Wiseblood

Does anyone know if the bloke is any good? I've heard of him but have no idea if he can play or not.

That's great. Some would agree, others would call him a troll. I fall in the latter. And him 'bleeding red & blue' might make him a better supporter than you, but it doesn't make him better than the rest.

No one is a better supporter than anyone else. We all contribute in our own ways, whether that be through attendance, membership, posting here or wearing your gear into work on a Monday win, lose or draw. While I don't agree with some posters on here, that doesn't mean I would consider them any less of a supporter than me or anyone else.

The comments in this thread, as well as the Goodwin thread, show how scarred some fans are. It annoys me, but at the same time I slightly understand where they are coming from. The last month shows how we need to be patient - a couple of bad losses and we had some supporters, who now look rather stupid, questioning everything as if the club was caving in. Now look at us. Just goes to show that we don't need to be negative about every decision made and be able to see the long term view, not just the short term.

Kind of reaffirms my stance on his article - Jay Clark is connecting dots that simply aren't there yet. All the chatter has been about us having the room and that we've looked long term for some time now to ensure we have the space to sign our players and add others. Seems like he's seen one Brayshaw at the Eagles, looked at the potential of Gaff leaving with Melbourne being interested and gone from there. Nothing in it.

Yep. The link they make with the Eagles is the fact one of his brothers plays there. It's thin at best.

For those that might not be able to read it - that article is a joke. Nowhere does it actually say that the Eagles are interested in Gus, more that it wonders if the Eagles will chase him as 'revenge' for us chasing Gaff. There is absolutely nothing to suggest he wants out, no quotes from managers or coaches or anything resembling something new. It's a headline purely for there for clicks.

Agree with all of that, LH. Others who we need to re-sign include: James Harmes, who has had a great year to date. Tim Smith, whose last 2 games show that he can be a really handy player for us going forward. They will make a call on it later in the year, but I reckon Bernie deserves one more year at the moment. Harley Balic is probably in line for another year as, from all reports, he's doing pretty well at Casey. Beyond those above and the players you mentioned (Gus, T Mac, Oscar, Jetta), I'll be interested to see who else we re-sign. Does Buggy get another year? Do we give Pedo another year as well, or do we have enough tall cover now?

I don't think we'll ever know the reasons behind it unless Goodwin, or McCartney himself, come forward with it. We could speculate all day - perhaps they moved him there as an extra voice on the bench to encourage, support and teach the players through the game, something he has always been really good at? Either way it's been a positive move and further proof that Goodwin is happy to make changes when required.

Not only is it good drafting, but they're not getting games because we have no one else. They're keeping out very experienced and capable players. It's fantastic to watch.

Get a few of those from Trevor Marmalade's All-Star team from the early 90's, Colin?

To add to this, and some mentioned it earlier, he has already played some rep footy during his junior years so he isn't coming from a long way back. He will know what he is doing pretty quickly. The beauty is that, at 17, time is also on his side and he can develop his craft at Casey without being thrown to the wolves too soon. With Gawny taking him under his wing he has a good chance of developing into a player for us. And we got him for nothing. Gold.

A 204cm ruckman will replace Jordan Lewis, a short half back flanker? Yeah, nah.

Can you squeeze him into a possible 2022 team for us?

Can only be seen as a positive thing, especially with the moderate success we've had in adding Maynard and Joel Smith to the list, players who many not be best 22 but are excellent depth players. Getting Austin Bradtke on the list will cost us nothing, and he's a tall player who could develop under the guidance of Max at Casey for a few years.

Why would we give Weid away, who is under contract, for a 28 year old? Nothing 'simplez' about it. It's silly.

There is no room for him now. 4 years ago, when we last chased him, he would have been a superb pick up for us. Roosy was very keen and he would've added some real class to our forward line. Now, we have no need for him in our side. With the players you mentioned above, plus Gawn resting there, 'Bull' Smith doing well and our plethora of medium forwards, there is no reason to chase him now.

We have absolutely no need for Tom Lynch.

I'm not surprised. Got a hypothetical trade for us, norm?

I came in with low expectations and I was still disappointed.

Don't listen to him. He's the king of the 'hypothetical trade' that's based on absolutely nothing.

A trade period thread in May. What year is this? 2013?

I feel like this questioned gets asked every year. I don't think we'll be in the market for him, especially while under contract.

@Deemented Are Go! - does your ex-missus happen to be Maggie Beer?

If he wants to come back home for money then I don't think we're ahead. You would expect the Saints, North (who have tried to poach anybody with two legs over the last couple of years) and Carlton to have more money to give. The Bombers wouldn't have a whole lot of wriggle room and us, well, we must have something to spare lying around. However, if he wants to come home to potentially win a flag, then the decision at the moment is a no brainer. Three of the mentioned clubs are absolute poo and going nowhere fast, while North are batting above their average, just like Mick Martyn did with any woman he dated in his lifetime. If we can offer him competitive money then we're a mile in front of all the clubs mentioned. I still think he's more likely to sign with the Eagles but I'd like to think we're a sneaky chance of nabbing him as well.