Good Times Grimes

He's definitely shown some glimpses of what he's capable of and I love that he's got a bit of mongrel about him, but he is far too inconsistent for my liking. I struggle to see him ever being more than a backup.

Given that he can't be taken as a Category B again, I'd say it's unlikely that he'll get picked up. On this topic, I'd quite like to see us use the international rookie list more than we have. I don't think that guys like Maia Westrupp are the type of athlete that the list should be used for. We should use it to try out athletes from sports where there is a bit of crossover in skills. Some NCAA basketballers could make good tap ruckmen, while it would be good to try some rugby players and American footballers as ruckmen in the Mike Pyke mould. Having played footy in different countries and against people from different countries, I think you'd be very lucky to train somebody that hasn't grown up with the sport to be a successful midfielder (Gaelic footballers are an exception). It's too difficult to teach people the basic skills that AFL players have developed from a young age, let alone to get them to AFL quality. I believe that there are many international athletes out there that possess the raw athleticism of a guy like Nic Naitanui and could become very successful AFL Players. Category B rookies don't take up a spot on your primary list, so it's really a low-risk/high-reward scenario.

I had a pretty good laugh when Fyfe suggested that Bruce would win a Brownlow with Sandilands hitting it down his throat.

Matt Priddis didn't make the AA squad last year despite winning the Brownlow. Well done to Fyfe, a well-deserved win for a fantastic footballer.

He would have to sign with us for that to happen, and he's already said that he plans to sign with Geelong.

I'm not buying into it, but, hypothetically, what would we have to give up? Two first rounders? First rounder and a decent young player (like Kent/ANB)?

Also the guy who pretended he was about to take a swing at Smith as he saw the ball over the boundary. Some truly disgraceful things happened last night.

Very confident, OD. Not sure I can see them getting within 10 goals of WCE, unfortunately.

Does anybody here think that North stand a chance?

Very true, though I have confidence that our list management team know what they're doing. Your injury fear made me think of Rick DiPietro, the former New York Islanders' goalie in the NHL. He signed a 15-year/ $67.5million deal in 2006, but only managed to average 18 games a year over the next 6 years due to injury issues (NHL seasons are 82 games long). This stat is flattering, too, as he played 63 games in the first year of the contract. The Islanders eventually gave up on him due to a combination of injury issues and poor form, and bought out his contract at the end of the 2013 season. As a result of this, DiPietro will be getting paid $1.5m/year until 2029, which counts against the Islanders' salary cap. This case should be thought about every time any team in any sport is considering signing a player to a long-term contract.

And it's exactly why the AFL should do everything in its power to get him to come to the Dees

Danger to break his silence

If Dangerfield goes to the Hawks, you can bet that they'll be playing in their fifth straight grand final, and likely winning their fourth straight premiership. What a disgusting thought that is...I'd rather see him go to Geelong.

It's hard to not have a soft spot for the Cubs. Their fans have arguably had a tougher time of it than us Dees supporters have. They should clinch a wildcard spot in the next few days as they're 10 games clear of any challengers. The AL is more interesting in that Minnesota and the LA Angels are keeping the heat on Houston for the second WC spot. It looks like the NL playoff picture is pretty well sorted out, with the Cubs and Pirates to play-off with the winner facing the Cardinals. The Mets look set to play the Dodgers. Kansas City are the only team to have clinched their division, though I'd be very surprised if Texas didn't finish on top of the AL West. The Yankees had a win last night, so the AL East is still up for grabs. The Jays should lock in a playoff berth this weekend, however it would be very disappointing to have to play-off for the wildcard if the Yankees can make up the 3 games that they trail us by.

Love his work. He was fantastic in our win at Mordor.

They won't have a chance to get Hogan until at least the end of 2017, by which point I think their window will be well and truly closed. That , combined with our window hopefully being open by then, will hopefully make them a far less attractive destination for him.

I agree with you, and I will support any move that improves our list. If Toumpas can be part of a package that will land us a star, then I'm not against moving him. If we're only going to get a late pick for him, I am absolutely against moving him. What I was trying to say is that I don't want to see us lose players for less than they're worth, and at this stage, I think we'd be on the losing end of a trade if we were to give up Toumpas for a late pick.

We have to weigh whether it's worth hanging on to him for another year and seeing how he goes, or whether we trade for a late pick. I think the Toump has more chance of becoming a solid player than, say, pick 60 in a shallow draft. I'd back him in for another year and see how he goes.

Next you're going to try and tell us that Dangerfield is going to the Cats...

I was really hoping to open this thread to read that Bontempelli had requested a trade to the Dees

This will be interesting. Dangerfield ending up in the draft is a worst case scenario for all parties involved. It would mean that Adelaide will not be compensated, Geelong will likely miss out on him, and Dangerfield himself runs the risk of ending up in Queensland, Sydney, or at another Victorian club. Adelaide will obviously be keen to maximize their return from Geelong, however they won't want to lose him for nothing by letting him slip through to the draft. If Geelong are unable to satisfy Adelaide's demands will he become open to moving to other Victorian clubs for fear of heading north? Will Geelong accept Adelaide's demands? Or will Adelaide give in and accept Geelong's best offer? It's a high-stakes game that these three parties are playing, and it's going to be very interesting to see who folds first.

It's almost NHL season again *sigh*...I think it's going to be a very long season for me. My early prediction for the Cup is Pittsburgh. I think that adding Phil Kessel just gives them another very scary offensive threat capable of racking up 90+ points. If Crosby can stay healthy and Fleury can perform strongly, they will be near unbeatable.

Is anybody following the MLB playoff race? The Jays and Yankees have just begun a very important series in terms of the AL East title. The Jays won last night to pull 3.5 games clear, and the outcome of the next two games will go a very long way to giving a clearer picture of how the playoffs are going to look. Go Jays!

If only it was as easy to trade past draft picks.