Matsuo Basho

That’s what I’ve heard, too. Nat’s a bit ‘too cool for school’ these days.

You need to sit down with Ross and Rocket and hash out your differences of opinion with them over this one. But only after you’ve spoken with the footy depts at Melbourne, Hawthorn, Collingwood and Essendon and explained to them why you think they’ve got their assessments of Steven May all wrong. Let me know how you get along.

I remember Rodney Eade saying in an interview about his time at the Suns that there were a number of off field incidences that the media did not get wind of regarding Bennell. The look of disappointment/disdain/pity on Rocket’s face said it all. You are barking up the wrong tree on this one LordNevX. You’re consistent bro I’ll give you that!

I just can’t see them releasing Brayshaw or Cerra in a deal unless they’ve suddenly devalued one of them after seeing them perform at AFL level for one season. Both looked to be tracking pretty well to me for top five picks. But you never know I guess. Of the two Cerra looks the pick. Almost no chance they’ll let him go.

I’m interested to know why some posters think Pick 5 & Brayshaw would be a compromise option that would have appeal to Fremantle. Brayshaw was pick 2 for them, so in real terms you’re asking for picks 5 & 2 for Hogan (not to mention that the kid has already had a year in the system as you say). Where is the value there for Freo over picks 5 & 6?

I bet you Clarkson is considering taking him on. Desperate to hang on to any chance the Hawks can resist an inevitable slide down the ladder. Bennell hasn’t just got a drug problem, he’s got a head problem. Worst combination possible. Avoid like the plague.

It’s just been a very interesting feature of 90% of news articles on the Hogan trade story that the journos do not want Melbourne to receive decent compensation for the player. Here again a snide little backhander mentioning the irrelevant, unconnected detail of the four year offer to Preuss. I very much doubt clubs like Hawthorn, Essendon or Collingwood would be written about this way, with the none too subtle put downs and “the poor child is getting a bit ahead of his station” mindset. It’s good to see. Shows that the Demons are finally starting to rattle a few cages and put a few noses out of joint. Ie. We are at long last relevant again and it’s got the Establishment a bit worried! Great to hear we demanded picks 5 & 6, too. It won’t be that in the end of course but you’ve got to set your markers high and talk tough in a trade of this nature. Freo are the ones who will end up looking right gooses if they can’t come up with a satisfactory price for the player. Tapped up the under contract key forward they’ve been chasing for five years, got their supporters hopes up by bring Hogan over to see their weights room, but then wouldn’t value him high enough to compensate his current club and it all fell through? Would be highly, highly embarrassing for them. We’re talking about a Freo that finished a very disappointing 14th in 2018 and looks set to slide further into the bottom four while their cross town rivals sit high on the hog and dominate the competition. Make no mistake, Ross and a few others will come under some serious heat over there if the fortunes of the Purple Haze aren’t rapidly reversed. They will pay up for Hogan. We just need to sit tight and occasionally talk tough. Might not exactly be 4 & 5 we end up getting, but they will pay up.

https://youtu.be/LOjSEW09NxE

See DrD’s post above. He nails it. Frost/OMac v Lynch/Riewoldt? v Kennedy/Darling? v Patton/Cameron? Please. Who are you trying to kid LordNev. And who cares if it’s slightly overs for May? Freo are likely to pay us slightly overs for Hogan. Swings and roundabouts. It’s all about winning a premiership now for the Melbourne Football Club. Not forever mining for draft gold that may or may not materialise. May is a gun. And an absolute brute to boot. Or do you have better judgment than the MFC, Hawks, Bombers and Pies football departments? Coz it really seems like you think you do.

1 year extension ?? If Hogan stays put the only way this circus sideshow doesn’t reoccur next year is if he signs on for minimum 3 additional years until 2022.

Yeah ... we could get a guaranteed Jimmy Toumpas, Jarrad Grant or Jono O’Rourke! Or one of those King Bros who I’ve heard are the Next Big Things! Saberfang - we are entering a five year premiership window. We need a quality fullback. A proven fullback. They don’t grow on trees. You can’t keep building from the bottom with 18yos forever. The time has come to load up with seasoned talent for a proper crack at silverware.

Better chuck those tea leaves into the compost, Amigo! #rpfcstrikesout

No shortage of irony in a few prominent posters claiming to now by ‘reading the tea leaves’ either having no clue that this was going to happen a few weeks ago, or adamant that it would never happen while they remained above ground. Talk about run with the foxes and hunt with the hounds! All fun though. Human nature to want to come out crowing.

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Don’t think that’s quite accurate, B’bub. There’s circus and theatre but a very real negotiation underway. Still an outside possibility Hogan stays. Mahoney isn’t bluffing. The foot issue thing is clearly bogus.

200!

“Guy doesn’t walk on the lot unless he wants to buy”

Great analogy MazerRack. Spot on. In fact I sold my Xtrail not long ago through Carsales and had to go through EXACTLY that rigamaroll. In the real estate game it’s called ‘undermining vendor confidence’.

Yes, and “as it sits now we expect Jesse to be playing for Melbourne next season”. Freo would’ve bristled at that. Mahoney copped criticism from some last year for appearing too accommodating to Adelaide over Lever. Well, we are seeing his hard arse bonafides here in no uncertain terms. Great stuff.

C’mon ProDee you’re smarter than that. Brinkmanship 101. Laughably obvious in truth.

No they haven’t. They were always going to throw his ‘dicky foot’ up as a tactic to push price down. Someone at Freo is feeding Tom Browne bulltish the way Old McDonald spreads feed for chooks. ‘Touring the facilities’, saying Lobb is more of a priority ... all ploys to get Melbourne to cave on a the two first rounders demand. All these tactics are in fact a measure of their keenness. It’s off the charts. Sit tight Dees we will extract our price. Patience, patience catches the prey.

Forget the West Coast prelim. We were emotionally out of petrol tickets before the ball had been bounced. Look more at the Grand Final, where you’ve got two quality midfields on their game going at full click. The difference at the end of the day was Kennedy was too big and too good on a few critical occasions for the Pie defenders. Darling too won a few brute strength one on ones that we’re telling. Result? The Eagles return home with a fourth Cup for their trophy cabinet. 5 point victors. Lever will be a welcome return to the side (let’s hope his knee stands up after a SECOND reco) but he is not a gorilla minder in the manner Steve May is. Sorry but I’m not willing to trust Oscar and Frost as a pairing on the off hunch that both are going to become AA quality key defenders over the preseason. I don’t just want to make the Big Dance like we’ve done in the past ... I want to win the damned thing. Thankfully it appears our FD are thinking the same thing. The fact that Collingwood and Hawthorn are also chasing May should tell you something. At the top end winning and losing a flag is a game of slender margins. Go into a Grand Final with a shaky back six at your peril.

How can you be optimistic about a defence that finished bottom 4-6 in key defensive statistical categories? Because you’re ‘confident’ Oscar and Frost will magically morph into Barrass and McGovern over the off-season? Seems all you’ve got is a pretty flimsy gut feel and that’s about it.