pantaloons

So free agency ends late in the trade period? It is unbelievable to me that the AFL does this. That gives very little time for Melbourne to move pick 3 on and then try to shift any subsequent dominoes.

Keep the rumors coming. You're not going to squeeze a contracted superstar from another club to our on-field mess without firstly offering the player a huge wad of cash, and secondly, giving the other club something to seriously consider. In this case, it would be a plump return and the knowledge that we will be knocking with the same offer to Dangerfield in 12 months time, with only one first rounder coming back to Adelaide as compensation. I'd rate it about a 1% on the probability scale, but I like to imagine we are being active like this.

You pretty much nailed the situation in your first two sentences. The AFL would be better off televising the spinning of a wheel of fortune to determine whether we'll get one as at least there would be some transparency there.

Disgraceful video call just cost us the game. Thanks.

We've got half our team out. Might as well lose Charles too. We should still end up getting flogged today, but it's been a gutsy effort thus far.

As Deecisive and others have noted, at least Toumpas was regarded as the #2 overall pick all season. It was just the complete laughable stupidity of GWS picking two complete randoms at 2 and 3 that let him slide through to us. At least it wasn't a vulgar reach a la Cook, Strauss and Gysberts when far better players were available and that much was plain to see by run of the mill supporters. If you want to make yourselves feel better, consider this. If we drafted Wines, there is no way this club wins two games in 2013. Neeld survives the year, Roos never comes. I'm looking at it as a trade of Wines and Neeld for Toumpas and Roos.

I think we just need to have universal agreement from every Melbourne supporter that we stuffed this up massively so we never have to talk about it again.

Death to score reviews.

The old desk must have gone for a fortune on ebay.

Not in our 43 best players.

Immense result tonight for North if they get up. It'll only be the third time in 29 semi finals since the AFL introduced the non-costing-Melbourne-a-premiership finals system in 2000 that the team from the bottom half of the top 8 has won through to the prelim.

Tweet from TAC Cup commentator Paige Cardona saying "Hearing murmurs that Jimmy Toumpas could be on the move back to South Australia 'for the right price'". https://twitter.com/paigecardona/status/510375380339789826

New England Seattle New Orleans

A key part of the unheralded, unfashionable but effective Melbourne backline that helped take us to a Grand Final in 2000. He was a pretty enormous human being as a key defender so I always expected uncoordination, but I think he had a couple of really good years there down back. Started off really raw and developed into a competent AFL player.

These are the trades I love. Blease and pick 80 for pick 66 thanks.

Wasn't Port the team the placed a bid on Viney with their first pick? Not saying they're party poopers who will automatically do this again, just an observation that they were willing to give up what turned out to be Ollie Wines for Viney.

From Jay Clark at the Hun: http://m.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/melbourne-eyes-homesick-greater-western-sydney-big-man-sam-frost-to-replace-james-frawley/story-fni5f91a-1227053034260 I'm not sure what I'm allowed to cut and paste, but the thrust of it is that we're targetting Frost to replace Frawley, and he wants to come home. No mention at this early stage of what we'd offer.

I have no idea of the validity of what you're saying, but I like it.

Wow. I doubt Houli or members of the sane population share that view.

To be honest, I wouldn't know a good assistant coach if he slapped me across the face with a wet fish. I just want someone who is on the same page with Paul Roos as far as football philosophy goes. Whoever we end up with may not have an exciting name, but I'll trust Roos won't bring in a nong to replace himself.

I'll even throw in our sixth rounder.

The trade period kicks off immediately after father-son bidding, which will clear up whether we have to use a second or third rounder on Stretch Jr. A trade involving Clark for Lumumba would cancel out the difficulty in working out a pick to trade for Lumumba in the event the appropriate selection has already been allocated to Stretch. I want Clark at Melbourne next year, but if we get something good for someone I figured was never coming back from the scrapheap, I won't complain.

I think every time I watch this guy, he misses a goal from 10m out directly in front, or provides a moment of champagne embarrassment.

It depends on what comes out about the whole saga. I won't boo him if it turns out that Melbourne didn't actually want him and preferred the compo return. If he's just completely stooging us though, I'll cheer with great vigour if he blows out both ACLs against us in front of Section M50 while simultaneously being mauled by an escaped grizzly bear from the circus.