Ron Burgundy

Scott Thompson wasn’t a trade we wanted.

Neale Daniher and Chris Fagan flew to Adelaide (prior to the trade) to attempt to convince Thompson to stay with the Dees - but they didn’t ultimately convince him to remain at the club.

I think we then traded pick 12 to the Cats for Brent Moloney, who played many years for us (including being VC), so it was hardly a bust.

In fact, in the circumstances, it was actually the opposite.

In my view, the Woewodin trade was one of the worst (it just ruined the club for a whole year and we lost something intangible from it with no commensurate benefit), as was letting Stephen Powell, Darren Jolly, Stef Martin and Jarred Rivers go for nothing (or next to nothing). And probably Brent Moloney too - thanks Mark Neeld. Acquiring that dude was solid gold for the club.

Jeff Garlett was the biggest gift we’ve ever received. Thanks Mick.

Bernie Vince, Jake Melksham, Michael Hibberd, Stephen May, Daniel Cross and Ed Langdon have been the most astute trades in recent years.

Let’s not go into our draft mistakes though - that’s where the real mistakes have been made and the depression really kicks in.

Mahoney continues to impress me. He is candid, competent, pragmatic and direct in his communications.

I can’t understand some of the criticism he receives here.

8 hours ago, faultydet said:

Tell Tom thanks for the info.

I suspect Oskar Baker also sends him his thanks for that info.

This is bloody unreal.

We arguably have the best bookends in the comp now.

On 10/28/2020 at 9:35 PM, The Lobster Effect said:

I'd love to know the real reason Melbourne and Freo cooled on Jesse. Other than he likes his partying and needs better off field dedication.

Oh well, will have to wait for an Open Mike special in 20 years. 

He strikes me as a difficult dude to manage.

Having managed teams for years, it’s my experience that it’s wearing to continually have to motivate people who lack natural enthusiasm and self-motivation for team-oriented behaviours and goals.

Perhaps he’s just in that category - it’s a personality type thing. Perhaps he’s just not naturally suited to a high performing, highly regulated, disciplined team environment, despite possessing the DNA of a really good footy player.

Even though, intellectually, he might be aware that it’s in his interests to commit to certain behaviours and actions, he can’t sustainably do this week in week out, because his personality type is possibly more individualistic (i.e. it’s not necessarily his fault).

Whereas, while Dustin Martin is an individual, from all reports I’ve read, he loves ‘team’ and places ‘team goals’ above all else including himself as an individual. Hence, the club and the players alike love having him around the place, on and off-field.

On 10/27/2020 at 7:06 PM, spirit of norm smith said:

 

✅ still in Melbourne 

✅ not on a 4 hour flight every fortnight 

✅ plays on the MCG* 

✅ Dees have left side wing ready and available 
 

Surely we can sell the MFC 

Our colours are red and blue. They’re pretty cool colours.

If we can’t sell this over playing in purple for an entire season, we’re pretty bloody hopeless.

This alone should convince this kid to want to choose the Dees over the Purple Headed Anchors.

4 hours ago, Pickett2Jackson said:

Bullet dodged.

 Never wanted him.

Yep, you are a gun.

That Goodwin, Clarkson and Chris Scott really wanted him absolutely reinforces your innate ability to assess talent.

On 10/24/2020 at 6:43 PM, Hannibal Inc. said:

Ultimately though, we let him go for a reason.

And, relevantly, he seems not to have matured or changed his ways since then.

This sucks.

I just feel we needed to land a free agent like Smith during this trade period. He would've been great for us.

Seems to have taken a 2 year deal with the Cats over a 3 year deal with us. Not exactly a vote of confidence.

Now, where's this Phillips kid at?

On 10/28/2020 at 10:45 PM, whitito said:

I have to disagree. If we moved him on at the end of 2018 that would be a repeat of the McDonald situation.

its 2 years removed.

he is a great of the club but this leaves me perplexed.

he hasn’t had an impact on games fir a long time and he is simply passed it.

I will cheer him on of course but a hard decision was needed and the club again didn’t make it.

I’ve been supporting this club for a very long time now.

I won’t list all of the hard decisions it has made because, quite frankly, it’s too depressing.

Rest assured though, this club has a history of making hard decisions. Pity virtually all of them have been wrong.

Jones will add value to this player group next year. He’ll train hard, he’ll share his knowledge, and he’ll continue to bring leadership - much of which might very well be off-field.  But that still counts.

I genuinely hope Jones becomes a 300 gamer. I hope also Goodwin doesn’t gift any games to him.

IMO the club has shown maturity and class in extending Jones’ contract, maturity and class that (but for discrete periods, eg, the Roos years) it has generally lacked when it comes to these issues.

Hats off to Josh (again).

I feel a bit sorry for Tom McDonald.

