On 10/04/2012 at 05:48, Pennant St Dee said:

Get Boak or Dangerfield, they are yet to resign so target them now unofficially.

I'd throw compo picks at Adelaide to get Dangerfield across. Is explosive, strong, can play inside and out, kick goals, and is a definite leader. He is literally the perfect player to add to our list, so I'd be throwing everything we have to get him across. Adding him and Viney to our midfield is a big injection of talent.

  On 10/04/2012 at 12:28, Lord Travis said:

I'd throw compo picks at Adelaide to get Dangerfield across. Is explosive, strong, can play inside and out, kick goals, and is a definite leader. He is literally the perfect player to add to our list, so I'd be throwing everything we have to get him across. Adding him and Viney to our midfield is a big injection of talent.

I don't mind him but I think you're a bit over-excited. He still has a fair bit to prove this year IMO.

  On 10/04/2012 at 12:28, Lord Travis said:

I'd throw compo picks at Adelaide to get Dangerfield across. Is explosive, strong, can play inside and out, kick goals, and is a definite leader. He is literally the perfect player to add to our list, so I'd be throwing everything we have to get him across. Adding him and Viney to our midfield is a big injection of talent.

they see him as their captain/franchise player and righfully so

we'd have to move heaven and earth to get him, won't happen

the way we're traveling we might get viney with a second round pick, we may have pick 3 or 4, the 2 or 3 clubs may not bid there picks on him so we'd get 3 first round selections then viney with our second round. we also wont get accused of tanking this year, cos we really are playing like sh!t.

Get Dangerfield.

And perhaps also seek to draft a recycled midfielder from another AFL side with one of our lower picks or by trading one of our 'classy', non required players. The target need not be the classiest midfielder running around, but a hard at it type who's not getting as many games as he thinks he deserves at one of the top 6 clubs (eg Josh Kennedy from the Hawks to the Swans for pick 39). In short, an astute trade.

Brendon Goddard!!!

  On 10/04/2012 at 01:02, Davey said:

then at the end of next season (or this season if we are feeling desperate) terminate Davey's contract/trade him for peanuts

  On 10/04/2012 at 12:19, Demon SeaMan said:

Contrary to above Davey is finished

I think that was the point being made.

Get stuck into GC17 boys - there is talent a plenty. Two years of development under their belts and we have plenty salary cap dollars to get the job done.

Ever man and his dog will be in there ... but do they have the salary cap $$$$ to splash around?

"Little birdy" tells me that not all is as it would appear in gold coast land.

  On 10/04/2012 at 13:55, Dr Who said:

Get stuck into GC17 boys - there is talent a plenty. Two years of development under their belts and we have plenty salary cap dollars to get the job done.

Ever man and his dog will be in there ... but do they have the salary cap $$$$ to splash around?

"Little birdy" tells me that not all is as it would appear in gold coast land.

But the point is that we need established stars to show our young'uns how it's done. How will picking up more young players help us fix our cultural problems?

  On 10/04/2012 at 12:28, Lord Travis said:

I'd throw compo picks at Adelaide to get Dangerfield across. Is explosive, strong, can play inside and out, kick goals, and is a definite leader. He is literally the perfect player to add to our list, so I'd be throwing everything we have to get him across. Adding him and Viney to our midfield is a big injection of talent.

Maybe ask him over "for a look around", and get Jack Trengove to throw him to the ground so he can't leave :-)

  On 10/04/2012 at 06:31, old55 said:

Why would a decent mid move clubs?

1. Chance to play in a flag winning side

2. Big, big $$$$$s

3. give a 2nd stringer the chance to be the main man and get paid accordingly

I don't think we're offering #1 in the medium term, Clark came for #2 and we must have some limitations in this area now. I think #3 is a possible attraction for us. Wellingham, Beams or Sidebottom might get squeezed out at Collingwood if they re-sign Cloke on big bucks. I can't see one of St.Kilda's guns like Dal Santo, Goddard or Montagna being faintly interested in joining MFC.

