Whispering_Jack

The third tall forward point loses a bit of cache when you see the club chasing hard for Preuss from North Melbourne. You might be able to fit 3KPPs into the forward lineup but not 3KPPs and Gawn/Preuss. On a side note, it was refreshing to see how Nathan Jones is dealing with the issue compared with Tex Walker’s fit of pique last year when it was announced that Jake Lever was leaving the Crows. AFL trade news: Melbourne’s Jesse Hogan to be traded to Fremantle for two first round picks, per report

The fact that the deal between Carlton and Judd was as good as done by the middle of that season is also the explanation given for the Blues’ dramatic fall from grace and them losing the last 11 games in a row including the famous “Kreuzer Cup” game in Round 22. It really should have been called the “Kreuzer-Judd” Cup because it secured both players for them. Ironically, more than a decade later, Dennis Pagan who was coach of Carlton on Kreuzer Cup day will today be presenting the Jock McHale Medal to the premiership-winning coach and one of the players in the winning team could well be Josh Kennedy, the young key forward who the Blues gave away as part of the deal to get the Judd trade done. Worth thinking about if we do end up trading our own key forward in Jesse Hogan.

Also reflecting on the failure of the two development ruckmen the club has on its list, this would seem a brilliant and a necessary move to prolong Max Gawn’s time at the top in the game, especially in the light of some of the changes being mooted to the playing rules for next year.

Quite right Mr. Leg. I did tape the TAC Cup Grand Final with the intention of watching it during my week off work but it’s taken a while to get around to it because of the wonderful weather up here on the Gold Coast. I finished the task this morning. I suppose that what we’re looking at in Bedford is a player who might be a Daniel Rioli type who exerts a great deal of defensive pressure with his pace and tackling but isn’t going to necessarily rack up high possession numbers. In the preliminary final - the game in which he received a lot of accolades from the draft watchers - he managed only 13 touches In the grand final, he started off slowly but did lay some strong tackles without getting any other stats. He really didn’t get into the game until the second quarter and was credited with 10 disposals altogether for the game. He showed out from time to time with some good runs, a few effective tackles, some glimpses of excitement and potential but on this performance, I can’t see any opposition club putting in any early bids for him. He’s certainly not going to challenge for Melbourne’s midfield any time in the immediate future - his pace and skills are good but need development. I would like to think we could get him either as a late selection in the draft or, more likely as a rookie.

Sam McClure of SEN puts forward his idea of a blockbuster trade that could see Melbourne secure Gold Coast’s Steven May. May has a year left on his contract so McClure opines that there may be a problem. “The sticking point here is that the Gold Coast Suns aren’t going to trade Steven May, unless they get something overs for him.” McClure reckons that Lachie Neale could be the key to the matter. “Lachie Neale goes to Brisbane for Brisbane’s first pick – currently pick five – that is on-traded to Melbourne from Fremantle for Jesse Hogan, and that then allows Melbourne to with that pick for Jesse Hogan to get Steven May. “I’m of strong belief that the Gold Coast Suns would accept pick five for Steven May.” In other words, from Melbourne’s point of view, they get May in return for Hogan suggesting that he is worth exactly the same as May - a first round pick (notwithstanding that Hogan is a high ranking key position forward who is also in contract and three years younger than the Gold Coast defender). To accept such a trade would be madness.

Review of Toby Bedford’s performance in the TAC Cup Grand Final from AFL Draft Central ~ Scouting notes: 2018 TAC Cup Grand Final #15 Toby Bedford “He set the tone early with a great tackle inside 50 and just seemed to find space around the ground winning the ball. At times he danced around opponents and tried to set up plays, and while he was not as effective as his past two finals, still had a few eye-catching moments. He kicked an important goal in the second term to keep Dandenong’s momentum high, he just did not have the four quarter consistency on the day, picking up nine of his 10 touches in the middle two quarters.”

We were very fortunate that Max was fit to play in every game this year because we had no back up rucks of quality to replace him had it proved necessary. One could have mounted a case for the use of undersized back ups but I don’t think that would necessarily work at the pointy end of the season in a big game. With Preuss as back up to Max and Austin Bradtke as the understudy, our ruck stocks are looking a lot better going forward into 2019.

Like most, I would prefer that he stays but if we can’t convince him to do so, then his value should be assessed at least at the equivalent of the two first round picks it cost us to get Jake Lever. Terry Wallace has placed Chad Wingard at that level and Hogan is IMO worth more than that. We are facing an interesting month or so ahead.

I’m surprised that there hasn’t been any comment about the makeup of the team selected to take on Pakistan in the UAE and in particular, the non selection of Maxwell and Hanscombe. What’s happening here?

I knew something was missing last night and now I know. The presence of Carlton, a club that no longer appears to have any relevance in the AFL and despite the club’s long list of past indiscretions, always seems to be first in line when the AFL hands out goodies like Friday night games and draft relief.

And for the sticklers, Melbourne’s win over the Cats has seen it overtake them on percentage (yes I am aware that %age doesn’t count in finals)..

Could someone please remind me how many games has Melbourne won against fellow top 8 clubs?

Please watch your language folks. Sometimes little children stray into this thread and we don’t want them corrupted by malediction and profanity.

If someone can locate the genuine Chris from Camberwell, the offer still stands of a gig on one of our Demonland podcasts so that he can illuminate us with his voluminous knowledge of what the MFC needs to succeed in the world. If we could find Alan Jakovich, then finding Chris from Camberwell should be easy.

Still out of our reach ... and still a favourite to go #1. Jack Lukosius - Knightmare’s best draft prospect of the past decade

So back on Steven May, it would seem that Collingwood, having apparently missed out to Richmond over Tom Lynch (GCS), is making a big play for May. This would of course, be devastating for the Suns and it will be interesting to see how this is played out.

Mitch isn’t even in the Casey side for this Saturday although it’s not clear as to whether or not he’s injured. Preuss would be handy but what role would he play if Max remains injury free?

I am not a great fan of threads such as these but really, Fremantle has nothing much to offer us and very little to offer to Jesse Hogan except home town environment and football oblivion at a club that's going nowhere. I like the Goodwin comment that he's going nowhere.

That’s “talk” and it’s possibly reasonable in Carlton’s situation (although even that flies in the face of the precedent the AFL twice set a few years ago in refusing to give PP’s to the MFC when it had a worse record than the Blues) but there’s the AFL’s canary in the mine which is the competition’s basket case - Gold Coast. The AFL is desperate to save the Suns and the competition from the embarrassment of multiple 100 point floggings so it will try its hardest to help them. It wouldn’t surprise me therefore that they might decide to hand out PP’s this year after pick 10 or even earlier.

You wouldn’t give pick #1 in the draft for Mitch McGovern but there is the matter of the priority pick that Carlton originally didn’t really want because chasing priority picks is indicative of a lousy culture. If the Blues are given a priority pick after the first 10 picks that should do it for them. Adelaide might have to package up that pick with something else to trade down to the early pick that would deliver them one of those SA young guns. Who can guess why he would no longer go back to WA? All I know is once upon a time, a bloke called Mitch Clark who wanted to go home from Brisbane to Fremantle and somehow, he ended up at Melbourne.

The general view is that there will be a deal done with Carlton but it’s unlikely that the Blues would give away their first pick.

Before the event?

Calling this thread pornography isn’t attacking it. I would have thought it was more of a compliment to some of the regulars here. Besides which, you’re straying off topic. Didn’t Melbourne play the GWS Giants yesterday? How many kicks, handballs, marks and tackles did the unmentionable amass during the game?

In that case you really do have to stop reading this thread.