Caligula's cohort

Not simplistic at all. We base our game around contest and defence. Defence win premierships that is a known fact. Our execution of forward 50 entries and lack of tall/medium forwards was our downfall. Have Melksham and JVR in both finals we win both finals no doubt about it.

Pickett, Chandler, ANB, Spargo, AMW, Laurie... we are well and truly stacked for small forward options. Spargo even requested a trade due to lack of games with Chandler cementing his spot. Melbourne has learnt from the Bedford fiasco that we have to get games into these players to keep them happy. I know this Watson is the so called 'Wizard' but really we have no need for him. O'Sullivan is much more of a crucial addition to our list. May has 2-3 years in him, Tomlinson similar and I can assure you he will get a lot of games next year. We then have Turner and Adams as our young KPD who are good but not elite. If you want to contend beyond 2025 then we need to look at elite talent to hold key position end. Petty may be out the door in 1 - 2 years according to many media sources, which is why we can't give up our future first to land Reid this year. We are chasing a gun key forward next year with the cap space we have cleared. So this year we will lock up our Defence with O'Sullivan or Murphy assuming Curtin is taken and then get in a good Mid option to cover our losses but Leake is definitely in our framework. After that we will be chasing a gun key forward in 2024 Ala King or similar to be right in the hunt for a premiership in 2025/26 which realistically I believe we can achieve. It really depends on Petty if we can win a flag next year, which is why Melbourne is so keen to hold onto him.

Not really a trade rumours post but I feel it's important to add here when discussing our tactics going into the draft. Players out: Senior list - Grundy, Hibberd, Dunstan, Jordon, Harmes (r) D.Smith We've added McAdam, Fullertan and D.Turner to be upgraded with our last NDP, leaving us with 2 available senior spots for the draft which means we're hoping Brown can be picked up as a Rookie. This is how I see the draft playing out not including Academy and F/S selections: 1. West Coast - Reid 2. N.Melbourne - Curtin (They have no elite key Defenders) 3. N.Melbourne - McKercher (Best available Mid) 4. Hawthorn - Duursma (Lacking Fwd/mid options) 5. Western Bulldogs - Watson (Need a small forward to compliment Weightman) 6. Melbourne - O'Sullivan (May Replacement for an elite Defender in a couple of years) 7. GWS - Sanders (They require more mids after losing Taranto and Hopper and drafted a KPD Leek Aleer last year) 8. Geelong - Caddy ( Rohan replacement who plays Fwd/Mid) 9. Essenden - Best available... maybe Murphy or Wilson 10. Adelaide - Best available... maybe Will McCabe who need another key defender and is from SA 11. Melbourne - Best available... I think we are right into James Leake who is a great size and strong hands allowing Rivers to push into the midfield next year. Let's not forget we have pick 42 which becomes a pick in the low 30's once all Gold Coast picks are used up on the academy players which is a valuable pick. We may look to trade that pick out for a future second next year as we have no need for it based on list spots. As a rookie option I'd love Melbourne to go after Sam Van Rooyen just to keep his brother happy in the Red and Blue. And who knows he may be a handy player for us in a couple of years.

I'd be happy to go to the draft with our current picks of 6 and 11 and fill our needs to replenish the list. I think we need to get a gun defender like Curtin, O'Sullivan or Murphy with Pick 6 seeing as we need a replacement for May in the next couple of years. Pick 11 is more interesting and I would target a Mid or Fwd/Mid such as Caddy, Sanders, Wilson though I believe North Melbourne are trying to get priority access to Sanders through his indigenous background and picked up as a NGA. We'll also get Nathan Browns son. Having lost Harmes, Jordon, Dunstan we are now light on for inside mid's se we may have to look for a delisted free agent to cover those losses. Pick 41 should get it done for McAdam as he is no better than Harmes who went for a future 3rd rounder but will probably ask for our Future 2nd from the Grundy Trade. Pick 46 or our Future 3rd from Harmes probably gets the job done to land Fullerton. I like the idea of trying to land Haynes and pick 7 from GWS but they have recently said they'll keep him now so watch this space. He was a gun defender a couple of years ago and could be a missing piece to winning another premiership. Getting more games into Turner, Woewodin, Laurie, Howes and Sestan is a must for next season as we've lost a lot of fringe players and are light for depth.

