Lucifers Hero

Flamingdees made that suggestion after I posted, schmutt. And it doesn't change that 3rd party deals/upgrades are much easier said than done. People just need to be realistic that once a player nominates a club the trade comes down to what the receiving club has to trade with. Adelaide had to accept unders for Dangerfield: Pick 9, 28 and a player who is yet to play a game. Brisbane had to accept unders for a heap of players a few years ago. Ditto Gold Coast for Harley Bennell. Just watch GCS get unders for O'Meara because Hawks don't have good trading chips (unless they give up players). Just saying, I don't think we are in a strong bargaining position if Hogan goes to WA and especially if he chooses Freo.

Freo and WCE cannot trade out their 2016 and 2017 first round picks so if Hogan goes back to WA it will be very difficult to get two 1st round picks from either club. Some posters have suggested Freo/WCE will need to trade in another 1st rnd pick from a 3rd club but this is much easier said than done. Given their likely available picks any trade won't be as attractive as some hope (unless they give up a star) and it would be very difficult for us to refuse to trade. Could shape up as the classic 'catch 22' for us. With a less than satisfactory result.

7 goal lead...bring on the rain!

Salem is a big loss today; he has dominated the game. Unfortunately, can't see him playing next week with his concussion history. Time to put him on ice for next year!

Nailed it! Excellent first post.

I don't doubt Pennant either and I don't doubt that Jesse's father is ill. I do doubt GNF's claim that that is the reason Jesse will go back to WA (and the claim that if he does we get Fyfe). I'm usually in agreement with your thoughts but on this one we have a different opinion, binman. Just the way I see it.

The only 'info source' we have is a GNF post last week that the outlook for Jesse's father was dire. And I'm not sure he is that reliable a source. I'd be inclined to go with the journos and the press ie the decision to return to WA will not be made on family matters.

It is very sad that Jesse's father is not well. But increasingly his return to WA is looking less about family and more about Jesse! "...But despite the Dees’ strong on-field progress this season and significant salary cap room, Hogan may now wait to consider each team’s direction in the early part of next season before he is prepared to give his contract more consideration...Fremantle has been widely considered the main rival for Hogan, but Eagles’ football chief Craig Vozzo yesterday said the Eagles had also been circling the powerhouse big man for years...“We have been in constant dialogue with his management over a long period of time,” Vozzo said. Surely, he knows enough to not need to wait till 'the early part of next season'. If that is correct it is disappointing that Jesse keeps moving the goal posts with seemingly little concern for the interests of MFC. He has us on a string...

Of course they will be hated!!! If for no other reason that they will have to beat us to get them!!

Clarkson highlighted that in his press conf...said the games changed in its interpretation...a thinly veiled dig at the umpires! Right to the end the Hawks were whinging!

Brisbane's development is beyond woeful and hardly anyone there gets a decent run at it. He has put on 8 kg in 2 years and needs to put on about 8 more before he can properly be judged. I trust our development team to see what he may become over the next 2 years. He may thrive in our environment with enthusiastic young teammates. We can get him 'Free' as a DFA and we could do with a swing player. No downside to taking him.

Looks like Hawks are tiring late in quarters and doggies get a bit of a run. Should be a fascinating end!

Goodwin was just on SEN and re Jesse - his comments were that he assumes contract talks are starting soon and thinks Hogan will be staying and will not be worried if it takes 6 weeks, 6 months, next year for him to re-sign. It may be a long wait folks!

Goodwin on SEN tonight - . Not verbatim - can't type fast enough! (Italics are my comments) Melksham had his medical yesterday. Did a bit of labouring during the year. Lost a few kilos so in good shape. With Hunt and Wagner’s development, Melksham may be played HB/Wing. A bit surprised that we still chased Hibberd. Big benefit of the two years was to get to know the club and get to build relationships. Implication he doesn’t need to spend time now doing all those things. Game plan. Have built the team ‘from the contest’ out. We will be competitive around the footy with fast ball movement. Roos was definitely the coach this year. They talked during the week and Goodwin did stuff during the week and training but Roos was it on game day. Re Jesse: Assumes contract talks are starting soon and thinks Hogan will be staying and will not be worried if it takes 6 weeks, 6 months, next year for him to re-sign. That should certainly put the Hogan thread into a tizz! On Hibberd, hopefully he wants to come to Melbourne and hopefully we can get a deal done. Didn’t sound convincing. The Geelong game: We had a few 6 day breaks late in the season and it eventually caught up with the young team. Wasn’t the way we played in the first 21 weeks so don’t read too much into it.

