So I hadn't really had time to reflect on the off season changes until last night.

I opened up the MFC website and went through the list. And boy did it fill me with some satisfaction.

A few things first:

1. This isn't a dig at departing/departed players.
   
2. This doesn't mean I believe we'll make the 8 next year.
   

But with Morton, Bennell, Gysberts, Martin gone, its a release of anxiety and frustration for many years.

I go through our list and outside of those that are new/haven't been blooded yet, there aren't many I wouldn't be happy with going out onto the field of battle for the MFC every week. Why? Because they give it their all. They put their hardness and their soul into it. And that is all I can ask for from my beloved boys each week.

Anyone else feel like a massive weight has been lifted off the team? It just feels like things are changing for the better.

Ps. I know its offseason, so I may just be having withdrawal symptoms.

I too like the improvements and deletions to the list this off season.

All the older players coming in are either proven finals players (Dawes, Byrnes, Rodan) or hungry bigger bodied types desperate to crack the AFL (Pedersen, Gilles). Many of these experienced players have something to prove and reputations to restore ( Dawes, Rodan). They well cover the players leaving. I.e. Dawes/Pedersen > Morton/Martin, Rodan/Byrnes > Gysberts/Bennell, for the simple reason that most of these new experienced player are more suited to what Neeld wants and have volumes of AFL experience to apply.

The younger players coming in (to date) consist of 3 top 5 talents (Viney, Hogan, Pick 4) and a wildcards (Barry) with several to come.

Understandable optimism given it appears to be a bigger improvement in the quality of our list than we've seen in many years. Moving on several perennial teases who have taken too long to convert their talent into results represents the club shifting the focus of their footy efforts back to the present, rather than endlessly investing in future footy glories that never seem to arrive.

Agree, that 2013 should be a cracker.

So I hadn't really had time to reflect on the off season changes until last night.

I opened up the MFC website and went through the list. And boy did it fill me with some satisfaction.

A few things first:

1. This isn't a dig at departing/departed players.
   
2. This doesn't mean I believe we'll make the 8 next year.
   

But with Morton, Bennell, Gysberts, Martin gone, its a release of anxiety and frustration for many years.

I go through our list and outside of those that are new/haven't been blooded yet, there aren't many I wouldn't be happy with going out onto the field of battle for the MFC every week. Why? Because they give it their all. They put their hardness and their soul into it. And that is all I can ask for from my beloved boys each week.

Anyone else feel like a massive weight has been lifted off the team? It just feels like things are changing for the better.

Ps. I know its offseason, so I may just be having withdrawal symptoms.

I absolutely agree with you d4l.

I'm really happy to see some proactive change. It's bee a bit hard to appreciate it now, with all this old history being raised, i.e tanking, so thanks for the positive post for keeping things in perspective.

From Todd Viney about what the MFC are looking for in players:

"When I talk talent, it’s not just about who can kick it the best, who can mark it the best or who can handball the best. We’ve got four key pillars that we try and identify. When we talk about talent, we talk about all four.

The first pillar is competitiveness - they’ve got to be highly competitive - no matter what role they play.

The second one is their football talent. There are football attributes that they have to exhibit in their role - that’s how you kick it, catch it, win contested ball or how you win handball receives - depending on how you play.

The third pillar is the physical attributes that you need to play the game of AFL, and they keep becoming more and more demanding. If the rules change again in the future with two [interchange] and two [substitute] players - then they must have the attributes that need to be ticked off.

And the fourth one is character - they need to be able to handle being in an elite environment, and strive to be the best. They need to be a self-starter and be resilient. It’s a tough environment, and it’s not for everyone.

So when we talk talent, it’s those four things rolled up into one. We just won’t take someone because he can kick it better than the next guy. I think there have been way too many mistakes over a long period of time, where people talk about how talent is about how they can kick it or catch it.

All four of those pillars are rolled into one, and that’s what we’re saying talent is."

Dees clear about draft targets: Viney

Edit: added bold to Viney's quote.

