Pates

In: Gus, Harmes, TMac Out: Hoges, Hunt, Daisy I’d day add Goody I’m there as well but I don’t know if there’s much of an iconic look he has that could be turned into a caricature. I reckon Gawny gets a shift closer to the middle as well! ?

One thing I’ve wanted for a while but never seems to happen. Home game at the G vs Essendon, the ALWAYS seem to get the home game vs us. It’s actually getting ridiculous now.

I know the selection committee seem to rate Oscar over Frost but I think those two fighting for the second KP defender is going to be interesting to view. Frost definitely adds something with his pace, and his disposal improved a lot last year as well so I can see him getting quite a few games in 2019. Preuss will be very interesting to watch how they use, lots of commentators were shocked that he chose to come to Melbourne when he’s going to be behind Max. Personally I think the club has a very clear idea about how they will use him next year and I won’t be surprised to see us play two rucks with either one of them spending time forward. Max is happy and that makes me happy!

Stephen Hill for some outside pace perhaps, happy to see our list only consists for Jonesy.

I hope we’re looking to lock him down for an extra 2 years on top minimum asap. Have a feeling that the Pies will be sniffing around. Hogan leaving might well give Sam a little more confidence, the sliding doors towards the end of last year are interesting to consider. If Jesse hadn’t got injured it’s unlikely that Sam would’ve broken into the team. I also wonder whether experiencing finals with us might’ve made Jesse feel more connected to the club and might not have looked for a trade back to Perth. I feel that Josh has addressed the needs of the club without trying to bring egos on winning/losing the individual trades into account. I feel the list is more balanced at both ends, losing Jesse hurts but I think one of the reasons it hurts is that following in Watts’ footsteps he was seen as one of the major hopes for us becoming a power. Interesting that the forward I would’ve considered more important to our team (TMac) came from a lesser draft pick and began his time in defence. Perhaps it’s a sign that drafting forwards with high picks is a risky gamble. Of course Jesse has been valuable and I believe will become an excellent player for Freo, but he has flaws that have frustrated us in the past. I’m comfortable with how we’ve gone, and hopeful for 2019.

This would have to go down as one of the strangest trades that has ever happened. There has been more drama and twists and turns than your average Neighbours story line.

We have rolled the dice on Weiderman becoming a player. Signs were there vs Geelong, 2019 we find out if he can do it week in and week out.

My take is this: Mahoney and Co felt this was the year Jesse leaves so they looked at addressing the needs of the list. They identified areas we needed to improve, KPD and outside run. He sought to and successfully acquired May and KK. On that score I give him a very solid tick. Trade out Hogan was difficult and messy, Freo played hardball and IMO won. On balance I think we should’ve got another sweetener, a late second rounder/early third rounder. But the way Mahoney traded to get pick 28 tells me they have a plan. Its a solid B+ grade for me, Hogan’s unders has soured it a bit but May might well bring us closer to a flag. Time will tell.

With Jesse gone I think the idea is to make our forward line more flexible and unpredictable. TMac (if able to stay on the park) has proven himself to be a very good marking forward, he is the key. If he stays fit I’m not worried. Weiderman still has a lot of development in him but with Jesse moved on games will come more frequently. The end to the year will surely give him confidence, he just needs to bulk up. As many have also pointed to we have recruited Preuss and I feel like this is what the club earmarked him for, allowing he and Maxy resting time in the forward line. I expect Max to kick more goals next year as a result, and who knows Preuss come become a cheeky valuable forward/ruck for us.

Welcome to the MFC May! Sures up our defence (which was a definite weakness last year) and creates a massive competition for the third tall spot in the 22. Defensively I think Oscar is better than Frost, but Frost offers run out and an extra dynamic. Just as another side thought to all this, with Hogan moved on I have constantly heard that in his youth days Oscar was a forward. Could we see him become a swing man? Anyway best of luck to you May, try not to get suspended too much. You’ve got something to play for now!