I don't think we're going to be able to add a mature gun. I think we're going to have to build incrementally from within

- develop our existing talent e.g. Jones, Trengove, Gysberts, Blease,

- transfer suitable players from other areas e.g. Grimes, Watts, Howe,

- maximise our draft opportunity, we're going to take Viney and should have a pick inside the top 5 in the "super-draft"

- trade our mid first rounder for a 2nd stringer e.g. Wellingham, Beams or Sidebottom

Agree with your logic here - the best way for us to attract players is under this idea, that we can give them the star billing where at their current club they are the understudy.

This strategy has paid dividends for Sydney. Look at Josh Kennedy, Ben McGlynn, Rhyce Shaw and Marty Mattner.

I'm not sure exactly who, if anyone, will be these kinds of options at the end of the year, but instead of going for the out and out stars, we should look to these kinds of players.

As for what we have now: Grimes and Tapscott should move into the midfield. Bail needs to play predominantly on the wing.

  On 10/04/2012 at 13:55, Dr Who said:

Get stuck into GC17 boys - there is talent a plenty. Two years of development under their belts and we have plenty salary cap dollars to get the job done.

Ever man and his dog will be in there ... but do they have the salary cap $$$$ to splash around?

"Little birdy" tells me that not all is as it would appear in gold coast land.

Without talking in riddles, would you like to expand on that?

  On 10/04/2012 at 05:48, Pennant St Dee said:

Get Boak or Dangerfield, they are yet to resign so target them now unofficially.

Is Boak still available? I didn't think he was still in the offing. Great if we could get him.

I don't like the Idea of getting many players out of a poor culture. Port has been mostly poor but Boak is still young, whilst Salopek has been with a losing team mentality for a while now.

Dangerfield, handy IMO. But got runners we need, for sure.

I think Boak is a good runner.

MOntagna, no thanks. Goddard too expensive for one who doesn't have an explosiveness to him. I don't think he can lift us, but would just add to the cream.

Can someone explain simply what is the difference between restricted and unrestricted free agency?

  On 10/04/2012 at 14:49, monoccular said:

Can someone explain simply what is the difference between restricted and unrestricted free agency?

Unrestricted free agents can be signed by another team, no restrictions.

Restricted free agents can sign with another team, but the original team has the option of making that player stay, as long as they match the contract terms given by the new club.

I like Dangerfield but I don't know if this is due to potential or his current performances. He reminds me of Col Sylvia more a half forward with runs in the middle and no real consistancy.

Our midfield has no problems getting there hands on the footy but we don't seem to have any players that can break away with good acceleration. Look at Jones the amount of times he gets his hands on the footy at a stoppage is good but he is tackled and usaully a second stoppage or free kick. I have posted this for years our midfielders just don't work for each other we are like under 9 footballers they are all trying to win the footy.

I still look at our midfield and think OK it is good missing some outside quality but I feel we need to smash out the selfish attitude and apply structure and get these guys working together with blocks, sheppards to creat space for the ball carrier. We then add Viney and two ball carrying mids through the draft and we are not that far off

What about players like Thomas Bugg - who are in there second year at GWS? Do they come out of contract at the end of this year?

Wouldn't mind a Rory Sloane

  On 10/04/2012 at 12:12, rjay said:

Not a good idea for mine, these 2nd stringers shine with top talent around them. They won't have that luxury with us and it would be a waste of a first round pick.

We should take 2 first round mids with Viney in this draft, there are a few really good ones that will be available to us given our recent form.

Wellingham was BOG against us last QB when Swan and Thomas were out - do you really think that Gysberts, Blease, Strauss and Tapscott are superior players to Wellingham, Beams and Sidebottom - that's the level of pick you're so worried about "wasting". You're going to end up with another 18 yo.

  On 10/04/2012 at 13:55, Dr Who said:

Get stuck into GC17 boys - there is talent a plenty. Two years of development under their belts and we have plenty salary cap dollars to get the job done.

Very keen to hear from you exactly which GC midfielders are out of contract that we should target - there's Caddy and .... ????

