Devo

Good news

He's been training with us. We signed a MOU with him 2 years ago IIRC. The club got special dispensation for him to play with our VFL affiliate this season. You don't do those things for every prospective draftee that you might be into. He absolutely nails several game-day needs for our club (contested ball warrior, leadership, toughness, good skills) and he aces the character test. I suspect we won't have to worry about him buying into the program either. You can bet your boots that he's coming to MFC, even if it takes pick 3 to get it done (although it would be nice if he is still on the board come the second round).

Personally, I reckon Carlton are going to be pretty scary under Mick, if they can plug a couple of holes in their list. They are deficient in terms of key position players both forward and back and they lack a bit of grunt in midfield. Cloke would help them immensely. Playing some blokes in their natural positions like Gibbs and Mitch Robinson might help as well. Mick also needs to toughen them up mentally, I think they are a bit fragile. If those things can be sorted at Carlton, then the Malthouse adventure might mean that some tears are spilt, but they might not be those of Carlton supporters.

At last, somebody said it. Chappy is going nowhere!! He will have 1 or possibly 2 more years there and bow out the way he should, as an absolute champion of the Geelong footy club. MFC will not even bother thinking about him.

Re-signed. My level of buy-in cannot be questioned.

The things we are hearing about lax training habits are hard to digest and it's a damning insight into the previous regime. The good thing is that those days are behind us now. The club will improve from here but a dramatic Adelaide/West Coast turnaround should not be expected. I would expect a trajectory similar to the one that Richmond is on.

Spot on, and this is why those who reckon Neeld is a crap appointment are mistaken. Any other coach worth his salt would've come in and laid down the law like Neeld did. Lyon would've done something similar, as would any of the experienced coaches that some on 'Land wanted. When Neeld leaves the job in the years to come, another coach will come in and demand EXACTLY the same levels of commitment, fitness and effort. People will be asked to behave themselves in or out and feelings are going to be hurt along the way. Some people may not respond well to that. Others will lap it up and prosper, and they are the ones we want.

Shocking day for his family, friends, club, fans and the whole industry. Another reminder that life is too short.

If he costs nothing in terms of picks or players, then why not? Fills a need and brings experience and high standards with him. Win.

Hagdorn strikes again! The sad thing is that this is only the beginning. So much more unfounded speculation is to come.

Super post binman. Agree 100%

A bit late to this but thanks for the mail, HG. Appreciate the insights.

Not even thinking about it until I hear it from someone other than Kim Hackdorn

While I take a slightly different view on what the supporters are 'owed', this is a measured and well thought-out post. Well played, nutbean.

You're probably gutted like everybody else about LJ leaving the club, but it's entirely appropriate at this time for us to hear from him through his management and those close to him. Isn't it enough that his manager and a member of his inner sanctum have passed on his gratitude on his behalf? He's got a few things on his plate at the moment and instead of issuing demands for public statements, how about we respect the guy's privacy and let him get on with repairing his life? And how many times over the years has LJ fronted the media about anything? It's not like he's suddenly gone quiet on us. You are a veteran poster and I realise that I'm not. Nonetheless, I thought your post was totally uncalled for. Pull your head in.

I agree that he is a good honest player and he has his limitations. He is not the person to stand on the gorilla key forwards, that's Frawley's job. His limitations are exposed when forced to play on a gorilla, he tends to get monstered. I disagree that he's easily replaceable and I would have an issue with the club letting him walk. When played in the right role for him (i.e. the Scarlett/Maxwell role), he is very effective. He reads the play well, he's a good intercept mark and he is a competitive beast. I'd expect him to return to that role next year. Most importantly, he has experience. This young team is getting younger by the day and we need some older heads like him around the club. I think he had a very good year and some of those early blowout losses would've been even bigger if it weren't for his efforts. He'll easily go top 10 in the Bluey this year. I'd be upset if he left.

No thanks to McKinley. Edwards would be the more valuable of the two. He has some redeeming qualities as a footballer but I'm not completely sold on him.

Would be good in a good team. An icing on the cake guy when all of the fundamentals are in place. Not a good fit for Melbourne at this stage in my view.

I think you're both right. There is a clear place in the game for players who can rack up uncontested ball, but that doesn't come at the expense of being able to defend, putting your head over the footy when it's your turn, or running hard into space with or without reward. It certainly doesn't come at the expense of quality disposal that truly advantages the team. Melbourne needs players who can do all of those things.

He isn't coming to Melbourne. He doesn't have the time to sit through an epic rebuild at MFC. He wants to be in contention for a flag. Going to Freo would put him in a good position to do that. Ross is creating a pretty fearsome unit at Freo and they will do some damage in the years to come. Good golf courses for BJ in Perth too.

Bold move by the club to jettison a young KPF with only 2 years in the system. I'm all for fixing mistakes early, that's generally the way to go, but I hope this is the right decision. Brett Lovett's words to the effect that Cook and Gysberts "should never be allowed to play AFL footy" are pretty shocking to hear. Everyone has their view of course, but to hear this makes you wonder what the previous recruiting team were seeing in these guys.

If the yarn is true and Petterd is on the way out, then best of luck to him and hopefully he can land at another club and find the success that eluded him at MFC. My question to you is why would so many players re-sign this year if was Neeld is so thoroughly on the nose? Howe, Jones, McKenzie, Jamar, Blease, McDonald, Tapscott etc all chose to stay this year when all of them would have some measure of currency on the trade market. Neeld rides Blease harder than just about anybody else from all reports, yet he re-signed. The issue here is Petterd, and for that matter any player that is determined to be incapable of taking the club towards consistent finals footy. Neeld isn't the issue. Clearly, time will tell if Neeld is a good coach at AFL level. We can't say that for sure at the moment. For the time being, Neeld and the rest of the MFC footy department (it's not just him) are doing what I expect a competent footy department to be doing. He and the rest of the staff have had a long look at the list they inherited and they are currently deciding which players are going to take the club forward. The footy department have also set high standards for performance on gameday and on the training track, and it seems that some players are unable to meet those standards. Just who those players are will come out in the wash after the trade period is done and the list lodgements have been made. The MFC footy department should make no apologies for doing these things. It's harsh on the players that don't make the cut because their lives are turned upside down, but it's life in a professional sporting organisation. All players know the risk when they get involved.

Richmond got rid of 14 players from their senior and rookie lists after the 2009 season, which was Hardwick's first season in charge if I remember rightly. Nobody's complaining now! If the club is serious about contending any time this decade, some hard calls have to be made and soon. Being OOC, Petterd is one of many players that will be the subject of a hard decision, no matter which way it ends up going.

I wish LJ the best of luck. Hopefully the difficult issues he's facing can be sorted and he can resurrect his footy career at some point. LJ might not be an elite runner or a contested ball warrior, but he's got something unique to give to the game and for that, he'll be missed.