binman

Agree. I have had no interest in this thread other than scanning for updates. To be honest i have been hoping that there will be an update saying something has drastically changed and he is going to say. That's because i'm a huge Jack 'fanboy'. As i have said before he is in my top 10 favourite Melbourne players - and i have seen a lot of players in the more than 40 years i have passionately followed the club. But the key word is fan. i'm not a coach or member of the FD. Obviously. No really i'm not. I'm allowed to be emotionally invested and think through that lens. The coach and the FD not so much (though as Roos said in that great interview on Deetales footy is an emotional game, much more so that business, and that is why some strange decisions are sometimes made) To be honest i think it is pretty simple. Goody wants 22 warriors. And Jack isn't - and never will be - the warrior type. Now i might disagree with that be he is the coach and it is his call. Goody has made the call. And i very much doubt he has done so lightly. I support and respect his right to make that call. That said it is a big call and quite rightly he will be judged on it - and goody would expect nothing less. And i like the fact the club has allowed him to make that call. Many is a time that a head coach would have been over ruled at the demons - which is just one of the reason we have been so unsuccessful for so, so many years. this why PJ is quiet. He ha invested in the FD and like all good managers know you have to trust your key appointments. Micro management is an anathema to success. I will be totally gutted to see jack play at another club. The last time i felt this way was when Greg Wells left when i was about 11 years old. But like then i hope Wattsy gets all the success in the world. And as harsh as it sounds if we get the success we all crave the fanboys and haters will have consigned all of this palaver to the memory vault.

JACK Watts wants to play for Port Adelaide. The Herald Sun has been told Watts on Friday settled on playing for the Power, which has this week announced itself as the AFL’s newest destination club. Steven Motlop followed Tom Rockliff to Port, with the restricted free agent pair choosing the Power over Adelaide and Gold Coast, and Carlton respectively. The Watts camp is unlikely to declare his chosen destination given the Jake Stringer-Essendon impasse, but sources close to the forward are adamant he has decided on a fresh start in South Australia........ It is understood the Demons might have to tip in some of Watts’ annual salary of around $500,000 to get a deal for Watts done and gain more traction in next month’s draft.

Managing a player with significant behavioral issues a leap forward for the MFC? Shirley, you can't be serious. Perhaps we can see if Nick Kyrgios wants to join the board.

Apparently North Korea are thinking of using trade radio over 6 weeks as a form of torture

Yep, that was my point WB - and in much fewer words. ta.

Now you are confusing things martin. That quote is one i made up to prove my point Mahoney implied we wouldn't be active in the trading period, ie my suggestion was that he would have said it if keen to trade to give himself an out but didn't!

My apologies martin. i have confused the matter. I misread PD's comments. I was referring to his trade radio interview, not the one on SEN. The trade radio interview can be found here: http://aflnation.com.au/2017/10/12/melbourne-happy-with-hefty-price-paid-for-jake-lever/ The two relevant parts of the interview are at the 10 minute mark, when Josh says: 'we don't see ourselves being too active for the rest of the trade period....happy to go into the draft with the picks we and have.......but you don't know what is coming up' and right at the end: Barrett: 'outside him (Balic) there is unlikely to be much else' Mahoney: 'That's right' So he doesn't rule trades out but certainly does not indicate we are going to be active.

You may well be right about us being involved in other trades. But you are dead set wrong about the interview. His exact words escape me but the gist was Balic was the only player they are looking to trade in and are not looking at other trades. I remember it because i was surprised that he would be so clear about it, rather than saying something along the lines of: 'we are open to other trades, have some picks in hand now and but nothing has presented itself yet'

Yes, i was going to write thje same thing. I did listen to it (i decided to have a quick listen and as luck would have it Mahoney was - has to be the mots boring radio possible) and there wasn't much grey in what he said. Yes to Balic and not looking at other deals. Now of course he could be foxing and/or and unexpected opportunity might come up but it made me wonder if Taylor has his eye on a smokey ot two in the draft.

no you don't

i know the feeling.

You agree with yourself?

Blimey wattsy copes some strange criticism

Agree. Leaving aside questions about the weird homo erotic analogies (we've been reamed, bent over again etc etc) the deal is fine. Considering Taylor's record we could well have a smokey earmarked for pick 35 or 3rd round and as we all know outside say the top 12 the draft is a lottery anyway. Many people argued we were bent over with Melk and even Hibberd. Melk is in our best 22 and Hibberd has been a suburb pickup - have we ever recruited a player who got selected in the AA team in their first year with us (or even subsequently?). As you say PD Lever is a perfect fit for our back line and i have no doubt it is the reason we were so keen to land him. Th other thing that has to be factored in is doing the trade early makes our trading a lot simpler now. We know what have in hand and what we can't offer. If the lever trade had held up other deals - which it may well have if not done to say the final day - this would have had unintended consequences and may well have cost us a player we were keen on. Good job Mahoney and crew.

I hope so. But i would be surprised given the angst he inspires in some people

Gary buckenara does a pretty interesting analysis here: http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/teams/melbourne/gary-buckenara-analyses-melbournes-list-after-the-2017-season/news-story/08afd8b49dedaf6938358873ff2d5b28 NB: if you care not a subscriber google this and go to the article direct (note their new website won't allow you to cut and paste the text from the summary to google, so you have to mnaully type it): Demons should rethink Watts trade Says this about Lever: 'The Demons are Jake Lever’s preferred new home after he requested a trade out of Adelaide and he’d be a nice addition to the backline as that intercept-marking player, which is so critical in the modern game. He is a third defender, not really a key-position player despite being 195cm. The Crows are asking for two first-round picks in a trade and to me, that’s overs. Melbourne currently has pick No. 10 so I’d offer that and potentially a second-round pick or a young borderline best-22 player such as Alex Neale-Bullen, who is an Adelaide boy, to sweeten the deal.' This comment from the comments section below the article made me laugh: Gavin 7 hours ago Lever is exactly what Melbourne need. Another easily physically intimidated player who fails to stand up in big games.

Nup you're right. I did expect him to poll better. Not the first time i have been wrong.

I would have no issues paying up. If you had actually taken the bet. I suspect, despite your protestations, you thought he wss a chance of a top 10. But perhaps you were right. A meaningless bet. Anyway you cant say i didn't give you a chance to put your money where your keyboard is. How about a bet that he plays round one next season (if injury free) and never gets dropped?

No just go to this page and read the first headline and accopying texr (or tge full back page of the hard copy) http://www.heraldsun.com.au

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/afl-trade-period-day-three-follow-all-the-big-trade-news-and-whispers-october-11-2017/news-story/9e3c9532931e3f53de1e23d8304dbe46

People talk about hibbo not being higher. What about tmac's younger brother. He. Waz. Robbed.

That's is a very good point dj. At one point he apparently had a minder 24 hours a day. The tigers reaped the reward of that investment many times over this year.

Are you trying to drive his price up? Clever

No chance we trade Hogan. I hope.

You have to love Demonland. Lever fails to poll in the top 10 at the crows B&F. There are two contradictory responses: It is clear evidence that the crows must have rigged the voting (out of spite? - must be because it makes little sense to deliberately under value him if you know you are going to negotiate draft picks ) because as we all know Lever is one of their best players, an AA no less (yes, yes, i know) who has had the best season ever for any young defender - better than Rance at the same age! Are the crows crazy asking for two first rounders? My response: I'm going to love watching the live stream of the bluey on Monday and watch Tmac's younger brother come top 10