It is now or never for the MFC to pick up a power forward from either the AFL of any of the SANFL, WAFL or VFL to sit in the square the whole day, and an extra 23-27 year old B+ mid. I heard whispers two weeks ago that we were lining up a power forward from Geelong, probably Tom Hawkins. The extra mid is something that we desperately need. Yesterday Carlton had Simpson, Judd, Murhpy, Gibbs, Mclean (as big a dud he may be). We had Moloney, Scully, Trengove, Gysberts. Shows the difference. A 23-27 year old mature, strong mid is exactly what we need. I think the possible candidates may be Bernie Vince, Patrick Dangerfield. Power forward candidates, Hawkins, Dawes, Fevola, Clark, Hurley, Sam Reid. Anyone else got some names for an extra mid???? I can't think of any others.

It is now or never for the MFC to pick up a power forward from either the AFL of any of the SANFL, WAFL or VFL to sit in the square the whole day, and an extra 23-27 year old B+ mid. I heard whispers two weeks ago that we were lining up a power forward from Geelong, probably Tom Hawkins. The extra mid is something that we desperately need. Yesterday Carlton had Simpson, Judd, Murhpy, Gibbs, Mclean (as big a dud he may be). We had Moloney, Scully, Trengove, Gysberts. Shows the difference. A 23-27 year old mature, strong mid is exactly what we need. I think the possible candidates may be Bernie Vince, Patrick Dangerfield. Power forward candidates, Hawkins, Dawes, Fevola, Clark, Hurley, Sam Reid. Anyone else got some names for an extra mid???? I can't think of any others.

Thing with the VFL/SANFL/WAFL is that the best - Mzungu, Duigan, JPod, Barlow to name a few - have mostly already been raided. The rest are there because they're not AFL standard.

The power forward is the right idea, but the mid is not likely. Personally I reckon we're okay. Sylvia out, Bail out, Jack Viney to come and you forgot about Jordie McKenzie.

I say we get a new coach to bring the players back together, and make some players really decide if they will fix big wholes in their game. Under Bailey we had players with a few good strengths but way too many weaknesses.

But after that we will have quite a few rookie pics - I'd keep Nicholson and Evans, but at this stage Lawrence is 50/50 and McNamara, Campbell, Johnston and Newton appear gone - so I'd look to take a couple of strong state league mature midfielders just to increase the competition for midfield spots. I'd get some Valenti/Curnow/Barlow/Lower etc types in to boost the general competition for spots, leadership and fitness levels. If they turn out any good then that's great, but if they don't we've only used up our last couple of pics in the rookie draft.

Pleeeease Not Hawkins....cant get a kick in a team that pumps it into the forward line all day long

My god, imagine Hawkins in a team that wasn't unbelievably good?

Like how Sam Isles goes about it, perhaps if he knew he's not in front of Gold Coast's star studded mids he might be temped to leave? just thinking

Watching the pies on TV last night was an eye opener.

They have debutaunt players from the last few weeks running around with the chassis of seasoned men.

I really wonder weather we have drafted too many of the "stringy" athletic type or (more concerningly) aren't developing our kids body's enough.

We are lacking so much physical presence it's almost farcical. Up until now I have been optimistic (along with most) about our picks of late and our talent, however this has always been assuming that they would physically develop into men. Maybe it's premature to be saying this but I am hugely concerned that either we don't know how to bulk our boys up or we have recruited too many of the same body type (hard gainers).

I think this is the most important trade period of the clubs history. We have found out the hard way that pure youth (regardless of talent/potential) means a leadership gulf and physical disadvantage. GCS are also finding this out. It seemed great in theory and hence the reason GCS opted purely young also instead of trading more picks for mature bodied players.

Now that we have found ourselves lacking the 24-28 Y.O mature bodies I think we are obligated to be active in trade period for these types. We must look to the old Roos/Sydney formula and recruit some hard bodies.

I also hope a diligent review into the physical development/weights side of things is made a priority.

The Melbourne obsession with a power forward is ridiculous. Power forwards are over rated and you could put any single power forward into Melbourne and we would still be getting smashed.

It is the midfield. It is always the midfield and even if scully stays we still do not have enough quality in the midfield.

Our big trade play needs to come next year with the introduction of free agency. $4 million over three years to Scott Pendlebury with $2mil in the first year. Get a genuine champion midfielder into the demons line up who can lift all the young potential to new heights.

The Melbourne obsession with a power forward is ridiculous. Power forwards are over rated and you could put any single power forward into Melbourne and we would still be getting smashed.

