What we just did.

[jnrmac 20,304]

What we have just done is fantastic.

Get on the reality bus or get hit by the reality bus.....

[Grimseyisgod 378]

What we have just done is fantastic.

Get on the reality bus or get hit by the reality bus.....

Lets hope.

but lets be honest, we have no proof Neeld is a good coach with a good plan.

I mean this year wasnt exactly a success

[jnrmac 20,304]

Lets hope.

but lets be honest, we have no proof Neeld is a good coach with a good plan.

I mean this year wasnt exactly a success

Hope is all we have, Doing nothing was not an option.

[felixdacat 459]

Lets hope.

but lets be honest, we have no proof Neeld is a good coach with a good plan.

I mean this year wasnt exactly a success

One season as Head Coach and you expected....what exactly? Certainly not instant success our team may have a lot of high draft pick but that will not guarantee success. In one season you say we have no proof that Neeld is a Good coach with a Good Plan. Then equally after one season we have no proof that Neeld is a Bad Coach with a Bad Plan.

[Grimseyisgod 378]

One season as Head Coach and you expected....what exactly? Certainly not instant success our team may have a lot of high draft pick but that will not guarantee success. In one season you say we have no proof that Neeld is a Good coach with a Good Plan. Then equally after one season we have no proof that Neeld is a Bad Coach with a Bad Plan.

i agree with most of what you said.

After one year under Neeld we dont know if he is a good coach, but i feel like he has a good plan.

Neeld still didnt produce anythign but under par performances for the whole year

[stueyspencer no12 73]

As Real Demon says, it's too early to tell. Over the last few years I've often seen us given a very good rating by media "experts" and we know how most of those years have subsequently gone. On exposed form and with some knowledge of who has come in I'm over the moon.

If all we'd done this trade period was get Hogan and Viney while being able to retain a pick inside the top 5 I would have been delighted. Just doing those things would have been a massive win for me. I genuinely believe that Hogan and Viney are going to be "stars". Some will say, but we've thought that before, so there are no guarantees. In fact you'd be forgiven for saying it's unlikely. But when I analyse those early picks that fail to live up to expectations in the world of the AFL there's a common theme. They tend to be either young talls that have a weakness - usually either pace, size, or the required appetite for brutal contests, or they're mids that are too outside. For example, early picks that have been underwhelming such as Morton, Fiora, Tambling, Oakley-Nichols and even Gibbs, fall into that category. I'm not as rapt in Dustin Martin as some, but his aggression and strength serve him well in the AFL. Viney and Hogan's skill sets will also serve them very well at AFL level.

Dawes and Pedersen will really help our forward structure. I believe that Pedersen will prove to be an even better player than Dawes, but they'll be equally important in their roles. I'm less excited by Byrnes and Rodan, but Byrnes immediately becomes a best 22 player because he's the best small forward on the list. And the last time we traded for a NT zone selection we landed a young Jeff Farmer. We'll have to wait a while to see what we've got with Barry.

Best 22 additions for 2013 - Viney, Dawes, Pedersen, Byrnes and pick 4. The last addition will be contentious for some, but if it happens to be Wines he'll play far more footy at Melbourne than Casey. That's 5 additions, which is almost a quarter of your best 22. How many other clubs will have improved their best 22 by 20% in the off season ? That's enormous. Carlton improved theirs by 0%. Rivers is the only best 22 to walk out and he plays in the one area of the ground in which we're pretty well off.

As for the departures:

Martin - handy back-up ruck, but not a great tap ruckman and a worse forward. He's an athletic gumby with average to poor endurance. There's every likelihood that there will be two subs and less rotations from 2014 and this will hurt Martin as a footballer. Jimmy Stynes would have been a star in this era due to his elite endurance running, but a player like Martin will be exposed.

Morton - I'd given up on him a while ago, despite his talent, and clearly he would have been delisted if he wasn't contracted.

Gysberts for Pedersen is a win for me. Pedersen will play 22 games next year and Gysberts wasn't close to best 22. Pedersen will have an important role in our forward structure and the other player is some way off being a quality mid.

