dazzledavey36

Spot on. I think one of the biggest concerns through this trade period is not being able to address our midfield depth at all. It's very thin on paper. We've just moved on Jordon and Harmes who were both the 23rd and 24th player that were ready to step in when either a Oliver, Brayshaw or Viney had to miss games. Even Luke Dunstan retiring leaves us further lacking in this department. Right now, the next best available option is Woewodin and that's it. Brayshaw is one hit away from potential retirement and Viney will be 30 next year. Then there is the obvious concerns with Oliver as well. I don't ever see Sparrow ever being a top line midfielder and I think at best he's just an honest battler who's happy to fill in gaps when Petracca and the likes need a breather. Was hoping we'd go after a mature age ruck to at least just have in the background. If Gawn goes down then it's left to Fullarton who's not even a genuine ruckman but more a forward, and then a 19 year old Will Varrell.

It's not fake.

Very smart recruiting indeed. Add outside speed and skill, something we haven't been able to address the last few years.

The message we'll send from our end is that we won't be trading him regardless who they offer up. Tim Lamb pretty much confirmed this.

No one has ever mentioned that he won't be playing next year........

Agree wholeheartedly.

No but it keeps us in the hunt for sustained success. Even with Petty in the side there is no guarantee that he'll be fully fit going into next. He's going to start pre season behind the 8 ball and won't be able to fully train until well into the new year. One player alone doesn't isn't the difference between winning the flag or not. We were literally one defensive spoil away from playing off in the preliminary final. Losing Brayshaw in my opinion was a far bigger loss then losing Petty. We planned and structured around the Petty loss where as Brayshaw missing just completely unbalanced our midfield set up. I agree that he won't be traded, but there is a positive net gain if he decided to change his mind over the next few days. Losing him wouldn't be the difference to us not winning the flag.

If Bevo won't play McLean as a midfielder at AFL level then there is no way Goody will.

Mate no one is saying do the deal if Petty hasn't asked for a trade.. you're missing the point. You're only doing the deal if Petty does go to the club and advises he wants to officially return home and the footy club see the Crows pick 10 and 14 as a good net return. You're then potentially packaging up some of those picks for pick 1 to get Harley Reid who at least is destined for a 12-15 year career at the Dees. With a pick still in the teens you then go for someone like Nate Caddy who is probably the best key forward in the draft behind Jed Walter. The club has come out and said that he won't be traded at all and that's where it sits. Petty won't leave at all unless he has a huge change of heart. There's no harm in people discussing the hypotheticals and that's all Cornes was doing.

Again, it's not my preference for Hately, I'm purely picking him out of the hat as a like for like with Dunstan as per the original question that was asked by @monoccular. McLean is not even a like for like. Dunstan would have played had he was fit when Brayshaw went down in the finals. That in itself is a like for like position. They're both inside midfielders and even in the games where Dunstan played for the Dees last year, he was purely a midfielder. McLean doesn't even play midfield at AFL level. He's a half forward which we have enough of. You're never bringing in a 180cm half forward to replace a Oliver, Brayshaw or even Petracca if they miss games.

I like it...

That's pretty complicated then it looks Port have the right to potentially ask for more. I mean Butters is a genuine superstar in my opinion and I'd absolutely love him. I'd happily do that deal but I think Port would want more. Well yeah.. that's why I said he hasn't stated to the footy club that he wants to leave....

Maybe I'm the only one that can actually see where Cornes is coming from? All he's saying is that that now would be the perfect opportunity to cash in with the Crows instead of end of 2025 when they will be deep in finals contention and not have the luxury of having the early first round picks as they do now. At the end of the day it only works if Petty advises Melbourne that he wants to go home and the Dees think that the Crows early picks are a suitable trade. That hasn't happened and the club has stated that Petty won't be traded, so all good. It's amazing how some just see the name Kane Cornes and get triggered so easily.. 😅

So yes, he's not AFL midfield material as per what I'm pretty much confirming.... Anyone can look like a star in the VFL playing midfield. McLean is genuinely [censored]. You're not chucking a small 180cm plodder into any AFL midfield set up. I brought up Hately purely because he's a like for like with Dunstan in terms of being a full time inside mid. Doesn't mean I want him.

He's pbately played midfield since his knee injury. He's more of a half forward and has been majority of his career. If you want strong inside midfield depth then Jackson Hately is someone the club may look at. 193cm big bodied midfielder who averaged 24 disposals in the SANFL this year.

No we didn't. We beat Collingwood with both, Brisbane we didn't.

If the club were going to make a decision in paying either one of them they would have made the decision by now especially as we're in the middle of trade period. I'd much rather have a developing tall, forward or back developing away next then have two really injury prone players who will be lucky to clock up 10 games between them. Harsh as it sounds but the club is bigger then the individual and I fully respect to both for helping us win a flag, but the reality is they both going into next year a year older and game getting more intense and brutal by the year. Struggle to see how their bodies help up considering they both haven't played a full season of AFL for a number of years. That's simply not going to change next year.

Oscar Allen was dragging the best and number 1 defender this year, not Darling.

Not publicly, but he doesn't have too, many players have been traded without even requesting a trade publicly. See Grundy and Steven May. The fact that Goodwin has had to sit down with him and convince him to stay, suggests that he has had serious consideration of going home as well as Adelaide's offer. There's enough smoke there.