Edited November 19, 201212 yr by PaulRB

Yes, if I could put what Neeld and the FD have done this off-season into four words: Too Many F___ing Projects.

Edited November 19, 201212 yr by rpfc

As in ditched the project players?

and those that don't conform to Viney's assessment of "talent"?

Edited November 19, 201212 yr by PaulRB

You do have to question the assumption that Viney, Hogan and Pick4 are going to be good players when we've just thrown a bunch of previous first round draft picks out with the trash. The ones we have kept, Sylvia, Watts, Trengove etc have not yet fully delivered on their supposed potential either. I don't like it, but that's the facts of the matter. If this year's draftee kids become quality it won't be for a while anyway. It also needs to be said that the 5 players we have nabbed from other clubs are not exactly big name trades along the lines of Goddard, Lake etc. Let's face it they are journeymen, some of whom are near the end. It is hard for me to see a huge improvement in '13 given these list changes, but there definitely is some chance that it will all click together. I do support what they they have done, but my expectations are low.

I think if we had been applying the 4 pillars that Viney talks about, when drafting Morton, Gysberts, etc... we'd have gone down a different path.

I like that we are aligning the team to deliver along these four criteria, and think it more likely to find and develope the right talent than we have done previously.

Agree that it may take longer to click than we think/hope.

Edited November 19, 201212 yr by PaulRB

I think if we had been applying the 4 pillars that Viney talks about, when drafting Morton, Gysberts, etc... we'd have gone down a different path.

I like that we are aligning the team to deliver along these four criteria, and think it more likely to find and develope the right talent than we have done previously.

Agree that it may take longer to click than we think/hope.

I agree PaulRB

IMO we wasted most of our early draft picks between 2008 and 2010 by using the wrong criteria

We are IMO back at 2008 and starting again.

We have added some experience to help out over the next couple of years.

If drafting was easy no one would every make a pick that did not pan out.

We are still at the start of a long road to the top hopefully we now have a better chance.

Even some of the perennial pessimists (realists?) can see a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel, so we must be doing something right. We may not set the world on fire in 2013, but we sure as hell won't be burned at the stake either. Bring it on, I say!!

Edited November 20, 201212 yr by Deeoldfart

It just shows the 2008-11 period of development was a failure. The fact these years are being also investigated by the AFL is almost humorous, but not.

I think if we had been applying the 4 pillars that Viney talks about, when drafting Morton, Gysberts, etc... we'd have gone down a different path.

I hope there's no salt involved.

Agree wholeheartedly with the OP.

It's like the club sat down on the bog, clenched it's teeth and shat the remnants of the failed Bailey/Prendergast era out in one big, foul motion.

And boy didn't it feel good!

Agree wholeheartedly with the OP.

It's like the club sat down on the bog, clenched it's teeth and shat the remnants of the failed Bailey/Prendergast era out in one big, foul motion.

And boy didn't it feel good!

Geeez.....I 've just had lunch...Do you mind...

Agree wholeheartedly with the OP.

It's like the club sat down on the bog, clenched it's teeth and shat the remnants of the failed Bailey/Prendergast era out in one big, foul motion.

And boy didn't it feel good!

hahaha! What a marvelous analogy.

I agree

From Todd Viney about what the MFC are looking for in players:

"When I talk talent, it’s not just about who can kick it the best, who can mark it the best or who can handball the best. We’ve got four key pillars that we try and identify. When we talk about talent, we talk about all four.

The first pillar is competitiveness - they’ve got to be highly competitive - no matter what role they play.

The second one is their football talent. There are football attributes that they have to exhibit in their role - that’s how you kick it, catch it, win contested ball or how you win handball receives - depending on how you play.

The third pillar is the physical attributes that you need to play the game of AFL, and they keep becoming more and more demanding. If the rules change again in the future with two [interchange] and two [substitute] players - then they must have the attributes that need to be ticked off.

And the fourth one is character - they need to be able to handle being in an elite environment, and strive to be the best. They need to be a self-starter and be resilient. It’s a tough environment, and it’s not for everyone.

