Wells 11

IF this is true and IF we trade Hogan for ONE first round draft pick this site is going to melt down. Yes he can hold us over a barrell and say he's leaving at the end of next year anyway I suppose....but there is just no way in hell he's not worth way more than a one top 10 pick. Again IF this is all accurate does that put us back in the bracket to land Gaff?

What a load of absolute codswallop! denham simply guessing and people quoting Denhams " information" . Sheesh we live in a strange age. Plus there is no way in hell that, even if Denham was right ( which I highly doubt) that we would agree to trade him for ONE first round draft pick. Stupid frikn story. My head hurts.

Maybe preuss wants to be a part of a one two combo. Maybe he sees this as the most successful pathway and doesn’t want to be a lone hand.

Exactly my thinking. Surely with Lever back there isnt a need for a another tall? Combined with the problem we may have at the other end next year with Weid, Tmac and Hogan , talls really seem like the least of our problems. Or only a problem because we have too many! However the fact we've met with him signifies thats not what the FD dept thinks and I agree with you that I also trust our FD more than I ever have. So... Im baffled. Im also baffled by why Preuss wants to come to us in terms of the role he might play. The only sense I can make of any of this is if they know something about off season player movements within our club. Eg A Hogan or a Frost or a Weid or all three changing clubs. But I just cant see a mass , or even a mini, exodus from our club atm...why would anyone leave right now? To be honest I enjoy being baffled...reminds me of how little I understand about the way the FD is thinking.

Seems, sadly, like pro dee has the best info here. Have we actually landed a quality free agent ..like ever? Seems like every year its Essendon, Geelong, Hawks. Ok Port tried their hand unsuccessfully. And now North are having a real go. When we were crap and had money we couldnt attract as we were, well, crap. I remember that huge offer to dangerfield that fell through. Ironically enough becuase Roos wanted to hang on to Watts. But I dont think Danger was choosing us anyway. Now we're not crap we cant land any because we cant pay or be flexible enough in our thinking re positions. How do the hawks do it every frikn year? I know some were upset about what we paid for Lever....but I always thought that was a decent trade. Its gotten even better now, given where we are finishing. I think we trade well. But acquiring quality free agents has never been something we've been able to do. We're building a team the more traditional way....lets hope it can pay the ultinate dividend.

Well expressed. Everyone keeps saying we cant " break up the brotherhood" but one or two of Frost and Weed would be looking elsewhere if they cant see getting a regular game. the brotherhood involves those guys too right? Its up to us to choose which ones we keep and which ones we let go. As much as we'd like to keep them all its not going to happen. As a hypothetical to put out there. If Weed left over the summer ( just as he's emerging) and started starring elsewhere and then Jesse left when his contract ended at the end of next year to a mammoth once in a lifetime offer, how [censored] would we all be? . Personally as a club Id rather be in front of this story than behind it. Or...we try to hold both and play Jesse back as some are now suggesting. But will Jesse want that? What will that do to his contract worth? And we will then we have one of the highest paid players at the club ( who may be looking for an even bigger pay cheque next contract) at CHB..with Oscar, Lever, Frost?? Somethings gotta give folks. Just saying.

So happy to fully admit I was wrong with weid.Perhaps I was just too influenced by past players that never stepped up. Stoked fr him.. stoked fr the club. We do def have a strange set of problems fr next year though. Not only tmac, weid, hogan and possibly preuss. But also frost, Oscar and lever down the other end. Because surely now frosts value is widely seen. X factor. Surely we can’t plsy ALL these guys all at once. Fascinating to see how this pans out.

I don’t think anyone is doubting the importance of top 6 fifty five... but a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. In the heat of finals, especially a GF, mistakes are enormously costly. ..

I think that’s the point isn’t it and it seems like it’s the reason he’s leaving the Roos. However to play devils advocate perhaps it’s not the only reason. Maybe given what the Roos are paying or offering Polec/ Gaff etc they just aren’t paying him well. Maybe the dees see his importance in a larger way and he gets a decent pay rise to come to us...and he might rather be second string in a successful club? I’d be wrapt if he came to us and don’t doubt he’d get his share of games either.

think he has a big future and agree with you but not this part. His vision and skills seem ok. His strength ( especially kicking) and tank need serious upgrade. Looking forward to seeing him with a second pre season into him.

