SAFEGUARDING Melbourne's exciting future by not paying over the odds to rising stars will remain the Demons' focus, coach Paul Roos says, following calls for Fremantle to offer a 'godfather' deal to woo Jesse Hogan.
With potential future captain Jack Viney re-signing until 2020, attention has once again turned to Hogan, whose management and the club have decided to put off contract discussions until the end of the year.
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Brisbane Lions triple-premiership star Jonathan Brown has called for the Dockers to throw the cheque book at Hogan with a massive $15 million, 10-year deal to lure the 21-year-old home.
But an amused Roos said a Lance Franklin-type mega-deal would be a gamble for any club and would put a strain on list management.
"We might have to borrow some money from Browny and get a sponsorship from his radio stations (to match bids for Hogan)," Roos joked on Wednesday.
"The media are there to generate discussion and create stories … the reality is Jesse will get well paid wherever he goes because he's a high-quality player.
"Obviously, not many teams could afford $15 million over 10 years, because you've got to actually build a team around players. I've never seen one player beat 22 yet.
"What we're trying to do is be fair with everyone. We believe if we can keep the group together, then you've got a really good chance to be a successful footy team.
"If you pay over the odds to one player – as this club's done before when we were under pressure – then it becomes really hard to assemble a good list."
The Demons aren't putting any pressure on Hogan, who is signed until the end of 2017, with Roos believing focusing on football has been positive for the emerging star.
Hogan has booted 17 goals in seven matches, including a bag of seven against St Kilda.
"We've seen the benefits already. His form's been really good this year, the team's improving, we've got guys signing," Roos said.
"We're really comfortable with Jesse and where he's at. He seems really happy with his footy and happy in Melbourne, but that will play out over the course of time."
Roos said Viney's "really important" recommitment is another boost for the Dees after a strong 4-3 start to the season.
The 22-year-old is enjoying a stellar season, averaging 28 disposals, with Viney owing his improvement to a more relaxed approach stemming from an end-of-season review in 2014.
"I think the real turning point for Jack was he was in a hurry as a kid … once he calmed down a little bit and realised the coaches where there to help guide him and incremental improvements were fine with us," Roos said.
"He made the decision to really listen and become a student of the game and we've seen his footy go through the roof over the last 18 months."
The Dees are on the cusp of the top eight heading into a tough challenge against the Western Bulldogs in the BCNA Pink Lady match at the MCG on Sunday.
Melbourne has already beaten Greater Western Sydney and just fell short against League leader North Melbourne, and Roos said the Dogs would be another test for his outfit against a likely finals-bound outfit.
"I think you've got to match them around the contest," Roos said. "People talk about their offensive stuff but I love the way they're really hard around the ball."
The Dees will assess Christian Salem, Heritier Lumumba and Angus Brayshaw after the trio were sidelined by concussion last weekend.
