Mach5

I meant in terms of influencing the setting of standards & winning mindset. Motlop I'd happily stay away from, but if he leaves Geelong, I see him going to SA.

Good on him, and I know Dawes is a good bloke, but it's hardly surprising he is openly demonstrating his coaching ability when his playing career is surely at an end. Happy to keep him at the club in this capacity, in fact I think he'd be a real asset once he stops focusing on trying to get his body on the park and fully embraces a coaching role.

Got caught playing away with a young GWS employee in his first month there, not ground-breaking, but also not a great bloke. Culturally a bad influence, but a good influence in terms of setting standards and mindset of continually seeking improvement. What he'd bring us, I think we can get from better sources.

He'll want to go to the crows, like he almost did last year.

Yep, well I've heard enough from you, if that's all you can glean from Salem's matches so far.

Have you even watched him play? Last year when he was able to string games together, he became one of our most influential & damaging players. Missing games due to illness is not the same as being injury riddled. I'm mystified how you jokers don't see that.

According to who?

One or 2 other misinformed people agree with you? Must be a real badge of pride for you mate.

Exactly this. Modelled his game on Hodge as a junior, and it's how I see his career panning out. He'll play where he's needed, and will be able to have an impact all over the ground with his hardness and damaging skills.

If we lost Salem & gained Mitchell, I think that'd be a net loss.

I think I agree with this the most. Yep, that's what I was going for...

I'm not in favour of continuing a tradition of MFC being a retirement home, but I think with our extremely young list and lack of early draft picks, it might be the right time for us to pick up one or 2 seasoned campaigners to contribute and be a good influence amongst the playing group. With Port not renewing his contract, Schulz is on the lookout for a new home. Hogan still needs someone to help him out that isn't Dawes, and if he could pass on some of his kicking ability we'd be popping corks. Wouldn't cost a lot and would ease the workload put on Weideman/Hulett who I don't think will be ready to be full-time members of an AFL forward line.

Well he was but only because he was lined up to join their staff, but he wasn't already there.

In a year when we look like losing a bit of experience, and having few early picks to use, I'd think it's the time to roll the dice on a short term mature player. Risk is mitigated by the low salary and the late pick you'd be replacing. Reward could potentially be high.

Someone will have to, unless they want a repeat of 2016.

We could. Or his presence could just fast-track or improve the development of a younger player for the chance a year or 2 afterward. I don't see him as a leader per se, but that doesn't preclude others from following his lead. And his game provides exactly what we lack - speed, agility, run, link play.

It will probably just lead to rookie elevations not being automatic picks, and a bit more de-listing and re-rookie-ing, to create temporary list space for those with eligible players.

I don't care about his legacy as a one club player. If he can help us grow and maybe bring a flag, he's in. If he wants to be.

No, he was going to be, but got the Adelaide head coaching gig.

I really hate to say it too, but I'd take him for a year or 2.

Collingwood bound. Wouldn't even bother asking the question.

I predict that we will see the first ever openly gay AFL player in the near future. They won't be coy about it - it will be put out there in black & white for all to see.

Completely off-topic, but I think you missed the point of the film was the compelling story of how he didn't make a dollar in his hometown and worked in construction for a low wage, but his music was making a motza for some blokes selling bootlegs of his album in South Africa for years, unbeknownst to Rodriguez himself. He may not have been the best, but his music was good enough to form a cult following to the point where urban legends formed about his life and death.

I watched the video before reading your post, and came away with the same impression. However, I think Dom has become a more consistent player at MFC and his change in body shape may have contributed to his ability to stay on the park better than he did at GWS. For the contested inside stuff, I think he needs the robust build, and let's be honest - it'd be nice if he could do the explosive outside stuff too, but it's not really what he's in the side for. I look at Dom now and think "unfortunately you can't have everything"

Former then, so it's still not quite unbiased.