Moloney - ball-ups went from 11 seconds in 2011 to 4 seconds in 2012. This didn't help Moloney set up at the stoppages. With the new rule meaning that the ball is going to be thrown up around the ground it's only going to get quicker. He's probably a decent fit for Brisbane, but being so one dimensional wasn't great at a club with a poor midfield group.

Rivers - a loss, but we were [censored] with him in the one area of the ground where we should be OK. My care factor is either side of zero.

Green - slow and was done and dusted.

Let's look at "What we just did":

Two years ago we had the youngest list outside of the Suns. Before this draft period we had the most number of first round draft picks along with GWS. It's little wonder we recruited some seasoned bodies on the back of losing Green, Rivers and Moloney.

Neeld wants structure. This year at various times once Clark went down we had Rivers and Garland as forwards. With Dawes and Pedersen we now have a solid forward structure that makes Clark and Howe even more dangerous. As stated, Byrnes will immediately be better than any other small forward we have.

Melbourne are still very young and will be a hell of a lot better next year. Our 25 and unders will include Clark, Dawes, Jones, Grimes, Trengove, Frawley, Tom McDonald, Blease, Watts, Howe, Tapscott, Garland, McKenzie as well as Viney. That's 14, plus there's Strauss, Taggert, Tynan, Gawn, and pick 4 in this year's draft.

It works for me.

[felixdacat 459]

i agree with most of what you said.

After one year under Neeld we dont know if he is a good coach, but i feel like he has a good plan.

Neeld still didnt produce anythign but under par performances for the whole year

I like his plan also I think that the players that we had in the team needed to reminded that if you do not perform and play the way the coach wants then you will not be on the list. Right now every player on the list has a clear understanding that if you do not do what is required by the Football Department you will be playing in the VFL and that at the EOY you may be delisted. Will this translate to better performances next year? IMO I think it will, either way bring on 2013 already.

[CBDees 3,167]

AGREE WITH MOST OF WHAT HAS BEEN SAID ABOVE BUT i SUSPECT THAT PEDERSON'S ROLE WILL END UP DOWN BACK FILLING THE HOLD VACATED BY RIVERS. WE NEED PEDERSON AND SELLARS BOTH AS SPECIALIST BACKMEN TO TAKE ON THE BIG FORWARDS OF THE OTHER CLUBS (ASSISTED BY FRAWLEY AND WATTS)

[Fitz Fitzpatrick 886]

AGREE WITH MOST OF WHAT HAS BEEN SAID ABOVE BUT i SUSPECT THAT PEDERSON'S ROLE WILL END UP DOWN BACK FILLING THE HOLD VACATED BY RIVERS. WE NEED PEDERSON AND SELLARS BOTH AS SPECIALIST BACKMEN TO TAKE ON THE BIG FORWARDS OF THE OTHER CLUBS (ASSISTED BY FRAWLEY AND WATTS)

I disagree.

Pedersens role will be CHF with dawes and clark at FF and the pocket. Pedo is a good lead up fwd and will play a role linking up the fwd line

[Grimseyisgod 378]

I disagree.

Pedersens role will be CHF with dawes and clark at FF and the pocket. Pedo is a good lead up fwd and will play a role linking up the fwd line

agree

i do not think he will fill the void for Rivers.

There will be other roles that will replace Rivers.

[rpfc 28,966]

AGREE WITH MOST OF WHAT HAS BEEN SAID ABOVE BUT i SUSPECT THAT PEDERSON'S ROLE WILL END UP DOWN BACK FILLING THE HOLD VACATED BY RIVERS. WE NEED PEDERSON AND SELLARS BOTH AS SPECIALIST BACKMEN TO TAKE ON THE BIG FORWARDS OF THE OTHER CLUBS (ASSISTED BY FRAWLEY AND WATTS)

“They’ve got a clear, defined role for me, which is called playing a link forward and ruck,” Pedersen said.

And please stop capitalising what you are saying. The tone is screaming...

[Grimseyisgod 378]

I think that really the only iffy pickups are Rodan and Brynes.

I dont believe there is space for both of them in one team.

