Emma Quayle who has never played AFL shows up some of the so-called pundits with this piece:-

Dees' cupboard is not completely bare

Here's her Demon team for the future (2016) -

Melbourne in 2016

B Terlich, Frawley, ?????

HB Garland, McDonald, Grimes

C Toumpas, Viney, Blease

HF Watts, Hogan, Howe

F ?????, Dawes, Sylvia?

Foll: Clark, Trengove, N Jones

Inter: Gawn, Tapscott?, Evans?, M. Jones?, Kent ?, McKenzie?, Barry?, Taggert? Tynan?, Spencer?

????? Position to be filled

? Jury is out

yeah, read that with interest this morning.

not sure about the forward line, and in the paper she had dawes listed on the bench and at full forward.

i can see clark forward, gawn in the ruck, howe up on the wing, watts gone, blease gone, sylvia gone.

she also left off billy stretch and jake lovett, and as well we know, they're going to be the best father-son selections since baby judas and ol' man fletcher.

B Terlich, Frawley, Garland
HB ?????, ?????, Grimes
C ?????, Jones, ?????
HF ?????, Dawes, Howe
F ?????, Clark, Hogan
Foll: Jamar, ?????, ????
Inter: Viney, Evans, Trengove, Toumpas

Potential to fill gaps: Sylvia (if he stays), Watts, Davey (short term), McDonald, McKenzie, M. Jones, Byrnes (short term), Kent, Tapscott, Strauss, Blease, Gawn

I see it with a bit less optimism and some things differently. I think Jamar is still good enough to hold down the ruck to help a young midfield and I think putting Clark as permanent ruck is too ambitious. I think he's best used as FF where he can rest up and rotating into the ruck or even as a permanent full forward if one of Dawes/Hogan are out and we bring in another back up ruck.

McDonald's kicking is at such a level he's only a prospect but regardless we have the makings of a good backline.

The forward talls are sorted but the smalls are a mess and are due to not having any ball come down we haven't worked out who can play there but we can find something from Kent and Blease I really hope.

The midfield is still a mess. Trengove, Viney, Evans and Toumpas all look good but are at such a level that they should only be considered to be the depth of the midfield and not the front line. We might be able to pencil McKenzie in as a tagger once he gets over some injuries and form issues he's proven to be a good AFL tagger before. But even then we still need 1 starting inside midfield and one starting outside midfielder with experience for any immediate results and I think at the same time it would aide development. Our best attempt might be to stick with Magner and Matt Jones whilst we aim to recruit some more good kids and bring them through.

would be nice if we finally had a great crumbing forward

god i miss the Wizard

It's not just the team she has set out there (even if one assumes we'll keep them all). It's what can be done with three years' development (assuming we get that right going forward) and three years' recruiting starting off with the potential boost we get from our early draft pick and the concessions Jackson and McLardy extracted at Friday's meeting (assuming we get them right going forward).

B: Terlich - Frawley - Garland
HB: Grimes - McDonald - GAP
C: Trengove - N Jones - Howe
HF: GAP - Hogan - GAP
F: Clark - Dawes - GAP
Foll: Gawn - GAP - Viney
I/C: Toumpas (?) - Stretch (?) - GAP

Sub: GAP

others: Tapscott?, Evans?, M. Jones?, Kent ?, McKenzie?, Barry?, Taggert?, Tynan?, Lovett?

we need a quick and skilled half-back flanker (think Shaw) which Toumpas very well may become, a hard nut ruck rover with breakaway pace (Thomas would be perfect, but Aish or Dunstan might fill this role), a livewire half-forward or two. a small forward, and quality depth on the bench.

whoever we pick up with our first three draft selections (presumably three inside 20 or so) should add midfield depth and class (aish, dunstan, etc.), or potentially another vital forward (e.g. boyd), although shoe-horning them in might be tricky - but you always want top quality class, so if he's best available, take him.

The way I see us right now is a potentially solid - v good backline. A solid to v good forward line, And a D grade midfield, but with a couple of potentially very nice kiddies in it. We need 2 X very good mids (not great, although that would be nice, but workman like, sensible, and efficient would make a world of difference) and we'll be a much, much better club for it.

However we have mental problems. We've had them for over a decade and they've gotten worse by the year since 2007. All the talent in the world wont fix that. I think that maybe we'll be on our way with Jackson, a coach with clout, and a board that has a clue.

If we can become a club with pride and belief (and a couple of extra good mids) I think we can go places in a hurry. I'm not going to hold my breath though.

Brilliant journalist. Wholeheartedly agree with her assessment too.

Everyone is talking about what we could do in a few years. I don't see why they couldn't play finals next year. It's happened before.

Everyone is talking about what we could do in a few years. I don't see why they couldn't play finals next year. It's happened before.

Please may we get a coach who shares this belief.

It's all down to the coach and the all important make up of our 2014 midfield. If we have a good mixture of experience and talent, season 2014 may hold some surprises. Making the finals is pretty fanciful though. The eventual coach should never set the bar too low though. That has been a failing of Bailey and Neeld in the media arena. Anything must be seen to be possible from our coach and team next year.