It is the midfield. It is always the midfield and even if scully stays we still do not have enough quality in the midfield.

Our big trade play needs to come next year with the introduction of free agency. $4 million over three years to Scott Pendlebury with $2mil in the first year. Get a genuine champion midfielder into the demons line up who can lift all the young potential to new heights.

Agree regarding the "power forward" sentiment.

Great midfields make some ordinary forwards look great (see JPod and Mooney)

However I believe that the money you are talking should be spent on Malthouse (plus legal fees for breaking contract) plus his required assistants and football spending as he sees fit.

We should then trade picks and some of the outside types we have at the moment for some hard nosed old school football style players that would be capable of physically implementing the plan Malthouse wants.

We need to keep :

Watts

Frawley

Trengove

Moloney

Jurrah

Tapscott

Gawn

Garland

Jamar

Jones

Grimes

Sylvia

Davey

Martin

Gysberts

Howe

Cook

Petterd

Mckenzie

Fitzpatrick

Bail

Bartram

I may have missed a couple but the theme I'm running with is talented FOOTBLLERS as opposed to the atheletic/outside types we seem to have a lot of.

Anyone else should be considered as a trade option.

I certainly don't mean to have a go at the following players but I just believe that

Bate

Bennell

Dunn

Morton

Maric

Specifically have been tried, tested and exhausted for our needs yet may have a value in a team that has a wealth of in and under hard bodied players and a lack of outside/running players and or very position specific players.

Just my thoughts.

After really thinking long and hard about our list (and as per my earlier post) I believe we have a very good potential core and one that promises much more than we have been promised for a long time. However this list will need time to physically mature into men (providing we are adept at developing the physical size and strength of our players which remains to be seen) and thus we now need to look at list balance for now.

We have a great young core group that will be fantastic but the club cannot afford to wait it out for said group to mature especially when we dont need to. We now have the core in place but need some physical presence injected to compete for today and alow the the kids to progress without the unrealistic expectation on them to match the big boys every week.

Let's get active.

As far as midfielders go the most keen I'd be on anyone would be Dangerfield from Adelaide but reckon we'd be more likely to find a hard nosed midfielder through the VFL then we would a power forward.

Myles Sewell from North Ballarat fits the bill for us perfectly. Plays like his brother and has finished in the top 3 in VFL's B&F a couple of times in the last few years.

I reckon our only chance to land a power forward would be if we landed Clarkson from Hawthorn and someone like Franklin wanted to follow his coach across to the club he barracked for as a kid.

Would cost us a bundle. Like Sylvia, Morton & our first 2 draft picks for Buddy & their 5th round pick maybe? Good chance that wouldn't even get it done though.

Unless there is an obvious target ie: someone who fits the bill wants to return to Victoria we should be focussing on player retention, obtaining one of GWS mini draft picks and positioning ourselves for free agency the following year. We do not need a power forward we need quality midfielders and a crumbing forward. Not half forwards or half backs who play midfield but true midfielders.

As far as midfielders go the most keen I'd be on anyone would be Dangerfield from Adelaide but reckon we'd be more likely to find a hard nosed midfielder through the VFL then we would a power forward.

Myles Sewell from North Ballarat fits the bill for us perfectly. Plays like his brother and has finished in the top 3 in VFL's B&F a couple of times in the last few years.

I reckon our only chance to land a power forward would be if we landed Clarkson from Hawthorn and someone like Franklin wanted to follow his coach across to the club he barracked for as a kid.

Would cost us a bundle. Like Sylvia, Morton & our first 2 draft picks for Buddy & their 5th round pick maybe? Good chance that wouldn't even get it done though.

Really??? you don't think his build is too similar to our other undersized mids?

Agree regarding the "power forward" sentiment.

Great midfields make some ordinary forwards look great (see JPod and Mooney)

However I believe that the money you are talking should be spent on Malthouse (plus legal fees for breaking contract) plus his required assistants and football spending as he sees fit.

We should then trade picks and some of the outside types we have at the moment for some hard nosed old school football style players that would be capable of physically implementing the plan Malthouse wants.

We need to keep :

Watts

Frawley

Trengove

Moloney

Jurrah

Tapscott

Gawn

Garland

Jamar

Jones

Grimes

Sylvia

Davey

Martin

Gysberts

Howe

Cook

Petterd

Mckenzie

Fitzpatrick

Bail

Bartram

I may have missed a couple but the theme I'm running with is talented FOOTBLLERS as opposed to the atheletic/outside types we seem to have a lot of.