Maybe we should have just gotten Brynes

[titan_uranus 25,211]

Lets hope.

but lets be honest, we have no proof Neeld is a good coach with a good plan.

I mean this year wasnt exactly a success

We also have no proof he's a bad coach with no plan.

As the off-season has so far shown, 2012 was about Neeld getting to assess the list, work out who he wanted and who he didn't, and where they should be played. It was about the very beginning of his plan. The cull has been made (and may still continue), the holes were identified and, to a certain extent, filled, and now we can begin another pre-season of getting our players fit enough to play AFL.

“They’ve got a clear, defined role for me, which is called playing a link forward and ruck,” Pedersen said.

You'd have thought that after we got rid of Martin, this might have been self-evident to many...

I think that really the only iffy pickups are Rodan and Brynes.

I dont believe there is space for both of them in one team.

Maybe we should have just gotten Brynes

Rodan - midfielder

Byrnes - HFF/FP

Done.

[Grimseyisgod 378]

Rodan - midfielder

Byrnes - HFF/FP

Done.

Rodan will not fit in our midfield.

[deejammin' 2,376]

Rodan will not fit in our midfield.

Rodan at his average to best is superior to Bail, who played many games this year, that's who I think he will replace, I think there is room for him if he plays well.

[Biffen 12,949]

Rodan will not fit in our midfield.

He has the uncanny abilty to get the ball into the forward fifty from a tap which means he may well be a major or minor part of the midfield .

We are also short on shorts which means him and Jetta will most likely get a fair run.

Neelds liking for talls means there will be some crumbs to be picked up.

[Grimseyisgod 378]

Rodan at his average to best is superior to Bail, who played many games this year, that's who I think he will replace, I think there is room for him if he plays well.

agreed, that Bail and Rodan will play a similar position. But i will not be happy if Rodan pushes Bail, out of the team

[hardtack 10,980]

agreed, that Bail and Rodan will play a similar position. But i will not be happy if Rodan pushes Bail, out of the team

Rodan would only do that if he was performing better than Bail and there was no other option... so why would you not be happy?

[rpfc 28,966]

Some of you think of list management as if you are playing a video game.

Kids can develop at Casey. We shouldn't have to put up with playing around 6 non-AFL capable players a game like we have the last 6 years.

If Rodan can bring out some dynamism in Trengove, Viney, Wines and Howe then that is great. He trusts himself and his ability in close and doesn't like wasting the footy. It is a good quality.

[Demonsterative 3,021]

What did we just do? We used up most of our first picks before the AFL could take them away with the tanking issue. I suspect the club new about the tanking leakes and made the most of what they could via the trade and MD. Smart move if this is the case!!

[Grimseyisgod 378]

Rodan would only do that if he was performing better than Bail and there was no other option... so why would you not be happy?

This is just my opinion, but Bail is one of the most up and coming players that i seriously love.

[Mgdee 324]

This is just my opinion, but Bail is one of the most up and coming players that i seriously love.

I agree he is a future long term player for the Dees, even so he should not be getting a game if his form doesn't warrant it.

If Rodan is a better option we should be playing him.

Enough of giving games to players who do not deserve them.

Anyone at the club should only get a game when they are the best option at the given time.

Make them earn a place in the team, we have already set back the careers of many of our young players by making things too easy for them.

[Grimseyisgod 378]

I agree he is a future long term player for the Dees, even so he should not be getting a game if his form doesn't warrant it.

If Rodan is a better option we should be playing him.

Enough of giving games to players who do not deserve them.

Anyone at the club should only get a game when they are the best option at the given time.

Make them earn a place in the team, we have already set back the careers of many of our young players by making things too easy for them.

yeah totally agree.

But i think if we had taken that approach with Jack Watts, he'd probably never have played an AFL game

[jnrmac 20,304]

Rodan will not fit in our midfield.

Thats what he was recruited for.

Our midfield is the worst in the comp.

[jnrmac 20,304]

This is just my opinion, but Bail is one of the most up and coming players that i seriously love.

Bail could be a great player but he can't kick and that's what holds him back