Josh Drummond is in our sights.

[Daz]

Pros

- He's a beautiful kick. When fit is one of the better offensive players in the comp.
- Allows us to displace one of our outside players who don't do enough with the footy.
- Saunders.

Negs

- He's 29. Will he be around long enough to play in a North premiership? If not, then it's a waste of a list spot and taking games away from blokes we need to develop.
- He's ridiculously injury prone. Pretty sure he's got a LARS knee as well. The odds are we'll get <10 a year out of him.
- He didn't have a very good year (normally when he's fit he actually plays well). Has his body finally just said get me away from this sport?
- The possibility of a 2 year deal. This better not happen. Our club gives out too many 2 year deals when it simply doesn't need to.

 

[budge11]

Lol I hate that argument that "they won't be around for our next premiership". There is an extremely high chance Boomer, Drew... I could name every player in the age group 25 onwards and trade them for third rounders, because we are just that far off it at the moment.

 

[GreatBradScott]

IMO, I'll take a year. See what we can do.

We have the cap room because we're done with Hale and Super Gav's contracts at the end of this year, on top of the existing cap space we already have.

My estimate, there would be more than enough for him and a play at Caddy (although not sure what his asking price would be in all honesty).

As long as it has as minimal influence on future cap space and pay scales down the line, why not?

 

[Joshen]

Mullett showed plenty in his cameos this year - he isn't best 22 as it stands.

So if he (and other VFL players awaiting their turn) were to miss out then yes, I think it is gifting games. If he can't walk into the Lion's best squad, and they consider him expendable, not sure why he its different for us when we are a superior team.

Silly argument. Hale was expendable to us but he'll be playing in the Grand Final next week.

 

[Mr Reliable]

Silly argument. Hale was expendable to us but he'll be playing in the Grand Final next week.

He was also playing like a donkey at the time. Couldn't keep his feet, outbustled by smaller, lighter, less experienced opponents. Giving away silly frees. And he was about 25. Hawthorn probably knew they could recover the real Hale.

No point recruiting another crock (if that's what he is). At rising 30 and no longer required by the Lions, there's at least a good chance that he is.

 

[Saintly31]

He was also playing like a donkey at the time. Couldn't keep his feet, outbustled by smaller, lighter, less experienced opponents. Giving away silly frees. And he was about 25. Hawthorn probably knew they could recover the real Hale.

No point recruiting another crock (if that's what he is). At rising 30 and no longer required by the Lions, there's at least a good chance that he is.

Exactly right Mr R.

Silly argument. Hale was expendable to us but he'll be playing in the Grand Final next week.

It's not silly. It is in fact very silly to bring in another player identical (Mullett is an excellent kick also) to what we already have, just 10 years older because he is "mature". If he is on minimum wage it might be worth a crack, and one year not two, if its above that then has list clogger written all over it.

 

[HereIam86]

Spot on.

If we make an offer and Brisbane match it he is theirs unless he nominates for the draft.

As he apparently has moved back to Melbourne it appears that Brissy are prepared to let him go. Will they push for a draft pick or player in return though?

Moved back to Melbourne he has never lived in Melbourne he if from the Sunshine Coast.

 

[Thewlis Dish]

I'm guessing it would be one year, but a second year if he plays a certain amount of games, or something along those lines.

Add me to those who dislike the "won't be around for our next flag" argument, because it's such a selective thing to say from player to player. If he is a key part of getting us to finals, then those are finals that go into our kids and he's done his job.

 

[GarnerSmash]

Moved back to Melbourne he has never lived in Melbourne he if from the Sunshine Coast.

Moved back, moved down. Whatever. The word is he has moved here already.

 

[DarwinRoo]

I don't think we need to become a TAFE Teffy but that doesn't mean we need to be a retirement home either.

 

[Star]

I can't see this one.

Despite his talent, I don't understand our interest in an injury prone soon-to-be 30yo

I'd spew if McKenzie/Mullet/Sierra etc could not fill this role with a few games pumped into them

 

[ozzyoslo]

Maybe he's looking at moving to Melbourne in preparation for his next stage of his career (post playing career) plays one year in Melbourne in the hope that he's a more attractive prospect for one of the melbourne clubs..........its a smart move for a man looking forward of 2014-15. He may take up a one year deal here in Melbourne with a sweetener of assistant coach role afterwards.

 

[TennisPlayerAndy]

The possibility of a 2 year deal. This better not happen. Our club gives out too many 2 year deals when it simply doesn't need to.

Or Three year deals....

 

[mark73]

Moved back to Melbourne he has never lived in Melbourne he if from the Sunshine Coast.

Ah, I think that's already been established.

