Little Goffy

Clangers. Really highly visible big ol' clangers. Also, brainfarts. HOWEVER I was just now doing some checking back, because part of the reason Essendon fans turned him into an object of hate was that he had seemed to be developing well, but then tapered off. Melksham played the first few years of his career (to 2013) under Simon Goodwin. By the end of that time he was a useful, quick, goal-kicking midfielder. After Goodwin left, Melksham's numbers immediately declined - halving his goals, knocking a quarter off possessions (particularly kicks), and just generally not being that great. So the 'Goodwin-Melksham connection' is probably more than just nice talk or a bit of favouritism. I'd reckon Goodwin is backing himself to refresh Melksham and have him delivering in a very particular role that we do need more of. I'm feeling better about it with some more facts on hand. Still very wary, but better.

Give him a two year contract, at the end of which we trade him for a major midfielder from another club. Worth every penny.

Speaking of long contracts, I wonder... If Howe stays (and similarly, Watts), it is possible a kind of statement can be made with the contracts.At the modest end of sensible salaries, but fairly long contracts - long enough to mean that they'll expect to finish up as one-club players. For all that we moan about them, these guys are actual AFL-level players who attract criticism mainly because of the gap between best and worst traits and form, rather than because they outright suck. If this off-season and the relative lack of interest can be the cathartic wake-up call they need, then keeping them could turn out to be a winner. Ugh, I just realised everything I just said could have been cut and paste from a Sylvia thread four years ago.

I just remembered that I had a grind through all this about 18 months ago and took the time to write out my thoughts. It is a bit long-winded (what, me?) but I was trying to cover everything thoroughly. https://wanderinggoffy.wordpress.com/2014/08/23/drifting-apart-the-troubles-of-afl-free-agency/

Still not sure if trolling or just crazy.

Without the draft and salary cap, there would likely be four fewer teams in Victoria - Melbourne, North Melbourne, Footscray and St Kilda would all be non-viable in the massively more commercial, expensive and vulnerable modern context. Of course, all that really means is cancelling out the oddness of the national game being a de facto expansion of the VFL. Losing four Victorian clubs would actually be terrific for the quality and economy of the game, but the alienation of a million supporters and the wave of recriminations would taint the game for decades. Quite rightly - I'd be a firm part of keeping the rage alive! As for anyone saying 'cancel free agency compo to make the competition more balanced'... are you trolling or just bonkers?

Yze was a blow. I think underrated in our memories because of his disappointing final year.

Yes, because obviously Gawn had no prospects anywhere else. And Jones would struggle to attract interest the way stars like Sylvia and Frawley did. In the last few years, we've come out well ahead on every player who has left (Scully, Sylvia, Frawley getting us Hogan, Vince and Brayshaw is just solid gold. On par with the Hawthorn deals of mid 2000s. Poor Fremantle, again.) In the meantime, young, quality players are signing contracts and developing nicely, and we're having no trouble at all attracting proven middle quality players to fill roles. La de da de daaaa de doo, I wont let MFCSS get to meeeeeee!

Surely a big factor in any likelihood of 'big fish' movement is next years free agency. Clubs seem generally to want to trade players before they walk for pitiful compensation - that mood will only be increased by Dangerfield's departure. Brisbane's Redden is already on the move a year early. As is Yarran from Carlton. Other possible big fish going FA in 2016, with an (!) next to what I'd call dream targets, are - Daniel Rich Scott Pendlebury Steel Sidebottom (!) Cale Hooker Todd Goldstein Jack Ziebell Hamish Hartlett Jack Riewoldt David Armitage (!) Dan Hannebery (!) Kieran Jack This could be out of date a bit, but you get the picture. Lots to work with and really, anyone is guessing. Jack Riewoldt 'for the lols', just to watch Richmond fans turn inside out.

Jeff. Kennett.

Hmm, I was closing in on two possibles - * They have all seriously injured an opponent with a behind-play dog act? Not quite all. Very close though. * They all have a record of major off-field misdemeanors? Again, not quite, but maybe even closer. Combined you'd just about cover it. But bastardry aside, sorry, 'unsociability' aside. Hmm.. Did they all play into their 30s? Is that significant enough to mention? Except then of course you'd have Crawford. Hrmm.. I'm going to go back to option 1, scaled down to just "they are all in the top rankings for weeks suspended."

I'll be honest, I have too much affection for Grimes to be able to fairly judge his season. It looks like; Played a half-back primarily defensive role, often preventing his opponent from being a target, got a moderate amount of the ball, and mostly used it ok except for highly visible clangers. There is some extent to which those clangers have been unfairly highlighted by people who have decided that they are done with Grimes anyway.

