Dante

We also have Salem as a near new recruit, after being out for a good proportion of 2016, I'm looking forward to seeing him with a full preseason and some improvement in his health. He could be the surprise packet for 2017.

Looks ok in the highlight reel and he's got a couple of years to make his mark, or not. Welcome aboard Patrick, if you're like the other picks we've had lately, you'll be ok. Bit of balance, two mature age and one youngster, it's always good to get some young talent in every draft.

I like Dunny and over the years I reckon he's been a bit hard done by, but that doesn't alter the fact that he doesn't play the way we want to play. He doesn't take the game on and is too cautious, perhaps he plays to his limitations, but he's an old style defender in a modern game. Hopefully he will get a gig elsewhere and play a few more years at the highest level and I'm sure he will always be welcome back to the club after his career is over, the worst case for him would be to spend the next year at Casey.

Sale of the century, we effectively got him for nothing. It looks like exciting times ahead as long as we can keep the band together, some of the automatic selections will have to perform from here on in. If I was Michie or Newton I'd be looking elsewhere, I just can't see how they would fit in. I hope we can find a home for Dunn and Garland, I'd hate to see them languishing at Casey for another year.

I'm fully aware of that, but they've kept him when, by your own standards, he should have been let go like the others. You follow the Hawthorn line, if you didn't you'd be asking why he didn't move Hodge along too.

I don't think anyone has acused Hurting of being a A-grade or B+ footballer, he's bog ordinary in my opinion and if he was at another club he'd be labelled a dud, so I'm not sure what you are referring to, he's been one of their only reasonable selections in the draft in the last few years. When you come to the end of a dynasty you need to recognise it before it ends, not after, they should have been working on this last year not this year, in fact probably the year before, Mitchell didn't go from 29 to 34 overnight, it happened over a 5 year period. If Clarkson is a genius he would have seen the writing on the wall after the GF last year, if he is a genius you will see it in the way the Hawks recover without a batch of superstars picked up over a couple of drafts. You fail to understand the significance of Lewis coming to Melbourne and for someone like you that has a fair amount of "self belief" I find that extraordinary. Did you see the way The Bont, knocked the ball out of Hodges hands as he was about to handball it in the final, that didn't show much special self awareness then, did he.

They have disposed of two players who were best and second best in their B&F and they still have about 4 of their stars who are starting to fall off the perch. They have replaced them with a player who could be anything from an A grade mid to an injury prone could have been, a forward ruck who has shown a tendency to be lazy and unaccountable and a mid from the Swans who has, in part, been shielded from a tag or any serious attention. I doubt that O'Meara/Mitchell can carry the Midfield and with an ageing Hodge, Gibson and Burgoyne and a missing Roughy, I can't see them maintaining their position, this is the time when Clarkson has a chance to show exactly how great a coach he is.

Gary Rohan, plenty of leg speed and endeavour, but no skill, I think I know who I'd have between Rohan and Lewis. Blease anyone?

Well done to the FD, no leaks no fanfare just getting the job done, he will be a beauty for us, hope he sticks around in a coaching role afterwards. Couldn't be happier.

If you have a really strong list you can sustain success, like Hawthorn have, but even they must start to feel the pinch sooner or later. Have a look at Hawthorn's drafting over the last 6 or so years, they haven't got much out of it at all, they have relied on a big influx of top end talent and then free agency, which came along at just the right time for them. Now the big influx of talent is ageing so they need to rejuvenate, perhaps they should have made more use of player turnover and tried to get back in to the early part of the draft, they don't have a lot of young talent coming through.

It was Jeff's clinical view that destroyed the Liberal Party in Victoria when he was in charge. He's a moron and wanted Clarkson sacked when he was in charge of Hawthorn, how would that have worked out Jeff?

We shouldn't have to give up any pick or picks to get him, they should do the right thing and let him walk, much the same way we let Fitzy walk to them. They wanted him out and all the crap about him being a required player is just that, it's damage control to make it look like they didn't shove him out the door, but they want to try to get something out go their eff up. What did we get from them when Bruce took the trip over there, what difference is there between this and that? They expect to get whoever they want, irrespective whether the player is under contract or not, but they don't like it when the shoe is on the other foot. Hope we get him and hope we pound them next year and Lewis stars.

I wonder if he thinks we have got a better list of youngsters than Hawthorn, I do. They fall away sharply after their star players.

Oh my God, have we got anyone yet? Please hurry up and get someone, please.

Perhaps being a Dee's supporter he doesn't want to give anything away, or maybe there is nothing to give away?

Is that the bast response you could come up with?

So you think the plan all along, was for Clarkson to give Mitchell the shove and the pick they get from West Coast for him would be enough to satisfy both Sydney and Gold Coast? What a genius.

Read what I said Stuie, too many players for too long.

Both of those are questionable and may indicate a deeper meaning.

Wow, it seems as if you can't criticise Hawthorn on here without being labeled as jealous.

I can't stand the Hawks but I respect the way they have gone about their business over the last, so many years, that however doesn't mean I can't criticise them if I feel they are wrong. Sorry to say, I'm not in awe of anyone Stuie, that includes you. I've been around a while and I've seen plenty of Empires crumble, especially if they hang on to too many players, for too long. They have a bit to do if they want to stay on top and I doubt that Mitchell and O'Meara are going to do it, there are other players in the group that I think are less than star material. Sam Mitchell probably should have called it quits but it would have been more convincing if he had done it as soon as the season finished, not after a gentle prod by the coach. Brisbane have won 3 flags since 2000 and Hawthorn have won 4, it would be interesting to see Brisbane of 2001-2003 play against Hawthorn of 2013-2015, I think that Brisbane would have had the edge. So yes you can compare them.

The glue just won their B&F and he would have been a good teacher of those coming through, Players like O'Meara and Mitchell could learn a lot playing alongside him. You seem to be in awe of the Hawks, probably thought the same about the Lions when they were on the rampage. You do realise that all Empires crumble over time. Have a look at their draft failures, what will happen if that occurs again?

I don't know if he will be gutted, but it was a clever ploy by Clarkson to sow the idea in Mitchell's head and make it seem like it was his idea, it wasn't a shove it was a gentle push. "Brownlow day Clarko came over, and to be honest Clarko has just been so honest and such a good friend for such a long time and he is in a sense looking out for me ... and he said: 'Look I know that you want to go into coaching, you're not going to play forever for Hawthorn, would it be something you'd be interested in to maybe go and play there and then go into coaching?' "

Absolutely, he's their main extractor and I doubt they will get a replacement in either Mitchell or O"Meara, they may be ok but he is the glue in that team.

Maybe our FD don't rate them, we have enough depth players if there's a deal to be done and we want to do it, we will, I'm glad we aren't involved in every retiree looking to top up their super.