Righto then, i'll be the first to complain about this disgraceful language.

Nobody should ever be able to use the word 'Barrett' ever again. Furthermore if the word 'Damian' is placed in front 'Barrett' there should be lifetime bans handed out.

LOL

I am actually a bit disappointed we have signed Cross, he wasn't getting a game at the Dogs last season, so there must be a reason.

Yes we needed a bit more in the midfield, but a guy on the wrong side of 30, doesn't kick goals and is slowish, yes courageous, but has the game passed him by?

We tried this last year with pretty mixed results. You get experience as a young guy by playing games, I hope he doesn't hold one of the young ones back by playing

The other 3 signings, yes all for them, Vince is a proven goalkicker as well as a midfielder and the other two could be anything

Once again, a perplexing reaction from you!

You defend the general ineptitude of the past with absolute ferocity...

then pour cold water on positive moves by the footy club now.

Do you fear change..?

+ either Freeman, Crouch or Sheed?

You do realise those 3 are all 184cm or under..?

You do realise those 3 are all 184cm or under..?

Sheed will hit 185cm by the time he gets going. But yes Crouch and Freeman are small midfielders.

I love the hypocrisy on this site, last year we had 'we should play the kids", "why we getting older players who can't get a game with their Club", now it's Daniel Cross and the orgasmic sounds coming from the board are positively embaressing.

I have an opinion, I am happy to be proven wrong, I will put my hand up, as you know I will

As for the experts on Big Footy applauding the move, wow, Big Footy.......most have to type one handed....

The difference being (for those that can't grasp the subtleties of such things) that Cross wasn't not getting a game because he wasn't good enough. It was because of their excess of young talent in his position and their need to develop for the future.

Cross proved his value in the VFL and when he was put back in the senior side.

Michie is young, was not getting a game because of injuries and Freo's excess of young talent at his position.

Byrnes couldn't get a game because he just wasn't good enough unless there were injuries, and was delisted.

Gillies just wasn't good enough to get a game and was delisted, despite them needing to develop young defenders.

Pedersen couldn't crack North's side.

Can you see the difference?

Just amusing to see you so vehemently defend mediocrity, yet be so hesitant towards an influx of quality that will improve the performance of the club, short and long term.

Do you like losing..?

Why do you always react to SH, Machsy?

I do?

Can't recall doing it in the past.

Might be wrong.

I just found his attitude mindboggling considering the circumstances.

At least that's consistent?

I love the hypocrisy on this site, last year we had 'we should play the kids", "why we getting older players who can't get a game with their Club", now it's Daniel Cross and the orgasmic sounds coming from the board are positively embaressing.

I have an opinion, I am happy to be proven wrong, I will put my hand up, as you know I will

As for the experts on Big Footy applauding the move, wow, Big Footy.......most have to type one handed....

Last year we needed mids and we got Gillies, Byrnes, Pedersen and a bloke who'd done his knee 16 times.

Cross costs us NOTHING, has a legendary training ethic and averages 22+ possessions per game. The Dogs are opposite to us. With Libba, Wallis, Boyd, Griffen, Cooney and Koby Stevens they're well stocked for mids PLUS they want to get games into Smith, Hrovat, and Macrae. It made sense to move Cross on. They don't need him. But for a year, or maybe two he'd be handy for us.

It's hard to be too displeased with this deal, but you found a way.

I just found his attitude mindboggling considering the circumstances.

At least that's consistent?

You seem surprised, Mach.

He may be a dimwit, but he's an effective troll, I'll give him that.

Haha what a [censored] - just listen to him on trade radio, comes of as a fawning loser - also has all these extreme opinions about teams/players/trades then when interviewing anyone about them goes to water like a meek little moron.

"Do you think the Roos can make the Grand Final in 2014 Terry?"

"Nup"

"Do you think Dal Santo could be the difference between the Roos making the GF in 2014?"

(pause) "No"

LMAO

Was this an actual conversation?

Once again, a perplexing reaction from you!

You defend the general ineptitude of the past with absolute ferocity...

then poor cold water on positive moves by the footy club now.

Do you fear change..?

Actually no. just stating a personal opinion, as I said I may be wrong, unlike some I will be prepared to admit that, just think that perhaps Cross' time has gone, but hopefully better judges than me in Roos/Viney/Taylor don't think so, not confirmed on Club website yet though

There wasn't ineptitude in the past, there were different approaches, some worked, some didn't, I am not a fan of hindsight, I wasn't overjoyed when we picked up Byrnes last year, thought the same thing, still to see him reproduce Geelong form, think under Roos he will either HAVE to or will spend the year at Casey

You seem surprised, Mach.

He may be a dimwit, but he's an effective troll, I'll give him that.

Nice to see you can type one handed as well, you really do enjoy yourself don't you, unhappy childhood was it? or you still in it?

That concerns me even more, what keeping Terlich, Barry, Kent, Blease out of the side?, I will wait and see, hopefully I am wrong, if I am i will put my hand up

I just think he has had his day.

Spoke to quite a few other teams supporters at work this morning, we all chat as we arrive, they all thought we have been doing really good business with Vince, Tyson and Michie but none are sold on this, same as me

Saty other teams supporters are as simple as us... we all think we know... we don't really know much

In saying that I think he will be a bit of both, a positive in the way he goes about things to guys like Toump, Viney etc, an influence in "half" the games but not sure he will be good across the whole season.

I am actually a bit disappointed we have signed Cross, he wasn't getting a game at the Dogs last season, so there must be a reason.