So when we talk talent, it’s those four things rolled up into one. We just won’t take someone because he can kick it better than the next guy. I think there have been way too many mistakes over a long period of time, where people talk about how talent is about how they can kick it or catch it.

All four of those pillars are rolled into one, and that’s what we’re saying talent is."

Dees clear about draft targets: Viney

Edit: added bold to Viney's quote.

or in two words Ollie Wines

I can't wait for the next season. I watched a documentary about the history of the club last night on YouTube, as an American fan I love learning more and more about this history of the club. I'm feeling so optimistic and excited about this season. Even if we don't do great, I love AFL more than probably any American sport...come to think of it, out of my top five favorite sports, four of them aren't very popular in the US. AFL, Soccer, Rugby, Cricket...i'm such an odd American.

...i'm such an odd American.

Is there any other kind of American?

Couldn't help myself...

Is there any other kind of American?

Couldn't help myself...

C'mon rpfc. Cut some slack, This is no ordinary American, this is an American Demon

And people who live in Canberra should not throw stones (couldn't help myself)

C'mon rpfc. Cut some slack, This is no ordinary American, this is an American Demon

And people who live in Canberra should not throw stones (couldn't help myself)

Excuse me, but stone throwing is what we do in Canberra. There is nothing else to do!

That's not entirely true - we got our first Cinema last week. I'm off to see the big Bond flick - Dr No - it will be something.

Excuse me, but stone throwing is what we do in Canberra. There is nothing else to do!

That's not entirely true - we got our first Cinema last week. I'm off to see the big Bond flick - Dr No - it will be something.

What about porn and fireworks? I swear thats all I hear associated with Canberra - then something about pollies, whatever weird bird that is

What about porn and fireworks? I swear thats all I hear associated with Canberra - then something about pollies, whatever weird bird that is

I don't think fireworks are as legal as many think they are.

The pollies you rarely see, but you hear 'em plenty. The bird analogy fits...

As for the porn - hey, no-one's complaining about the porn!

When adding players to your list, you add players that suit the game style of the coach at that time. I read on this site ouur drafting was bad, which is hard to argue with but the players drafted fitted the type of players Bailey's game plan suited, uncontested high scoring footy, Bailey game out of the Port Adelaide system that had a basic game plan attak and hope you kick more goals that your opposition.

Turn to Neeld, complete opposite contested footy, you win the contested footy and you will win more games than you lose. The problem Neeld faced was we have skinny under developed kids that for the time in the MFC system it has all been about uncontested fast ball movement. Out comes the broom we identify massive holes in our list they limited Mark Neeld to play the style of footy he wanted to. So to the MFC credit we get active we add big body footballers.

Look back 12 months we had Jack Watts, Lucas Cook and Liam Jurrah as our key forward targets, this is a forward line that needed fast delivery, they were never going to work with the new contested footy brand that Neeld wanted to introduce, so we bring in Clark, Dawes, Pederson and a monster of a kid in Hogan all through trade periods, any media person that thinks we have done the wrong thing by getting these players is a peanut and has no idea about football. The twit on KB's show that keeps refering to us as the Bears I can't weight to get on the phone and rip through him. These players enable Neeld to set up his forward line to the way he wants to play. We add Byrnes and Rodan, who wouldn't want to be a small forward rover at the feet of these blokes, they will either take the mark or bring the ball to ground.

We will add Viney tonight plus another Midfielder with pick 4, to me we still look a little light with quality through the middle, but as per a poster we have Sylvia, Trengove, Blease, Howe, Jones, Tapscott and others that we get better and better under Neeld.

Our back 6 is good, would like a couple more midsize defenders and wouldn't be supprise if at least on of our picks tonight will be used for this role, but Dunn was good late last year and I think Strauss if he can stay fit will offer a good option.

Anyone who has watch the MFC over the past 5 years know the players that are gone needed to go, Rivers is the only player you would have kept but the others didn't fit the game style Neeld and Co want to play. I'm looking forward to 2013 we can win 10-12 matches and who knows a bit of confidence and a get on a few runs through out the year finals isn't out of the question.