Rodney (Balls) Grinter

I don't follow North that closely, so can't really rate too many of their mids asides from Higgins who I understand is more outside and Cunnington who I really do rate as a hard as nails inside mid who can play.

Seemed pretty fare to me. I didn't really want to loose a player of Tyson's realitive quality, but understanding the realities of the scenario fromantic a MFC perspective, I think it's a pretty reasonable win win really on the presumption that North have a deficiency of inside mids. He has been a bit of a whipping boy here for a few seasons now, but I actually rate Tyson as a pretty decent player, it's just that in our current position I'll agree that he's nowhere near as good as Oliver, Brayshaw, Viney and now Harmes.

Yes, the AFL will support several players trying to break there contacts early and demand to be traded to clubs of their choice - I think not. What is becoming a farce is the domino effect of deficient free agency rules causing players to demand trades before the end of their contract. The free agency rules need to be ballanced by making the club receiving the free agent repay the compensation pick from their own draft picks. Would still be a reasonable form of free agency, because the departure club does not need to agree to the deal.

I thought this was a no brainer option from the start. Freo just acting like a bunch of self righteous [censored] thinking that they have the world's strongest hand and can dictate the terms to everyone else rather than swallowing some humble pie conceding that Neale is gone, but being greatfull for locking away one of the premium mature key forwards in the game, but that they will actually have to pay market price for him or maybe a bit over given that he would actually be breaking his contact to go to them. With such a clear way forward, you'd think they'd be jumping over themselves to get this deal done, rather than [censored] EVERYONE in the AFL around - a bird in the hand is better than two in the bush. I'm also honestly not seeing why Freo think Neale is worth so much either. My understanding is that he is a fair player and had a bit of a breakout year a season or so ago, but the way Freo are carrying on, it's like he is the equivalent of Dangerfield or Martin or Fife at their peak. Trelor was a significantly more established player for a number of years before he attracted the type of trade leverage for GWS that Freo are expecting. Unless Neale is at that sort of level, then one first round pick and perhaps a later 2 Rd is about all they can expect. I mean Neale played all 22 games and didn't even make the top 30 brownlow (AFL midfielders award) vote getters playing in a team of spuds when Fife was injured and wouldn't take votes off him for half the year. At 25 yo, he's around his peak performance and ain't no Oliver or Brayshaw. I know Freo also want Lobb, then to me there options are 1. concede that you can't always get all your whish list ticked off in one foul swoop, or 2. start trading some of their other players and or future draft picks. But they just don't seem to get the concept that you need to give something to get something in return. As a side note, you have got to wonder what Fife saw in Freo to keep him there? To me, Freo hit the down hill slide when they uprooted Mark Harvey and replaced him with Ross Lyon. Harvey had pulled them out of obscurity, developed and motivated them into a competitive team playing a good brand of footy. Being the expert on coaching that I am, Ross Lyon does nothing for me. He always seems to be highly rated, perhaps by association with some of his former teams and former senior coaching mentors, but look at his record - 3 loosing grand finals playing the most boring brand of football ever. No wonder Neale wants to leave, he doesn't want to be bored to death. After inheriting a good team, the subsequent decline and failed 'rebuild' at Freo under Lyon has been a disaster. @binman, can you please read this and paraphrase it for @Tram 74, I think he can only read simple one line sentences. Perhaps he should stick to Twitter, the social media platform for Twits.

Nice perspective. Yup, he's pretty small that AVB!

And now his fantasy price should be even lower for 2019, having not played a game in 2018.

Sorry a bit of an ignorant question, but can someone tell me did North have other backup ruck options? Strikes me a strange that if we see value in having backup and support for Gawn, that North wouldn't want the same thing for Goldstein. Really does also go to show how much fads the AFL goes through. Go back a few years and all those in the know were saying that their is only room for one genuine ruck in the 22 and now after West Coast use Nic Nat and Lycett, everyone is looking for that second ruck option. Also wounder if North giving up Preuss to us is going to be like us giving up Martin to the Lyons a few years back - we can only hope!

Agree Binman. The main reasons I'm not celebrating this are: 1. The trade period isn't over yet, so it ain't done and dusted that he's not moving this year; 2. Would really be something to celebrate if after this (hopefully failed episode) he signed on for another 2 years on top of 2019. I'm not in the boat of thinking May would be the greatest thing since sliced bread for the MFC either. May had a pretty ordanary year as well and if he were to come to the MFC, I think he'd actually have to lift his training ethic to that of Max Gawn's to get a game here. I fully expect that Oscar will continue to get bigger and end up something near the strength of Tommy, plus a few cm in height. May would be good if we could trade for him at a reasonable price - isn't he actually a FA after 2019? That's when we should strike Richmond style.

Which says to me that Hogan is really worth May plus some decent spare change at the draft table.

Which would completely contradict the stuff the Eagles have been banging on about all week with respects to 'it's no the go home factor with Kelly...some people have genuine circumstances and Kelly is one of those...' If Kelly reslly does needs to get back home that urgently that he can't see out his contact with Geelong, the he should/will entertain a genuine offer from Freo. That said, I think associating 'genuine offer' and Freo together in one sentence these days is an oxymoron, so scratch that theory.

