Ok, seeing as you and Dwayne are on the same page then how about you both look a bit deeper next time rather than sprouting off stats as though they tell the whole story.

I think he would be one of the last people that I would like my original thoughts to be aligned with but there you go....

Come off it. No-one dislikes Dwayne Russell more than me, but I'm not silly enough to think that literally everything he says is invalid. It's a commonly quoted statistic.

Of course there are mitigating circumstances to Geelong's success with home ground advantages, father-son, maybe even dirty Dank and The Weapon, who knows for sure (tongue planted in cheek). But to claim that they aren't a textbook example of building a list and a culture is far fetched at best. And the fact is, they've done it without bottoming out or resorting to high draft picks. We ARE the anti-Geelong. Personally I'd like to see that change, and we've turfed the muppets who have run this BUSINESS into the ground, so there's no reason why it can't.

priority pick or not, i'd get JV In ollies ear and offer pick 2 to reunite them

The highest pick Geelong has had in the past 19 years is Pick 7. And they are enormously respected because of it.

There is enough young talent in thIs list, combined with what we will get through traditional means, for the club to make a push up the ladder, as long as we get the fundamentals, the actual cause of where we are, corrected.

The AFL will be proving financial assistance, rumoured to also be bankrolling our next coach, and we supposedly need draft assistance as well? Anything else while we're at it? Maybe Pendlebury, Selwood and Dangerfield, plus a Nike sponsorship deal?

Those who have arrogantly dismissed anyone who DARE question us getting a priority pick should prepare themselves for disappointment. The club however will survive, either way.

I agree with all of this, however, what is fair in the afl? Clubs have received a free ride from the afl, via the fixture for years, leading to huge earning potential, and all advantage that comes from that.

So, we get a priority pick, in a year, where last Saturday, we could only manage 19 inside 50s, infamously breaking an afl record. In context, Where's the harm?

Sydney get their salary cap allowance, as did Brisbane when they won their consecutive flags, GWS will continue to receive theirs well into their years of inevitable success.

It's a crappy system, but it's our crappy system!

Come off it. No-one dislikes Dwayne Russell more than me, but I'm not silly enough to think that literally everything he says is invalid. It's a commonly quoted statistic.

Of course there are mitigating circumstances to Geelong's success with home ground advantages, father-son, maybe even dirty Dank and The Weapon, who knows for sure (tongue planted in cheek). But to claim that they aren't a textbook example of building a list and a culture is far fetched at best. And the fact is, they've done it without bottoming out or resorting to high draft picks. We ARE the anti-Geelong. Personally I'd like to see that change, and we've turfed the muppets who have run this BUSINESS into the ground, so there's no reason why it can't.

You can have a good culture and priority picks, you can have a good culture without priority picks, you can't have a good culture with the wrong people running the club. I think Geelong are a good example of a club that has been well run off the field and it has translated to on field success.

By the way, where have I claimed the Cat's aren't a great example of building a club. You will find many posts where I believed we needed leadership of the Geelong kind, the most recent being why we did not need Kennett at the club. I wanted us to get Cook to the club when we had the opportunity but instead we renewed Shwab's contract. I would love for Ling to be involved in a some official capacity next year.

It is why I had been so strong in my views over the last few years that we desperately needed change at the top, many disagreed with my view and argued strongly for the status quo but my guess is they can see why change was imperative now.

All of the successful clubs get a leg up from the AFL in some way or another and there is no reason why we shouldn't seek and receive assistance to help get this club back up and running. I think unfortunately some are confusing this with the sorry tale of a past administration, poor drafting, poor development of players, failed coaching appointments and tanking.

There are also some that accuse the people in favour of a priority pick as seeing it as some kind of answer to all our problems. I don't see it that way at all, in fact I don't remember anyone stating this view at all in the current environment. I think they are getting confused with how the Schwab administration did business.

The PP is one of a number of measures that will help get things on track, it is not the one thing but it is an important part of the mix if we want a relatively quick turnaround. We are in direct competition to get up off the bottom of the ladder with 2 clubs that have had access to the best young talent in the land, we will need some help if we are to get in the race.

You raise some very valid points, alot of which I agree with. However I think you are too quick to dismiss the notion that this IS symptomatic of the way the MFC has been perceived, and run, for the past several years. Seeking the quick fix with cap in hand is just not something that appeals to me when I genuinely think that this club can drag itself off the canvass without draft assistance. I understand all the counter-arguments, I just am not in the "we must have it" camp. Is it a pride issue? Perhaps it is. I don't see that being the worst thing in the world.

At the end of the day, if we get it then I'll immediately move my focus on how it should be used. I won't be dwelling on why we don't need it.

You raise some very valid points, alot of which I agree with. However I think you are too quick to dismiss the notion that this IS symptomatic of the way the MFC has been perceived, and run, for the past several years. Seeking the quick fix with cap in hand is just not something that appeals to me when I genuinely think that this club can drag itself off the canvass without draft assistance. I understand all the counter-arguments, I just am not in the "we must have it" camp. Is it a pride issue? Perhaps it is. I don't see that being the worst thing in the world.

