Simon Port

I would be going very hard for Higgins. Pickett and Higgins at the feet of Brown and Weideman could be a fantastic combination. Desperately need another pressure player

With the need for a wingman I think it would be worth having a look at Lachie Hunter. He's still only 25 years old and is a best and fairest winner at the Dogs. Runs all day, has good foot skills and would be a perfect complement to our plethora of inside mids. He would cost a fair bit but I think he would completely change our team for the better. He had a couple of indiscretions at the Dogs and they may be willing to let him go for the right price.

Rate him highly, I think he would be a terrific acquisition and fit straight into our backline to provide some drive and lockdown capabilities.

Saints putting him up for trade in order to fit Brad Crouch in. At his best he's a very good lockdown defender with great speed and strength. It feels like we are lacking that defender who is able to really lockdown and negate one of the oppositions smalls after Nev has seemingly fallen out of favour. I think he would be a really good cheap pick up assuming he's past his injuries of 2019/2020.

It's clear that Melbourne still needs another outside midfielder to support Ed Langdon who had a brilliant season and showed what having a player with his skill set does for our team. Recruiting Adam Tomlinson as a wingman was always far fetched and he seems more suited to a defensive role. Merrett would be an ideal target for us but would probably cost too much. A player I think that would be worth looking at is Tom Phillips who could be pushed out of Collingwood due to their cap squeeze. He's an elite runner and a very tidy left foot kick and exactly the type of player we need. He can also go forward and kick a handy goal.

With all of the time off and the players going away and doing their own individual programs, it'll be interesting to see if there are many changes from our round 1 side. Selection will be based purely on training so this will give an opportunity for many players to have a crack at it. We have a few interesting types such as Hannan, Smith and Petty who have shown that when fully fit they are capable. We also have Harley Bennell coming back from that long term injury who could be a classy inclusion if he stays fit. Question marks still surround the selection of Sam Weideman to step up and take a key forward role and at the other end of the ground, Omac always provides a topic for discussion. Are Jones and Hibberd still automatic selections? The Round 2 team I would go with: Jetta May Hore Salem Lever Hibberd Langdon Oliver Tomlinson Melksham Tmac Petracca Pickett Weideman Fritsch Gawn Brayshaw Viney Harmes Bennell Jones Lockhart

The Roar posted a recent article about the Predictions for Melbourne for 2020. It went on to say that we have a surplus of inside mids and too many of the same type of player, specifically targeting Jack. "Jack Viney must have a question mark on his future in the modern game. He's as one-dimensional a player as there is in the AFL, and there are others on the list that perform his main skill of extraction better. He's been demoted from he captaincy. He's also treacle-slow and can't kick. Concerns." Do you think Viney's lack of break away speed since his foot injuries and poor disposal efficiency are major concerns? He is only suited to an inside midfield role and hasn't performed at a high level for a number of years now (I do understand he's had injuries). Thoughts?