damienjr

You seem to always overlook the elephant in the room – Tracc's sizable contract. If Tracc wants to leave and we are able to remove his contract from our books and pick up Flanders and maybe P13, then that would be a fantastic result. That said, I would like to keep him.

Funny how you call him a narcissist while showing zero empathy for a bloke who nearly died in the jumper. Sounds like projection to me.

I think his contract is a huge deterrent.

I gather you are not a fan of AI. That's the problem – we all think we know everything. Have you ever considered a different on-field role for Tracc? Probably not. I hadn't either until I started thinking about it. I just like to explore different ideas, and AI can assist in that.

Maybe P6 or SF for Tracc and his full contract. That said, not many clubs would/can take on his full contract.

Who pays his contract?

I agree. Dumb idea.

Maybe King can chat with Tracc about a new on-field role that might re-energise him. The option of giving him a half-back role. I put this idea into ChatGPT - Petracca’s brilliance is his explosiveness in the midfield and forward 50, but he has been banged up and heavily tagged. A half-back role could: Benefit Him: Give him more time and space to use his kicking and vision. Reduce the constant battering he takes in the guts. Allow him to dictate tempo and rebound from defensive 50, similar to how Dustin Martin was trialled in different roles to extend his influence. Benefit the Team: Melbourne’s half-back line has relied heavily on Christian Salem and Jake Bowey — Petracca would add power, leadership, and creativity there. His line-breaking run could turn defence into attack instantly. In finals, a weapon like Petracca off half-back forces opposition teams into a matchup nightmare. But — it should be a flexible role. He can start half-back, roll into the midfield when the game demands, and even rest forward. Selling him on being the ultimate utility weapon could re-ignite his motivation. Interesting.

Which part are you selling as waffle?

Another comms stuff-up. On our website they did write-ups on all the category winners.... Harvey Langford, none, just a photo.

My view is that both will be at the club next year. From reports, neither player expressed a desire to leave during their exit interviews. I can't imagine the club would actively go to the marketplace without input from the new coach, and I can't imagine a new coach wishing to trade them in his first year as coach. That said, I know McCrae did it with Grundy, and it worked out OK, but he only did it because he had 2 capable backup ruckmen in Cameron and Cox. We don't have ready replacements that can do what they do. Maybe in 12 months' time, yes.

You just got destroyed

Yes

Will George be joining you this week? Have missed him over the past month.

Every week, I watch with frustration as Tracc bombs the ball forward. Over the years, you can count on one hand how many times he has short passed to a teammate who might be in a better position. That being said, he did one on Saturday. Have you seen this? To me, he's still following the old gameplan.

And here lies the dilemma. If we end up bottom 2 or even bottom 4 and acknowledge that we are in a rebuild phase, do we offload these 2 champions and get their salaries off our books, or do we just hold onto them because we believe we won't get "fair value" for them? The worst-case scenario is that we will finish middle of the road and still think we have a top 4 list.

Sicily does a good job as a swingman. May would be good at it as well.

Thanks Gater. Did McAdem participate in the sim?

This is awkward.

You raise an interesting question, primarily about whether other clubs have track watchers who post on their social media pages. I looked at several clubs, including the three you named, and I could not find any supporter forums similar to Demonland, let alone track watchers covering training. There is very little out there. It appears we are unique and blessed to have a platform like this and how it is set up, where information can be shared so readily.

I know what you mean, and I would have preferred a little more, but I suppose it would look awkward if our draftees and the public knew they were not our first choice. Nevertheless, JT was aware that a camera was present and probably knew that it would be uploaded to the website following the draft; he could have reviewed and ranked the top ten draftees and where they would probably land, and any discussion regarding preferences could have been removed. That said, what we saw was good content but it left the viewers wanting more.

I agree.

Geez Luci, it was just an observation from a couple of track watchers who went out of their way to report back to you guys. The comments made were no different from what other track watchers observe about other players at training in Melbourne. You don't need to shame people because you don't agree with what was said. You weren't there.

They could use Langdon as a high forward as the ANB replacement and have Windsor, Lindsay and Bowie compete for the wings.

Settle down pal. Only talking about that we should be ok if Tracc chooses to leave.