Anyone else should be considered as a trade option.

I certainly don't mean to have a go at the following players but I just believe that

Bate

Bennell

Dunn

Morton

Maric

Specifically have been tried, tested and exhausted for our needs yet may have a value in a team that has a wealth of in and under hard bodied players and a lack of outside/running players and or very position specific players.

Just my thoughts.

After really thinking long and hard about our list (and as per my earlier post) I believe we have a very good potential core and one that promises much more than we have been promised for a long time. However this list will need time to physically mature into men (providing we are adept at developing the physical size and strength of our players which remains to be seen) and thus we now need to look at list balance for now.

We have a great young core group that will be fantastic but the club cannot afford to wait it out for said group to mature especially when we dont need to. We now have the core in place but need some physical presence injected to compete for today and alow the the kids to progress without the unrealistic expectation on them to match the big boys every week.

Let's get active.

Warnock will also be gone at years end.

I would like us to get Tim Mohr from the Scorpians as a later pick. He would add glue to the backline.

We obviousy need hard nosed clearance players. When we get smashed the midflield goes missing.

Our drafting was so poor from 2001 to 2008 that we have few senior players to help the kids.

Our big trade play needs to come next year with the introduction of free agency. $4 million over three years to Scott Pendlebury with $2mil in the first year. Get a genuine champion midfielder into the demons line up who can lift all the young potential to new heights.

Is it not only eight/nine year players who are eligible for free agency?

In that case you can forget about Pendles until 2014.

We do not need a power forward

You are joking. We need straightening up and we need a contest up forward. We don't need a continuation of the ball being swept away from our forward line and then coast to coast. I agree with you that we also need mid fielders but what we miss really is the quality of disposal, we are nothing short of pathetic in that area. Yetserday we hit our 50 as much as Carlton yet we lost by over 12 goals. Why? No one can kick a goal or pass the ball to someone properly. Every handball turns over the ball to the opposition. If we had kicked straight yesterday we probably still would have lost but it might have been a few goals. We did have a go. The perfect example of poor disposal is Jones. I would credit him with a dozen turnovers. We have been poorly coached for years without an effective gameplan and we need a power forward. Oh and by the way Brown, Cloke, Dawes, Podsiadly, Mooney, Hawkins, Franklin, Roughhead, Hale, Lynch, Darling and Kennedy say Hi. The bets teams all have several power forwards. We have young under developed Jack Watts, who may in time become one, I pray for Cook, McDonald, Fitzpatrick to develop or hope we trade for a mature one. At the next draft despite what we have been told I hope we draft some skilful mids as well.

Agree we need a power forward. My issue is- how the bloody hell are we going to get one? The good ones will not come cheap, and we have enough issues trying to keep the players we have.

Sort of wish we had drafted Darling.....................

Players I would target:

John Butcher - Port Adelaide

Trengove - Port Adelaide

Dangerfield - Adelaide

Dawes - Collingwood

Cameron Wood - Collingwood

Brenton Sanderson - Geelong Assistant

These players are worthy of looking into. I would be happy trading the following players: Bate, Sylvia, Warnock, Bennell, Green, Jetta, Morton.

Scully is gone. We may only get 1 draft pick and I would use this on a player who is in the draft. Any picks outside the first we use to get perhaps one of the above.

I would be extramly happy if everyone in a board capasity at the club or assistant, besides Stynes, left the club. Until then I will not be purchasing my membership. I know I will cop it for this but I am not throwing my money away for clowns to be doing the job. We are the laughing stock of the afl and this must change...I almost wish we merged with Hawks in 1999. What a team we could have had.

You are joking. We need straightening up and we need a contest up forward. We don't need a continuation of the ball being swept away from our forward line and then coast to coast. I agree with you that we also need mid fielders but what we miss really is the quality of disposal, we are nothing short of pathetic in that area. Yetserday we hit our 50 as much as Carlton yet we lost by over 12 goals. Why? No one can kick a goal or pass the ball to someone properly. Every handball turns over the ball to the opposition. If we had kicked straight yesterday we probably still would have lost but it might have been a few goals. We did have a go. The perfect example of poor disposal is Jones. I would credit him with a dozen turnovers. We have been poorly coached for years without an effective gameplan and we need a power forward. Oh and by the way Brown, Cloke, Dawes, Podsiadly, Mooney, Hawkins, Franklin, Roughhead, Hale, Lynch, Darling and Kennedy say Hi. The bets teams all have several power forwards. We have young under developed Jack Watts, who may in time become one, I pray for Cook, McDonald, Fitzpatrick to develop or hope we trade for a mature one. At the next draft despite what we have been told I hope we draft some skilful mids as well.