At the end of the day, if we get it then I'll immediately move my focus on how it should be used. I won't be dwelling on why we don't need it.

I definitely agree that the club has been run as you say and very poorly but I'm not as concerned by the perception as that changes week in week out in AFL circles. I am confident we are putting the right people in place to move the club forward and I haven't been for quite a while now. A lot of the perception will change with success it does strange things to peoples perception and memory.

Whilst it's not a "we must have it" for me it would be hard to see any club having a case for a PP in the future if we don't get one this year... but as you say it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. It would help be a help though and I certainly hope we get it.

Lets see what happens, either way we have some really interesting times ahead. Wouldn't it be good to go into a season without all these discussions of draft picks, coaching appointments etc. and just be concerned about on field issues and where to get good finals tickets.

Instead of strengthening the weak clubs perhaps the AFL should look at weakening the strong clubs.

They already tried that......by bringing the number of clubs to 18

problem was that it affected the weak clubs probably more

i just love the tautology of the argument that we don't deserve a priority pick (or equivalent)

No because our best players have come from higher picks, Terlich.. Jones.. Clisby.. Guy Rigoni etc no expectation means the players come on with no pressure!

Perception is such a weak reason for doing something.

I don't care how others see the MFC - just because they see us in a certain light does not mean we should alter how we go about doing what is best for our club.

We should try and win as many games as footy as this limited group can win.

We should go cap in hand to the AFL to fund the pay-outs of employees.

We should ask the Commission for draft assistance to allow us to compete sooner than we otherwise could.

We should explore every avenue to get better.

Perception is such a weak reason for doing something.

I don't care how others see the MFC - just because they see us in a certain light does not mean we should alter how we go about doing what is best for our club.

We should try and win as many games as footy as this limited group can win.

We should go cap in hand to the AFL to fund the pay-outs of employees.

We should ask the Commission for draft assistance to allow us to compete sooner than we otherwise could.

We should explore every avenue to get better.

You have my vote rpfc, where do I send my proxy form?

Dont ask....dont get.

I dont get those that dont ask !!

Dont ask....dont get.

I dont get those that dont ask !!

'cos its not only richmond that seem to attract an over-abundance of masochists

You have my vote rpfc, where do I send my proxy form?

You would have to think that he would probably do better than the last lot of cowboys running the show, he's got my vote as well.

any word?

No

No because our best players have come from higher picks, Terlich.. Jones.. Clisby.. Guy Rigoni etc no expectation means the players come on with no pressure!

There's a good idea, we should pass on our first two selections so any player we pick won't have any pressure on him. Maybe we should swap pick 2 for pick 30 and pick 20 for pick 50.

I think we're on to something here.

Do we deserve it ?? Dunno...dont care really

can we GET it ?? ahhh again..dont ask , dont get. Why not.

Just posted this elswhere

AD just said we are going to get a substantial package in line with what we want.

The AFL will have another meeting with us to clarify a couple of things this wk. Don't know what those things are.

Package does not include a large sum of cash to chase a big name coach. Don't know about this one.

We won't find out whether we will get a pp until the last game.

Begs the ques what did we ask for?

What we deserve is to be taken to a quiet room and given a big green injection .

Luckily ,the AFL and others don't see it that way just yet.

If we get 24-30 guys who refuse to let this happen-regardless of our debt ,we will survive the next four or five years .

My hatred for sporting administrators grows daily .

They ruin things they don't own.

Enough.

No-we should refuse any picks offered by the AFL.

Demetriou has confirmed that Melbourne can't ask for a PP until season's end, nor can the AFL examine it until that point, which makes alot more sense than a situation where it had already been asked for and we'd receive an answer in the next few weeks. Those who were adamant that was the case, that's incorrect.

I'd be interested if we win a few more games by season's end whether opinion on here would shift. I'm guessing not.

I couldn't care less about the PP, just excited about possibly having a premiership coach next yers

What I am getting at RobbieF is that, we have had our chances trying to pick the best talent in the draft.. And after so much access [censored] it up all the time.. Our 200 + players always come left of field.. Ie our last good captain James McDonald came off a rookie list!

Why we are not getting games into a ready made Magner is beyond me!!

There's a good idea, we should pass on our first two selections so any player we pick won't have any pressure on him. Maybe we should swap pick 2 for pick 30 and pick 20 for pick 50.

I think we're on to something here.

As the gnome said in his presser a couple of weeks ago - there are plenty of conversations and commentaries on it, but we'll leave it to the independent body to decide what we get.

What I am getting at RobbieF is that, we have had our chances trying to pick the best talent in the draft.. And after so much access [censored] it up all the time.. Our 200 + players always come left of field.. Ie our last good captain James McDonald came off a rookie list!

Why we are not getting games into a ready made Magner is beyond me!!

Kent has a better future.

We need to get the best recruiters & development coaches & culture!