Lucifers Hero

A contracts update from Mahoney: http://www.melbournefc.com.au/news/2015-10-11/we-want-hogan-longterm-mahoney Summary of Mahoney's comments are: - an offer of an extension beyond 2017 has been put to Jesse. Hooray! - the club needed to make sure that players were locked in for “an extended period of time”. - “If you look down our list, there are not many players where you’d say ‘they had a season this year that they can’t replicate next year’. - Mahoney said the club had also unearthed some youngsters this year. (He then talks of O Mac, White and Harmes) Based on this I would expect White and Harmes to be signed up soon and a spate of extensions in the next 6 to 9 months, even tho a lot of our high end talent (Petracca, Brayshaw, Salem, Viney, Tyson) are already signed to 2017 and beyond. Love this forward planning! BTW I heard Mahoney say in a trade interview this morning that our goal is to improve our list and to improve our draft position. Perhaps we have earmarked our 'Big Fish' within our existing ranks and no longer need to chase one!!

Looks like an offer has been made to Jesse. Mahoney: "We’ve already met with Jesse and we’ve gone through our plan as a club and we’ve presented that to him and made an offer for an extension for Jesse." http://www.melbournefc.com.au/news/2015-10-11/we-want-hogan-longterm-mahoney Not a gambler but would take a big bet that Jesse signs an extension beyond 2017! A pre Xmas announcement would be nice...a present from Santa

SEN are reporting that MFC are looking to play Melksham in defence rather than midfield. If so the features you both describe would be a real asset to creating turnovers and getting the ball moving forward for us. It also releases Salem to the midfield and is coverage for the loss of Howe and maybe Grimes at the end of 2016. Melksham has also shown he has good skills and can get the ball so he may work out really well for us.

I'm not the only one who doesn't trust the Pies, bb. Just saw this about the Treloar trade: "It’s understood there are some within GWS who are uncomfortable trading with the Pies and could yet bring Richmond and possibly even Carlton into the frame".www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/afl-trade-week-big-deals-that-everyone-is-watching-20151011-gk6h33.html#ixzz3oFylxjSn

That would suggest we are no longer after O'meara or Prestia. We must desperately want a specific player @ pick 3 as there is nothing to suggest #3 with potential will be any better than #6 with potential. It would be like giving Howe away, after all the draft is a lottery even at the top end...we should know better than any other club. I seem to be the odd one out on this going by other posters getting excited at the deal but I can't see MFC doing that trade.

I don't trust the Pies. Their m o is to get a player to want to go to them, then screw the club on the trade deal. Then they expect the players' club to just make it happen. It is similar to what they are doing to Aish and the LIons. It is the flip side of the Beams deal last year. They just stand their ground and wear the other club down. I just don't trust them! Hopefully, Howe does not nominate the Pies.

We haven't seen Goodwin's style yet. Ask again in 2/3 years!

Todd Viney and Jason Taylor agree with you: http://www.melbournefc.com.au/news/2015-10-10/taylor-optimistic-about-talent-pool “I think in certain circles it’s questioned, but it’s pretty similar to most years. It might be a bit more shallow, but I still feel confident that we’ll be able to get some players at the back end.” Interesting article - gives good insights into how our team look at the draftees and what we do behind the scenes. In reading the article it looks likely we are going to take pick 6 to the draft table! From what we supporters know so far there does not seem to be a 'Big Fish'. So using pick 6 sits ok with me. I would rather go after the likes of O'Meara or Prestia next year when we know their recovery from current injuries. There is no reason for us to take the injury risk, especially, as 'Whispering Jack' has said elsewhere, there is some chance they wouldn't get on the park for part of next year. We have nothing to lose and everything to gain by waiting a year.

Cross gets Stretch's vote: “Crossy has been awesome. He’s played in a similar role to me throughout the year on the wing and through the midfield and down back as well. I’ve just tried to be a sponge this year; I wanted to take as much as I can from the experienced players in the team,"http://www.melbournefc.com.au/news/2015-10-07/cross-a-great-role-model-stretch Sounds like Stretch has settled in really well and good to see his professionalism. Viney gets a big tick from Stretch as well: "Stretch also credited some of the “younger guys coming through” like Jack Viney with providing support and guidance to the first year players" Finally, some role models the newbies can learn from and look up to.

And he may yet deliver on that upside. I hope he does. It will hurt to see him do it somewhere else but I will be thrilled for him personally. I will be equally thrilled if Kennedy, who we rate highly, can deliver for us!

Yes very true! Kennedy would then have become the DL whipping boy condemned to comparisons to Wines, McCrae et al!! Knowing that MFC rated Kennedy so highly and that Jason Taylor (then at the Pies) chose him suggests we really know what we are doing with this one and he may turn out to be a real surprise packet.

