THE NEW MFC 2013 HAPPY DAYS

[Brian Wilson 331]

Yeah it's called RFCSS

Seriously though, I'm glad there's gonna be a clean-out and it's definitely necessary but I get the feeling we will be the youngest team in the competition next year even taking into account the new franchises.

These are the players still on our list who will be 25 or over at round 1 2013;

Bartram, Jones, Clark, Bate, Dunn, Martin, Sylvia, Rivers, Macdonald, Jamar, Davey

Of these the following may very well be gone in a few weeks time

Bartram, Bate, Dunn, Rivers, Macdonald

leaving Jones, Clark, Martin, Sylvia, Jamar and Davey as our only players over 25 (and even then Davey is in the last year of a contract and has injury concerns, Sylvia is trade bait & Martin I am not sold on).

We need to get some players in via trade and/or FA because if we don't we will not only have one of the youngest teams I've seen at the MFC, we will be waiting a few more years before we can even contemplate finals let alone win a flag (I'm talking waiting until our current rookies like Trengove, Grimes, Frawley, Blease, Watts are ~27yo).

I'm a fan of Neeld and his point about the inexperience of the side is valid. However, I can't help but think that he is happy to lose a few of the older heads in order to maintain the youthful nature of the list. It could backfire on him though...

[Little Richard 5,943]

I hope he is the saviour, I hope we start winning, I just don't see him as a good coach this early on. We all want the same thing.

No one could come out and say whether Neeld is a good/bad coach this early, because it just can't be told yet. I think mid next year we will be able to judge his abilities, but in the meantime I think he has something - the increase in contested ball and tackles is promising.

[cowboy_from_hell 2,390]

I notice you are on the Hogan bandwagon. Do you think he will turn it on in a big way? Who do you compare him too?

Yeah I am on the bandwagon. I honestly compare him to the opposite of Jack Watts. JW has silky skills but no contested skills. Hogan has limited skills at the moment but can crash pack's all day. I believe we need both type of players in this team. Hogan is pretty fit for his size as well. There are not a lot of Hogan type players in any draft so in my eyes he is a must. Toumpass,Hogan,Viney and a experienced mid is my wish list.

[Little Richard 5,943]

Yeah I am on the bandwagon. I honestly compare him to the opposite of Jack Watts. JW has silky skills but no contested skills. Hogan has limited skills at the moment but can crash pack's all day. I believe we need both type of players in this team. Hogan is pretty fit for his size as well. There are not a lot of Hogan type players in any draft so in my eyes he is a must. Toumpass,Hogan,Viney and a experienced mid is my wish list.

Hogan sounds good, it's just the one year wait that annoys me. I'm sure it'll bother a lot of other people too as he'll probably be judged as another skinny young kid, more time to develop and more time on the bottom of the ladder. However from what I've heard he could come in in 2014 and have an impact straight away so if we can trade say pick 4 for a MD pick that can be used on Hogan and grab Viney in the second round as part of a deal through all this, I'm all for it.

[hells bells 2,023]

I think Davey will go too. Have heard rumors...

[Dr. Gonzo 22,849]

Yeah I am on the bandwagon. I honestly compare him to the opposite of Jack Watts. JW has silky skills but no contested skills. Hogan has limited skills at the moment but can crash pack's all day. I believe we need both type of players in this team. Hogan is pretty fit for his size as well. There are not a lot of Hogan type players in any draft so in my eyes he is a must. Toumpass,Hogan,Viney and a experienced mid is my wish list.

I want to get Hogan just so I can yell "Hulkamania is running wild all over the MCG!! And watcha gonna do???"

[Deemon 47]

I'm a fan of the Neeld. I'm looking forward to this trade week and draft like never before, which is very strange for a Melbourne supporter!! I'm a bit surprised at how people have already called for Mark Neeld's head, I've been truly impressed by him and how he's going about it. Yep, he's ruffling feathers, but I think they needed ruffling. This is a real rebuild, this is what we've been waiting for!!

