Swooper Northey

My letter certainly wouldn't fit on an Instagram post. Yours would. You win!

Fair call Little Goffy. The opening par has been edited. Hopefully this makes it more palatable.

Dear Trac, as a loyal supporter of the Melbourne Football Club, I write this letter with a weary heart but a glimmer of hope. For a decade, Demon supporters have watched you grow from a promising draft pick to a legend of our beloved club. Your journey has been our journey, your triumphs our triumphs. Remember that magical day in September 2021? When you stood tall at Optus Stadium, Norm Smith Medal around your neck, the premiership cup finally in your hands? That wasn't just your moment – it was ours too. You embodied the spirit of our club, the culmination of 57 years of hope and heartbreak. You made history, and despite being on the other side of the country, we were right there with you. We know this year hasn't been easy. We all held our breath when you went down against Collingwood. The news of your injuries – especially the damaged spleen – hit us hard. But true to form, you've been fighting your way back, and we're here supporting you every step of the way. Trac, we need to talk about the elephant in the room. The media speculation about your future at Melbourne is like a storm cloud hanging over our club. We've heard the whispers, which have gotten louder and louder. We've read the headlines and seen the pundits weigh in. But we haven't heard from you, and that silence is deafening. We understand that every player has the right to make decisions about their career. We know that our club is far from perfect and that it has work to do to get back to the top. But Trac, we want you to be part of that journey. We want you to be the one driving us to greater heights, just as you've done so many times before. You're more than just a player to us. You're a symbol of what Melbourne can be at its best – tough, skillful, and never giving up. Your presence on the field lifts not just your teammates, but every single one of us in the stands and at home. We're not asking you to accept mediocrity. All we're asking for is a chance. A chance to show you that Melbourne is where you belong. A chance to prove that together, we can overcome any obstacle and reach the pinnacle once again. If there are issues, let's address them. If there are concerns, let's talk about them. We want to be part of the solution, just as we hope you do. The uncertainty is tough, but we're tougher – we're Melbourne supporters, after all. Trac, whatever you decide, know this: You've given us moments we'll cherish forever. You've been a beacon of hope in dark times and a leader in our finest hour. We believe in you, and we believe in what you and the club can achieve together. This is also your chance to play for your mate Angus Brayshaw, who unlike you, will never take to the field again. Your continued presence on the field would honour his legacy and the spirit of mateship that has previously defined our club. The ball's in your court now. We're here, we're listening, and we're ready to stand by you. All we ask is that you give us, and Melbourne, a fair go. From the bottom of our red and blue hearts, The Melbourne Football Club Faithful

In light of Gus's sad retirement, I'd have thought Trac would have wanted to finish what they started together.

I understand that he's injured and doing it tough. No one begrudges him raising his concerns and frustrations with the objective of driving the club's improvement. But his silence is creating an unnecessary media circus which places pressure on the rest of the club, including his teammates, and our recruiting staff who are working hard to bring in players to drive that improvement.

Having already lost Jordon and Harmes, and now with ANB leaving, we certainly need to restock on strong, reliable mid-tier players who know their roles. That's a vital ingredient that we need to get right.

Kate disappoints me. From a supporters perspective, I think she's been an absent leader. When she does appear publicly, I feel she lacks a certain humility and some of her comments are off key. Leaders need to stand up in good times and bad.

Fritsch would walk into the starting line-up of ever other club in the league. Any thoughts of trading him are ridiculous. In the absence of genuine key forward targets, he's been relied upon as our focal point for too long, which is an indictment on our list management. Bolster our forward line and he'll improve with it. He's genuine class that we can't afford to lose.

Christian's brother Julian works for Connors Sports Management, the same firm that manages his affairs. Family and management are one of the same. https://www.afl.com.au/news/1119542/player-agent-julian-petracca-switches-to-rival-management-group

Even if there were some crossed wires between players and Petracca as to why he was recuperating in Noosa and wasn't in Melbourne with his teammates, surely this could be easily rectified? And as a leader of the club, if he felt the message wasn't getting through and he was worried about it, couldn't he clarify it? The players have ample ways of communicating these days - phone calls, SMS, email, WhatsApp, messenger etc. It ain't hard.

Brilliant bloke, brilliant player, brilliant leader. Well done Max.

Yes, four weeks it is.

He seems like a dropkick. Caused a rift with his teammates for acting inappropriately with the girlfriend of another Swans player. Has now been rubbed out for a week in the VFL.

I hope this is simply Trac's management firing a shot across the club's bow, pushing them to lift their game.

We would be a better team with Lukosius.

There was a time when Membrey played like Wayne Carey every time he lined up against the Dees.

Petracca's absence was felt hard tonight. We really lack any sort of dynamism through the midfield and it shows.

Not a fan of the red back jumper. If the AFL are worried that purple v royal is a clash, we might need to think about an all-red alternative for that match. Perhaps a full reverse of our current jumper?

The same problems we encountered when playing Freo in the NT resurfaced yesterday. When at their best, the Dockers' midfield is dynamic. It also runs deep. Whilst we might not like to admit it, Brayshaw, Serong, Young, Fyfe, O'Meara plus Jackson and Darcy are superior to our current midfield group. Yes Gawn and Petracca will make a big difference when fit, and Clarry with a full preseason under his belt should result in much better output in 2025, but at the moment our midfield doesn't stack up with the best in the league. Reviewing our engine room over the offseason and adding to our mix will be critical. That also means considering how we replace Rivers at half back to allow him to become a permanent mid. I like the fact that we've been linked to Isaac Cumming (GWS) and Dan Houston (PA) to address that important need. And if we can add to our midfield depth we can also return ANB to half forward where we've really missed his pressure.

Ahead of the season many of us were contemplating 2024 without Clayton playing a game. The fact that he's played most matches and most importantly appears happy, healthy and engaged, is well ahead of expectations. If he can keep that up and then complete a strong preseason, he'll be back and firing in 2025. He ain't going anywhere.

I'm glad that we've retained him. An uninterrupted pre-season where he can prepare as a defender will be important. T-Mac doesn't have many years left and soon enough we'll need another tall backman. Petty is a premiership defender and it's where he plays his best footy. The recruiting priorities should be about restocking our midfield and recruiting for genuine key forward options.

Put simply, matches against Freo reinforce that we must increase the power and depth in our midfield over the pre-season. Yes Gawn and Petracca will make a difference, as will Oliver with a healthy, uninterrupted pre-season under his belt, but right now we just don't have the personnel to match it with Freo's onballers, and it shows in a big way.

Would be a very handy addition. Houston's inclusion at half back would free up Rivers to become a permanent mid. He's a great kick and would provide plenty of run.

I don't see Clarry going anywhere. With the support of the club, he's worked himself into what appears to be a much happier, healthier version of himself which is fantastic. He looks highly engaged, including making the trip to WA to visit Kozzie's family. With a strong, healthy preseason under his belt, I expect he'll have an improved season in 2025.

It feels like the position we were in a few years ago when a concerted effort was made to address our key defensive stocks. We traded heavily back then (I remember some arguing we paid too much) for Lever and May, but those decisions well and truly paid dividends. Just as we addressed those defensive needs, the time to address our long lasting forward issues is now, otherwise I fear we'll waste some of the generational talent on our list. A quality, competitive key forward to partner JVR would be rare gold for the MFC.