I'm pretty sure I heard there will be an additional 'veteran spot' coming back for this coming season. So we may be able to put Melksham in that category, without taking away from a senior or rookie list spot. It just sounds so ridiculous to make a 200+ game player a 'rookie'.

I know he's heavily involved in the media these days but I'd love to get Nathan Buckley. whenever he provides his analysis on football tactics and strategy I listen carefully. One of the smartest men in the room and he would have an immediate impact on our playing group. I also remember hearing he was a Melbourne supporter growing up even though he has been linked with Collingwood for most of his adult life.

@goodwindees Hey mate, any word on Fischer McAsey who retired at the start of the year? Do you know if he's considering making a come back to AFL? a former top 6 draftee in 2019 key forward/defender @ 197cm's and still only 22. I'd love Melbourne to rookie him and see if he can perform better living in his home state of Victoria .

I wouldn't mind us grabbing the former first rounder Jackson Hately from the Crows. He's now a DFA so we could pick him up for nothing, so he can cover one of our now vacant mid positions with JJ and Dunstan leaving. He's still very young so has the ability to improve exponentially.

I'm wearing my Dees gear under my work clothes. Sending out positive vibes. Let's go!

I said it in another thread that Goldstein would be good for 1 year with us. He can cover 5-10 games for Gawny if he's injured or sore and allows KFW and Verrall to get another year of development into them without having to worry about being called up prematurely. This is all based however on Grundy leaving the club which most people here think he will do. He's a solid back up ruckman with a wealth of experience that will be a third of the price of Grundy and won't stifle any development of our young rucks.

Lynch is on $900k+ at the Tiges... no way we go near him on that amount for a 30+ year old.

If we have picks 4 and 5 I'd love to get Duursma and O'Sullivan as Melksham(32) and May(31) replacements. Viney will be 30 next year so if those guys are off the board then I'm happy to go after McKercher or Caddy. In terms of trade targets we need a ready made ruck if Grundy leaves. Goldstein wants to go around for another year and I'm happy to take him for a year while waiting for KFW and Verrall to improve. Our key forwards in Brown and Macca are on their last legs so hopefully we can get Georgiades in a Grundy trade if it were to eventuate. I think Jordon will stay with us, he's been given a fair amount of opportunity this year but we'll need to get another ready made mid to cover for Dunstan like a Matt Crouch or Billings etc.

Beating Sydney twice this year is quite the accomplishment. We have a terrible record against them over the last few decades so I'll savour this one for a little while. Regarding the match, I thought Nibbler was very good and has put together a really strong month of football. He's so damaging at the moment and I love it. Laurie showed good signs, I had him on the delist pile halfway through the season but I can see now what the coaches like about him. He'll only get better with a few more pre seasons under the belt, just like Woey and Sestan. How good are Riv, McVee and Bowey! they're all super competitors and drive so much rebound from defence while nullifying their opponents. Watching these guys for the next decade in the Red and Blue what a sight that will be... absolute Jets! and AA in the near future. I love how we absorb the opposition surge in the 3rd quarter and then we wear the oppo down and draw level with them at the end of the quarter to then steam roll them in the last. We are doing what the Pies did to teams last year and just come storming home and there's little the opposition can do about it.

Pruess out of contract at GWS. He was unfortunately always injured (or suspended) and they never got to see the best of him. At 28 he's a well established ruck that could fill in for Max for 5 - 10 games a year while we wait for our young rucks to develop.

Melky playing 100 games for the MFC today, well done mate! your early career with us was sensational and were one of my favourite forwards to watch. Congrats to Salem on 150 as well.

