Wiseblood

Well why didn't you say that? You mentioned the supporter you were with and then formed a basis of an opinion from that. Unfortunately I can't assume what's going on in your head from my computer.

Clearly our club values his place within the team and his contributions throughout the year. Guys like Lumumba, Dawes, Watts, Dunn etc all finished well below him, yet played close to the same amount of games as he did. The roles he is given within the system Roos implements are ones that he meets week in, week out. The man is no world beater, but you can't have a team of 22 world beaters. He does his job and has done for years. I know you don't rate him so what I'm saying will have no bearing on how you feel about him, but what I've said is fact. He is, possibly, a slight upgrade on the players above. Nothing more, nothing less. There are PLENTY of players out there we could get who would do far more for our team than he would. Childish. Nothing wrong with putting it out there, but to suggest that he isn't a whipping boy based on one Essendon supporters opinion is a drawing a bow of great lengths.

You're kidding, right? I love how spending the night with a passionate Essendon supporter gives you the impression that Essendon supporters like him. Laughable. We do need midfielders, but we can do a hell of a lot better than Melksham.

Interesting comparison - while he is no world beater, Pedersen has been very handy for us in plenty of games. Dean Terlich's contract is a far better comparison. Or Matt Jones' for that matter.

I'm not a fan either mate, but we've shown ourselves to be shrewd in the trade market over the last few years. Might have to just trust them on this one and hope for the best if it's true.

Someone used this quote elsewhere (could have been in this thread actually), but we only need to recruit players who are going to make us better. Melksham isn't one of those players. He isn't an upgrade on some of the depth players on our list and, therefore, isn't worth pursuing.

Doubt it. McCarthy has had a good year, but with all the time they have put into him I can't see them giving up and trading him away at this point. To see him prosper elsewhere after they helped him back to full fitness would be a bitter pill to swallow. There is still lots of upside in him and I have no doubt they hope he can slot in at CHF next year beside Cameron and McCarthy.

Of course he would be, but after trading Boyd last year I can't see them parting with Patton this year. Plus his injuries over the last few years would worry even the most hardcore supporter.

I've never really had one LH (even though I know you only brought it up in reference to Roosy). I always believe in some way that we can win any game we play. Ridiculous, yes, but I can't approach our games in any other way. Hogan signing on until, say, 2019 or 2020 would be one of the biggest shows of faith in our club in a long, long time. I would literally sob tears of joy for hours.

If we were to sign him up to an extension at the end of the year as it was alluded to in the HUN article, well, I think I would shed tears of joy, excitement and relief.

Yep, I think we made a move for him a couple of years ago but he declined it and we got Vince instead. Redden and Mackay would be good additions to our midfield IF they came at the right price. Mackay would come cheaper than Redden I would think, and as we all know we are crying out for a little more midfield depth.

I could well be wrong, but Matt Suckling strikes me as a player who looks much better in a good side that can get him the ball. I'm not sure a player of his type would fit at a lower club right now. His kicking is excellent but he needs to have a system that not only gets him the ball but gives him time to use it.

We all have. It's no excuse though to be negative about our chances of keeping Hogan around.

And if we can hopefully add another good free agent to that mix then we are starting to look like a good football side.

I believe Roos said recently they see Frost as a long term backman. He will be a handy addition to the side next year.

I agree with that Django. Petracca is not a high flying forward. While he is very good above his head he brings a far different set of skills to the table than Howe does.

Up until his final year of TAC he was predominantly a forward. His last year showed that he had the capacity to play in the midfield and do so very well, but right not he is not a pure midfielder. He will still spend plenty of time up forward in his first few seasons at least.

I wouldn't put too much stock in what the papers say. They ALWAYS link one of Collingwood, Richmond or Carlton to a player. Just look at Treloar - both the Pies and Tigers are named as the ones throwing money at him. It's as regular as clockwork. No one truly know what the clubs are doing, and just because the paper doesn't name us it doesn't mean we aren't well in the race for him either.

I would expect us to be talking to a number of players, and Motlop would be top the queue. We are generally a one paced side and someone like Motlop would instantly bring some x-factor to the middle of the ground that we sorely lack. I don't think he would come to us but it's pleasing to hear we are well and truly on the front foot.

All good mate! I see what Jaded is saying, but we aren't Hawthorn - our depth is still poor and having a guy like Howe at Casey does us no favours. As a defender who can go third man up he can be damaging. As jumbo said he is too lazy up forward, which is where he has been recently, and playing in defence forces him to play his role and stick to it.

Maybe, but his game today shows why he should be kept in the side. No one else at Casey can play like he can.

Begs the question why you would believe it so blindly too. The club knows what it is doing.

As Ricky Gervais would say: "Your explanation is the theological equivalent of saying 'look over there' and then running in the opposite direction." Agree with the last part though.

So how can you equate Roos talking about getting an A+ midfielder to being about Dion Prestia when you only rate him as a B+? Logic doesn't compute, although why I'm applying logic to your posts is anybodies guess.

Not really mate, and I didn't mean to single your post out as plenty of others have done it before you. But this site is terrific with off hand comments like 'I hear this and that' and then everybody is all over it and expecting the player to make the switch. There has been nothing about Prestia and, with the impending departures of Dixon and Bennell, it makes no sense for GC to let him go, and the unsafe workplace clause is a huge stretch. Don't get me wrong - I'd love to get him in our midfield, and Melbourne supporters love to pine after current players who supported us as kids, but Prestia becoming a Demon this year is not something I'd get my hopes up for. * As a side note, I'd be stoked to be proven wrong.