Deeoldfart

Mine too 'bub, not 'prongs' but nails. The umps inspected them before every game to ensure that the stops weren't worn down with the nail heads protruding. You could inflict a nice flesh wound with a pair of well worn stops.

I'm a underwhelmed by Jake's more recent form, and very concerned by the 'sword of WADA' hanging over his head. None-the-less, I have confidence in Roos and the rest of the Football Dept. to make the right call. Where does that leave me on this issue? Buggered if I know what to make of it!

I'm not a great fan of Melksham as a player, but if all the 'noise' about him coming to Melbourne turns out to be true, I will trust that our current administration see something in him that I don't, and that he will be recruited on a deal that they regard as fair and reasonable to all. If he then fails to add value as a player, I will adopt a 'you win some / you lose some' attitude, and seek to move on quickly. However, I will be absolutely livid if he becomes a Demon, and is then rubbed out because of his involvement in the Essendon drugs scandal. That would be unforgivable imo.

Like you Mach, I'm surprised. At his best Myers is pretty good, but he is rarely on the park. Averages around 10 games a year over close to 8 seasons, and only one senior appearance so far in 2015. Maybe Goodwin likes what he has seen, and he certainly fits the bill as a Roos type mid (tall, good pace with a raking left foot). However, we'd need to be confident about his durability and positive about any Essendrug fallout, before I'd have any more than a passing interest in him. No doubt if the story about our interest is true, the good judges at the MFC will have these issues front and centre.

I guess it depends on where you are coming from Ron. I really like Garlo, and think he's been a very 'solid citizen' of the Melbourne Footy Club over some really tough times. Does that make him a quality player? ........ not by my preferred definition. In describing players as 'quality', I immediately think of match-winning qualities, and I just don't see them in Garlo. There are dozens of 'solid citizens' on every list (all teams needs them!), but without a healthy serve of players with match-winning qualities, teams are going nowhere in today's competition ........ and Melbourne has fewer match-winners than most. If Garlo leaves as a RFA, I will be among the first to acknowledge his good service, and to wish him well at his new club. I will also be looking forward to the prospect of adding potential match-winning qualities to our very meagre list. Of course there are no guarantees in recruiting, but we desperately need to do everything possible to raise the bar! In summary: "If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got".

I really like Col Garland. He's been a very 'solid citizen' of our Club through an extremely tough era, and in my eyes, he's still a 'best 22' player. However, this is surely not the point. If we want to improve as a team we need to raise the bar! Inevitably, some of today's 'solid citizens' will need to make way for players who bring (or have clear potential to bring), more to the team. There's an important part of me that says we should remain loyal to 'solid citizens' like Col, and another part that screams for team success. For me, in this scenario, team success beats loyalty every day of the week!

I hope so Sir Paul. He has an excellent CV, and would be a fantastic addition to our midfield. If he is indeed contemplating a move south, the Dees would seem to be an obvious choice. Pick 5 would be fair and reasonable if we are satisfied that his knee will stand up.

I'd be very, very disappointed if that happened. I thought his family moved from WA to Melbourne when he was drafted.

Agree ..... nice story though!

Without fear, and manic at the ball and the man .... that encapsulates Jack Viney's football prowess for me

The pace and BS of the the various trade threads was doing my head in, so I decided to visit here for some light relief (first time since February, I think). I must admit, it's really testing my cognitive abilities.

Take the GWS Dom Tyson, add a new environment; an injury free run; Paul Roos, George Stone and a touch of Mark Jamar and you have what we see today ie. a budding star with a heap of upside. I love what Dom has achieved to date, but it's the footballer that he might become that has me salivating.

Most of all he plays like JKH, and he wears our colours. Forget the comparisons, under Roosy's guidance he has the attributes to become a 'benchmark' player of our very own.

That's not what my wife called me at the time, I promise you that!

I withdraw my candidature on the grounds that a self confessed bat eating Demon would be unlikely to win popular support.

The braised fruit bat I had in Vanuatu a couple of years back was an absolute delicacy. Washed down with a fine French Burgundy, it was sensational, and much better than any of their tropical fruits. ps. no Hendra virus over there apparently.

Good advice I'm sure old dee. Maybe a few of us should have listened more closely to your sage words before the start of the season, .......................... but we shouldn't go down that path now, it could ruin the fabric of this thread, or the thread of this fabric, or something (??).

Good decision Jack. It's a bye for the Dees this weekend, and consequently my first visit to this thread since 13 Feb. Perhaps I should be spending more of my time here ...... it's considerably less depressing.

I agree. Let us not derail this interesting and informative thread.

Well us Demonlandes just can't allow that to happen. We should all sign a petition refusing to participate until we have our next Flag. After all, Melbourne started the game, and we have a birth right to be drinking from the final premiership cup as the curtain comes down.

Just caught up on 9 pages of this enthralling thread, but now I'm lost WYL!

That's just a smokescreen. An impeccable source tells me that he recently visited the Dangerfield school of concussion. A certainty to be right next week. ps. I hope there is more activity on the trade front next week, if only to keep me away from this thread for a while longer (lol).

Black Caviar. I dream of the day our footy team can take on the best opposition and still win convincingly, start, after start, after start.

On that basis OD, I should be the second last person to be wishing my life away, but I'm with you 100% old fella! I think I even detect a hint of anticipation / excitement in your post about the coming season, which is great to see.

A small forward role beckons if he is up to it. The ball is squarely in Flash's court to earn it .......... which is exactly how it should be!