Col Sylvia is Melb most talented player .. Also an unrestricted free agent .. Dees want to talk .. He will decide action plan soon ..

Tweet from Mark Stevens.

What do we think. Sylvia has frustrated me over the years but this year and towards the end of last year we started to see something. I was annoyed that he got himself rubbed out for 3 weeks and that was a man who was frustrated.

But I dont think we can afford to lose another experienced player.

If he walks he is well within his rights to do so but it's vital we replace him with someone of similar experience as it will free up cap room, maybe a Nick Dal Santo

As you said, we can't afford to loose Col.

3 year deal and make this man a Demon for life, I've been impressed with his work rate this season.

Would be a huge boost for the club (and Neeld) if this can get done soon!

After Col our attention can then turn to big Max.

I can't see Gawn going anywhere we have put alot of faith in him considering all our injuries, a contract extension to chip would be massive but obviously not a priority at this stage.

Need to show unity and get the deal done, if people keep jumping ship like Moloney and Rivers then it will be like a disease that spreads through to our younger players.

I beg to differ

IMO there are 6 - 8 players who's names all start with the letter J that have more natural talent than Sylvia

He's a restricted free agent right?

If so, we really haven't much choice but to sign him or risk getting nothing.

Personally, I don't rate him and would prefer to trade him for a midfielder with a little more restraint and teamwork. But if it's a choice between signing him or losing him altogether, I obviously hope we can keep him.

Poor guy will never play finals again.......or will he?

I can't see Gawn going anywhere we have put alot of faith in him considering all our injuries, a contract extension to chip would be massive but obviously not a priority at this stage.

You do make a good point.

Jack Watts would probably be the next most at risk of coming under consideration of other clubs after Col.

Although as Jack can't walk by way of free agency I wouldn't be suprised if he was used as trade bait unless his out put improves soon.

He's a restricted free agent right?

If so, we really haven't much choice but to sign him or risk getting nothing.

Personally, I don't rate him and would prefer to trade him for a midfielder with a little more restraint and teamwork. But if it's a choice between signing him or losing him altogether, I obviously hope we can keep him.

Unrestricted chook can go anywhere he pleases and nothing we can do.

He would be out of his tree to sign up now.

Poor guy will never play finals again.......or will he?

I'm on the record in another thread as saying I reckon we could be back in the finals as early as 2015 if we can keep this group together.

The big question for me is if Neeld can last that long?

Poor guy will never play finals again.......or will he?

He will Roost it

In theory, the risks we have with losing a FA elsewhere are the same we have with potentially gaining a FA. Go hard at other FAs and give Silvia an offer that is reasonable for where he is at. Has he delivered on his promise yet? No. Is he likely to with us? Who knows, probably 50/50. Should we die wondering or let him go? If we get adequate compo, and gain another FA with good experience, I won't mind. What I think would hurt us most is the loss of experience in a young side.

I'm on the record in another thread as saying I reckon we could be back in the finals as early as 2015 if we can keep this group together.

The big question for me is if Neeld can last that long?

I agree, we need our best team on the park for a stretch of games, a break out year from 2-3 blokes and abit of confidence back and things could turn quickly.

Just look at Port.

Sign him up. Quality player not a team in the comp he wouldn't get a game for. Perhaps hasn't reached his potential but we can't keep losing our best players.

Unrestricted chook can go anywhere he pleases and nothing we can do.

He would be out of his tree to sign up now.

The only thing we have going for us then is the fact that we would be able to pay him more than any other club.

Ambivalent myself

What I think would hurt us most is the loss of experience in a young side.

Well, there's experience and there's experience, and perhaps Col isn't the kind of model citizen we need?

Not sure. Ambivalent myself.

I agree, we need our best team on the park for a stretch of games, a break out year from 2-3 blokes and abit of confidence back and things could turn quickly.

Just look at Port.

If only that we're true.

Our list has nowhere near the quality of Port.

If only that we're true.

Our list has nowhere near the quality of Port.

In some area's but i think we top them in others, recruit a couple of mids and i would happily say we would top them in terms of lists.

If he's so talented, maybe we can trade him in a deal to get, say, Zaharakis?

Sylvia and a first round pick might do it.

Or maybe someone should just point out to him that that is how far off 'genuine A-grader' he is and it's nobody's responsibility but his own.

The only thing we have going for us then is the fact that we would be able to pay him more than any other club.

Ill see your chook and raise you one rat

IMO there are 6 - 8 players who's names all start with the letter J that have more natural talent than Sylvia

Joel Macdonald?

James Sellar?

Jake Spencer?

Who am I missing?

If he's so talented, maybe we can trade him in a deal to get, say, Zaharakis?

Sylvia and a first round pick might do it.

Or maybe someone should just point out to him that that is how far off 'genuine A-grader' he is and it's nobody's responsibility but his own.

You cannot trade an unrestricted player LG

If only that we're true.

Our list has nowhere near the quality of Port.

Disagree and agree at the same time.

They have much more established talent then we do at the moment, but we've got a heap of un-tapped talent.

I don't want to use that dirty P word!

As for the comparison's with Port, our list does actually have a lot to offer.

Frawley, Garland, McDonald and Watts could rapidly become a truly premium-quality ground of tall, mobile defenders. But right now they are mostly broken for confidence.

Our forwards targets list is hardly shabby, with Clark, Dawes, Howe and Hogan to mix it from. But they are all injured, off-list or trying to assist our midfield.

Jamar has been functionally barely adequate but like so many, clearly is shot for confidence and is capable of much better. Gawn is extremely promising, but is in the ruckman equivalent of adolescence still.

But it is when you get under 190cm, things get very thin. We'd want 12 good players capable of running all day mixing midfield or agile forward/defender roles.

We have...

Sylvia, Jones, Grimes and Trengove and Mckenzie are all she wrote for midfielder's with any semblance of AFL experience. And McKenzie is considered by many to be right on the fringe of AFL vs VFL.

Then, a bunch of 'maybe' or 'probably not' 20-22 year olds and a few long-term kids, Viney and Toumpas.

So there it is - with confidence, our forwards and defenders could very quickly become promising.

But, and here is my endless mantra - we need five more consistently AFL standard midfielders. Five. Ouch.

No wonder there's so much angst about Toumpas and Viney not tearing the world apart in their first half-dozen games!