A week is a long time in football. A month is an eternity.

Back on March 18, Fremantle announced boom recruit Jesse Hogan would not play in their season opener after drinking the night before a key training session as he battled anxiety.

The chatter that had been around for much of the previous year’s trade period began to go into overdrive, with plenty in the east revealing how Melbourne were happy to have offloaded damaged goods to a club which had been desperate for a gun key forward for years.

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All of a sudden the spotlight was on the Dockers and how they had taken a huge gamble on a player the Demons were only too willing to trade.

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Yes, it was a risk. But Melbourne took a big one too and right now they would have cause for concern.

The Demons reached a preliminary final last year without Hogan, who was sidelined by injury.

Clearly they liked what they saw from promising key forward Sam Weideman, who kicked six goals in three finals, and were confident he would fill the void. But it was still a punt. Hogan booted 47 goals in 20 matches last year.

Five games into 2019 and the Dockers, who finished 14th last year, are third with three wins. The Demons are second bottom with one win.

Camera Icon Melbourne’s Sam Weideman in action. Credit: AFL Photos

They have plenty of issues, but the form of their key forwards is a major headache. After 53 goals in 2018, Tom McDonald has booted just two in 2019 and taken only 18 marks. Weideman has kicked five goals and taken 19 marks.

He’s still only 21 but Hogan has just turned 24 and has already booted more than 40 goals in a season three times.

Hogan regularly attracted the opposition’s best defender, which helped McDonald shine, while he is renowned for his hard running, which creates space for teammates.

Hogan is still building at the Dockers but has already taken 31 marks and kicked four goals in four games, despite time in the midfield. And Matt Taberner has produced some of his best football in the past fortnight playing alongside the former Demon. Is that a coincidence? I doubt it.

On Saturday, Hogan pulled down 14 marks and kicked three goals as he and Taberner combined for 27 marks and six majors in the shock win over flag contenders Greater Western Sydney on the road.

Melbourne sacrificed Hogan to snare defender Steven May,who has already been slammed by coach Simon Goodwin for the shape he arrived in.

Trades can never be judged on a few weeks. But those who were sniggering at Fremantle should be thinking twice.

I know which club is feeling the heat right now.