3183 Dee

Yes - I don’t think it would be a great place to be at the moment. In an interview on SEN this evening, Jaiyden Stephenson (who actually spoke v well) said that he had to call Buckley to find out why the club wanted to trade him. The internal PR at the Pies is obviously not great.

Totally agree. Let all the loudmouth clubs like Carlton, Bombers and Saints strut around being linked to everybody, whilst we just quietly go about some very good business.

That is a very good deal - essentially Brown for a late second round.

That’s a ridiculous situation.

Thanks @Demonland

Guys, can someone put up a link to Gary Perry’s interview with Huddo on SEN just now? V interesting, clearly the review was a deep dive and the onus is on the coaching panel to deliver next year. I find Perty is pretty good/honest in these interviews - worth a listen.

I think this is a great idea for the reasons you’ve outlined. A quality back up, smart guy and possibly wouldn’t cost too much. For me, more preferable than McKernan.

Keep it coming @Dr evil - I’m loving the rumours and everyone should be well aware that until the ink is dry, nothing is certain. I reckon your intel is very good and we have been in the box seat for Smith, but - things change and that’s life. Will just give us another reason to hate Geelong - such a bunch of smug, vanilla footballers!

I was actually thinking this, when I heard it on SEN this afternoon. They were asking what would happen if Clarko kept going and going - I thought that I know a place where he could get a start in the top job!

I think this would be an excellent idea - he’s great with the younger players: he was instrumental in Dustin Martin’s rise to the top.

I heard this, too - seems like a good idea. I wonder who it will be...

For well over a decade now, this club has not had quality experienced players that have played their career at Melbourne, to ensure that the new guys in their first couple of years learn the right habits and behaviours to make the transition into quality players. It is vital that we have Jones around the club to take on this role. Look at Richmond - I believe a great part of their success is that they have a core of four 200 gamers (Riewoldt, Martin, Cotchin and Edwards) who lead that club - the other guys follow, willingly. Imagine if that could be Petracca, Viney, Oliver and Lever in a few years.

There are many reasons why this decision is a good one, the least of which is about his playing ability. Culture, leadership, experience and mentoring are the predominant reasons he’s got a new contract. The playing side of things is cheap insurance and a hope from many of us, that he may earn himself 6 more games!

If he put his needs first, he would have been out of here in around 2011.

I don’t mind the Jack Higgins link.

Argh! Still can’t warm to Polec.

If he doesn’t listen at the moment, he won’t have much of a choice now that Pert has got involved.

It’s a long way, he needs to talk a bit louder.

Maybe TMac in the equation with Preuss to GWS? Probably not enough to snare 9 on its own, but would move us closer to it.

It’s his wife.

Sounds like Voss could be in the reckoning for North, who would be a great get for them. We really must step up this year - I think Top 5 is the minimum now.

No need for that.

Absolutely.

Well, I don’t mind that we have a player that is hungry for it: I don’t think that he is a selfish player, but I do think he craves team/personal success. Of course, I’d love him to sign up for 5 years today, but I don’t blame him for waiting to see what happens. Since finals, we have finished 17th and 9th, with some quite good and also pretty poor performances. That’s two years, without a sniff of finals. For a player of his ability and ambition, he’d want to make sure that the next contract he signs (which is going to probably be the biggest of his career) is going to be with an organisation who will get him as close as possible to a flag. We need to prove ourselves this year.

I know, right?! I’m not sure whether that’s a specific recruitment policy (I reckon it was, in the past) or a long standing cultural hangover that still rings true at coterie and board level. Maybe once we have our home base and Melbourne supporters of all backgrounds can mix together, this might change? I love it when we recruit a genuine hard nut, like Steven May or Clayton Oliver but I must say, I was very impressed with Ed Langdon’s tenacity and contest, when my preconception had been of a one way runner. Perhaps it’s inverse snobbery, on my part?