Im not sure if Im for it or against. Depends what his long term intentions are. ie will he choose to stay if Kennedy cant get fit and finishes up for example. Or he gets a monster offer from Freo. But its HIGHLY unlikely we will get to hang on to Wiedeman much longer if he isnt getting a game. So...perhaps its going to have to be a choice. Would suck to lose both of them in the next few years. Im not yet quite a Weid believer but for those that are...this has to be a part of the conversation. Lets see how weid goes in this next chapter ...of how ever many weeks. If he kicks 4 in a winning grand final the answer might be clearer ?

As good as 87 was, Robbie was past his best by then but, even so, still outstanding. No point comparing apples and oranges though. Robbie was imo peerless as a wingman...the best player Ive ever seen play the game. Still annoyed that the kangas Keith Greig won his two brownlows from the wing in Robbies era. The advantages of being in a winning team I guess. Oliver is something super special. I dont know if we've ever really had a player like him at the Dees in my time. I do know, and this is similar to Robbie , watching him play I constantly wonder " what happened?" or " how did he DO that?" When I watch replays I slow down some of his bits to try to understand. So that bit at the moment is def the same. Sometimes its just hard to believe what he does.

Agreed. It’s a big statement fr someone so early in his career but I reckon He is to clearance players what flower was to wingmen or Schwartz was to centre half forwards. Different level to mere mortals.

Lol... fair enough. Happy to eat a little crow but not the whole bird. Yet. def saw some really good signs, especially in the first half. To be clear . I’d love him to be the gun so many think he will be...but Sunday’s game didn’t quite have me fully changing camps. Yet.

I hope you're right...about it all. I really do. Especially the Kennedy comparison. FWIW, I dont need to see "the 2nd coming of Carey" but I do want to see someone who isnt just a young rookie being "blooded" on Sunday. He's got to contribute something that makes him worth picking on his merits.

Thats the whole problem with the discussion on Weid. We're not playing him looking for potential on Sunday he's got a mans job to fill and we need him to fill it. I dont care what he's going to be like in one or two years time we need what he's got NOW....and is he big enough to bring it like there's no tomorrow. . I think I have too many memories of Morton, Gysberts, Cook and Watts and waiting for the day they fill out and step up. We all know now, with the exception of a game here or there, they never really did. None seemed to have the mongrel required at this level. Weid reminds me of them. I SO want to be wrong about the weid...and will happily eat crow if I am. But I will judge him on what he brings on Sunday not who he might become.

I tend to agree. It’s been stated already but if we don’t counter McGovern we’re going to get done. The big marking babkmen are killing us as opp sides drop numbers bk to counter our clearance rates. They then attack us from half back. All potential aside...Is weird the right guy to bring in FOR THIS GAME is my question.

One day in not so distant future we are going to be going through something like this ourselves. When a Brayshaw or Oliver or Hogan or someone of that ilk wants to go $ chasing or move back home. Id love it not to be so but its the way of the current game. I think come that time, we're all going to be hoping the players put at least a BIT of pressure for who ever it may be to stay. But in agreement with what you written...putting too much on can be the worse possible thing.

Boom...nailed it.

Saturdays game convinced me we need Gaff..

If we lose against the doggies the week after this one then 2018 might be the year that the Darwin game demonstratably costs us a finals spot.

well, at the very least, I think she galvanised us behind him.

B Awesome. This part is really important I think. Be great we could somehow have a gym or shared facilities that would making taking out a facility membership attractive. Then as part of the membership they become MFC members. we could start to work that whole side of the city into our base. I think the hawks had a big membership boost with their sharing of waverley facilities with the public.

personally I love this kind of stuff. Jusr remember that If you reveal that source it will printed in the Sun the next day.. I have a doubt about it though. Mainly because he's in a premiership contending team right now AND if he wins one with the eagles wouldnt it make more sense to him to be chasing $ rather than flags?. Can see him going to the saints if the eagles win this year.

I know, that bit still really gets under my skin even now. Also Watson handed back his brownlow. Except he didnt actually hand the thing back...never wanted to and only did so under pressure. Just so the AFL didnt have to "take" it off him. Which they should have done every day of the week. It all looked so different when were being hounded for the apparantly much more grevious sin of "tanking" I often wonder what would have happened , if instead of Essendon that club had been us, A club so many see as unimportant and without all the media chums that the druggies had. Neeld invited that idiot into our club also ...so we dodged a fatal bullet there by a few cm's only.