Adam The God

Interesting. Thanks mate. I wonder if it gave them the first three picks in the ND though, would GC entertain the idea...?

Surprised more on here aren't pushing the Ben King line. Has anyone heard anything?

We have no real way of knowing, but I wouldn't be surprised if he's kept a few of his own tricks up his sleeve if he really does want to be a senior coach one day. He was certainly credited with being the innovator a few seasons ago with our Diamond Defence, the no wings etc. I wouldn't say the wings one worked (at all), but the Diamond Defence did for a little bit.

Lol, you're not the messenger, mate. You read it on the BigFooty board and have interpreted a single post as 'they are dead-set convinced' Petracca is gone.

Love Jetts. I fear he may be finished as a player, but I hope he can bounce back in 2020. We certainly need him to.

Harmes and Viney should both be used as defensive mids that run hard both ways in link up and can tag/defend. That leaves Oliver (a very good tackler) and either Petracca or Gus as inside or outside mid. I think it's clear that this should have been our set up for at least the past 12 months and it concerns me that Goodwin has failed to see this. It's the reason I now don't think he'll make it as our senior coach. However, let's hope he learns from this year. I'd have runners on the wings. Langdon it seems and even someone like ANB. I'd also push Melksham through the middle too on occasion. Hopefully he gets himself fit for 2020. His ball use is essential for a dangerous Melbourne forward of centre.

We have problems for the fact he's been re-signed at all. It just wouldn't happen at a club with solid experienced players. We have a dearth of experience, so I can understand the decision, but as I've said, would have preferred Lewis to stay instead of Jones, but let's hope Nathan can play in another final.

Completely agree that our supposed midfield depth is highly overrated and said so only a few days ago. Viney is the only one I'd ever considering trading at this stage, but last year's final series should remind us just how good Jack can be. We need to strengthen our midfield with a couple of good outsider runners and users, and hope that we can pick up a gun free agent mid in the next 2-3 years. Sparrow might be okay, but talking about him as decent midfield depth (at this stage) is plainly ridiculous. You need 10 or so good players that can go through the middle. Collingwood's midfield is a perfect example.

Gresham or nothing, please.

Spot on.

Unfortunately, spot on. That comes down to coaching too. JC, we never play smart wet-weather footy under Goodwin.

I wonder if there's a way of bundling #3 to GWS for Whitfield and a first rounder that would be good enough to get us Ben King. Probably blue sky thinking here. Maybe we have to involve our 2020 first rounder as well.

Not quite the best option given his age at this stage, but I'd be up for trading our #3 for Ben King. Play King as the #1 with McDonald, Fritsch, Petracca, Melksham, a zippy small and Viney. That's your forwardline. Weideman and McDonald contest for that #2 spot.

I think his leadership must work off field, because I've very rarely seen it on field as you describe. Being on the bottom of every pack is not leadership.

Good call mate. Add the run of Langdon (don't rate his disposal, hopefully he can improve) and Whitfield, and we're a vastly different side. If we can get out forwardline right with some natural crumbing smalls and work on our stoppage set ups, with a healthy Lever and May playing back there, we should be making finals.

He's an ordinary tackler. Needs to get a lot better. Thought you'd know that @Thehardtackler.

Interesting reading your comments mate on Gus and Clarry. I'd thought Gus' downturn in form this year was back-related, but maybe I was too hopeful. Off little pre season and a double shoulder-surgery Clarry managed to get into the right spots enough this year to amass more of the ball than he had in previous years. Why not Gus? You've obviously heard things that I haven't, so it'll be interesting to see how it plays out. Clarry is the only player that I'd pay over top dollar on our list. Probably my favourite all-time Melbourne player already. If it came down to Clarry, Gus or Petracca, I think I'd probably be more open to Gus being traded, but ultimately I want all of them to stay and I think our 'inside dominance' is overstated. It's an absolute strength if we get our stoppage set ups right and get the game going on our terms.

I'm with you on the needing more genuine leadership on and off field. Likewise, I think Gawn should be made sole captain too, but my expectation is Viney will remain co-captain. This will really highlight the favouritism that I keep hearing about and boys club that has grown up around Todd Viney. I hope I'm wrong and he relinquishes the captaincy and focuses on being a contributor. The problem with the two players that you've highlighted is that neither are leaders, Higgins slightly more so, but they won't offer what we're looking for and unless they come cheaply, we risk sacrificing development of younger kids in our system whose list spot would be taken by their recruitment. I hate what I'm about to say but I can't think of anyone who would be gettable from other clubs and offer us genuine leadership for an affordable price. You're on the right track, I just don't think you've identified the right players. Incidentally, I'd be interested in getting someone like Roughead down to the club in a forwards capacity.

I'd agree with this too but it's very easy to forget just how influential he was in that finals series last year off an injury-riddled season.

I reckon he'd be handy on a wing. In terms of a trade though, I wouldn't be parting with anything more than a second or third rounder.

I'd keep Gus, but part of me agrees with the ruthlessness needed here. I just think that Gus, Oliver and Harmes/Viney are our go to centremen. Get our stoppage set ups fixed, get miles in the legs and two-way-running back, and I believe we have the strongest young midfield in the competition. The least flexible out of those guys is Viney, but I'd be trying him as a small defensive forward with midfield bursts next year. I'd have Harmes on a wing with centre bursts and floating forward. And I'd have Oliver and Gus in the middle 90% of the time. Harmes/Viney and whoever else plays with Clarry and Gus should be very much the defensive midfielder in most set ups, because Clarry is an excellent tackler. Therefore, Gus needs to improve his endurance and two-way-running. The element that throws all of this up in the air is the Petracca x-factor. I believe he should be in there too, but only if he greatly improves his endurance. That probably then pushes Harmes to the wing and Viney to half forward most of the time. Only problem being we become very see-ball, get-ball, with little defence given an Oliver, Gus and Petracca centreline. Those stoppage structures will be so vitally important next year.

One of their better players. That'd be quite incredible if they traded him.

This is a fair call mate. Let's hope he does what's required.

For me, it was a similar feeling at the Hawthorn game too. We thoroughly outnumbered them in the EF and the SF.

Good post mate. We absolutely need to change our list profile and if we don't, we will fail. I now suspect Goodwin will be sacked next year because we won't make the hard calls and draft/trade shrewdly, but this may be in part to the veil of negativity you mention. I hope we can forge a new Melbourne, something that I was so excited about towards the end of last year, where there seemed to be a tangible growing mateship amongst the playing group. I don't think it's dramatic at all to say the club is on the precipice, one way or the other. If we really struggle again next year, everything will plummet (membership, our young core will request to be traded etc) and all the hard work we'd been building to under Roos and Jackson for the last 4 or so years will be for nothing. The turnaround from last season really has been quite incredible and I can only hope we reverse our fortunes next year.