Yes we needed a bit more in the midfield, but a guy on the wrong side of 30, doesn't kick goals and is slowish, yes courageous, but has the game passed him by?

We tried this last year with pretty mixed results. You get experience as a young guy by playing games, I hope he doesn't hold one of the young ones back by playing

The other 3 signings, yes all for them, Vince is a proven goalkicker as well as a midfielder and the other two could be anything

If anyone else had said this of the club last season, you would have jumped down their throat. That exit interview went poorly, I gather?

FWIW, I respectfully disagree. I think Cross further eases the pressure on Jones and adds a second senior body to the midfield mix, along with Vince. I think next season we'll be looking for more mids within the 22-24 age bracket to fill that need and I wouldn't be surprised if we go for one more aging mid. Afterall, Cross' contract is for one year. It's very, very sensible by the club IMO. A no-brainer, as the Americans would say.

It's hard to be too displeased with this deal, but you found a way.

And you cared enough to respond!

I am actually a bit disappointed we have signed Cross, he wasn't getting a game at the Dogs last season, so there must be a reason.

Yes we needed a bit more in the midfield, but a guy on the wrong side of 30, doesn't kick goals and is slowish, yes courageous, but has the game passed him by?

We tried this last year with pretty mixed results. You get experience as a young guy by playing games, I hope he doesn't hold one of the young ones back by playing

The other 3 signings, yes all for them, Vince is a proven goalkicker as well as a midfielder and the other two could be anything

That you Damian?

Sheed will hit 185cm by the time he gets going. But yes Crouch and Freeman are small midfielders.

Or we could end up drafting Bontempelli who's 191cm or the 188cm Kolodjashnji.....

We have one player who averaged more than 20 possessions a game in 2013 - N Jones.

We have just recruited two more: Cross and Vince

Has to be good.

You do realise those 3 are all 184cm or under..?

Was talking more about body shape than height.

Was this an actual conversation?

Yep, I've paraphrased but it's a pretty accurate dialogue of what was said in the sapce of a minute or so. It's not verbatim but pretty close to (think it was last Wednesday when they were talking about North).

If anyone else had said this of the club last season, you would have jumped down their throat. That exit interview went poorly, I gather?

FWIW, I respectfully disagree. I think Cross further eases the pressure on Jones and adds a second senior body to the midfield mix, along with Vince. I think next season we'll be looking for more mids within the 22-24 age bracket to fill that need and I wouldn't be surprised if we go for one more aging mid. Afterall, Cross' contract is for one year. It's very, very sensible by the club IMO. A no-brainer, as the Americans would say.

Actually it is the hindsight warriors whose throat I jump down, I could understand the recruitment of certain players last season, but it ended in tears, for a myriad of reasons, then the "i told you so brigade' start the bleating, I thought the recruitment of Byrnes was a gamble, but understood why it happened, thought we had gone past that, hence the recruitment of Cross to me is a gamble......as I said happy to be proved wrong...but you read it here first

We have one player who averaged more than 20 possessions a game in 2013 - N Jones.

We have just recruited two more: Cross and Vince

Has to be good.

Exactly!!

We average nearly 80 touches of the pill last year per game less than the opposition. It excites me that we have recruited some players who actually have the ability to win there own ball in Cross, Michie, Vince & Tyson.

Last years was recruiting was a disgrace!

I had nothing against the recruiting of Byrnes (other than the effect it had on our compo) as he filled a supposed need we all thought was required. I remember during the intraclub match after he slotted through his 4th of 5th how excited we all were.... how we wrong.

http://www.afl.com.au/video?guid=535947

Good footage of Cross. Love his courage and desperation.

Last year we took on players who were well past their prime and some who never had a prime. Cross is at worst a good mentor to the younger players and at best a solid performer in the midfield.

My negative on this is I hope he doesn't come at the cost of someone like Taggert.

There's nothing wrong with your opinion or Barrett's for that matter (although I do think his description on here is pretty accurate), at the moment nothing has been proven. It was the same last year when we all put on the rose coloureds and the Barrett's of the world were probably proven right, at least in the short term. The one thing they didn't get last year though was the value of Hogan, the long term game.

In the end the only KPI that counts...The Scoreboard...will as always be the ultimate decider.

Sure, folk will say "Taggart is / will be an absolute gun, etc, etc" - IF Taggart proves himself more worthy than Cross of a game then I bet Roos will pick him, but the days of "getting games into kids" for the sake of it have gone with the Barnham Neeld & Bailey circus.

Or we could end up drafting Bontempelli who's 191cm or the 188cm Kolodjashnji.....

And here we are again - two promising big bodied mids. Should be at least one of them available.

That concerns me even more, what keeping Terlich, Barry, Kent, Blease out of the side?

Cross isn't going to keep Terlich out of the side, they're entirely different positions. Not helping your case there at all.

As for the rest, i've never understood this argument. Collingwood need to drop Swan, Pendlebury, Beames etc., because they're stopping younger players getting a game?

And people complain about our lack of development. They need to earn it, and do what Cross has done - learn to work hard and get the most out of themselves. Easier said than done when you're being gifted games in a third-rate midfield.

Sure, folk will say "Taggart is / will be an absolute gun, etc, etc" - IF Taggart proves himself more worthy than Cross of a game then I bet Roos will pick him, but the days of "getting games into kids" for the sake of it have gone with the Barnham Neeld & Bailey circus.

And here we are again - two promising big bodied mids. Should be at least one of them available.

The concern I have is for Taggert to hold his place on the list, not that he won't get a game. At the moment he is uncontracted, the negative with Cross is that whilst he doesn't cost much he does take a place on the list, that's the price we pay.