An extract from today's Age: "Collingwood forward Ben Kennedy has met Melbourne, which rated him extremely highly in his draft year of 2012. The Demons would likely have chosen the South Australian with pick four in that year's national draft, had Jimmy Toumpas been selected with one of the first three picks". http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/john-worsfolds-first-job-as-essendon-coach-get-matthew-leuenberger-20151006-gk2q69.html So much for the 3 year long angst on DL re 'we should have taken Wines instead of Toumpas'!!! It seems Ollie was not destined to be ours. Did MFC ever say they would take Ollie @ pick 4 or was it a media/supporter assumption! Some decent authors to that article so have to give the quote some cred. Hope that puts an end to the 'Jimmy vs Ollie' word fest on here!

I hope not! The forward line belongs to Jesse...no interlopers nor DH allowed!!

You do realise you are commenting on your own post?

Here is the article http://www.melbournefc.com.au/news/2015-10-06/cross-remains-with-club-in-offfield-role Accepted a position as development and rehabilitation coach. It sounds like he had other chances but chose the Dees. “What clinched it for me was the emotional attachment I have for the playing group. I feel like I’ve been part of the rebuild since Roosy [Paul Roos] came to the club. Good to see we are giving retiring players a chance to develop themselves further.

His Manager says: MFC want inside players that are also competitors. We also want someone who can play forward, back middle...the typical 'on-baller'. Bugg ticks all those boxes. We are really in the frame and Thomas wants to come back to Vic. No other clubs mentioned so he may well be a Dee! If he ticks all the boxes he should be a walk up start in our 22.

Here is an update on Jack: Trengove confident ahead of make-or-break pre-season He is ready to start the preseason and hoping for rnd 1 but that isn't a given. He is incredibly realistic: Seriously admire his resilience and fortitude. Deserves a bit of luck. Look forward to seeing him run around the G again!

Going by Mahoney's 'Trade Radio' interview there will no 'Big Fish' this year. I don't mind not getting a 'Big Fish' per se but I just don't see a quantum improvement in results next year with a very inexperienced team. Quantum improvement in 2017 maybe, as <20 yo get to 30-50 game range but next year improvement is likely to be incremental. Little steps I guess. Off to the draft table with pick 6!

Really glad to hear the club still has faith in Jimmy. He may have a better chance of being a part of our developing midfield than try to break into an 'established' group at Port.

The double whammy is that by taking a lower salary, it dilutes the FA comp pick to the club losing the player. It just compounds the problem for less successful clubs.

I get the buddy deal. There is a lot of talk around about him retiring due to 'mental illness' etc and he will not play AFL again. Apparently, the Swans are negotiating a payout with him. My comments were against this background: In essence this payout figure will be apportioned in the salary cap not the original contract value.

The important word is 'portioned'. On the surface they need to carry the (reported) $1m salary till 2022 However, today's value of $1m pa for 7 years is $6.250m approx. You would think, any payout would be a (lower) negotiated figure. Lets say for example the negotiated payout is 50% ie $3.125m. If that is (ap)'portioned' over the 7 years it is approx $450k pa. With the new TV rights that would be a lesser burden in their sal cap. Then again they may argue extenuating circumstances with the AFL and have that reduced further. Haven't Hawthorn dodged a bullet!

No prob Dr. PF graciously deleted the post himself. Hope Brad finds an AFL role in Sydney town so he can continue his career. He came home to the Dees and I always like that in someone we have let go.

We give up a player who has not been able to become part of the starting 22 for one that usually is. It will hurt some to give up a pick 4 but we get back a pick 10, altho draft pick # is quite irrelevant. I will have to find another favourite player for my DL profile...Jesse or Gus maybe... However I would be surprised if Essendon will do that trade.

There have been various posts that are not at those extremes. - BTW Schwab was in charge when we recruited Dawes. - If Dawes' salary was front ended (as is very highly likely) he would be on an 'average' salary in 2016 eg $300-$400k...easily accommodated by another club. Even if not front loaded, if we have to meet a portion of it for 2016 so be it...it certainly wouldn't be an impediment to moving on a player who is OOC next year. So, he will not need to take a pay cut. But he may agree to a trade if his option is as a 'depth' player and not part of the starting 22. - he is unlikely to get us a 'decent' pick. However, it has been reported Essendon have an interest. If so, Dawes could become part of the Melksham trade eg. Our 3rd rnd pick plus Dawes for Melksham instead of (the reported) 2nd rnd pick Ess want. The most likely trade scenario for Dawes is as part of a package of which the Melksham situation is an example.