deespicable me

I think it's extremely unfair on Jack Viney, Steven Stretch and ANB who have turned up to the new years pre-season in perfect shape. All kids about the same age who commit themselves to be as professional as they can be in order to achieve team and personal success. Viney said he chose not to drink in season coz he knows you can't do it and stay injury free. Considering how fit you have to be to play the game this is a committed decision by a young gun. Oliver needs to get fair dinkum. It's a team game, one weak link, lack of trust etc etc. I say throw the book at him. He turned up to training Monday in poor condition, this is clearly not an isolated incident. Send him away for 8 weeks. Let him train by himself. Tell him he has to meet certain criteria in order to get back in the main group again. Sacrifice a season and turn him into a champion.

To finish the year with 5 in the All Australian squad and 4 in the team. Max, Viney, Watts and Hunt for the fourth spot.

The thing about Lewis, Hibberd and potentially Melksham coming into the side is it ramps up pressure on spots in the best 22 to the highest it's been in a long time. Bugg, Ben Ken, Harmes, Wagner, Pederson, Salem, JKH, ANB, Vandenberg, Hulett and Trengove are Casey starters at the moment. Weidemann, Brayshaw, Oliver, Stretch and Petracca all need to improve to hold their spots. Vince, Garlett and others can't afford a drop off in form. Pre-season should be full-on. I'm hoping players like JKH, Wagner, Hulett, Weidemann and Harmes really come on in the pre-season and push up for spots. If Harmes and Salem (both young in the head) knuckle down, get their bodies right and get fair dinkum they have a lot of upside. I also hope we see a bigger stronger quicker Oscar Mac and Oliver and Brayshaw start to impose themselves in the middle. If we all get on the same page and work towards a common goal anything is possible.

Well theres no way any draft picked kids are going to get gifted a game. They know right from the start they are going to have to work their butts off to get a look in. Finally this is how a good side should look and we get a good look at the kids to see if they are any good and if one is it is viewed as a bonus, rather than the spate of "saviors" of the last ten years. All good

I'm not so sure. I think just being within 10 metres of Viney might give Tippett concussion.

If there actually is an answer I think you've got the club right. That's the best fit yet. Looking at their list I'll go with Justin Westhoff. Western Star butter and the Hoff spread lots of things in Baywatch. The Hoff could do anything. I don't think he's as sharp as a knife though.

Finally! Now as per Olisik those slackasse recruiters can stop mucking around and get on with the Hibberd trade.

Done. 10.23am

They are drug cheats. Fact.

A Rampe haircut and mo and a couple of tats to start. He's very clean cut for a weed.

That was a brilliant speech by Dangerfield. He is a worthy winner and a very clever person to boot. His take on family being the most important thing in life and how he had the Adelaide table and everyone in the room forgiving his move home was pretty moving. By the end I was going "Oh jeez, home you go Jesse, you get on back to your family, we'll be O.k." After that speech I think we're in trouble.

Hardly sighted 2016 season, 0 contested possessions, 0 intercept marks, 0 metres gained, needs to lift.

It's a nice idea but I just wonder if the game hasn't got so big that you'd get clubs giving out scholarships to schools in their zones etc. Those three pre-draft choices would be like gold and probably very soon exploited. Which club is in the private school belt and can offer a scholarship to Xavier, Carey etc.

Fyfe could probably do a better job than Hoges did in 2016 playing full forward. It's how good Hogan might become in three or four years time. All things being equal he has another 10 years of footy left, We've all had a rough previous ten years, surely not the next ten as well watching him become a superstar playing for someone else. We've had one good year. And not Hawthorn good. Didn't even play finals. Got beaten by 100 points in our last game for the year. That was a good year for Melbourne fans! And now this. Aaaaaagggghhhh!

I think the club is being dictated to. I think Hoges and his management are running the commentary. Unfortunately MFC has said all along they were giving Jesse time and space to make up his mind. And so he is. So they are. It would be wrong now for us to change the commentary to anything else. But it stinks that they are being so reluctant to make a decision. We are stuck. Rooted.