Prestia has been signed up already.

Since the departure of Ottens, Geelong don't have one player on their list that has come from another club. Like Ottens, hopefully Clark can become a vital cog in our ascendency up the ladder, but, in the main, I'd rather grow our own. Dangerfield has a ton of talent, but he's yet to show he'll be a quality mid. He doesn't pick up cheap uncontested possessions and doesn't play like a natural midfielder. This is his fifth year, so I'll watch with interest.

Like RPFC, I believe it's your senior core that determines the quality of your side, as well as greatly influencing the output of inexperienced players, which is the reason Geelong's 8 players with less than 30 games on Monday weren't overly exposed. Those same 8 players would have a torrid time in our current side - unless your completely defeatist by players wearing red and blue and assume we always draft poorly. Your senior group, which is usually your leadership group, determines the culture at a club, so it's far easier for rookie players to be absorbed into the structures and systems without the issues we're facing.

Unlike one of the more hysterical posters on here, I do rate the value of early draft picks. I believe we do have the programs in place now to develop them, not withstanding the impediment of a dearth of quality senior players showing the way. How our team needs a Selwood, Bartel, Judd, or Luke Hodge; players that stand up when the team needs it, such as Garry Lyon going into the middle many years ago when a game was in the balance. But that will come.

I'm in the camp of drafting the two very best mids possible in this draft and in all liklihood they'll be top 10 draft picks. They'll be able to walk into the club with Viney and, along with Trengove, have the opportunity to be a dominant force in 4-5 years time. Unfortunately, patience isn't a virtue for diehard Demon supporters, it's now a prerequisite, because it may take a few years to play finals, but when we get there there's every chance we'll be on the verge of real success.

Given a choice of another 3 years without finals, but having a genuine chance next time we're there (rather than just making up the numbers) sates my appetite. Others may think it's wishful thinking and that there are no guarantees we'll be any good taking the long-term drafting approach, which, on the surface, seems to have already failed us, and I recognise that, but for me it still gives us the best shot - and I'm not as deflated with the youth on our list as some. Being selfish, I may only have one shot left at seeing a flag, because in theory a side should win one only every 18 years and we know that's not a given, if we miss a turn I may not be around, so I'll take a bit more pain in the process if it helps long-term. Geelong's amazing success was built on the quality they were able to glean from the 1999 and 2001 drafts. And yes, some amazing Father/Sons.

If this draft is all it's cracked up to be (best ever) we'll get 3 gun mids walking through the door in 6 months time and the way kids come through the TAC system these days you won't have to wait long for an impact. Rather than all the heat being on Viney to suddenly propel our midfield there'll be 3 of them sharing the burden, plus Trengove. That excites me.

Good post and it excites me too.

But it also scares the hell out of me that the best mids will get picked first and that there'll be some KPPs "too good to pass up" and we'll end up with David Hale and Mitch Thorp to go with Viney!

The defeatist MFC supporter in me is starting to creep out.

Good post. I agree with most of what you say. I also agree with the outcome.

The balance of the ledger has also been tipped further that way for me by our poor start to the year, where our draft picks will be earlier than maybe expected (although it's only round 2).

It's a high quality draft, by all accounts, and it's a midfielders draft too. There are some quality midfield prospects around and they are generally easier to pick. We are lucky with Viney, because he's a high quality meat axe that fills a void in midfield. With the other picks I would be looking at more complete midfielders who are capable inside but also really good spreaders from stoppages.

But does this affect the culture in which these players will develop?

Biggest problem for us is that it's more of an outside mids draft.

  On 11/04/2012 at 02:11, José Mourinho said:

Biggest problem for us is that it's more of an outside mids draft.

This is a problem but our biggest problem is our players don't work for each other. Watching our game against Brisbane the work off the ball to create space for Black and others was great, our players grabbed the footy and seemed to run into road blocks, then we go back to being dumb we let the ball pop out all our players are around the contest it pops out and off Brisbane went. It was the same against West Coast, we have to realise there is only one football we need to work to assist each other.