Credit where it's due for seeking out evidence, and that's a pretty damning example. Howe didn't exactly cover himself in glory with the feeble effort across the front of that pack, either. Which raises the thought, I imagine people would be happier about the thought of Garland being traded if they believed we would get as much value as for Howe. Throw in a lot of people who are kind of fence-sitters on this one, including myself, and it starts to feel like the main reason Garland would still be on the list next year is because there just isn't much point cutting him right now, and he's adequate enough as depth. Kind of a placeholder until a more potent key defender comes along. I made the mistake of watching some more of that highlights reel. Ugh.. the jogging, the jogging, oh stop pretending and just stand still if you're going waft around like that you pack of [censored].

lol "This is why I left Melbourne. It was always my ambition to be a bit-part player of mostly kinda adequate standard, getting drastically overpaid and riding other people's ability and teamwork, all towards winning a premiership". Well, meh. the only way this should affect Demonland is a temporary un-censoring of the word f.l.o.g.

A few mistakes or failures along the way are fine so long as they aren't allowed to linger (Michael Newton style) and the overall churn of good decisions keeps building. Have to remember that Hawthorn made a few proper draft clangers, Mitch Thorp being the top contender. Geelong absolutely blew a couple of drafts around 2002-2004, but had possibly the greatest draft run of any club ever in 1999/2000 This is why Geelong have a great big haul of players retiring now, and not so many experienced top players left to take up the senior leadership. They have just 4 players in the 25-28 age range; Selwood, Hawkins, Dawson Simpson, and Mitch Clark. So mistakes were made, but not enough to stop them becoming one of the all time great teams. As for Melbourne, well, we had an appallingly barren run for a long time, that is well documented. Barely a draft brought us more than one long-term player, for almost a decade. Things began to turn a little when we managed to get Hogan & Viney in 2012, and the Salem/Tyson double-up 'trick' in 2013. But a quick look at our 2014 draft is mindblowing. By next season, all seven of our selections may well be in our best 22. Even if it doesn't come to such phenomenal results, there will be more players on the field for us aged 18-24 than aged 25 or more. As for on the full list... not even one quarter will have had a 25th birthday. The only other club making any success out of such a young list profile is the Bulldogs... if only we could get our hands on the kind of youth development expertise that they had, or which Geelong put to work when making the most of their superdrafts.. oh... wait... who's that softly spoken guy with the beard that's been seen around the club lately? "Everything is going to plan"

Melbourne's problems pre-date even the draft. I choose to take some solace in that we now appear to have coherent professionals in leadership positions, a much improved trade and draft performance, and are steadily clawing our way back to respectability. Personally (setting aside the merger point of departure) I think the real Hawks contrast would have to be with the Kangaroos. 2 premierships, a runner up, and 8 consecutive finals appearances from 1993-2000, and they were still an off-field basketcase that has barely survived, and remains dubious despite routine finals showings. THAT is a contrast with Hawthorn. There's another two clubs in Victoria that have eminently failed to turn periods of prominence, and the presence of outright stars of the game, into lasting support and standing - St Kilda and Footscray. I'm glad that at least the Bulldogs have a hopeful outlook for the near future, but St Kilda is in real trouble if their 2015 hype turns out to be a false dawn. And I for one still believe that the Saints haven't even finished their decline yet, never mind starting to climb back up. Trouble brews. For all that we have had a disappointing time as a club (for most of the past 50 years) somehow we have a very, very resilient supporter culture. For Melbourne supporters, even losing means something worth turning up for. We are the last of the great, loyal club cultures, 'we' mean something. I for one will be fascinated to see what happens when that resilient, determined supporter culture finally gets matched with a capable corporate unit and a winning football department.

Good for Pedersen, and still probably not a whole lot of money so the club is definitely getting great value out of him. Here's to an injury-free run and locking down the second forward role ahead of Dawes.

It would interesting if the club got some of the very best, particularly the highest skilled, of the women to train mixed in with the men. There's been rigorous testing in psychology of the way young men behave differently in the presence of women, of course. One of the interesting results that can be useful is that around women, young men quite simply work harder, take more risks, and try to perform. Yep, they want to be noticed. Some clever experiments have been done with it - like watching teenagers skateboarding, collecting a control sample of the tricks and movement speeds and all that. Then sitting a couple of girls nearby (total strangers) and measuring how the trick difficulty and movement speeds increase. Plus, I like the idea of women being mixed into training rather than kept separate because in the end that's how things should be.

Women breaking into the previously barred areas of AFL participation will have a significant and overdue effect on the game. At the simplest level, the talent pool for coaches, support staff and ultimately yes, players, will be boosted. For Melbourne to be in a deserved position to ride at the crest of this wave will be a short term bonus and a long term bonanza, provided we keep up our commitment. The other aspect is that being the club that chose to get involved, chose to be a leader, will be an aspect of our history that will continue to bring us respect, support, and even quite material gains in sponsorship and membership for many years and decades to come. The current generation of new parents in Australia grew up in the 90s. They might have been able to just roll their eyes and focus on the game when the likes of Sam Newman or Picket Fence are around, but why would they go to the trouble of introducing their kids to something that even now feels to them like a cultural anachronism? So yes, Daisy Pearce being an eloquent and charismatic speaker is a terrific benefit to the club as well as to the progress of women in football.

