak at a function if that speaker had been openly critical of that organisation's culture, management, decision making and executive differences.

Hogan and the club can easily put the rumours to bed by making a statement today. Deafening silence will tell it’s own story.

Not in the early days, but he was very restricted toward the backend of his career. Had trouble taking contested marks above his head. Despite his injuries he refused to rest his body insisting that he was OK to play each week probably to his detriment.

A timely retirement. Really good to see a player go gracefully when he knows father time is calling. Perhaps he chose retirement over being delisted, but still shows good judgement. Liked him a lot. Seemed to be a great club man and gave it his all. A real goer and competitor. .

Or more positional options, flexibility and depth.

now that is quite staggering

Smiling assassin is a good name. Always surprised me how tough he was. He looked a relaxed kind of guy on the field until out of the blue, he would go whack. He was the beginning of the tough new edge the club has developed, the "don't mess with us" attitude. I love our improvement but most of all I love our new breed of tough young footballers who will stand up and give back in spades to aggressive opponents.