Dee-tonator

I would like to see TMac included, in order to release Lever for the intercept game at which he is adept. But I fear King may be a bit jaundiced about picking veterans, Max excepted. The defence certainly needs some tweaking, because we conceded far too many scoring opportunities today and always looked vulnerable in the corridor.

Positives: Four ladder points. Clear game plan based on dynamic and attacking football. Van Rooyen's new-found confidence. Max as mighty as ever. Newcomers Miochek, Jiang and Steele all added value. A statement game by Culley. Windsor starting to fulfill his potential. Concerns: Defence in disarray at times. Looked very vulnerable to counter-attacks straight through the corridor. Overall: Much to be pleased about.

Gawn - destroyed young pretender Van Rooyen - top calibre sharp-shooting Steele - showed his mettle Culley - who needs Petracca? Windsor - who needs Oliver? Kozzie Pickett - bursts of excellence Latrelle Pickett - same as Kozzie Salem - calm and composed Mihocek - adds attacking options Jiath - added pace welcome Chandler - usual gutsy effort Fritsch - not many contributions Turner - battled away gamely Rivers - energetic and lively Lindsay - suspect in defence Sharp - injected late dynamism Tholstrup - not AFL standard Lever - far from best Langdon - just another game Howes - kept his cool Petty - our best defender Langford - input was limited Sparrow - did he play?

6 Max the mighty 5 Van Rooyen 4 Culley 3 Steele 2 Windsor 1 Kozzie And honourable mentions for most of the others.

Defensive set-up and errors already a big worry against average opposition. May's leadership already being missed.

Plus factor: our most reliable goalkicker for the past few seasons. Minus factor: work rate below par at times. Verdict: definitely worth another contract.

After all the club did to help him with his off-field issues, Oliver is still making snarky comments about Melbourne. It's time to say thanks for his early contributions but now it's not only goodbye but good riddance.

Sad to see an outstanding player's career fizzle out in this manner. I'm far from convinced that this was entirely a voluntary decision on May's part.

Why all this attention on yesterday's man who chose to leave the club? I'd rather be concentrating on the future, with exciting young talent such as Caleb Windsor and others.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it. And with Max as captain, that's at least one thing that definitely ain't broke.

The simple fact is that Clarry's time with us was like a pendulum. It started out super positive, eventually swung to super negative and sadly stayed there. On the field he put in some great performances and was a key member of the flag-winning team, but off the field his conduct became increasingly damaging to himself and the club. My final verdict: a flawed champion.

To all those fretting about our possible picks, I have a simple message. Just trust Jason Taylor. He and his recruiting team may not get it 100 per cent right every time but they come a lot closer than anyone else I can think of.

I am always amused by the long list of names proposed ahead of the draft each year and the certainty with which people state their opinions. The only phantom draft I take any notice of is Cal Twomey's. He doesn't get everything right but he is generally close to the mark.

To give a crack at finals to a team that finishes in the bottom half of the ladder is simply ludicrous.

I didn't think there could be a worse idea than this. And then I thought of Brayden Maynard............

It's bit early to be picking the best 23, but one thing I would say is don't write Steven May off just yet. He will be back with some big points to prove to the coach, and if his body holds up he may just surprise everyone.

It's far too early to write him off. But he needs to show significant improvement next season.

Spot on. I had a brain fade that I can only put down to advancing age and the weekly mental breakdowns that come with being a Melbourne supporter.

We have done a pretty good deal for a player who will turn 30 before next season. Picks 7 and 8 wll assist our rebuild and Gold Coast's 2026 pick could well be in the range of 1 to 4. I'm sad to lose a player of Petracca's quality but must admit my respect for him as a person is no longer what it once was.

When Oliver causes off-field chaos at GWS, we will all breathe a sigh of relief.

A third-round pick for Clayton Oliver AND a huge ongoing financial commitment for Melbourne? That is sheer madness and if the club is willing to get shafted to that extent it would deserve to become a laughing-stock. If Oliver goes, Melbourne should pay zero towards his salary. Whether he chooses to take a pay cut is up to him. I would rather just tell Oliver that he's going nowhere unless another club is prepared to meet his salary demands in full. If we are going to pay most of his salary anyway, he might as well play for Casey.

Great player at his peak and still entitled to elite status even though the best is past. But he has definitely had a destabilising influence on the club over the past two seasons, mostly through his own attitude. Even if he does have some legitimate complaints, these should have been sorted out long ago. With a long-term contract in place, Melbourne are in a strong poisition to force an excellent trade deal. Please, please, Mr Guerra, don't just roll over and accept any B-graders on offer, or picks that will be useless as the Devils take huge chunks of talent at the 2026 draft. Play hard-ball and make sure the club are the winners in any deal.

Let's just make sure his new club pays every cent of his salary, and secondly that we get a decent return for him. I hope his erratic kicking and petulant behaviour continue wherever he ends up. Unlike ANB, he will be leaving a slightly sour taste behind.

I'm a definite fan of Petracca the player (despite his erratic kicking) but I'm beginning to have serious doubts about Petracca the clubman. He's been messing us about for too long now.

First Jackson, now McVee. Signing players from Western Australia often comes with an inbuilt go-home factor attached. I am disappointed to lose McVee, but those criticising him personally have to realise that AFL has morphed from a sport into a business in which player movement is likely to become even more common. When contracts are up, players are free to seek greener pastures elsewhere, and sadly we are hardly a destination club at the moment. In the circumstances, it may be wise to re-think the plan to move Steven May on.