Adam The God

There's more to it than that. Offensively he blazes away and his kicking isn't efficient enough, particularly at full throttle. Defensively, he's pretty good one on one and a solid spoiler, he just lacks the two way running and positioning in that defensive side of his game IMO.

Absolutely, O'Keefe is a good example of someone who's gone the other way, but I reckon it makes a mockery of esprit de corps and if I were Goodwin I'd be deeply uncomfortable about this.

No one potted Chook from memory.

I'd vouch for Patches, mate. His information is good. Might not be enough for you though, Drags.

And Peter Bell wasn't at the club yet to start the slow build of planting those seeds.

I'm convinced you can't seriously sustain a proper culture that is built on mateship and trust (esprit de corps etc) and have a guy on your list who refuses to recommit beyond his current contract. He's done at Melbourne and a trade should be found at all costs IMO. We've stuck by him through everything and have put our arm around him in his time of need, but now we both need to go our separate ways. Thank you for your service, Jesse, but we need to do what's best for us now.

[censored] post. Well done.

Yep. I want him gone now. He didn't want to commit and he lost me then. He wants out. Clear the deck and bring in May.

It's a bit like the real estate industry though. Whatever someone is willing to pay becomes the price everyone else has to pay. Adelaide may well have overpaid, but it sets precedence and sets the value of other players high. Particularly, a player who is a KPF at 23 years of age, consistently kicking 40+ goals in a rising side. Hogan is worth two first rounders every day of the week. 5/6 and 10-15.

I don't think it's this simple though. They seem to want May out now. They won't want to wait. Freo's potential bluff could well back fire on multiple fronts.

Sorry, I wasn't suggesting we had handled it poorly. I simply meant that sometimes a clean break is needed and unfairly (from what we know) the MFC may end up collateral damage in this process in Hogan's mind. I could be completely wrong, but it is a possibility.

If he wants to go home and the pull of home is strong enough, he'll get to the Eagles IMO. Otherwise, I wonder if this process has tarnished his feelings of Melbourne too and a fresh start somewhere else could be another possibility. That puts 16 other clubs in the picture, but more likely clubs in the fight for the flag.

I reckon this is the little man's last ditch effort to get us to accept unders for Jesse. It is classic walk away and bluff. I'm not sure Freo can afford to do it though, because if we don't budge, Freo look very ordinary on paper next year.

Wouldn't they pop him on the trade table for Wingard?

I'm not sure you make yourself out to look like a dill if you don't mention May in the Hogan trade. There's no need to signal your intention. Less is more.

But IMO we'd have been demanding two first rounders anyway. A top 5 pick with another early to mid first rounder. We didn't need to give them any leverage. I disagree that it makes them come up with a strong deal. They need to in order to make us come to the table at all, given Hogan's contracted and we don't have to trade him. Further, Freo have external pressures on them (the FD and the administration) to step up and get their members signed on for 2019. Their cross-town rivals have just won their fourth flag, Freo are still on the duck and have been on the decline since 2014ish. We didn't need to put heat on them. They were already in the fire.

I know a few people have alluded to it already, but I think Mahoney tying May to the Hogan deal at all was really poor strategy. It doesn't matter if he meant we wouldn't have the cash or the picks to get May if the Hogan trade didn't go through. That's not the argument here, but mentioning May at all in trade discussions RE Hogan was poor strategy. I'm on record has being a huge FD and Mahoney fan. I think what they've been able to do over the past 4 or 5 off seasons has been terrific, but this was foolish messaging that has given the little Fremantle man unnecessary leverage that he wouldn't have otherwise had.

You're right. Apologies. Don't multi task early in the morning, Adam. I would still say you seemed to me to be stating Cleary's word as fact though.

Finalised trade confirmed by the AFL website. Tyson to North and big boy Preussy and a 4th rounder to us.

Once again, there is a difference between Hogan being open to the trade if it can be facilitated and Hogan nominating Freo. A big difference in fact. I'm not saying the trade won't get done. I'm not even saying Jesse doesn't want to play at Freo but the fact remains he hasn't nominated Freo, so I wouldn't be posting, as you have, that Jesse has nominated Freo based on a journos say so.

Yep, but there's still a difference mate between confirmation (Martin also did a medical with GWS and didn't sign with them) and speculation based on common sense. Hogan has not come out and nominated Freo.

I think it's been clear for a while Hogan and May are happy to go elsewhere if the right deal can be struck, but Mitch Cleary saying they've agreed is no better than Barrett saying Beams is off to Collingwood. It's merely speculation until it is actually confirmed and in this case it won't be until trades are done, just in case deals don't happen, they fall over and Hogan ends up playing at Melbourne in 2019 (highly unlikely) and May at the Suns.

I'd say that Jeffy, as much as I've loved him in the past, is a distinct and obvious outlier on our list. He lacks physicality and it's why, unless he rapidly improves his attack on the footy and/or man, will see him on the sidelines for the rest of his MFC career. He just simply doesn't align with our brand of football.

Completely agree, mate.

Or could again be Freo trying get us to deal with them. Freo aren't one of our competitors, but if a Victorian side was circling, their warped mentality might think we'd accept a slightly lower bid from Freo in order to get a first rounder and not strengthen one of our major Victorian competitors.