Melbourne's premiership chances - I know this is supposed to be players only, but I couldn't resist. We're building a great side, and everything about the club is on the up and we are rightly positive about our chances in the next five years or so. But no matter how well prepared we are, how much we improve, so much has to go right to win a flag. Some talk about a flag as a given, as if it's just going to happen at some stage in the next five years.

I agree. And the "everyone" you talk about is overzealous demonlanders who say we'll win a flag in the next five years. Though it should be mentioned the vast majority say we'll be having a "tilt" at a flag in that time, not that we're definitely going to win one. I think Bailey has said a few times that the side he's recruited will "definitely win a flag in the coming years." But then he has to say that, he's the coach.

Just on our team success being far from a foregone conclusion... I look at two teams which basically can cause you to look glass half empty, and glass half full.

- The Hawks went to the trough in the mid 2000s, then by 2008 had one in the bank due to some high draft picks and some clever coaching. We have some players that mirror them. They had Hodge there from earlier than the Franklin/Roughead draft year. We have Sylvia before the Watts/Jurrah draft years. They traded some high profile players for very high draft picks in Hay and Rawlings, and both trades were HUGELY weighted in their favour. We had the trades of McLean and Johnstone.

- The Saints, like us, went bananas at the draft for a few years and lined up some of the best talent the game's seen in one place over the last 10 years. Hayes, Montagna, Dal Santo, Riewoldt to name a few. And look where it's got them. Very, VERY close to a flag, but they still haven't taken one. They're still a great team, but it goes to show that no matter how much hard work you put in, footy is a game of luck a lot of the time.

- The pies, as a third one, put a different spin on it. They just kept topping up because they're rich, they have the easiest draw, and are basically handed finals on a silver platter by the AFL. That said, they have a handful of high draft picks but never really went south in the same way the Hawks, Dees and Saints have done in the last 10-12 years. And look at them now.

There's a lot of ways to skin a cat, but I think your point is made pretty well. We're a long, LONG way from being a premiership threat just yet. So many of our high picks could easily turn out to be Mustons...

Under-rated

Blonde girl from Packed to the Rafters

You could be interpreted as over-rating her.

I think Bailey has said a few times that the side he's recruited will "definitely win a flag in the coming years." But then he has to say that, he's the coach.

Dappa. You think ? Or you know ?

When did he say that ? I seriously doubt that is a quote from Bailey himself. References please.

You could be interpreted as over-rating her.

Under or over, not fussed either way.

I could listen to an argument that the position of a ruckman in football is overrated, but no chance is Jamar overrated as a player. He would walk into any team in the league as first ruckman, except Freo where he would split the ruck/forward position with Sandilands.

Over rated from the past- David Neitz. Was a very good backman early in his career, and a good forward for the rest of it. Was never a champion of the game. As a forward, I would rate Neitz about the equivalent of Barry Hall, and I certainly don’t consider him to be a champion. ( I’m talking about impact on the game only as a player, not around the club or off field.)

There's a lot of ways to skin a cat, but I think your point is made pretty well. We're a long, LONG way from being a premiership threat just yet. So many of our high picks could easily turn out to be Mustons...

Good post. Anything can happen. I mean the AFL changes the rules every 15 seconds so the team we build for the future might not be the team needed in the future (Jeff White anyone?). Then there are injuries or players just not cutting it at the top level, and finally a change of tactics that sees a good team caught out until they can catch up.

I think that we are doing all the right things to get that elusive #13 but it won't be a given until I see it being held up on the dais with red and blue confetti raining down.

I actually believe Aaron Davey is underrated. He's loved by the Melbourne faithful but he does not get the recognition he deserves.

He is easily one of our best players, but people will always rate the other guys before him.

Goes out there gets his job done, is like the quarter back to the melbourne team and he's just labelled a "good" player, not a star like jurrah.

Under: Scully - My feeling is this kid's going to be even better than expected.

Over: Newton - The mere fact he is on the list over rates him

Hugely under rated: Colin Garland

Jordie McKenzie, how he didn't get a rising star nomination is incredibly f#### up

Under : Garland

Over : Bate

Dappa. You think ? Or you know ?

When did he say that ? I seriously doubt that is a quote from Bailey himself. References please.

Please.....Couldn't you just take his word for it???

Under : Garland

Over : Bate

Was just about to post that.

Garland is probably one full pre-season away from reaching Frawley-like attack-defense awesomeness.

Was just about to post that.

Garland is probably one full pre-season away from reaching Frawley-like attack-defense awesomeness.

We need a like thingy we can click, like on Facebook

Under: Garland, Maric, Jetta

Over: Bate, Martin (spud in my eyes but other will disagree n everyones entitled to an opinion)

I think I am criminally under-rated by myself.

Sorry I should be taking this thing seriously, I agree with the Colin Garland sentiment, I think he is a ripper.

We need a like thingy we can click, like on Facebook

Indeed.

It'll save me plenty of time writing useless "I like this/I agree" replies.

Under rated

- Davey - we miss him so much when he's gone, simple

Overrated

Moloney - Sorry, I know he's a message board favourite...fact is he missed a big bunch of games and we won, I'm not suggesting we won because he wasn't there...but not the must play guy we often build him up to be

Under:

Jurrah (he is not quite revered as a deity, which he is)

Bruce (massively)

Moloney

Jones

Warnock

Bennell

Over:

Morton

Watts

Overrated: Morton- Never gets any hard ball, does not use the ball well, ran away from that port guy.