 

[mark73]

The difference is we don't have to give up mutiple first round picks, nothing to lose.

Then let's give up nothing and forget about it. I'm convinced some people just like to see a trade done for the sake of it.

 

[Bigeasy]

Really? I thought the reversal free kick against Shoenmakers was one of the worst decisions I've seen for a long time. That really smacked of an umpire trying to impose himself during a extremely tense time of the game.

One decision. How many dodgy ones did the hawks get? It was pathetic and biased.

 

[TennisPlayerAndy]

One decision. How many dodgy ones did the hawks get? It was pathetic and biased.

The in the back free kick Lewis(?) got when Thompson tackled him was a shocker.

 

[mark73]

It's not a case of us not wanting him. It's more us now having quite a few who can play his role well (Golby, Harwood, Adcock, Hanley, and to a lesser extent Docherty and Yeo), and therefore not willing to compromise our list for him.

Honestly, though, I've thought at many times that he's our most important player when at his best. The West Coast game this year was clear proof of that.

If you could fix the injury issues, you'd have a gun player (in more areas than just kicking) for a year or two.

Unless my eyes deceive me, he's a penis on the rise in umpiring ranks. A penis that the Giesch seems to enjoy bringing out on the big occasions.

He might even get a GF. When are these appointments announced?

Interesting about the umpiring situation. I thought we were ****ed when I heard Bryan Sheehan had been selected for the head umpire in the 96 GF. But he actually turned to be half reasonable.

 

[Kimbo]

I'm convinced some people just like to see a trade done for the sake of it.

You say that like it's a bad thing.

 

[mark73]

You say that like it's a bad thing.

That's enough out of you!!

 

[Joshen]

If he gets on the field he'll improve our disposal across half back with major improvements to be seen in kick outs. Similarly, adds another weapon to our side that opposition have to play close attention too (he used to get the forward tag all the time a couple of years back - could take it away from Atley = win). If he is injured then the mentoring role he would play to McKenzie, Mullett, MacMillan etc. would be invaluable. All for the cost of a list spot and salary cap space (which is likely to clear up given Urquhart and Hale are off the books).

 

[chubbspeterson]

Sirra, Mullet and McKenzie won't be able to back up week after week in AFL.
They eventually get tired, which is what happened to Tarrant playing 10+ games in a row.
We need some sort of rotation system to give guys a rest and others in vfl a taste of AFL.
Drummond's penetrating 60+ m kick is probably why we're interested, our defence doesn't have that, but it just makes finding spots harder for all the young guys. Not sure about it in the long run.

 

[King Corey]

IF he passes medical screening that gives him at least 2-3 years left in the AFL (bodywise) then I'd try it.

Would have to be as a free agent or for a nominal pick only. A 1-2 year deal preferably 1. No more shackling ourselves with unwarranted long contracts. Without knowing any dollars would not risk losing any required players (cap pressure) over signing him though.

As others have pointed out, we simply don't have blokes who can stand back in defence and deliver low long passes to targets. We have McKenzie who potentially might be able to one day and Mullett has some characteristics that suit this role but I think his talents could be used slightly upfield.

Not a bad stop gap for a role we have noone able to perform right now. (except McMahon to a small extent)

 

[WesternRoo]

He will come for nothing price wise and we will only have to give him a one year deal, but what positive is it doing for our growth as a team to have him there for 1 maybe 2 years?
We are not really contenders yet and will have to fight like hell to keep or spot in the 8 or move toward winning on a final next year.
Lets say Drummond does improve us to a point we win a final. His long kicking will be dangerous at Etihad and to break the press of sides we may encounter in September. He at his best is very good.
But what happens the year after or when his body completely breaks down (which cannot be far off)?
We will then have to blood games into a McKenzie or Siera and go backwards again.
There is no shortcuts in this process, Dean Laidley proved that.
Going back over the season and looking at the close losses and saying "if only we had" we could have made the top 4, is fools gold.
We had 4 wins against expansion clubs (who will get better) and apart from a gutsy 2 month period at Etihad stadium, we showed we are a way off the better clubs overall.
We did improve, but this is to be expected and this will continue to happen.
Sydney are so good because Mattner, Richards, Kennedy, McGlynn, Shaw etc were still required players at their clubs but left for better opportunity in their position.
Drummond is being given the flick by a club lower than us on the ladder and with less obvious options than we do in his position.

We have the talent, lets back in a McKenzie or Kennedy (who can kick it as long) rather than take this backward step.

 

[King Corey]

One other thing with Drummond is that he HAS been a good player during his career and has shown evidence of that form within the last season.

Some of the Dean recycles like Piccioane, McConnell, Powell, Thurley etc were never solid senior players at their former clubs.