Pates

No it's not, and it won't happen.

“A Hogan trade is not dead in the water, but it appears Melbourne will have to buckle first” Why the hell should we buckle? He’s the best young KPF to come on the market for years and we want proper compensation for him, plus he’s contracted. That plus the “smell a rat” line has just added bizarreness to an already weird trade discussion.

I confess that for me that would be a lot closer to what I would be comfortable with us accepting, especially given Jason Taylor’s track record thus far. But this whole contract talk confuses me, surely the way it works is prospective club makes offer/deal with player, player confirms he would be happy to move under those terms, and then the two clubs negotiate a trade.

Surely you would think before they entered into trade negotiations with Melbourne that they would had the contract drawn up and decided upon. How is it they could possibly enter negotiations and still be deciding on length and $$$?!

I think it’s telling that the media chatter has moved on from Hogan, I feel like if the deal was still on the cards there’d be mentions of it but it appears to me that both clubs have moved on.

This is what it comes back to for me with all the talk of him moving to defence. You can throw all the critiques about his game all you like but his raw data has him tracking as an absolute elite player by the time he reaches his prime. Why does it have to be him that we push into defence? Why not try Weiderman? Or swing Tom back there at times when it ain’t firing for him? Or using Preuss to drop into the hole. I’m not sold that May is the answer to our problems, rather I saw him as the club merely trying to get value out of a potential trade for losing Jesse.

So there bloody well should. I also agree with you that it's likely that Freo/Bell would offer that rather than 5 + 14. Perhaps maybe we could do 5 + 14 + 30 for Hogan and next years 1st round selection.

Don’t hold your breathe, until trade period is over it’ll keep ticking over.

The Jesse goes missing against the top teams argument is a chicken or the egg argument. We were beaten in those games in the midfield (except the first Geelong game where he played well), so does it stand to reason that in order for him to have a good game that the midfield is able to deliver it better into him and the other forwards to maximise their opportunities? I’m not denying his lower output against better opposition but it’s like pointing out that Weids had a bad game vs WC in the prelim final, of course he did! The midfield was pantsed so he never got any opportunity. One thing I feel he needs to work on is staying in the contest longer against better teams, he seems to give up a bit (at least body language wise) when the good teams are able to set up denying him good one on one opportunities. But here’s the good news, he’s still young so he can keep working on these things and I truly believe that at some point in his career (whether it’s with us or someone else) he will clearly be the best KP forward.

Paywall, can someone breakdown the main points of this article?

I can’t imagine Jesse and his manager entering into amy kind of handshake agreement with these idiots after their antics this period, they’ve got zero credibility.

This supposed Gold Coast trade I suspect is a load of ?. His only reason for requesting a trade was homesickness and we were dealing with May for a possible deal following Hogan’s move west. He will not go to the Gold Coast. The only possible way I see Jesse in Freo colours is that if another club gets involved in order to satisfy our desire for picks/May (GC could be involved as one of the clubs). But for now I’m assuming Jesse will continue being a Demon and we have every right to tell Freo to bugger off with any negotiations.

They have nothing to hold themselves accountable to, so they can quote whispers in the footy world and get away with it. It then spreads like wildfire.

It seems a lot of people are determined to have his mindset as either staying or going. It is possible to be in two minds, particularly when there’s the go home factor/family vs the team you’ve started with and is more likely for success. I’m comfortable with the fact he requested to Melbourne he be allowed to explore his options. As many have said the club, while ideally wanting to hold onto Jesse, saw it as a chance to get value for him and address a need. But he’s also been mature through this process totally understanding that we wanted a fair trade for him and that he’d be happy to stay with us. What has changed is that now that the club that has been courting him has botched this deal I’d like the club to push him to sign an extension. This speculation is a distraction and it’s something we don’t need. I have zero animosity towards Jesse and the club and the fans need to get around him rather than belittle him.

What’s interesting to hear is that even though statistically Hogan ranks above any of the best forwards at his age so many fans of other clubs don’t rate him. I understand his low output this year vs the better teams but his raw numbers are still something to behold. How so many fans don’t see him being worth pick 5 + 23 (or more imo) is beyond me. I know there are still people on here convinced he’s still being traded this period, I just don’t see how it happens with the way Freo have conducted themselves in these negotiations. Once this all wraps up (and we’re getting into 2019) I would love to hear from either Jesse or his manager to know what they’ve thought of Bell/Freo’s conduct.

Only if you want it to be, it’s the world of professional sport. If he’s a proper professional he’ll come back fit and firing for 2019, I’m willing to cut him some slack but it’s not hard to see who’s going to take the mantle of whipping boy next year should he (as it appears) remain a Demon.

I think a lot of people are forgetting this, when Lever was playing our backline was very settled and working well. We had to experiment a number of times before we got a mix that could work ok but if wasn’t the same. When Lever comes back we will have an intercept defender that can control the backline, Frost also came on in leaps and bounds while I have faith that OMac will continue to improve. While I would’ve liked us to get May I don’t see it as the end of the world.

Whatever happens with him staying with us for the very least next year Goodwin and Co need to sit down with him so everything can get out in the open. Tell him where/how we are going to use him next year, talk to him about his importance to our desire for a flag, and tell him we want him long term.

Injury free and under Clarko I reckon Scully will be an absolute weapon. For that reason alone I want him just so he doesn't end up at the Hawks! And for a pick in the 40s?????

Perhaps this is fantasyland talk (but hey isn't that half of what DLand is all about!) but this could perhaps end up being a similar spur on that Dustin Martin got when he shopped himself around. It of course depends on the character of the bloke but he can choose to make this a positive for 2019 and beyond by saying to himself, "screw Freo for stuffing me around", recommit to us and come out fit and firing for next year ready to prove he belongs in the competitions elite. It's also on his teammates to make sure in no uncertain terms they are glad he's still with us, and try to make him more of a Demon.

Are Fremantle just trying to pizz off every single person involved in the trade period?

I was definitely among the chorus of people wanting us to rest him against some weaker opposition. As you say we’ll never know if it would’ve made any difference with his injury, might’ve just prolonged the inevitable. I’m terms of him getting an offer I reckon the moment we put him on ice Freo contacted his manager. Its seemed like a seasonally regular thing, the weather starts to turn and Freo make an offer to him. I really wonder how he must feel that finally it could’ve happened but Freo botched the deal. Would surely leave a bad taste in his mouth.

Welcome to the club big Preuss! Just as a thought for a solution with our defensive questions, could we play Preuss back there a bit? Big body, surely wouldn’t be outmarked too many times, his recruitment also throws up the ability to swing Jesse, Sam, or TMac back at times. Maxxy’s statement of my “favourite ruckman” (while perhaps a little bit of comedy) does have me hopeful that they’ll work well together.

I reckon the On The Couch producers will be making calls to make that happen ASAP.

Very straight bat from Mahoney, now I want to see us table a 3+ year deal to him. Say to him, “let’s win the premiership together”. As for Bell and Fremantle, I hope Jesse kicks 10 on you flogs next year.