Underrated: Jurrah- I know we all think he is absolutly amazing, but I still think we underate him

Overrated: Morton- Never gets any hard ball, does not use the ball well, ran away from that port guy.

I hate people that watch the footy show and then try and comment on football, just makes them look stupid.

Please.....Couldn't you just take his word for it???

No. Hence the question !

Dappa. You think ? Or you know ?

When did he say that ? I seriously doubt that is a quote from Bailey himself. References please.

Please.....Couldn't you just take his word for it???

:D

Hey HT. WHat I think he was trying to say was that I don't watch footy based TV shows, small interviews, half-time interviews with the TIVO/Foxtel IQ queued up to record dates, times, and specific things said so I can regurgitate them on demonland. If Bailey goes on and says in an interview "let's just f%&en get it inside forward fifty" then yeah, fair enough, I might jump on and quote it... but then so would everyone else. So DID everyone else.

Since you're a decent bloke, and I'm unlikely to get some pseudo-intellectual clap-trap from you, I'll recount what I remember. I believe it was earlier this year, maybe pre-season. I know this cos I was in the states watching the Eagles get killed it in the NFL :D Bailey was being interviewed by a non-serious interviewer. Maybe a club-friendly setting. I'm thinking sort of like Before the Game type interviewers. Was a casual sort of thing. Not like Andy Maher reading whatever makes the biggest news into whatever mumblings come out of a coach. The interviewer was talking recruiting, asking about the players not coming along the way they should have... I think maybe Jack Watts' name was brought up, and was the club hoping that they'd come along a bit better. So in that context, I think Bailey was justified talking his boys up. I think that may have contributed to why no-one brought it up at the time. In context it made sense. in the face of unfair criticism, of COURSE a coach is going to plug his club. Also, it may have been something to do with trading Brock or Trapper or both, and asking about the youth policy. Which again, in context, you'd be justified in saying that your stringent recruitment policy may not reap dividends straight away, but that in the future it would.

That's the best I can do. I think his words were along the lines of "I have absolutely no doubt this list will win a flag in the coming years." there was no arrogance, no guarantees, it was just a sensible response with a big helping of positivity. I remembered it because it was notable as being the first time I'd heard those words come from our coach. I'd always felt he was putting things in place for exactly that reason, but

Overrated: Morton- Never gets any hard ball, does not use the ball well, ran away from that port guy.

Seriously GM. Pull your head in. You've been here long enough to know that they showed more footage, he wasn't running from anyone. He was looking for the rebounded ball. It just looked like he was running. If anything Lade was the dipstick there, running at the man when the ball was about to be in his area.

Edited October 27, 201014 yr by Dappa Dan

:D

Hey HT. WHat I think he was trying to say was that I don't watch footy based TV shows, small interviews, half-time interviews with the TIVO/Foxtel IQ queued up to record dates, times, and specific things said so I can regurgitate them on demonland. If Bailey goes on and says in an interview "let's just f%&en get it inside forward fifty" then yeah, fair enough, I might jump on and quote it... but then so would everyone else. So DID everyone else.

Since you're a decent bloke, and I'm unlikely to get some pseudo-intellectual clap-trap from you, I'll recount what I remember. I believe it was earlier this year, maybe pre-season. I know this cos I was in the states watching the Eagles get killed it in the NFL :D Bailey was being interviewed by a non-serious interviewer. Maybe a club-friendly setting. I'm thinking sort of like Before the Game type interviewers. Was a casual sort of thing. Not like Andy Maher reading whatever makes the biggest news into whatever mumblings come out of a coach. The interviewer was talking recruiting, asking about the players not coming along the way they should have... I think maybe Jack Watts' name was brought up, and was the club hoping that they'd come along a bit better. So in that context, I think Bailey was justified talking his boys up. I think that may have contributed to why no-one brought it up at the time. In context it made sense. in the face of unfair criticism, of COURSE a coach is going to plug his club. Also, it may have been something to do with trading Brock or Trapper or both, and asking about the youth policy. Which again, in context, you'd be justified in saying that your stringent recruitment policy may not reap dividends straight away, but that in the future it would.

That's the best I can do. I think his words were along the lines of "I have absolutely no doubt this list will win a flag in the coming years." there was no arrogance, no guarantees, it was just a sensible response with a big helping of positivity. I remembered it because it was notable as being the first time I'd heard those words come from our coach. I'd always felt he was putting things in place for exactly that reason, but

That quote there seems more logical in that context. Thanks for the reply.

That wasn't so hard, was it gOLLy ?

Under: Garland, Maric, Jetta

Over: Bate, Martin (spud in my eyes but other will disagree n everyones entitled to an opinion)

WTH has Maric ever done to suggest that he is underrated?

Agree re Bate, who I admit to rating very highly a couple of years ago.

Not convinced one way nor the other re an uninjured Martin used as a defender. Still see a possible upside but definitely needsvto stake a claim 2011.

Under rated

My posts 12 months ago when I said Warnock wasn't in our best 22 (boy did I get hammered!)and that Martin simply should not get a game under any circumstances.

Over rated

My statement that Kyle Cheney is a 150 game player (haven't lost that yet but might take 50 or so games off)