I think the club should help Hoges by making the decision for him, we are going to trade you. I really dislike players that put themselves above the team when the essence of the game is that it is a team game. He's not the first and there is a long list of difficult full forwards that have graced the turf before him and the indications are that he is another. Buddy, Fevola, Ablett snr, Jack Reiwoldt, Jacko, Farmer, Allen Jakovitch, Carey, maybe even Stringer. This is not a Melbourne footy club problem but the personality of someone who has to see themselves as better than others to perform. They are confidence players who's egos need constant stroking and off the field they can be quite damaged, fragile individuals. If you can control them they can win you a premiership but keeping them focussed and on track and constantly telling them "you da man" is hard work. Many of them have ended coaches careers. Its interesting how Tex Walker responded to being made Captain after getting off-side, ending Sandersons coaching career nearly leaving and is now an inspired choice. He was certainly told he was the man. Are Melbourne a good enough strong enough club to go on this journey. I'm a bit negative here and say no we are not. We should probably trade him. It's going to end in heart ache. Cut our losses, get as much as we can, help him out by sending him home and try once again to move on.

Totally agree. He either signs or we trade him this trade period to the best offer for the club, whether that team is based in Perth, Queensland or Timbuctoo. If there is any thought he's going then GET HIM OUT, players like that ruin clubs.

Don't want to sound callous but I think Hoges unwittingly has in a sense invited us to view him as a commodity. If he had signed or if he does sign we all sigh a collective sigh, go yay, post all our love and then get on with the business of bagging him every time he shows a bad attitude or goes his Fred Astaire run up with a twist and kicks it out on the full. But due to the fact he hasn't signed and really if he was a committed player he would have signed we are "in stasis". So personally I don't care, just make a decision so we can all move on because people have to realise we are in a good position with this. His value has gone up enourmously so as long as we don't stuff up on a trade we should hopefully be in a similar position to if we had Hoges on board. And given his hesitation to commit is his greatest flaw then again I don't care, Hoges I understand you have a personal issue but I don't see that the two issues need to be related, so sign up get on board and commit, ......or don't Just make the $$$$$$$$$$$cking decision

Hello, President of the Hawthorn Football League here and I'd just like to clear up a couple of misconceptions you lot may have with regard to some of these trades etc. Hogan, Fyfe, Fyffe, Gaff, yes, yes all good players I'm sure but I have to make it perfectly clear all trades must be ratified with our board. I repeat ALL trades. Fyfe and Hogan will be coming across next year and Gaff as soon as he becomes a Hawthorn (sorry I mean free) agent. We brought in that work experience kid this year O'Meara. Played the old Burgoyne bung knee card there ha,ha,ha. Anyway back to your little games. I'm working with Fitzy and Gill (terrific chaps, very ameniable to our cause) to let you lot have a cameo appearance in 2018 or 19 in the top four. On the proviso of course that we never leave the top 4. Talked about a series of exhibition matches next year (you might call it the Home and Away) before our games start in September. Anyway toodle pip.

I listened to Fitzpatrick for about 5 minutes on 774 pre game before I had to spew up. Just recovering. That guy I will hate for the rest of my days as a destroyer of the game. Started talking GDP and numbers etc. What an arrogant piece of work. Get someone in there who cares about the fans not numbers.

Tomlinson a gun, Hopper a gun, Patton a spud and umpire no. 15 shouldn't be getting a game, he has no feel for the game.

Boring

I think he's got ability but hasn't played enough football in the last year or so with injury. Sometimes with a guy like him who I would think has an attitude problem they frustratingly don't realise their career is shot till it's too late. Whether us or another team take a chance on him he would have to be minimums pay and trade (ie free) and then maybe it's what he needs to turn his career around. But he has a lot of baggage. The odds are stacked against him. It's always a nice story when a (percieved) wastrel turns his career around, works hard and becomes a good AFL citizen.

Finally a poster who makes a bit of sense, Oh Magoo...you've done it again.

There's one match winning super star that is thinking of leaving, Nat Fyfe. If you are going to spend a fortune he's the best. Who would you have? Tom Mitchell for 700 or Fyfe for 1 mill..............Fyfe J. O'Meara for 800 or Fyfe for 1 mill..............Fyfe Prestia for 550 or Fyfe for 1 mill...............Fyfe And the big one Hogan for 900 or Fyfe for 1 mill..................not sure If a team is going to throw all their eggs in one basket then get Fyfe!!!!!!!!!