Lord Travis

If we ship off Clarry and Trac, then miss out on bringing in a good young established midfielder in Flanders, we may as well fold. What a disaster this has turned into. If Flanders wants midfield time, he'll get it with us guaranteed!

Will always be a champion of this club. Publicly humiliating him reflects poorly on the club. It feels like we've sunk back to the days when we turfed Junior McDonald and other loyal senior players and destroyed the culture of the club for a a decade. I couldn't be more disappointed with our club today. I'm excited that we'll have a completely new look on field next year, but really poor how the clubs been managed the last few years. Completely burnt our only successful period in decades. I'm expecting a bottom four finish next year and years of pain ahead when Tassie enter the league.

How is the club leaking this badly and this quickly?? Amateur hour here. Such a disappointment!

If this is true with Clarry, then we've botched it. We could have shopped around in a mature way to maximise his value - instead it's exploded and we've lost positioning now. I'm not against moving him on, but it's so disappointing it happens this way and we'll get [censored] all in return for the greatest Melbourne midfielder/s in my lifetime. Only at Melbourne! Also, King said he expects to be playing finals next year and wants them both in the team. Clarry is still at an age where if he's fit, he could be an elite inside midfielder. Why would you move him to a position that doesn't maximise his strengths if you intend for him to stay? Seems like a strange start here...

Top 20 in the league for contested possessions still this year. Same as amount as Lachie Neale and Isaac Heeney... More than players like Butters, Clarry, Jordan Dawson, Holmes, Taranto, Davis-Uniake, Brayshaw etc. 7th in the league for centre clearances too despite spending some time forward. Slag him off all you want, but facts disprove the narrative around him shirking hard ball this year. He's still an elite contested midfielder, and that's why clubs are still interested in him.

This is a pathetic dogs hit post. Hang your head in shame. You're not a Melbourne supporter.

I think people have been sucked into the "modern game" narrative by the media the past 1-2 years with a different top team winning. Kicking is not the be all and end all of the "modern game", nor is pure rebound from half back footy. Ability to win contest and stoppage is still the most important thing come finals time. In both prelims and the grand final, the teams that dominated clearance won the matches comfortably. Disposal efficiency had no bearing on result. Will Ashcroft just won back to back Norm Smith medals with a below average kicking efficiency. He, like his team, won because they smashed contest. The past handful of Brownlow winners have all been below average kicks. Petracca is a more than capable kick and has shown that when playing in a team with good structures etc. At a team like the Hawks, he would win a Brownlow and another Norm Smith sadly.

Same here. My family has Italian heritage, and Trac is a hero to us. I've got lots and younger relatives, and every single one of them has #5 on their back. That interview he gave after beating Geelong to win the minor premiership basically enshrined him as a MFC great. The talk about doing it for long suffering Melbourne supporters etc was music to the ears and hearts. His 2021 grand final was incredible. It sucks it's come to this. We need to get something good for him. There's loonies on here or in the media complaining about his kicking or whatever, but fact is he's one of our best players and still a gun AFL player who tops score involvements across the league even when not at his peak.

Gold Coast it is. Flanders or Humphrey or get stuffed.

Trac requested a trade. Good from club point of view, as we still hold power with him contracted.

Multiple posts in this thread asking this and been answered. In summary, former first round draftee, a good midfielder who has been squeezed out of the centre by Rowell Anderson combo and the unlimited number of top picks at GC. When played as a pure midfielder last year he averaged 31 disposals and was top 5 in the league for disposals. Has good kicking skills. Versatile, and his versatility has seen him squeezed out to the flanks and as a mr fix it of sorts. His stats look poor recently due to the role he was pushed into, and that's why he wants to leave. He wants to play midfield. For mine, he's a good young player and worthy of chasing. If we were able to land Flanders and a highish pick for Trac, I'd call that a win for us. Some might shoot me down, but Flanders is very good and has a decade of footy ahead of him.

Was in and out of the team due to injuries this year, but overall hasn't been injury prone. He was drafted at pick 6 in 2021 draft and has played 70 games in 4 seasons. Plays mostly as a small forward, but clearly projects as a midfielder. Was dominant at underage level and played more midfield there. His biggest weapons are elite speed, agility, smarts, and kicking skills. Goes at 1.5 goals a game. He's got the exact attributes and skillset we're in dire need of. Looks like he could explode as he matures. I'd be happy if we got him as part of the Trac deal. He'll be part of our forward and midfield rotation for a decade and would form a perfect partnership with Kozzie.

Would take that in a heart beat and run! 22 year old KPF who's already topped 40 goals a season. Not gonna happen though. We'd have to throw in something additional to get a deal like that done sadly.

Off to the Swans. Another missed who would fill a need.

Only for a late pick. He's a tall mid with decent skills, but not blessed with pace or strength. Plays mostly outside. Much more interested in Cam Mackenzie if possible. He looks a gun mid of the future who's struggling crack games at the Hawks. Former top 10 pick so would cost us.

I wonder what his role was to be? I heard after proving himself he wanted to be a rebounding half back, but was being pigeon holed into a small lockdown type defender. We already have Bowie, Rivers, Salem and others who are superior in that role. Perhaps King or the footy department just don't think he had the chops to be the best option as a rebounder? He was poor when tried up the ground in midfield, so they weren't wrong on evidence of so. Anyway disappointing as he's in the age bracket we need more talent, not less. Enjoy WA Judd. Look forward to a rough reception next year.

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Ashcroft back to back Norm Smiths by age 21 is pretty incredible. Lions have been handed two Ashcroft brothers and Fletcher as father son. Played a big part in their premierships.

He spent his early career in covid times and couldn't break into a midfield that had the likes of DeGoey, Pendlebury, Sidebottom, Daicos x 2, Crisp etc. With a fresh chance, he could make it at another club. I really liked him in his draft year and was hopeful we'd draft him. He performed midfield at underage level and his key strength was his disposal skills. He was one you'd want as the kick inside 50. It hasn't worked out for him at Collingwood, but he's only 23 and could be had for nothing as a delisted free agent. Worst case, he'd add midfield depth. Best case, he becomes the player he promised to be pre-draft - a classy midfielder. Should chase him IMO.

AFL is in the worst state it's ever been. The draft is so compromised it may as well not exist anymore. It's absolute dogsh*t seeing so much of the top end of the draft linked to academies every year. It feels like in 2-3 years time, Gold Coasts entire team will be top 10 picks and they'll beat every team by 10 goals every week. How are clubs stuck at the bottom without the academy or big club status meant to compete? Their good players are either demanding trades to top clubs despite being contracted or leaving as free agents to the top clubs too. We're stuck at a point where if you aren't Geelong or a big club like Collingwood, you either live off academy talent or you struggle in the bottom half of the ladder for eternity.

I'm so jealous this isn't us playing tonight. I'd kill to watch us win finals at the g. 2018 feels like a life time ago now. 2018 was the best time I've had at the footy. We were the most attacking team in the league and winning those finals with 90,000+ at the G was such a great experience. I'll always be thankful for 2021, but it wasn't the same.

I'm not sure he's capable anymore. He's just had another baby so he'll be lucky to even get sleep and make it to training at this point!

That was four years ago now sadly. We are lacking now that Trac, Clarrys and Viney aren't able to I lose anymore.

For all this talk of "modern footy", contest Is still king. Hope we don't over adjust to a game style that doesn't stand up in finals and is already on the way out IMO.

Dangerfield has been incredible tonight. We lack strong leaders like him on field who can just impose themselves physically. Viney was that player years ago, but those days are long gone.