[cowboy_from_hell 2,390]

Hogan sounds good, it's just the one year wait that annoys me. I'm sure it'll bother a lot of other people too as he'll probably be judged as another skinny young kid, more time to develop and more time on the bottom of the ladder. However from what I've heard he could come in in 2014 and have an impact straight away so if we can trade say pick 4 for a MD pick that can be used on Hogan and grab Viney in the second round as part of a deal through all this, I'm all for it.

The massive up side to Hogan is the kid is 17 and weighs in at 92 kilos. There will be absolutely no waiting around for him to put on some bulk (cook).

[cowboy_from_hell 2,390]

I want to get Hogan just so I can yell "Hulkamania is running wild all over the MCG!! And watcha gonna do???"

spot on. Now we need to find someone with the last name sluaghter and we will have Hulkamania and Sgt.SLaughter dominating the forward line.

[Little Richard 5,943]

The massive up side to Hogan is the kid is 17 and weighs in at 92 kilos. There will be absolutely no waiting around for him to put on some bulk (cook).

I'd consider resorting to self harm if we recruited another Cook. Yep I'm sold, I wonder how many kg's he could put on in the next year?

One thing that is an issue is the MD pick we are able to get. Say we got pick 2, and Hogan is taken pick one, I don't think Martin would be a good fit for us, though I don't know much about the other possibles. So do you think we would comfortably get him with pick 2 in the MD, and if not would it take pick 3 in the national to get MD pick 1?

[old dee 23,276]

Nico's also safe in the back pocket and Rivers will play another season

I assume you are referring to "at Geelong"

[Moonshadow 16,659]

I hope that Rivers and Garland move back to where they belong - the back half. Our defence looked rather under manned when they were forward of center. But in order to do this, we will need (at least) another forward...

Actually, I'd like to see our back half stocks settled again, with Chip, Riv, Judy, TMcD, Strauss, Nico and another hard running HBF with good foot skills. Defence has been one of our few strengths going back over the last 3 years. chip and TMcD looking very lonely in your OP.

[Brian Wilson 331]

Actually, I'd like to see our back half stocks settled again, with Chip, Riv, Judy, TMcD, Strauss, Nico and another hard running HBF with good foot skills. Defence has been one of our few strengths going back over the last 3 years. chip and TMcD looking very lonely in your OP.

I agree that the defence has been good but I was frustrated that it was somewhat dismantled this year. I had felt that it was the rock that the rest of the team would be built around.

Frawley and Tom McD were a given in my defence. God help us without them. I'm a big fan of Nico. I'm yet to be convinced by Strauss but fingers have fingers crossed that he has a good preseason.

[dee-luded 2,958]

The only problem is - Mark Neeld can't coach. Simple as that.

How would you know?

[RalphiusMaximus 6,005]

I'm a fan of Neeld and his point about the inexperience of the side is valid. However, I can't help but think that he is happy to lose a few of the older heads in order to maintain the youthful nature of the list. It could backfire on him though...

I suspect that he is happy to lose the players who can't or won't tow the line and work to the standards he is setting. His task is not simply to get the team playing well, but to change their whole culture. He can't have senior players hanging around undermining him by failing to uphold the standards he wants the whole group to adhere to and complaining that they never used to have to work this hard. Experienced or not, anyone with a poisonous attitude has to go ASAP (note: poisonous is not necessarily malicious). We are already seeing this with guys like Moloney and Jurrah moving out, possibly Petterd too if the rumour mill can be believed. These are not players who have anything against the club, but their inability to do what is required of them can only have a negative effect on new draftees.

[angrydee 842]

It's marvellous how history repeats itself. We have a shite season, miss the finals and are generally a laughing stock. However, we have draft picks, or a new coach or some other reason for optimism and the pre season (wet) dreams start again..

How many times has this happened? There must be a Phd. waiting for whoever can determine the particular strain of insanity that makes Melbourne supporters line up year after year for yet another f###ing.

Happy days my arse!

Don't knock suckling at the breast of fantasy.

It's all we have left in September.