Wiseblood

If we're looking to get out of it then I take it as a sign that we won't be affected financially by this decision. It's the right one to make as well. I understood why we agreed to play games there, but now that the MFC machine is running well we don't need to play games there anymore.

Good on him for signing a new deal. Always like seeing players show loyalty to the club that drafted him. I hope he also looks forward to have Clayton Oliver crap all over him on Friday night as well.

Still haven't answered Bob's question about how you know this, yet earlier made the bold statement that he had never won a B&F for the Eagles. If you knew it already, it stands to reason you would know he had won a best and fairest.

Your fascination with his efforts on Friday night is interesting. It's like you're basing your entire feelings around Gaff on one game. His year has been stellar outside of that game and he has shown, numerous times, that he can perform when the heat is on. With so many in and under types he would complement our midfield group superbly. Billy Stretch has been on our list for years now and, if anything, his contributions have gone backwards. He doesn't have the footy IQ or running capacity to be on a level like Gaff's. I'd love for him to do it, but on the output I've seen I highly doubt it will come to fruition.

So why is the club interested in Gaff if he is nothing more than an accumulator, Saty? Seems like you know more than the club. Again.

With all due respect, we aren't turning over close to a third of our list now.. We did that in the early Roos days when we had to because our depth was non-existant and we had only a few decent players on the list. That's changed now. There is absolutely no chance we not only delist 6 players but trade six as well. It's not good for the stability of our list and we aren't going to top up with lots of kids at this stage. It just won't happen.

Bottom 4. Not big 4.

So how is Pert going to help us win games? That's what we pay Goodwin for.

You could probably make a call on a couple right now, but with half a season still to go I don't think anything is certain at the minute. If there are a few injuries (god forbid!) then someone might get a run and show themselves to be quality depth worth another year on the list. I've seen a few wanting to delist both King and Filipovic, but I doubt we will delist both. Especially if we don't recontract Pedersen, which is highly likely, at the end of the season. King has had more time on the list than Filipovic has, so you would assume that if they feel they have gotten as far as they can with King then he might be the one to the get the flick. The ones who will get a new contract are obvious. Jetta, Harmes, O Mac and Gus will get new deals and are crucial to the side going forward. The rest? That's anybodies guess right now.

You've got to love a bitter Mick Malthouse taking pot shots at Pert already, claiming they never really 'got along', although you would believe that Pert wouldn't be the first or the last person not to get along with angry Mick.

Amen to that, LH. Gary Pert is no Paul McNamee.

I think, on the face of it, that it's a terrific appointment. If the AFL and Peter Jackson are happy with it and endorse it, then I can't see a problem with it. The bloke knows the game, knows how to be a CEO and has a good track record of doing good things. Outside of rumours ad rumblings, which we have no idea how true they are, this seems like a great move for the club.

Yes, I should know better, but sometimes I can't help myself. It just seemed like such a random attack on a bloke who gave his all for the club. Maybe he can regale us with a 'BEST INJURY PRONE 22' to make it all better... ?

I think I'll use this as a reminder to never read your contributions again. You clearly know bugger all about football and your attack on a bloke who, before injuries and the burden of the captaincy at a young age, was destined to be an absolute star of the competition, is nothing less than a disgrace.

It's the one thing that sets him apart. His field kicking is up and down (sometimes he can hit a 60 metre pass, other times miss one 20 metres away) but his tackling pressure (especially against North this year) can be good and he can provide some real pace through half forward. The FD clearly rate him as he keeps getting chances, it's just every time he gets one he gets himself injured (shoulder last year against Adelaide, hammy this year against the Tigers). I agree that I think he still has a role to play for the club, and I think he can give us more than Bugg IF he can keep himself fit. If he broke down again before the end of the year then I'd give Buggy another year instead.

Also, he has played just 33 games over the last 3 and a half seasons, indicating that form and his run with injuries have hampered his ability to stay in the side and make an impact. As you say @Lucifer's Hero, a club in the bottom four might take a punt on him, but in the grand scheme of things I think we have more important players to retain and he may be squeezed out anyway. It's a shame as the bloke does have some talent, but he hasn't harnessed it enough or consistently enough to keep his spot in the side.

Sam Edmund in the HUN is reporting that Dean Kent may look for more opportunities elsewhere next season as he wants more midfield minutes, something he is not guaranteed to get with us. Here is a little bit of what he (Edmund) had to say about it: DEAN Kent could leave Melbourne in search of greater opportunity. Kent remains sidelined with a hamstring injury suffered in the Round 5 loss to Richmond, but is understood to want more midfield responsibility ... It's understood Kent would prefer to stay at Melbourne, but is unlikely to get a deal to his liking at the Demons and is assessing his options. Thoughts? I think he has something to offer, but he is far too injury prone and I don't think he will get the midfield minutes he desires with us.

There's nothing 'apparently' about it. His leadership at the club, from what I've heard, has been excellent since the day he arrived. He's never been quick so why we're all up in arms about him being slow is baffling. He hits way way way more targets than he misses (and plenty at our club are prone to horrible turnovers) and his discipline this season has been good. DS has just decided yesterday that he needs someone to sink the boots into. Lewis seems to be his man. He's done this before though where he huffs and puffs and stomps his feet (Tom McDonald) and has been made to look silly, so there's no reason why it won't happen again.

Don't argue it. Just be thankful that Tom McDonald hadn't had enough of us.

We have seen how we go with these two, and it hasn't been any better. Hunt has more upside and better games in the bank, but he's hardly banging the door down at Casey.

Perhaps said poster has learned from his lessons and has decided to just pot older blokes who are closer to the end, thus leaving him less room to look a little silly?

I was waiting to see who would drop their bundle the hardest. Well done, DeeSpencer. You've won by the length of the Flemington Straight.

He's soft, but he's also someone who I believe they have totally misused this season. He could be a weapon for them through the midfield, but either through poor fitness or an unwillingness to play him there, he's languishing in their dysfunctional forward line. I don't think I'd be interested in him, but he's just the sort of player who could leave and dominate elsewhere.

I also think players would be actively seeking us out as a club to join as well. Why go to Norf, Carltank, the Druggies or the dodgy pricks from Moorabbin when you could join a gun team on the rise? The choice is easy.