KK is the wildcard in this trade, has had similar problems to concussions as Gus, but I was always sure Gus would pull through them. Hopefully coming to our club can help bring his raw talent to the surface. Good luck Kade!

We wanted May, it made our trade position weaker. We accepted unders for him to secure a deal with GC. I’m sad for a number of reasons. We supported Jesse through a lot of difficult things, being away from family at a young age, a terrible back injury in his first year (available), the passing of his father, the testicular cancer scare, and all through that we helped him develop into easily the best young KP forward coming up. What we’ve received for him in under what he’s valued, that’s my opinion but it’s not just what he’s doing now that matters it’s what he’ll be able to do. We invested a lot into him and it’s felt like following the very original trade to get him to the club we have downgraded. That all said, it’s done and we can move on. He clearly always wanted to go home, so the club has moved to address a need at the other end of the ground. If May turns out to be the defender everyone thinks he’ll be, and Weiderman is able to continue his development then the premiership is a big chance.

Yeah I’m gonna steer well away from them. ☹️

I would’ve like him to follow through on his statement and be prepared to walk away. I feel like our club has got the big bold statements thing down, but in many aspects we still lack follow through. May being available and his desired club has definitely made things awkward, it tipped our hand and Freo have been able to exploit it. Fair play to them. I guess I am in the unconvinced corner on the May trade. I get the results based idea of it all, that if it completes the team that’s all that matters, but I hate giving other teams a leg up at the same time. I think it’s also frustrating because Freo have been sniffing around Hogan for years, they have wanted him desperately but now when they will get him they won’t have to sell the farm for him.

If we take that club it will be on the club to spin it in the way you have there. At the end of the period every club will be saying they are happy because they have filled need X and managed to trade into/remain in position Y in the draft. We will definitely be getting unders for Hogan and Mahoney’s bold statement of a trade for hogan being up there as one of the highest of all time will look like a complete joke.

I’m hoping we’re pushing for one more pick from Freo. I don’t know if they have it available but I would be asking for next years second rounder as well.

God I hate them.

I would say that KK is being looked at for a wing position.

I think we paid overs, not by much but we wanted the deal done rather than dragging it at as Freo have done here. The deal mooted by The Age is underwhelming to me but if KK is able to rediscover his form and May is able to be the backman everyone is hoping he’ll be then it’s a success. However I will feel that the time and effort we have invested in Hogan will have been fairly wasted.

It’s funny that you say that, I almost feel the same way. The only reason we’ve really entertained this farce of a trade deal is because of May being open to coming to us. Take him out of the equation and all of a sudden we go cold on trading Hogan and Freo have to decide on what they’re open to giving up. I’m so over this year’s trade period, this has just been so frustrating.

The long term contract could be an understanding by the medical staff that he will still require a lot of time with the rehab group in 2019 and for such a nothing pick they can just sit and wait with him. If they gave up a higher draft pick there’d be expectations for immediate impact, but with a future 4th rounder (incredible) they don’t have any reason to push him.

I think his point is that loyalty on both ends doesn’t exist as much as it once did. If we are happy to shop players around as pieces of commodities isn’t it fair that the players do the same when they may get the best value for themselves?

This is exactly why I have reservations about our desire to get him. Admittedly he is playing in a pathetically bad team but even Chip managed to hold his own when we were crap. I just don’t see what others are seeing.

I guess my ultimate thing is that I just don’t rate May as highly as a lot of others seem to. He’s at the top end of our age range and has been good but hardly an out an out star. I truly question whether bringing him in rounds out our team, particularly as at the other end Weiderman is still unproven. May would be a good get, nothing more. Jesse is a proven forward with limitless potential, I would take him any day of the week over May wherever we played him.

One question is have to ask is why would a player want to go to a club that is seemingly already treating him like a chump before he even arrives. If I was Jesse I’d tell them to bugger off and never call again after the crap they’ve pulled this trade period. I would also hope that Jesse himself would feel in some way indebted to the club for the way we have managed him the last few years and tell Freo to give us fair compensation for him.