Trade week has ended with a sense of achievement in the Docker camp as we walk home with two of the better midfielders in the competition in Premiership hero Josh Carr and 'Boomerang' Black.

However, it is the mixed message which confuses me the most. Just when we are hailing how nice it is that the Carr boys are re-united at last - fulfilling a childhood dream they both had, at the same time we split up a couple of brothers who seemed just as close by trading Troy Longmuir to Carlton to incredibly low pick no. 73 at this years draft. With Moose de-listed and Medhurst often in long streaks of very ordinary form - I could see an important role for Troy Longmuir on our list for 2005 and beyond. A top team requires strong pressure by blokes not getting a game to get the A team to perform. Without legitimate pressure on Medhurst and Farmer's spots in the team, there is even less reason for them to pull their finger out than there was in 2004.

Obviously this deal was done because "the Passion" Chris Connolly has told the bloke, "I am not going to play you if I can help it. With that in mind, would you be happier at another club?" Of course the bloke is going to say yes. Why there couldn't be a positive relationship between the two parties I find very sad. Every coach seems to have one player or another that is his love child, and another whom he despises. For Neesham it was Bell, for Drum it Clement, and for Connolly it seems the unlucky one is our beloved T-Lo. Let us hope for our sake T-Lo does not continue the trend and go on to win a Best and Fairest at his new club and also gain All-Australian selection!

In the other trades, things seemed to go well. In giving  up our three useable picks in this years draft for the tough, uncompromising Josh Carr, we gave the boldest statement yet that this crop of players are the crop we are devoting every last bit of our faith in to have a legitimate crack at a flag. This in itself is not a bad thing. However, those thinking Carr will be able to do what he did last season for Port without the rest of the Fremantle team toughening up to back him up will have another thing coming. The whole Port team played tough and through that spirit they all walked taller, found the extra few meters of space, had the extra few seconds to kick and so the snowball rolled on. Carr is a great acquisition, but he did not become who he was in a void, Fremantle need to provide a similar environment in which his style of play can thrive.

Losing Simmonds was a big blow. What was strange about this turn of events was the fact that there seemed to be no acrimony or media talk in the lead up to his departure. I can understand if he loves to ruck why he would leave due to being the man who had to sacrifice his preferred game for the good of the team all season. However, despite being offered what seemed like reasonable terms, he still chose to walk, which showed that Freo was never going to be his team for next season. Good luck to you at Richmond anyway Simmonds, I enjoyed cheering for you during the past few years. The Freo staff did well in at least getting some value for Simmonds, using his departure to bring back a lost boy in Heath Black. When Black was first drafted by the Dockers he said, "Three years and then I'm out of here". While that may have been true, another three years and "I am back again!" I for one am happy to see this man return to our midfield, who was one of our seven players that Ben Allan touted as the seven players that were the 'envy of the competition' when he was drawing positives from our nightmare season of 2001. His delivery into forward 50 is first class, and his time at the Saints seems to have channeled his aggression in the right areas of the game. Our compliment of midfielders now has to be considered in the top three or four clubs along with Brisbane, West Coast St. Kilda and Port Adelaide. So it seems the school of thought that claimed our midfield was the area we were deficient in this year will soon be put to the test. Those that believed it was our forward line will await with interest....

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