Everyone is talking about what we could do in a few years. I don't see why they couldn't play finals next year. It's happened before.

What has? Crap teams making the finals, or the dysfuctional sack the coacj, sack the CEO, have the President resign as a condition of an AFL bailout making the finals?

We're unique, baby. We really are. As I said above I don't think that our list is as bad as our results, and it has some bright lights (on paper, anyway), but we have some major issues between the ears. If we can sort those out then we'll look a much better team (and club), but finals? It'd be nice, but I've see too many false dawns to wish for anything but an end to the pain.

Edited June 18, 201312 yr by Carrot Top

If daws an mitch h get. A full preseason anything might happen 2014, ohogan aswell will develope everywell he will have what watts never had. Two very seasoned forwards to guide him.

would be nice if we finally had a great crumbing forward

god i miss the Wizard

I heard there may be a St. Kilda player going cheap soon who can play in the forward line.

I heard there may be a St. Kilda player going cheap soon who can play in the forward line.

I heard he is going to play for Barwon

I heard he is going to play for Barwon

We lost again od did we LOL

Best summation of our list I've read.

I've thought for some time that Quayle & Flannagan are probably the two best footy journo's out there.

Sadly we get saturated with the likes of Wilson, Ralph etc.

Emma Quayle who has never played AFL shows up some of the so-called pundits with this piece:-Dees' cupboard is not completely bare

Here's her Demon team for the future (2016) -

Emma has put up a side that aside from moving Clark to the pocket is nearly identical to the one I have posted a couple of times.

Good to see great minds think alike. Seriously though it shows we are not a basket case of a list but as I have said we are playing like one. That can change and it can be improved as well.

An interesting point is that we all know Hogan has not played yet, but neither have Clark and Dawes in the same team as well. On top of that JV has played only a few games and same with Toumpas. JT is only starting to regain fitness and touch and Grimes and Mc Donald have also played only a few games.

All sides have injuries but few have consistently had the injuries to their best players as we have had. When you are a lower side those injuries kill you. Look at this week. We play the Saints with them fired up over the two Nick's 250 games and not to mention Milne's issue where they will try and support him. We will have no Clark, JV, Grimes, probably Dawes etc. It makes the task so much harder. Can you really see us having a winning chance in those circumstances even with a new Coach.

Emma has put up a side that aside from moving Clark to the pocket is nearly identical to the one I have posted a couple of times.

Good to see great minds think alike. Seriously though it shows we are not a basket case of a list but as I have said we are playing like one. That can change and it can be improved as well.

An interesting point is that we all know Hogan has not played yet, but neither have Clark and Dawes in the same team as well. On top of that JV has played only a few games and same with Toumpas. JT is only starting to regain fitness and touch and Grimes and Mc Donald have also played only a few games.

All sides have injuries but few have consistently had the injuries to their best players as we have had. When you are a lower side those injuries kill you. Look at this week. We play the Saints with them fired up over the two Nick's 250 games and not to mention Milne's issue where they will try and support him. We will have no Clark, JV, Grimes, probably Dawes etc. It makes the task so much harder. Can you really see us having a winning chance in those circumstances even with a new Coach.

No

The issue has always been senior players and midfielders.

Hopefully, as Jones, Grimes, Clark, Frawley and Garland become those senior players that will not be an issue as much anymore.

But the midfield...

I would love to convince a 23 year old star-to-be to come to us but even that won't solve it. It needs talent and time.

It's not just the team she has set out there (even if one assumes we'll keep them all). It's what can be done with three years' development (assuming we get that right going forward) and three years' recruiting starting off with the potential boost we get from our early draft pick and the concessions Jackson and McLardy extracted at Friday's meeting (assuming we get them right going forward).

Jack, I may have missed something with the meeting we had with the AFL. I know we were after concessions in the draft. Did the AFL agree to any?

If so what?

Jack, I may have missed something with the meeting we had with the AFL. I know we were after concessions in the draft. Did the AFL agree to any?

If so what?

I know you asked WJ the question but he would probably answer in the same way as me.

The only ones who would know would be the people in the meeting. Even they might not know as the AFL might have askednformtime to consider the issue.

I think we will get some help in the draft but I am unsure what. I am confident in this though, if with our record over 7 years we don' t get draft help, no club will ever again. We have been crap.

would be nice if we finally had a great crumbing forward

god i miss the Wizard

Just as important is the forward pressure these types of players can put on that is vital to modern team defensive structures. We need that forward fifty harassment of defenders trying to rebound and trying to hold the ball in there until support can arrive and or the forward press is set up.

I know you asked WJ the question but he would probably answer in the same way as me.

The only ones who would know would be the people in the meeting. Even they might not know as the AFL might have askednformtime to consider the issue.

I think we will get some help in the draft but I am unsure what. I am confident in this though, if with our record over 7 years we don' t get draft help, no club will ever again. We have been crap.

If we didn't get help it would only be a political decision within the AFL context rather than any real considerations of our teams plight, because as you say if we don't who else will ever qualify.