The Taciturn Demon

Absolutely agree with this. And sometimes the media reports are flimsy and pathetic - you don't need to make a straw man out of them. But in most cases these feeble stories are immediately addressed, dismissed or just laughed off. That hasn't happened here. Unless this is a case of "he's so wrong that responding would give the rumour unwarranted credit", everything points to the central claim from Morris - that Petracca is so unhappy he wants to leave - being true.

Suck it up, nature, ya whinger.

Nature abhors a vacuum.

I agree. Seems like an annoying person - and that previous work stuff was pathetic, although run of the mill for News Corp - but nothing about this suggests it's made up or grossly exaggerated. There's no hedging or weasel words - he's saying Petracca wants to leave - full stop. With the contract being the important part in brackets, of course. Also, I notice a lot of people talking about two high picks and a very good player. Sure - that would be nice. But the "good player" part just never happens anymore. The moons would have to align in the most unlikely ways - i.e. a star in the team Petracca wants to go to is also unhappy. The best you could hope for is to get a kid with a big upside - Jack Crisp (and picks) for Dayne Beams springs to mind.

I've lamented our work in the centre square for a very long time. That was an enormous improvement against two of the better clearance players (at least stats-wise) in the comp.

It was. But a terrible call to go after him in the first place. Grundy can't mark above his head. He was never going to work as a forward. He was never going to work if we asked him to concentrate on getting back as the extra defensive interceptor. He was only going to work as a (mostly) very effective tap ruckman (although I would say he relies far too heavily on umpires being extraordinarily lenient with their interpretation of holding during ruck contests). That would have meant consigning one of the best Melbourne footballers of the last 50 years and arguably the best ruckman of the last 20 to an understudy role. Easy to say in hindsight, but I found it equally baffling way back when it was clear Melbourne were keen on him.

Is Lukosius just a bust at Pick 2 or is there something there?

It really is. Painful watching him last weekend.

That's the one. Not immediately after the game, but when it became clear this wasn't a wild aberration, but a symptom of very deep problems.

I'm with you. Absolutely understand Harmes' best football was well behind him, and wasn't shocked or angry that he was traded. But Harmes, Brayshaw and Neal-Bullen are real cultural fabric players. We miss their best footballing attributes, but maybe the collective absence of their non-football stuff will be even more deeply felt. I've loved watching Alex Neal-Bullen play for the Demons. He's one of few players (Jones and Robertson come to mind) I've seen improve very significantly reasonably late in their career. Although he may be remembered as a 'role-player' there were absolutely games where, without him - his relentless run and ability to link up - I'm certain we would have lost. You can't say that about too many players.

The market being Justin Reid?

I just want to see them keep trying new stuff in the centre square. Good to see both Kossy and McVee in there at the same time last week. If we have any chance of being decent next year, we need to find a way to become consistently competitive at stoppages again. Now, with very little to play for, is a good time to try stuff.

First time the Dogs have gone negative since the Paleozoic Era.

No more exciting footballer in the competition at the moment.

Oh [censored]. As my primary school-age daughters would say, BURN!

It's incredibly tough. Every time I sit at ground level, watching Max alone exhausts me. It's a relentless barrage of physical pressure. The resilience of all footballers at the highest level is remarkable. But Petracca was in extraordinary pain. They might not have known the extent of the injury, but they could surely see this wasn't the time to take the "suck it up" line. Demanding he return to the field strikes me as both unprofessional and futile. Even if it turned out it was badly bruised ribs, is he going to tear it up? And on the subject of "suck it up", is there a history of Petracca taking the easy option that would make these insistences necessary? I've never seen even a hint of it. Sorry, I'm not having a go at you or suggesting you're making it up. I'm also not saying football clubs should be like kindergartens, where everyone's feelings are scrupulously taken into account. But this strikes me as really poor. If there's truth to Petracca's disgruntlement, I can easily see this being at least part of the cause.

I've now come across this numerous times. Is that true? I understand football is a brutal sport and the airbrushed veneer we see is vastly different to reality "inside the club", but demanding a badly injured player return to the field is nothing less than appalling in my eyes.

I've been lurking on Demon forums and social media communities for 20-odd years and this is close to the best post I've read. The diagnosis of the midfield problem is so well expressed and incisive.

I don't care what history says. In my mind, now and forever, he did it deliberately, aiming the gush, in full knowledge of who Scully was and what was about to happen.

Reminds me a lot of late-career Jordan Lewis. If you look at the stats alone you can make a case for him. If you watch the game, it's much more difficult.

Well put. We know from bitter experience, you should never lie down during a season. But there's a massive difference between playing for draft picks and making sensible decisions to get players ready for next season, and using essentially dead rubbers to try new things.

I totally agree. Max said in a recent video he rates him as a ruck, but you can find adequate rucks elsewhere. Above average tall forwards are much rarer. One thing that frustrates me apart from the fact it must take a toll on his body is us getting the ball at half back and me thinking "OK, where's JVR?" And the answer is behind or near the player with the ball because he's playing in the ruck. When you kick the ball into the forward half of the ground as poorly as we do, it's so important to have someone who can compete in the air.

I totally agree. Max said in a recent video he rates him as a ruck, but you can find adequate rucks elsewhere. Above average tall forwards are much rarer. One thing that frustrates me apart from the fact it must take a toll on is body is us getting the ball at half back and me thinking "OK, where's JVR?" And the answer is behind or near the player with the ball because he's playing in the ruck.

You may well be right. I generally lean a bit pessimistic and have been way off in my predictions about the Demons many times before. But... ...I think coming 12th or 13th and having a percentage at least 10 points away from every team in the eight points to something more than being unlucky in a close season. I also think football supporters are generally good at pointing to bad luck and how blights their teams but completely overlooking bad luck that affects - and, more importantly, is overcome, by - opposition teams. I can absolutely see why our football department would be keen on Houston. But I think we also need: * A ruck we can confidently bring in when Max is unavailable. * A dependable, ready-made tall forward in the Ben Brown mould (I think the Petty experiment was well worth a try, but it hasn't worked and he is the clear Steven May replacement; van Rooyen is going nicely but needs help) * At least one, but preferably two or three, players who can in the next two years make a difference at centre bounces and in winning clearances generally - if this is McVee and Pickett, excellent, but they then leave holes * Any predominantly outside player with really good foot skills (Hunter and Billings haven't worked) * A player who does a similar job at a similar level to Tomlinson and McDonald Again, I'm erring on the side of pessimism, but I think a bounce (at least a big one) next year is unlikely. I'd prefer that we put plenty of eggs in the draft basket and aimed to fill these gaps over two or three years than go all in on 2025, a la 2007.

Always worth keeping in mind. But if there's any truth to the rumour at all, he won't be cheap.