Roger Mellie

According to the Age today: MelbourneIn: Max Heath (St Kilda/trade), Changkuoth Jiath (Hawthorn/trade), Brody Mihocek (Collingwood/trade), Jack Steele (St Kilda/trade) Out: Jack Billings (delisted), Kynan Brown (delisted), Tom Fullarton (delisted), Marty Hore (delisted), Judd McVee (Fremantle/trade), Clayton Oliver (GWS Giants/trade), Christian Petracca (Gold Coast/trade), Oliver Sestan (delisted), Charlie Spargo (North Melbourne/free agency), Will Verrall (delisted), Taj Woewodin (delisted) Contracted: 38 (one category B rookie) List spots: 5 Draft picks: 7, 8, 37, 66, 71 Melbourne will continue their list regeneration with three or four selections at the national draft, while Andy Moniz-Wakefield needs to be upgraded from category B status. They will still have two category B rookies after committing to ex-basketballer Oscar Berry, whose brother Jordan was an NFL punter for eight years.

Just looked at the footage from the game above (as opposed to highlights). What an odd player. Everything about him seems odd, unco, awkward. Even his handballs look like pie floaters. His ball drop is unco yet he hits targets. Even his gait looks painful. I don't think he's a Schache type but not sure what he is. Need more footage, I think, to form a rank amateur opinion.

Three times! We'll get to play them in a final there too, surely!

I'd hoped Howes would become this type of player. It's a yes from me if there's no go home factor and he has tall/small versatility. Love the drive out of the backline, not to mention a potential future in the midfield. Nice kick too. I'd like to see Kingy reinvent Howes as not a defender.

Don't think we need to go as high as a third rounder.

I think James was trying to squeeze in 'Melbourne is a disaster' as many times as he could in one segment.

For comparison - the Rioli trade from last year: Rioli has joined the Suns on a five-year contract in exchange for picks six and 23, while the Suns will get four late picks - 51, 61, 70 and 76 - back from the Tigers.

Fixed

Don't care about or want Simpkin, but posters saying he can't get much of a run in celler-dweller North's modfield are missing the mark. Their midfield is well on the way up and is better than ours IMO. Wardlaw will eventually learn ways to avoid killing himself at the contest.

Sheezel, Laidlaw and LDU! I'd be pretty happy with that.

I assumed our pitch to BH would be for him to step straight into our midfield (and rest forward) rather than be 4th or 5th string mid at GCS. I guess it will boil down to fitness as to how much time he spends in there. Big preseason for him.

Only that he'd been approached. They didn't say whether he'd accepted or declined. I hope he's still thinking about it.

I heard on the radio yesterday (SEN) that Hamill declined our interest and is leaving football altogether.

This ^ and this ^ - for those that haven't seen Humphrey play - thanks AoB. He's not far off hitting his straps, which will be well served as a starting mid at the Dees v a pecking order mid at GCS.

Cameron doesn't appear to have softened his stance. Jeez it was torture listening to it until he came on.

We may have lost interest in a trade for the Derk if we can pick him up as a DFA or we may have lost interest because we have a higher priority for a small defender (thanks Judd) etc.

Fair enough! I did actually check the history but didn't look beyond the silverware (5th) as a placing.

IMO, it's quite something at age 21. For comparison, Petracca's first placing in the B & F came at age 23, where he came 5th.

He came 4th in their B & F this year - not exactly nothing!

Thought the same

Love that they're doing the hard sell with the boat trip on the harbour. Greater WESTERN Sydney is nowhere near the harbour!

Barrett has been dead against any compensation for FAs.

I'd be over the moon if we landed Humphrey

Oliver's trip to Sydney was a planned holiday, according to Jake Niall @ the Age. Despite the headline-grabbing 'Oliver jets to Sydney after star midfileder told to seek new club,' they then state in the article it was a planned trip.