His loss of form since 2018 has been dramatic and inexplicable. It has hurt us enormously.

That said, can we please remember that he’s been a fantastic clubman and has always exhibited a very respectful and professional and, I think, loyal attitude to this club.

He was a superstar in 2018. Regrettably, that body of work is a distant memory and he just hasn’t been able to re-capture any form at all since. I don’t believe however that this has been due to a lack of effort or commitment from Tom. Or, in fairness, from the club to him.

It’s unfortunate how this is all panning out - probably most of all to Tom.

Ben Brown is the future for us now.

No brainer for us.

It seems clear to me that Treloar wouldn’t be a target for us for all of the reasons outlined above.

That said, he strikes me as a thoroughly good fella. The way he’s been treated by the Pies has been absolutely appalling - almost sickening to watch.

I hope he gets to another club and enjoys genuine and sustainable success there. Sometimes life throws up these ugly curve balls - only for them ultimately to turn out to be for the best. I really hope we’re looking at one of those moments here.

I feel that the entire AFL community is backing him in here.

I wish him (and his wife and little kid) all the best.

I’m really pleased about this.

Finally we haven’t knee-capped a club legend at the end of their playing career.

There’s good karma to this - it’s the opposite of what we witnessed with James McDonald. That was a disaster. It was a culture killer.

It seems there is unanimous praise for this contract extension, which is to be expected.

I love watching Hibbo hunt the ball, gather it, and then sprint with the intensity of some dude who’s just escaped from gaol and has 10 fat cops running after him threatening to shoot him.

He always brings 100%.

4 hours ago, Dr evil said:

Issac Smith will be a demon in 2021. 

I don't know 100% what the delay is about, but the dees do tend to wait for the window to make things public. 

I suspect before Sunday Issac will be rolled out in a red and blue polo. 

Geez I hope you’re right.

On 10/24/2020 at 11:24 AM, Dr.D said:

Isaac Smith isnt even that good. his kicking is highly suspect. definitely not worth a 3 year contract. 

Quality post.

You get the gold star Dr D.

8 hours ago, Hannibal Inc. said:

I like learning from experienced players that have played in premierships and been part of a rebuild.  Players that have seen the whole journey up the ladder.  And I particularly like listening to Luke Hodge.  He talks sense and is straight to the point.

Very recently he said that the difference between being a good team and becoming a flag team is recruiting role players.  Obviously, the stars are already in place, but a handful of stars aren't enough if you don't surround them with players who can help complete the task.  Think Hale, Poppy, Guerra etc. at Hawthorn.  You really need 22 players performing their role to a high degree.  21 or 20 will leave you short and cost games.  Richmond are a perfect example of how lesser lights who perform their role to a high level make an enormous difference.

You only need to look at the top 20 of our B&F.  There was a chasm between the top 12 and the performances of the rest.  In reality, to win more games than we lost shows how good our better players performed, because they weren't being supported.  I blame the lack of quality role players, but also the coaching panel, game structures, etc. 

I think we've got the core group of stars or very good players already on our list, but we're lacking quality role players to take us forward.  A great core group, but not great/quality depth. 

Not every player we're looking at recruiting this trade period needs to be a star.  They'll ALL have deficiencies that Deespencer can pick apart, but if we choose wisely we might just bring in players that can have a significant difference to our overall fortunes.

You’re seeing the ball like a planet at the moment.

No way. Not possible to dislike the Melk.

Melksham and Hibberd are also two players whom I used to dislike, who quickly turned it around in the affection stakes.

Jeffy Garlett - I didn’t dislike him at Carlton, but I loved him in the red and the blue.

Jordan Lewis, Byron Pickett and Gary Moorcroft come to mind.

Bernie Vince is possibly my favourite ever Demon.

Phil Read. The angry human thumb.

34 minutes ago, Wiseblood said:

When playing at North - hate his stupid run up, hate his flopping for frees, hate how straight of a kick he is for goal and I hate his stupid hair cut.

Now that he is pretty much going to be a Demon - the run up is perfect and genius, those free kicks are always there and he gets a poor run from the umps, he is a beautiful set shot and I wish I had a hair cut like his.

It’s funny how that happens. There are several players over the years who I’ve really disliked, only for them to join the Dees and then they’ve become some of my more favoured players.

Remember that West Coast hard-nut who joined us about 15 years ago - I can’t remember his name (Phil?), but I used to loathe him, and then he joined the club and I absolutely loved him.

Brown has always demolished us as an opposition forward.

It’ll be interesting to see how he goes playing for us (if we land him).

11 hours ago, Mono said:

North offered 3 years with a 4th yr option @ $850k. And he knocked it back. Certainly has a high opinion of himself.

Rejecting that offer is in the territory of Don Trump retardness.

He should be suing his manager, his parents, literally anyone and everyone - even himself.

That said, I hope he comes to the Dees.