Adam The God

Nooooooooo.

Personally, I think the Roos are shooting themselves in the foot. It's very reminiscent of the last few years of Daniher's reign at Melbourne. They've got a bunch of blokes that are 27 and above, while there is a dearth of young talent on their list. They are going to crash and burn, IMO. That said, for our needs and where our list is at, I'd be jumping at JPK.

I reckon we have role players that can partner with Hogan for the next two to three years. I've always felt that we'd get a FA KPF to partner him. It'd mean we're a more desirable club at that point. In two to three years, we will be. Keep targeting midfielders in the meantime. They'll be the ones that get us to finals.

I'd certainly take JPK. Would prefer someone a bit younger, but beggars can't be choosers.

That's exactly why a 3rd rounder might be enough...

Because they are blinded by their arrogance. They obviously think it'll just get done like a number of other deals have in the past. But this is why making a stand is such a big thing in the context of FA and could have a bit of a ripple effect.

I reckon Freo, like the Roos and Cats, are done. At least from winning a flag any time soon. Freo will probably be top 4 again next year and the Roos will probably scrape into the 8, but their lists have gone as far as they're likely to take them.

Lyon wasn't a thug, Red.

Well, why couldn't we break the curse too? That's just a load of MFCSS [censored].

I'd want Watts' replacement to be an upgrade on Watts, otherwise I wouldn't bother. Bird is more of a competitor, but I think Watts has more tools. Not to mention Bird will be 27 at the start of 2016. This would be a bad, bad trade, IMO. If true, it shows very much that the FD are happy to get rid of Watts for very little.

I'm sure we'd be planning to heavily front-load Dangerfield's contract. Hogan's next contract will be 2018. I believe he's contracted until 2017. Plenty of time. Anyway, it's not ideal people that much for Dangerfield, because I actually find him quite overrated, despite the fact I'd love him in the red and blue. Getting Dangerfield would almost be more important for sign-posting us as a destination club again.

You're probably right, mate.

Disagree. I think it's very likely we offered 1.5mill. We're not a destination club yet. We needed to make a very big play if we were gonna get him.

Twinners.

That would have been amazing.

Is this you speculating, mate or have you heard something? Seems fair to me.

It'd be great if we could land a second ruck who plays forward, but ultimately we need Gawn to improve his tank and run out games by himself. I'd much prefer to play another midfielder, particularly with the sub rule going and the bench cap being tightened. I think we have far more pressing needs in the midfield and in a traditional KPF. I'd prefer us to focus on the midfield though.

Hard to defend too, if you don't have Jack Fitzpatrick.

Lol. Not sure he's trying to become a model. Despite his detractors, I actually think he'll become a very good player. He won't be in Hogan's class, but his attributes just make him so dangerous if it clicks for him mentally.

Conversely, if he takes a grand final winning mark (ala Leo Barry), it totally makes him at Hawthorn. That last game for the season makes players. Just ask Tom Hawkins. If you can do it on that big stage, you can do it anywhere.

Exactly. That's how you start to make inroads into this major societal issue.

Still haven't been able to convert the girlfriend. We've been together almost nine years. Never beaten her mob once. The closest we got was a 12 point loss in 2010(?). Cannot wait until they fall from their perch. Give some others a shot. I wonder if Hawthorn's decline will coincide with Clarkson's eventual departure, much like Alex Fergurson's retirement at the scum, I mean United. I hope so.

Never seemed like a particularly shape bloke though.

The problem is you can't shed all the battlers at once, because it means you have to replace them all. Next year will be a big year for JKH, Newton (if they keep him), Michie (if they keep him), Grimes (if they keep him), Trengove and Toumpas (if they keep him). Pressure for spots will start to heat up and expectations internally will rise, amongst both the playing group and the coaches. This will be the formation of a winning culture. I'm excited by this. Next year we can expect more wins, less inconsistently (although there will still be some) and less gaping holes in our list and 22. We really must address the lack of speed on our list and quality ball users - I'm sure these are top of our priority list in the off season. I'm sure certain players won't come on and they'll then be under the microscope, but I'm buoyant about our future. I hope the rest of you are too. Signed, Paul Roos.

I think Jack is in a similar category to Nathan Jones. They were both around during ordinary times. I think they both get passes though, because they bring something really valuable that offsets their weaknesses. That said, Jones should and will play out his days at Melbourne. If we could find a suitable trade for Jack (ie bringing in an A grade talent), I think we should pull the trigger.