Jaded No More

Look, was the Neeld era horrible? Yes. What it also terrible? Yes. Did it age all of us 10 years? Yes. But have we got many LOLs out of it since? Also no.

Tonight is do or die for our season I think. We either get it together, and start to return to our defensive best all over the ground, or we let this season slip away. Do our players want it badly enough? Do they think it will just happen like it did last year? We find out a lot about ourselves tonight. At our best, we are still the best of the best. We just need to get back to what made us the best.

A Boo Ban? Jesus the people of WA are special.

Seriously, the media are so bored. A player is contracted for next year. A player is very good. Lets put 1+1 together and get 78 and run with it.

x3

This. What is this all about?!!!! Celebrate your own re-signing Jacko! So Jackson signed 3 months ago right?.... Right?

Fantastic news. From a cultural point of view this is an important signing. Gus is a leader of the club and has proven himself to be a big stage player. We also know how versatile Gus is and so I have no doubt he will still be a vital cog in our machine in 6 seasons.

To which I say, it's hard to win a Brownlow when you retire with concussion. The reality is, he was constantly injured when he played midfield. Maybe it was bad luck, but maybe it wasn't. Maybe his body is not built for playing the crash and bash role of an inside mid. Maybe he can enjoy playing midfield at Essendon, accumulating Brownlow votes but never getting another premiership medal in his life.

I think it does add up though if you are continuously coming off 6 day breaks AND you have to travel AND you haven't had a proper bye like every other side did.

You are of course very much correct. The slump in form and contract issues have put a dampener on what should be a great time to be a Melbourne supporter.

We saved this guy's career by moving him out of the midfield. He was one head knock away from retirement. He has to see what the club has given him, and not just be solely focused on himself. I understand he has to get the best deal, but I really wish that I could tell these kids that money is not the be all and end all. Finding a good workplace with a great culture is so much more important than a bit more cash in the bank. Long term, it leads to far greater happiness.

Well both Oliver and Trac signed with the club and got it done quickly. So he isn’t right up there with them when it comes to contract negotiations.

Another short break for us. What a time to be alive.

If that's true, that is incredibly disappointing given Cerra was keen to come to us last year. FFS why would Jackson do that when he knew we were trying to court a Freo player?!

I haven't enjoyed it as much as I should. It's funny how you get so used to being good, you take it for granted, and then you get really annoyed when you lose, but then you check the ladder and it's round 19 and we are 2nd. I guess the desperation that I feel for watching us win a flag live at the G is making me more frustrated than normal.

I agree, but it's human nature. The reality is, when you have two big players thinking about leaving, it becomes a distraction.

So he realises how home sick he is? No thanks *I kid

Over it. These distractions are certainly not helping our on field performance. Flag opportunities come around so rarely, and I would be furious if we let this one slip due to all these off field issues.

Make no mistake, we were happy to let Hogan go.

Wouldn’t they do a concussion test during the game tho? They seem to review every incident and pull players off as deemed necessary. I didn’t see anyone do the 20 minute protocol. So even if they passed initially a test would still have needed to be done. Could the concussion have happened at training?

If we suspected he had a concussion why didn’t we activate the sub? I can’t see how a player copped a concussion during the game and played on. Didn’t think that was allowed. Unless it happened within the last 20 minutes of the game?

That makes no sense if you say he wants to return to Perth? His options are down to just two. And of course these deals get orchestrated well in advance. But if Jackson has said “I want to go home make a deal happen with either of the WA clubs”, that puts our club in a very different position than if he says “I’m out and I’m going to Freo only”.

So nobody I care about then? 😂

Perth has two clubs. If he’s wanting to return he needs to be open to go to either of those clubs. It gives us much better bargaining power. If as you said he is not leaving because of anything to do with the club, he should want us to get a good deal in return. We invested pick 3 in him just 3 years ago and in return made him a rising star winner and premiership player.

They generally don’t do one during a short break. Given we had to travel and had a 6 day turnaround I think they gave it a miss.