Some pre-draft profiles, for what it is worth. (by some random dude) Lachlan Plowman (KPD) Height: 191cm Weight: 86kg Club: Calder Cannons Description: Plowman is the best key position defender in the draft. We haven’t seen much of the athletic big man due to an elbow injury that sadly kept him out for the entire under 18 national championships. Although, Plowman has shown great form at the Calder Cannons and has proved a valuable team leader. Plowman has a strong ability to read the ball in flight and is a marking type of defender that can be quite damaging. The good thing about him is he knows when to defend and attack so he reads the play well. (Emma Quayle) LACHIE PLOWMAN (Calder Cannons. 18, 192cm, 84kg) Close-checking, key backman who reads the play brilliantly. THE RATIONALE: If there’s one area of the Giants’ young list that needs some boosting, it’s their backline. Plowman’s the best defender of the lot and won’t make it to pick 12. (Callum Twomey) Lachie Plowman
 Height: 192cm Weight: 84kg DOB: 11/09/94 Club: Calder Cannons Draft range: 3-12 If not for a serious elbow injury in May, most would have Plowman ranked this highly without any questions. The rebounding, tough and creative defender was in flying form for the Calder Cannons at the start of the year before jumping for a mark and landing on his arm, dislocating his elbow and tearing a ligament. He had surgery, and missed almost four months, including the championships. But the 18-year-old is an excellent pick for the Giants, who need to shore up their list with a few more defenders. (The famous Knightmare from b-gf--ty) Lachlan Plowman (VIC – KPD/Def) Height: 191cm, Weight: 86kg, DOB: 11/09/1994 Recruited from: Calder Cannons Style: Player comparison: Andrew Mackie Range: 2-12 Profile: Strong key defender who stands out with his marking and ability to read the play down back. Plowman is an offensive minded key defender who provides great drive from the back half. Defensively Plowman can continue to get better but I really love his style of play with his really natural rebounding game down back which I hope he continues to develop because it is a really great strength to his game. Shutdown game solid and can also play a role as a close checker. Unfortunately we didn’t get to see him during the u18 champs, but that should in no way hurt his draft stocks with what he has shown otherwise throughout his footballing. Has rare composure for a key defender and has a great skill set for a player of his type with his footskills in particular standing out with his ability to find targets up the field. Has really nice mobility and if he has the ball in general play he can avoid tackles as you’d see from smaller players which is an interesting aspect of Plowman’s game. Recent speculation has been that Plowman could be developed into a midfielder so don’t be surprised if this is where he develops. Certainly at his size and with his composure and ball use looks an ideal future inside midfielder with clubs increasingly preferring those taller midfielders. Well, looking at all that compared to his career so far, obviously he's not come along as hoped, partly by injury of course. At a moderate 'price' would definitely be interesting, though. A type we can always use more of. Meanwhile, wow, the best dozen of that draft is quite a show. So strange that picks 2, 3 and 4 have all struggled, and that GWS bollocksed it up so completely that year. Thank whichever football deities are watching over the game, because soulless franchise GWS with Stringer, Wines and Grundy added, we could all just pack up and go home.

I'm picturing you as the guy in every cheesy action/sci-fi movie who says things like 'All I need to know is where they are!' and 'Our objective is to find the enemy and kill the enemy!'. They usually get gruesomely exploded/gored/brainsucked/eaten during the first encounter, as a plot point to make clear that 'the enemy is smarter and more deadly than we thought'.

The obvious needs - * A long term quality partner for Hogan and a long term quality partner for Gawn. If a suitably brilliant forward/ruck came along, this could even be one player! I do think that these days a big target needs to be real quality - it wont be enough in the long run to have the likes of Dawes or Pederson filling the role. It's a shame none of the rucks on the trade table seem comfortable playing primarily as forwards. * Extra midfielders, with skill and speed being the aspects we most lack at the moment. It's a little more complicated in defense. There are questions which need answering. * Is Oscar McDonald going to develop into the 'true' tall defender we have been lacking? Will he be capable of limiting the big ogres who keep on having their best game of the season against us, year after year? * How much can we rely on Lynden Dunn and Colin Garland to be the 'semi-tall' defenders for us? * Is Neville Jetta durable enough, should he get an understudy? * Will Christian Salem develop into a midfielder or stay across half-back? Summary - We actually have a sensible reason to recruit for pretty much any position on the ground except primary ruck. Which is annoying, since full-time rucks are pretty much the only thing easily available this trade period!

With sadness, may I ask the moderators to close the thread. Any tribute to Goodes is sinking in the mire of idiots who think the booing didn't have a strong element of racial prejudice, and the idiots who think that any criticism of Goodes is inherently racist. Everyone is so excited to be sniping at the real or imagined positions of other people and yell 'gotcha', very few have felt time to properly organise their own thoughts. What a miserable social and political discourse we have in this country.

Of Grant, Melksham and Bastinac, The last is probably the best. Bastinac is fast, creative, very fit, but lacking in clean disposal and not particularly hadrd. Basically a Tom Scully replacement.

All this talk of Vince v Hartlett just gets me thinking, we got Vince for just a second rounder, the Sylvia compo. Would be ecstatic to get Hartlett at the same price!