Fat Tony

Jordan Murdoch was thrown up on Footy Classified as a player than may be part of the Dangerfield deal. I would look at trying to land him for a draft pick or Toumpas, which would go to Adelaide if he wants to stay in Victoria.

While NM's list looks like it is downward heading, the Kangas may be able to convince the football world that they are still a top side and land free agents. Geelong are in a similar position at the moment, but Dangerfield could see them competing for a flag again.

I would be surprised if Toumpas gets us anything but a third round pick. And I don't think he deserves more than a one-year deal on base wage.

I think this is probably correct. It will be interesting / borderline draft tampering if Dangerfield initially accepts 5 x $800,000 via free agency and then goes into the draft asking for 2 x $1,800,000 but with an undisclosed side deal to play for base salary for three more years.

If Adelaide match the offer, can Dangerfield then set different contractual terms if he enters the National or Pre-Season Draft?

Billy looks a likely type but will need to develop into an elite runner to be a long-term AFL player. Hopefully he does because we need that type of player.

I agree with all the assessments above of Suckling as a player. He is an ordinary contested ball player and gets the ball fed to him. But I still think other posters are undervaluing the fact that he is a free agent. Personally I think Suckling plus one of Charlie Curnow/Darcy Parish/Aaron Francis/Harley Balic is better than a lot of the options being put forward because we keep #6.

Matt Suckling (born 25/7/88) is a free agent this year and would add some outside run and skill. Obviously we would need to make him a decent contract offer to lure him away from Hawthorn. Moreover, we wouldn’t go after Suckling unless we signed Colin Garland because we would lose any compensation. As much as Suckling isn’t a big fish, he could add some much needed class and we could still continue to build for the future through the draft. This idea also assumes we don’t get Paddy Dangerfield.

Thanks for the info Chook. But I still think this sounds like a dud deal. Melksham doesn't add size to our inside midfield and lacks polish on the outside, which is what we lack most.

Tippett is 29 next year. Why would we go after him given when we are still 2-5 years away from challenging? Picking up older players like Cross makes sense when they don't cost much in terms of salary cap and draft picks, but it makes no sense otherwise. Besides, I still feel we would be better off playing Tom McDonald as a second ruckman. I thought he was good in the role against the Dogs when we were killed at Etihad. He can provide a reasonable contest in the ruck and is a mobile, marking threat around the ground. Pederson was good in a number of games also.

Dangerfield is longer...

Tom McDonald could be one of the best in the game at this role. As good a key defender as he is, I would play him forward/ruck to better utilise his running ability.

Howe is a very durable player, missing just one game since debut. His not worth $600K, but that needs to be taken into account and I want him to stay.

Bennell could be at top five player in the game and is worth the risk IMO.

I think Kruezer and Gawn could work ok in tandem given the change to the interchange cap/sub. The question is if he is worth burning 5% of the salary cap on given his injury history.

http://www.afl.com.au/news/2015-09-04/dees-expect-highflying-howe-to-test-the-trade-market In positive news for the Dees, restricted free agent Colin Garland appears set to put pen to paper on a new deal soon. The 191cm defender has enjoyed a strong campaign, playing all but two matches after breaking his hand in the Queen's Birthday clash with Collingwood. "I think that's progressing pretty quickly," Roos said of the contract talks. "My understanding on that is that there's an offer on the table. "It's not far off as far as I know, but again I haven't delved too much into that, so we're hopeful Col will be fine." Garland has played 134 games for the Dees since he was recruited with pick 46 overall in the 2006 draft and finished runner-up in the club's best and fairest two years ago.

Hawthorn would therefore be the second best result.

Surely he would have made it at Essendon if he was good enough. They are desperate for mids also.

I met him at the beginning of the year and he seemed very close with his teammates. And the recent quotes make me think he isn't going anywhere. "I've always wanted to be a one-club player. I've spent probably just under half my life here. It's a part of me and it's a fantastic club to be a part of. I've built a lot of good friendships, not only players but staff as well."

He is a good player but he is very loyal to Essendon.

• I am not an advocate of mass delistings given the draft is meant to be very thin. • McKenzie, Bail and Reilly are almost certain to be delisted and Terlich is a fair chance to have his last year paid out. Others who might be delisted are Fitzpatrick, Jamar, Toumpas, Michie and Hunt. • Garland and Howe will be offered contracts and the ball is in their court. I would like them both to stay and feel we will get undercompensated if they leave. • We have to upgrade Vandenberg and Harmes. • Our prime target should be Dangerfield. He is a top five player in the game and would instantly give us a real chance at finals. • I feel we are most lacking outside run and skill. If we don’t get Dangerfield, we should be trying to get a player like Motlop, Yarran, Lewis Jetta or Harley Bennell. • I think Geelong are in a pickle and will delist Kelly, who is still playing well and would be a good short-term player for us. • We should look to trade Toumpas for the best deal we can get. • I’d consider trading Dawes, but I feel his contract was probably front loaded and I doubt we would get a decent return. • We should look to trade with Sydney or GWS for their first pick by packaging lower picks together. These clubs only want the points required to get their Acadamy players. i.e. trade our second, third and fourth rounder to Sydney for their first pick. The dream result would be: • Get Dangerfield via free agency. • Retain Howe and Garland. • Delist McKenzie, Bail, Reilly and Terlich. • Trade Toumpas for a 2016 pick. • Trade our second, third and fourth rounder to Sydney for their first pick. • Retain Cross and Jamar on short-term deals. Jamar is interesting given his age, but we only have three ruckmen on our list, so if he goes we may need to get another one. • I assume we will look to retain Hunt, but I haven’t seen him play. • I am undecided on Michie and think the last three games will decide his future. • I am also undecided on Fitzpatrick. • Enter the draft with only our first pick and Sydney’s first pick. (Using very late picks to upgrade Vandenberg and Harmes.)

I am not sure he is athletic enough.

B Howe, Dunn, Salem HB Lumumba, Garland, Grimes C Watts, Vince, Cross HF Stretch, Hogan, Harmes F T McDonald, Dawes, Garlett Fol Jamar, Viney, N Jones Int White, Michie, Neal-Bullen, Brayshaw (sub) In: Salem, Jamar, White, Stretch Out: Jetta, Gawn, Bail, M Jones • Gawn and Brayshaw look to be our most tired players. • I assume Tyson is not right to go. Brayshaw can make way if he is fit.

There were a lot of negatives yesterday, which I am sure have been well covered. The key negative for me was how often we went backwards from the stoppages. Gawn's ruckwork is too predictable and we need to get the ball moving in our direction more often and also be more willing to throw it on the boot. I liked the move of Tom McDonald in the ruck after the centre bounces. It was so effective that it should be Plan A from now on. He could pick up 30 possessions every week in that role. Also, Hogan should be used regularly in the centre square for the bounce and then go forward after. He could be our best centre clearance extractor with his size, strength and hands, which is very important in my view.

The game plan doesn't suit our team and Roos needs to adjust over preseason. The backwards hit outs and backwards handball are well known by opposition coaches and it is too easy to defeat us in the clearances. And then we lack speed and class on the outside. In fact, the one time we hit the ball forward in the centre bounce, Viney ran onto it and Dawes kicked a goal.