Wiseblood

Time will tell on that one, but it's a HUGE risk. Their desperation for a key forward meant they had to grossly overpay and they will be hoping like crazy he comes on and turns in to the dominant forward they expect him to. If not... well... that's a lot of money tied to an average player.

You would do well to treat every rumour in here as just that - rumour. There are too many in here who post stuff as if they truly know what's going on behind closed doors. They don't. The sooner you take it with a grain of salt the better off you'll be.

Not a bad way to think about it. But first and foremost we need excellent facilities and coaching staff to develop the list. If we have that in place we can always bring in other players, draft in some kids etc. to continually support these marquee players. If a middle of the road player wants too much money then we can feel safe in the knowledge that we have players waiting in the wings to replace them. The way we got Vince is a perfect example of this. Sylvia wants out so we get proactive and get Vince to replace him. We are instantly a better side. With FA there will always be players out there who we can get and we just need to make sure we stay proactive and not clog the salary cap with long term deals that leave us with little room to move.

It just reminds me of the NBA. Smaller market teams offering huge deals to lure players who don't end up working out, and then they are stuck with a contract that no one else wants to take on. And when they do find a suitor they are given well below market value for the player. I'm not against long term deals for marquee players, but a club has to also be realistic. You don't want to be lumped with too many of those types of deals otherwise it can leave much of your list short on talent in too many areas.

And which club will be the first to offer a long term deal like this and see it backfire when the player is underwhelming or goes down with regular injuries? I hope we don't do the same, although FA puts plenty of pressure on clubs to lock up players for long periods of time. It's a risky business.

Didn't say at any stage that I believed it. This whole thread is full of rumour and assumptions. Just putting forward what he had to say last night.

Let's assume for a moment that we can nab just ONE of the players mentioned - Day, Dixon, Gorringe and O'Meara. I won't put Prestia or Bennell in as it hasn't been explicitly said they want out or will be traded out. Which of the 4 do you take? Do you nab O'Meara for the midfield, or do we get either Day or Dixon as a second forward for Hogan?

The word from Purple is that he is looking at property in Melbourne. If players leave en masse GC are in deep poop. We would hope that he is at any rate, but we still need to win a few more games to convince someone like him we are worth playing for.

Purple brought up 4 names from GC who are looking to move on at season's end - Charlie Dixon, Daniel Gorringe, Sam Day and the surprising one was Jaeger O'Meara. O'Meara is contracted for next year but there are rumblings that he is looking at his options. Apart from Gorringe I'd been keen to have a look at all three of those for obvious reasons. Day and Dixon as a second foil to Hogan and O'Meara to be an excellent addition to the midfield. There is obviously plenty of water to go under the bridge with GC this year and what happens with their list come season's end, but there is certainly a chance that we can poach someone that will really improve the list.

The Bombers are being dudded big time unless there are picks involved in that deal.

I agree, in that too many mention those names above as potential delistings, yet they are still contracted for another year. Technically they can be traded IF there is a taker, which for those 3 I doubt there would be, but there is still that option. It does boggle the mind a little that Terlich and M. Jones got the contracts they did however.

It is about delisting AND trading... so while it's relevant it also doesn't mean it dictates what we can try to do in the off season

That's it mate, move the goal posts. What next? Not happy with a comparison because they wear different coloured boots? Different breakfast cereals? Face facts - your idea that we should 'give them something to think about' is way off the mark, as what we would need to give to do that would be way above what anyone here would be happy with. Macrae isn't going anywhere.

You're clutching at straws now. If the Hogan comparison doesn't do it for you, then liken him to Brayshaw. We wouldn't consider any offers. Neither would they. They aren't trading away a kid who has shown plenty and only spent a few years in the system.

Such as? Would take more than our first rounder to get close.

Won't happen. No chance in hell the Dogs trade him.

He wouldn't last to our pick if that happened. Whoever had the first pick would take him.

Even though he has been horrible tonight I still think Leuenberger would be a handy get for the right place. Being played as a stay at home forward, which is not his role, and with Stef Martin dominating he might be gettable.

This. I would rather pry loose a good young player than get a pick for Howe. If we can add a handy 20-22 year old to our core then I'd be happy with that.

Apparently Aaron Black is disgruntled at the Roos and may request a trade back to Freo - if he was looking for more game time is he worth a look as a 3rd forward type for us? Maybe we try and convince him to come over with the promise of more game time... or is he just another guy like Dawes who shows a bit in the shop window without there being much behind it?

I'd even argue Brayshaw is well on his way to being an A grade player for us as well. Lots to like about these kids.

We need to be careful at the end of the season. With star players re-signing and the few others left signalling intentions to stay or play somewhere that isn't Melbourne we need to evaluate what's left and whether it will be worth it. There will be some young players floating around who might be worth a look, particularly at GWS and Gold Coast. Their star players won't come but there are still come quality players up there who are either not getting a run, out of form or have struggled with injuries who would be well worth a look for the right price. I'm sure if we shake the tree hard enough something decent will fall out. But I agree with the others also that our top priority should be to hold on to the good young kids we already have and that we draft shrewdly again as well. If we look at how we did last year then Brayshaw and Vanders look to be great players for our future, Stretch and ANB are progressing well even if they are still a little green and, once fit, Petracca should slot in nicely. If we can draft 5 worthwhile players and nab a decent free agent or two then we will be looking good.

Neitz is still criminally underrated by the wider footballing community. 300 games, 600 goals, AA at both FF and CHB... the list goes on. Neitz was an absolute gem and a beast in his prime. Always felt the players walked taller when he was in form.

Your mail wasn't all that flash.

You're a complete fool then.