Your highlighted comment is why I dont think we need one. I think we have one in the list you mention and would much prefer us to focus on our list gaps which are quality true mids and a true small forward.

Really??? you don't think his build is too similar to our other undersized mids?

I agree he's not of a big solid build, but he is a clearance specialist just like Barlow IMO.

Another key forward who I forgor about who I think we could chase and wouldn't cost to much is Aaron Cornelius from Brisbane.

I know he's still young (taken in same draft as Watts) but can't get a regular game at the Lions cause of Brown & Clark but has shown he's already a good contested mark and shot for goal. A Cornelius (FF) Watts (CHF) combination could look good for the years ahead.

They have debutaunt players from the last few weeks running around with the chassis of seasoned men.

Its amazing what you can do when you invest $ 20 million dollars inside your football department & have complete control over your OWN VFL side.

You are joking. We need straightening up and we need a contest up forward. We don't need a continuation of the ball being swept away from our forward line and then coast to coast. I agree with you that we also need mid fielders but what we miss really is the quality of disposal, we are nothing short of pathetic in that area. Yetserday we hit our 50 as much as Carlton yet we lost by over 12 goals. Why? No one can kick a goal or pass the ball to someone properly. Every handball turns over the ball to the opposition. If we had kicked straight yesterday we probably still would have lost but it might have been a few goals. We did have a go. The perfect example of poor disposal is Jones. I would credit him with a dozen turnovers. We have been poorly coached for years without an effective gameplan and we need a power forward. Oh and by the way Brown, Cloke, Dawes, Podsiadly, Mooney, Hawkins, Franklin, Roughhead, Hale, Lynch, Darling and Kennedy say Hi. The bets teams all have several power forwards. We have young under developed Jack Watts, who may in time become one, I pray for Cook, McDonald, Fitzpatrick to develop or hope we trade for a mature one. At the next draft despite what we have been told I hope we draft some skilful mids as well.

+1

I agree at the draft table this year we should focus more on mids, I think our depth through the midfeild needs a bit more building, especially given the halt in Morton & Bennell's development.

Apart from Watts we still have Howe, Cook and Fitzpatrick who are very young. Then when you throw in Dunn, Bate and even Jurrah & Green who play as talls more then medium sized forwards. If we were to cull Bate & Dunn then you could look to trade for a KPF (Franklin, Cornelius etc..) but otherwise we currently have to many on the list.

The midfield is the area we need to foucs on!

Edit: Spelling.

I agree he's not of a big solid build, but he is a clearance specialist just like Barlow IMO.

Would love to recruit Myles Sewell. As you've said, not the biggest body but he just dominates around the stoppages. He's consistent, honest, a leader and at around 23-24 years would be a fine acquisition.

I would be extramly happy if everyone in a board capasity at the club or assistant, besides Stynes, left the club. Until then I will not be purchasing my membership. I know I will cop it for this but I am not throwing my money away for clowns to be doing the job. We are the laughing stock of the afl and this must change...I almost wish we merged with Hawks in 1999. What a team we could have had.

Well you won't be voting for change in the boardroom if you don't have a membership.. That is if anyone puts their hand up to get into a bloodthirsty campaign.

(and you mean '96)

The Melbourne obsession with a power forward is ridiculous. Power forwards are over rated and you could put any single power forward into Melbourne and we would still be getting smashed.

It is the midfield. It is always the midfield and even if scully stays we still do not have enough quality in the midfield.

Our big trade play needs to come next year with the introduction of free agency. $4 million over three years to Scott Pendlebury with $2mil in the first year. Get a genuine champion midfielder into the demons line up who can lift all the young potential to new heights.

I agree we should make a play for firstly Pendlebury, & or Dangerfield. Maybe a swap, Sylvia for Dangerfield this Year could work, & take Neil Craig as well for the footy Dept. Maybe footy manager.

But Pendlebury, we should go all out to get a potential Captain & midfield general. Was Once a Dees supporter, just a further bonus.

Your highlighted comment is why I dont think we need one. I think we have one in the list you mention and would much prefer us to focus on our list gaps which are quality true mids and a true small forward.

Hope you are right, but the trouble is that I can't see the boys I mentioned being big power forwards next season and then we will be saying the same thing this time next year.