Freo's headquarters is Cockburn Central, so probably infers multiple burnt apendages after the MFC told them they can all go F$#@! themselves, because they are not getting Jessie for the rubbish they were carrying on with.

Yeahhhh, righto.

And Weid has played about 3 or 4 cracking games, not 3 or 4 seasons worth.

Agree, I think it's more likely to put him off Freo for being neither professional enough or valuing him highly enough just to get on with things and get the job done. They seem to want something for nothing. Pick 5 isn't enough for Neale, but Jessie, you're only worth pick 11 and below to us. I recon that Jessie should be thinking do I want to play for a club that values me (think we traded two first rounders to get access to him in the first place didn't we?) and treats me proffesionally and with respect or a bunch of bloody muppets that couldn't make pis in a brewery?

Yes, I remember this one against Essendon. Was a rare bit of joy in an otherwise dark time. The game against North certainly had everyone thinking that he'd arrived and we h8ad a real player on our hands. Kent certainly teased with his bursts of brilliance and potential that unfortunately was never consistently delivered on for us. As highlighted by others, a pragmatic trade in the circumstances and I have no hard feelings really, just some lingering frustration for what might have been.

Yes "we're a happy team at Whorethorn": https://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/afl-trade-news-hawthorn-fans-react-to-news-ryan-burton-is-on-the-trade-table-to-secure-chad-wingard/news-story/efb16a382792eac937af4a4c8e52b5c9 It also states in the article that Garry Lyon is endorsing the trade due to Whorethorn's outstanding record on trades and list management, so hopefully that is putting the kiss of death on them. Yes Whorethorn have traded well to fill gaps during their premiership window, but what they are doing now is trying to build a new core of a team through trading. Really hope they are being smug overconfident mugs and it blows up in their face in years to come.

Haven't read anything much on Wingard, mainly due lack of interest, but now you have tickled that - any links?

Would be most appropriate for $cully to end up at Whorethorn. Would give me twice the number of reasons to boo the pox riddled little turd. Seriously, what kind of culture must Whorethorn be building with a team full of mercenaries, whilst porning off their up and comming players lIke Burton? I really hope this import led rebuild of Whorethorn is as sucessful as Carlscums latest one and the end up occupying the lowest rungs of the ladder for a loooong time.

Thanks for your contribution to the MFC Dom, provided us with some good service for a few years. I really value the contribution of these players that joined us when we were a very ordanary side, battled their hearts out, helped us to improve and have victories along the way, without which, I don't think the side would be what it now is. Was very glad the Dom got the opertunity to be part of our late season sucess and share in some of the joy after the lack of sucess during his first few years. All the best for the future Dom.

We have traded Kent for about the same as we got Garlett for. If the Saints do as well out of Kent as we did out of Garlett, they will be doing ok I recon. Despite what the haters may think, I recon we have done ok from Garlett. A few 40 goal seasons was pretty important to us when we were struggling and trying to get back on our feet. Practically won us the game against the Lions this year off his own boot, without which, we probably finish 7th or 8th and don't get a home final. Also hoping that Garlett may still come good for us next year and give us some more spark and zip in the forward line.

Sad to see Kent go. He could be a fast, tough and skillful player on his day. Will never forget that goal he kicked to put the nail in the coffin against the Eagles in Rd 22 this year to put us into finals.

The Lions paid a pretty heavy price to get Beams too. Picks 5 (Jordan De Goey), 25 (traded with North for Levi Greenwood) and Jack Crisp who has been a pretty regular player for the Pies. If the Beams rumor is true, then either Collingwood would need to repay something in the order of the premium they put on Beams or Brisbane should tell him to either turn up to their preseason or sit a year out off the AFL so he can put himself in the draft so that he can play for Carlton, St Kilda or the Bulldogs. The AFL can't stand for any more draft tampering like in the Luke Ball fiasco either. Recollecting on all this, it also reinforces to me that two first round picks for Jessie should be the absolute minimum.

Also no changes to the tripping/below the knees rule? That penalty paid against Brawshaw in the Hawks semi was an absolute discrace, but arguably within the rules. I agree with Paul Roos, the rule was bought in to protect players from sliding, not from stopping them from going for the ball.

You would hope that it's applied with some comon sense, but I can also see huge potential for sperilous free kicks if it is umpired in an overzealous manner. You would hope that runners exiting before play restarts would be applied so as a runner that is 40m+ away and running towards the boundary when play is restarting is not penalized. Generally though this rule is somewhat overdue though.

I like your thinking, but I am concerned that the way the rule has been implemented with all 6 players inside 50m will just create a more conjested forward 50m zone to start with. The way it is being phrased is not correct in my view either it's not traditional to have all 6 players inside forward 50. I think I could quite easily handle one player in the square, 3 inside 50 and the other 3 being along the front edge of the square as being traditional, but not all 6 inside 50. I caveat all that with this disclaimer that I haven't seen any trial of all 6 starting inside 50. If others and the AFL have actually seen this and can conclude that it works, then I'd be ok with the rule. But on the basis of the recient relative AFL incompetence in making rule changes, I have significant doubts. Personally I would prefer the AFL to keep progressively winding back the permissible number of rotations, I think that would be the most effective way of decreasing congestion.