Deeoldfart

So many positives on here about Oliver (hard to disagree with any of it) but the greatest positive of all is that he didn't slip through our fingers. He's a Demon, and part of a developing midfield that oozes strength, determination and power. The sort of midfield that premierships are built around.

100% reasonable and sensible decision by Jesse, his management and the MFC. I would wager that there wouldn't be a single sound-minded Demonlander who wouldn't make the same decision if faced with the same predicament.

................... but player managers are only interested in the first part of that equation, and my gut feeling is that they probably have too much influence, particularly where youngsters are concerned.

Obviously it's very early days, but I'd love to get a feel from fellow Demonlanders who have seen him, about how Ollie is shaping up at training. For example, how does he compare to Gus and Track 12 months ago ............yeah, I know I'm starved for a bit of post Christmas Melbourne footy news, but there's only so many times that you can watch the AGM interviews, or revisit the great training pics provided by 666.

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

Well, I feel better now.

Don't want to get too far ahead of myself, but easily Lockett / Dunstall good, plus some!

Base a decision purely on merit. Using the the write-ups, Tyler would be a 'project' player (probably a rookie) and not likely to be pressing for senior selection until well into Roosy's final year as senior coach. In any event, I wouldn't be the least bit concerned by having the pair at Melbourne. I recall quite a few around here having concerns about the Vineys' but there doesn't seem to be any downside to that, and going back to a different era, it worked outstandingly well for Norm and Barass. And just an afterthought, having Tyler on our list might even prolong Roosy's involvement in our Club in some capacity. That wouldn't be a bad thing.

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.

Tom is an integral part of our spine right now, and a key 'building block' for the future. He is young and developing and will only get better with experience, continued tutelage from Roos and Co. and as we accumulate a bit of talent around him.

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.

Some are children, some never grow up , I guess.

Jimmy is involving himself more and is progressing nicely. I get the impression that he listens to what he is told and works hard to follow through on advice and instructions. Very confident that he is one recruitment decision we won't regret in years to come.

I'm very confident that Jimmy's skills and attitude will make him a very good player for the MFC. However, he's still lightly framed and learning to play against men, and my feeling is that his development is being rushed a bit because of the paucity of mids on our list. At this stage I doubt that he would have jagged a senior berth in more than about 4 other teams.

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