Wiseblood

Why would North trade Ben Brown, only to bring in Tom McDonald? For North it makes zero sense and they have said as much. For us, of course, it makes more sense, especially in that Tom's wage is up there with Polec's. But I'd be super surprised if they went after Tom.

Yeah fair point.

I put some of the blame on Brown and his manager. At the start of the year they offered three years at very good money and he knocked it back because he wanted four years. I can understand why he wanted that extra year, but it's not as if Norf low balled him or didn't come to the table with a good offer. He knocked it back, which is his right, but then had a shocker of a year and here we are. Pickering will back his client, but they did turn down a very good offer in the first place.

Tomato sauce?

Would have thought the B&F would have been the perfect time to announce that he had signed on.

It turned out to be a great result for both clubs. Good on Serong for winning the award, but I'm more than content with our outcome from that draft as well.

It's a funny thing, loyalty. We expect it from our players, but are quite happy when the club doesn't show it to the players we want moved on. To me, the club has shown Trac plenty of loyalty and support throughout his career, even if we haven't exactly set the world alight outside of 2018. So you would hope that he would return that loyalty, especially now that he is really hitting his stride as a footballer. Time will tell I guess, but if by the time of his next contract we haven't played finals again, could you really blame him for looking at his options?

This sentence was the big one for me. Clearly the penny dropped for Trac, and he has worked very hard to get himself into the position he is in. However, I also think it is important to note the impact those coaches and fitness staff have had on his development, and it is terrific to hear him credit them in his speech. No doubt Darren Burgess has been a big positive for him this season. The awards above are well deserved and I can only see him adding to those in the coming seasons!

Hell yeah Trac! Thoroughly deserved selection in the midfield. Glad he wasn't shunted to a half forward flank.

I had the same reaction, but then, I haven't exactly watched many Port games this season so I'd really have no idea. I'm just keen to see if Trac gets a gig. As long as he is in there I'll be happy.

Watts was a good player Watts was a good player Watts was a good player Watts was a good player Watts was a good player Watts was a good player Watts was a good player Watts was a good player

To anyone who might know - has Bradkte shown even the slightest possibility so far of making it at AFL level? I know he is a project player, but from the small sample size I have, I don't think he is someone we could rely upon right now.

Could end up being a great outcome for the club. Ruck men like Preuss can often flourish at a new club where he can get some opportunities, so hopefully that allows us to potentially secure something decent, whether it be picks or a player, in return. I agree that it does leave us open re: support for Max, but the club hold all the cards here. With Preuss under contract these other clubs can either pay up or we'll hold on to him. Win/win in my book.

Can't you just wish the bloke all the best in his retirement? Why do you feel the need to pat yourself on the back about your feelings on the trade? Disgraceful post. You should be embarrassed.

Every Melbourne supporter should be thankful for his contribution to our club. Was he inconsistent? Yes. Was he polarising? Yes. Did he absolutely love this club like we do? Yes. It's a shame things ended the way they did, but I loved it when Jack was up and about. Thanks for everything, Jack, and good luck in retirement.

The annoying thing will be that blokes like McClure aren't held accountable. They have the attitude of believing that if they throw enough mud, something will stick, and they'll use that as a way to suggest their sources are good. But, that's the nature of the beast these days. Not much we can do about it.

Watch it happen all summer.

@dazzledavey36 mentioned earlier that he removed references at the start of the year.

Surprised Viney got third, but then we don't see everything the players are asked to do. Very happy to see Trac and May finish 1st and 2nd, while also great to see Langdon get some recognition for his great season by finishing 4th. Well done to all involved!

He is a proven goal kicker... but a one trick pony. Unless you can hit him on the chest on a lead, he is next to useless, which we saw this year. Would he be an upgrade on someone like Mitch Brown? Probably, but I don't think he is worth pursuing, nor would he fit with our game style. For that reason I wouldn't be chasing him.

I'm going on nothing more than assumption, but our interest in Polec is probably directly related to if we can offload Tom McDonald's contract. Do that, and have Norf pay for some of Polec's contract, and I can see it happening. Otherwise I can't see us fitting him in our salary cap.

Possibly, but how many are really chasing him, and how many can afford him? At 26, he is still in the prime of his career and will demand good money. Blues are about to land Williams and that would soak up plenty of cash. Sydney and Freo are interstate and, with a new kid and family here, would be highly unlikely to go there. Norf and Hawks are struggling, so would he want to really go there? Bombers and Saints would be options, but they have given little indication of going there. The Cats made sense as the are always in the finals reckoning and it's 40 minutes down the road from Melbourne. However, with them seemingly snaring Crouch, I think it makes sense for him to re-sign with us.

Sounds like Crouch is almost signed, sealed and delivered to the Cattery, so I would expect Viney to stay with us if that is the case. They can't afford both.

Laughable rumour. Looks like it was written by a 12 year old on Discord.

It's a bit of a shocker to leave May out of the 40. As Lord Trav said above, I didn't expect him to make it, but he was clearly in the top few for full backs this year. I reckon Todd Goldstein is equally stiff. I know Norf stunk it up this year but he was easily one of the best ruckmen across the season.