Stinear is a replacement for Michelle Cowan. Still leaves the coaching spot Goodwin vacated available. Egan would fill that spot, but not necessarily as Senior Assistant Coach. If we have another Senior Assistant Coach that role would probably go to Macca (promotion).

Your question of ET: "Not being fuuny Ethan, but would they let ANB do 8 hours of flying during an important match week, when he didn't have to, if you get my point...Can you confirm how you know? was completely serious until daisy and I pointed out the photo had been doctored. Then you started back pedaling, fast! All the joking aside...Hogan is still in Melbourne which can only be good news all round!

ET is joking! He has photo shopped himself into the pick - he is the guy fully dressed!!

Thank you for agreeing with me This would mean that Jesse is still in Melbourne and not in Perth which I take as a good sign for his fathers health and his sticking with his Melbourne teammates.

Strange that ANB is in Perth as he is playing in a Prelim on Sunday...could the pic be somewhere in Vic...just wondering? Either way, good to see the mates stick together.

The interview is on the mfc website: http://www.melbournefc.com.au/video/2016-09-15/afl-360-simon-goodwin

Many players are have nominated the club they want to go to. Hibberd requested a trade weeks ago but yet to nominate a club (us). Goodwin was non-committal about it in his interview the other day. It seems to me that when a player nominates a club, usually the trade is agreed in principle. Anyone know what the nominating a club, hold up is?

Good pick up ET! Maybe Pro Dee could no longer cope with having Jack Watts as his moniker!

Richmond might match Hawks offer to Vickery: http://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/richmond-is-considering-matching-hawthorns-free-agent-offer-for-tyrone-vickery-to-force-a-trade/news-story/c2825a5bf80032344307ae64a8fc66cf Doesn't sound like they really want to keep him - just scared that the Hawks offer to him is so low they won't get a decent compensation pick. If they match the offer it forces Hawks into a trade. It puts a spanner in the works of Hawks recruiting plan if they have to trade for him - they will have less to use for Mitchell and O'Meara. A bit like the Dangerfield/Geelong situation - By matching the offer it forces the receiving club to 'pay' for the player rather than get them 'free' as an FA. A reasonable ploy by Tigers. I like it - anything that makes the top clubs pay for their FA's is a good thing.

http://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/melbourne-appoints-dual-tac-cup-premiership-coach-michael-stinear-as-its-womens-team-coach/news-story/c1fef7c775e89b0123596d87a26e77cf "MELBOURNE has appointed Michael Stinear as its inaugural women’s team coach. Stinear, 32, will not join Melbourne until after the TAC Cup season, where he is aiming to lead the Oakleigh Chargers to their third straight premiership. Along with taking the reins of the Demons’ female team, he will also be a development coach for the men... Stinear pipped a strong field of applicants that included current Sandringham Dragons assistant Danny Ryan and former Melbourne back pocket and current Old Melburnians coach Nathan Brown. ". Stinear seems eminently qualified. He knows how to win premierships! I guess those on DL that follow the TAC Cup would be familiar with his work. I don't follow it so he is a new name for me. Given we are very thorough with recruiting these days and we have made excellent recruiting decisions on and off the field in recent years I am totally pleased with the appointment. The club's announcement: http://www.melbournefc.com.au/news/2016-09-15/stinear-appointed-womens-senior-coach

http://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/how-simon-goodwin-and-melbourne-learned-from-john-longmire-and-the-sydney-swans-succession-plan/news-story/20752ea342d67cba8ead7ffb68c320a3 Interesting insight into the behind the scenes work Roos did getting Goodwin (and Longmire) ready to take over the senior coaches role. We on the outside can never truly appreciate his impact. Like others on here I am excited about the Goodwin era but will wait until we get some runs on the board (wins) before I let out an almighty sigh of relief.