Wiseblood

I think I feel ill...

Of course he does. He hates Melbourne. Four eyed [censored]. The only thing I really agree with from Plough is our depth - it's a concern, but bringing in 3 players in that 21-24 bracket and drafting another quality player will help us greatly in that regard.

I retract my earlier post - I don't want a brief summary if this is the rubbish he'll be serving up.

I actually think they'll either end up missing out on Aish OR overpaying for him. I think Treloar and Howe will both end up there for deals that are close to spot on, but that doesn't leave them much wiggle room for the Lions who are still playing hard ball with him. That deal might fall through or the Lions squeeze something good out of them.

If you could provide a brief summary that would be great!

I do... in a way. What's our biggest issue been? It's depth. Our depth sucks. When we get a few injuries and the replacements are guys like M. Jones and Bail, you know we have serious problems. Melksham, Bugg and Kennedy represent a clear upgrade on many other players. Melksham will be best 22. Bugg and Kennedy will be knocking on the door. We haven't had that in a long time. We bemoan how easy it is for guys to get games, and improving our depth puts pressure on the list to perform. There is more to it than that and I don't feel as though I've articulated it very well. I guess what I'm saying is that the above 3 do improve the list and, if we can't get an A grader in this t trade period, then we need to focus on getting better in other ways so when that gun player does become available they are interested in playing for us.

No coach is immune to it. Roos has his had his fair share, but he also has runs on the board for finding some gems as well. Edit - Plus, from memory, the 4 players you mentioned above he got very cheaply. And yes, that includes Lumumba, who we got for a bloke who didn't want to play for us and had retired 6 months prior. It's not as if he traded first rounders or good players to get the above.

We've delisted or traded plenty of players over the years who didn't kick on at all. Morton, Maric, Petterd, Blease... the list goes on. Fitzy falls into that group. We weren't too hasty at all.

Knick off Barney, we want Fred.

What I think we all forget is that we just need to keep improving. Let's say we add some really good role players and the kids improve and we reach 10 wins. Someone like Prestia, who is fit again, is on the market. Chances are he sees that improvement and wants to come over. We might even land someone else too. We need to remember to take a medium to long term view and trust the FD to take us in the right direction.

A thought or a sauce?

Just like your posting mate! Boom Tishhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

Don't worry, I understand that part. It's just that this time Carlisle didn't even nominate them. He was happy to go to a team in the bottom half... and they may have dropped the ball which is ridiculous in the extreme!

Hawks aren't to blame at all. The Saints and Carlton were keen and he nominated the Saints. Clearly they didn't want to part with Pick 5 or really get the discussions going so the Hawks swooped in with an offer. 15 other clubs could have done the same. If he goes go to Whorethorn then the only people to blame are the Saints.

It may be a silly question, but how does that happen? Can you get a pick and then trade it back, or was Howe going to GC part of getting Prestia to Melbourne? I'm sceptical but you've got a few runs on the board GNF. Thanks for sharing.

We won't get Pick 7. That will go to GWS for Treloar.

True. I think the Howe deal will depend on what the Pies give up for Treloar. I wonder if the club will aim to pry a different player loose in this deal. We might ask for a good player while also still talking to GC about a deal as well to put pressure on the Pies. Obviously the club has it's eye on Pick 3, and probably Parish, and Howe has screwed us over.

Surprisingly no. I will say that Mahoney didn't sound all that happy but I could be reading too much into it. Clearly Howe nominating the Pies has thrown a significant spanner in the works!

Yes. Mahoney said the same thing on Trade Radio as well. Clearly he is not happy that Howe wants to go to the Pies. With their picks probably locked up in the Treloar deal it makes things difficult.

Didn't add too much new. - We would still rather deal with GC for Howe, but now that he has nominated the Pies we will try and work something out with them. - Ben Kennedy will be a separate deal to the Howe one - we will deal with the Pies and then see where we are at in terms of being able to get Kennedy. - Happy to get Melksham - Still interested in Prestia FOR NEXT YEAR but said that we do our due diligence with all uncontracted players. And that was it really.

Well said nutbean. We won't really know how this trade works out for us for a few years at least. Pick 25 may turn out to be a bust and Melksham a servicable player, or it could go the other way. To rubbish it now is short sighted.

It's been said before, but I'll say it again. These guys are two totally different players. Suckling looks excellent in a great side. He needs other players to find the footy for him, and while his disposal is elite there is a reason the Hawks shifted him to the forward line and he found it hard to find a settled spot in the side. He is a player who would struggle with us and look like a bust. He needs good players around him. Melksham has certainly been down on form for the past two years and supporters are right in being a little wary of him. But he can find his own footy, knows how to shut down a man and he can lay plenty of tackles. So while Melksham isn't an Earth shattering recruitment he fills a need far better than Suckling would.

At the very least he and Salem may rotate through HBF and the midfield.

No it's not. There are heaps of deals going on. Mahoney said there was a hold up because of other deals going on. We may have already got other deals going that see us get a second round pick in return. Rolled over? You couldn't be going more over the top if you tried.

I wasn't too enthused when it first broke that we were interested, but our track record over the past 2 years has been very good and I'm happy to back the club. Pick 25 seems overs but it's not really. It's a second rounder which is what a 24 year old, 100 gamer is worth on the market these days. All the best Jake, I'm hoping like crazy that you can come straight in a be a positive, consistent contributor to the side.