Wiseblood

15% is what PJ said we are paying over two years, unless I misinterpreted it wrong and that we are paying 15% each year for two years...?

Wrong. We are paying 15% over the next two years of his contract. So that's 7.5% a year. That's nothing. By doing that we got a slightly higher pick for very little in terms of payment towards his contract. It's a drop in the ocean and freed up hundreds of thousands of dollars for us over the next few years.

He did have something to do with it, even if it was indirectly. Getting Lever on a large contract meant that something had to give - we still have a number of players to sign and the salary cap will probably be tight. We obviously wanted to move Watts on, but in doing so it freed up some of the cap room that we gave up to sign Lever. It will no doubt help in our quest to re-sign all the young players going forward, even if it's just in the short term. Keeping both Lever and Watts wasn't an option, so Lever played a role, even if it was small, in helping to move Watts to Port Adelaide.

There are a number of posters on this board who provide insightful, worthwhile and interesting training reports and photos, and it's incredibly disrespectful to say that we rely on 'one poster' to get them. I, for one, appreciate what the others are able to bring to the table over the summer and we should be thankful we get them. So, thanks to the others who go along, give us a huge training report and answer all questions without bias. It's always appreciated.

I'm the eternal optimist at the best of times, but if we miss finals this year then the season, as a whole, will be nothing but a failure. Unless we (knock wood) have to deal with a plethora of injuries to our key players, then not making the finals will mean questions are asked of the coaching department and of many players on our list. On the flip side, I just don't see that happening this year. I expect us to play a great brand of footy and finish anywhere from 5-8. I think finals and possibly a win in week one of those finals is the goal, then Top 4 in 2019.

Doing 3 word comparisons now, joeboy?

It sounds like the market was very cold for Jack, and we added in a bit of incentive to get the deal we needed.

The interesting part for me, and it may have already been said, was that we paid a small percentage of Jack's contract to ensure we got Pick 31 and not Pick 47, which was originally being offered. West Coast were very keen on Fritsch and, with Pick 31, it allowed us to get in ahead of them.

It feels as though the injuries to ANB, T Mac and Harmes are only very minor, and they should have no difficulty in being ready for Round 1. Our injury list (touch wood) actually looks very good for this time of the year and we should have our best side, minus Viney, available for the opener against the Cats.

The fact you feel this way means we made the right decision in moving him on. You're like the canary down the mine, picket.

There once was a boy named Jack Who sometimes copped a lot of flack He kicked 6 one week And the trolls they did seek To act as though they'd snorted some crack.

Exactly. Another player shows faith in the club and the direction it is heading in. Great stuff.

True, but they'll send someone just to get under his skin if they see him losing his temper when he's tagged. But yes, hopefully a tag means little and they give up on it once they realise he still has a big influence on the game regardless.

He's going to have to be careful in the future - these hard tags will come his way more and more and he'll need to learn to keep his temper in check and not get himself in to trouble. He's too valuable to the team to be doing that.

I know that @stevethemanjordan has a Colin Garland tattoo on his chest. He might share it if you're nice to him.

Another positive step forward for the club. We all know what a fantastic player Trac is, but he is also a terrific person and just the sort of personality you need at the club. It's more great news for the MFC and I can't wait to see him tearing it up through the middle this season and beyond!

If we're complaining about the type of letter we get in our membership pack then we are really scraping the bottom of the barrel. Get your membership card? Good. Supporting the club? Great. The rest is totally meaningless.

EFA.

Everyone has at some point. It's the nature of the beast. We're the best at constantly bringing it up, though.

I'm in again DV! Team name is 'Van Buren Boys'. Thanks in advance for your time and effort in getting this all organised for another year!

Will we have the coin to pursue another free agent this year? We do have plenty of players coming out of contract this year that could create space, but after nabbing Lever I can see us potentially being a little quieter come this off season. That does depend on many factors, though, so I could be way off the mark.

It's been a while since I purchased a new Demons guernsey, but I have a feeling that's about to change very quickly with this one. I reckon it's an absolute ripper.

Can't link to the post on Instagram, but the royal blue looks good. Means we don't deviate from our current jumper much at all which can only be a good thing.

Picket's glass has been empty for a long time.