Not to worried about the loss, i'm happy for us to idle away in third/fourth place going unnoticed. I know we will hit our straps soon and show our quality later in the year. I tipped us losing this one several weeks ago in the ladder predictor. What is concerning though is that we lost to a side with essentially their best forwards out in Dixon, Marshall, Rioli... I wouldn't want to play them in finals on their home deck. Definitely a dangerous team right now.

I think Hawthorn would be keen to get Harmes in their side. They lost a huge amount of talent and experience in Mitchell and O'meara last year and have to rely on kids in Ward, Newcombe and an inconsistent Worpel. Harmes would probably be their best and most experienced mid. I can see Dunstan going there as well for a bit of experience while they wait on their young mids to get better. North have have Cunnington, Greenwood and Shiels who are no spring chickens... so he could definitely solidify his spot their in that side with LDU and Simpkin for the next 4 years while they wait on Wardlaw and Sheezel to get better. I'd love to keep JJ, he's getting better year on year, we just need to sign him up for 3 years so he has that security while he fights to lockdown a place as an inside/outside mid in our starting 23.

I'll be wearing my medal tonight. I've never done so in the past as I usually save it for ANZAC Day, but I saw a few veterans wearing them at the game last year so I might as well join in. Remember to wear a fig of rosemary instead of a poppy and as you've been told by others already to wear your ancestors medals on the right breast pocket.

Melbourne looked disinterested today. We were very flat and lacked urgency. We couldn't counter the Bombers fast overlapping handball chains to break lines. I think we were complacent coming into the game thinking we'd just walk over the Bombers. Looking forward to getting Gawn, Lever, Salem, Hibberd and Brown back soon. They are all key outs from our best side.

Good luck to our 4 new debutants. Wear our colours with pride and put a muzzle on those pestering little bulldogs. Go Demons!!!

I thought we might of gone tall for a sub but really happy if Melky is the sub. He's definitely and impact player that can score quickly and bring others into the game as he was one of the best forward 50 entry kicks not so long ago and while still building to his full fitness from his calf injury he will be really handy for a quarter or a half.

In Tomlinson's exit interview, he told Goody he wanted more senior opportunities and if Melbourne can't offer it then he was happy to be traded. He clearly believes he's capable of playing at the level, so I think some people on here carrying on like pork chops over his selection just need to wait a few games before criticising the poor guy before he's even played a game this season. Tomlinson plays May's role the best as a back up and has the experience and knows our system the best to gel well with the other defenders which is why he was selected. It will be very interesting who our sub will be... I'd prefer a tall to be the sub, just in case one of our key defenders go down. Otherwise it will be our 2 key defenders against their 4 talls. We could throw McDonald back, but then Brown and Gawn will be double if not triple-teamed going forward.

If May is out, i'd be interested to see if we brought in both Tomlinson and D.Turner to combat the doggies 4 tall forwards? Petty takes on Lobb Tomo on Naughton Lever on Darcy Turner on JUH Brayshaw moves on the ball to cover Viney's absence. We still have Rivers, Bowey and McVee for our quick defensive rebound. I think it could work! Hibberd another option for a player like JUH. If we want to stick with 3 tall backs.

1. Geelong 2. Brisbane 3. Melbourne 4. Sydney 5. Carlton 6. Collingwood 7. Western Bulldogs 8. Richmond 9. Fremantle 10. Port Adelaide 11. Adelaide 12. Gold Coast 13. GWS Giants 14. St. Kilda 15. West Coast 16. Essendon 17. Hawthorn 18. North Melbourne Premiers: Melbourne Runner up: Brisbane Wooden spoon: North Melbourne Brownlow: Bontempelli Coleman: Harry McKay Rising Star: Harry Sheezel Coaches sacked: Hinkley, Simpson Bold call: Kozzie to sign a 4 year deal on $700k+ per season, and Gawn to kick 40+ goals.

Did anyone else notice the team is really happy this year? It seems we have the right balance with things at the moment. The players are always smiling and cracking jokes in photos I see. Morale and training intensity is high, which can only be a good thing. I just feel like we are humming away ready to take the opposition to the sword. We are ready!