We will get one for one very simple reason:

This is the AFL's doing.

Place the following players into our team: Harley Bennell, Jaeger O'meara and Toby Green.

Future is not so dim is it? The expansion of the game created heavily compromised drafts and the clubs at the bottom circa 2009-10 were always going to be up against it. The league is struggling to create feeder competitions which create enough AFL level players. Look at 3/4's of our side and try and find a spot for them in any top 6 team and it becomes glaringly obvious.

This AFL presidents trip to the US will confirm what the AFL already knows. Good players and good resources make good teams and without them the sport itself suffers. 2 x 100 point loses in a day is not a good look.

Andy D will literally lock in our PP with Eddie on this trip.

Rightly so.

If the AFL has a rule on its books allowing draft assistance to be given then how could we possibly not qualify after seven miserable and mediocre seasons. I know some of it was self-inflicted and the cynics might add a bit was deliberate but they might as well tear up the rule book if we don't qualify.

We will get one for one very simple reason:

This is the AFL's doing.

Place the following players into our team: Harley Bennell, Jaeger O'meara and Toby Green.

Future is not so dim is it? The expansion of the game created heavily compromised drafts and the clubs at the bottom circa 2009-10 were always going to be up against it. The league is struggling to create feeder competitions which create enough AFL level players. Look at 3/4's of our side and try and find a spot for them in any top 6 team and it becomes glaringly obvious.

This AFL presidents trip to the US will confirm what the AFL already knows. Good players and good resources make good teams and without them the sport itself suffers. 2 x 100 point loses in a day is not a good look.

Andy D will literally lock in our PP with Eddie on this trip.

I expect to get shot down, but I don't necessarily agree with the idea that players like those listed above would be the answer to our problems. Put them into our team and allow them to approach the game with the same level of desire and commitment that we seem to have asked of all our current players and they will probably slip down the similar levels of performance (e.g. will make good contributions when things are going well and disappear when the going gets tough). Not saying they are not good players, and if our club was within a bulls roar of being a professional sporting outfit then these types of guys would be awesome additions. There is something stinking and wrong with our football club and until a fundamental change comes over how our players approach the game no number of 'superstars' could turn this ship around.

I'll give one glaring example that I see every single week when I go to watch our games. How many times do our players (and I'll single out Aaron Davey as someone who does this often) run towards an opposition player who is about to kick and instead of taking the opportunity to smother the ball they go with a late gentle bump to the body. It is one of the most infuriating things I have ever seen. It happens multiple times each week and numerous MFC players regularly do it. It is simply a case of being non-competitive. They don't seem to be desperate to win. Why does it keep happening every week? Have any of the other players pulled these guys aside at a quarter time huddle and asked 'WTF are you doing? Why the f didn't you smother that ball? Where is the desperation?'. You watch every other club play and their players look desperate to compete and win their one on one contests, to stop their opponent in any way they can, to gain every metre of advantage and stop every metre of gain for the opposition. Who has been in Lynden Dunn's ear over the last 3 years about his short steps when approaching a contest, or about how he so often makes it look like he's trying to hold his opponent out of a contest while he allows another opposition player to waltz in and take the footy in front of him without so much of a yelp. The coaches need to be onto this but so should the other players. They should be demanding that this stops. It's just non competitive stuff.

We cannot possibly have drafted 30 odd players who have have no desire whatsoever to compete. It looks like we have, but it just isn't possible. We have allowed these guys to become like this. They all come in from an under age system where they are trying to get 30 touches or kick 6 goals each week to get noticed. They often don't have the good defensive fundamentals built into them when they arrive in the AFL. We are the worst club at demanding and developing these fundamentals in the league. And we are the worst by a country mile. We have been the worst since I started watching football. 15 years ago you could still win games despite this, based purely on the offensive talent you put out on the park. You can't do that anymore. Opposition teams are too good at the sacrificial/defensive aspects of the game and can stifle your offensive output. Good offense flows out of strong and committed defense.

We all love Nathan Jones. I love him because it is clear that he works hard and has improved markedly over the last few years. But he is genuinely almost on his own in terms of that improvement. How is this possible? His improvement curve is equivalent to probably 10 players over the same period at almost every other club. I would have thought it's natural that with time spent in a professional and elite environment that a player should show that kind of improvement. How can he be the only one (or one of few)? It beggars belief.

I understand that people will say 'well we need high draft picks to come in and help change these issues'. Unfortunately I think it's too much to expect of young players. If a change to the sacrificial/defensive aspects of the game is not instigated throughout the entire club (and quickly) then we will simply bring in more high draft picks and ruin them too.

I recently spoke to a former player who is now involved at another club. He told me how frustrated he gets at the ribbing he cops from the players at this new club about his playing career. He said the players (sort of) kid with him that all games he played for the MFC do not count as AFL matches, because the MFC are a joke and the players never ever play with passion or a will to win. They are seen as a waste of time and an inconvenience to have to play against. And this is a player who didn't move in the last 1 or 2 years, so he departed Melbourne before we embraced the complete shambles that we have become over the last 2 years. How embarrassing to have that sentiment directed towards our football club.

I am now gravely concerned for the future of the club. I keep going every week now simply because I want to savor every opportunity to see the red and blue jumper in action. If the current playing group (adjusted for the comings and goings at the end of the season) do not drive the change in what this club is about then I don't think things are going to end well for us. I don't believe the solution lies in adding new talented individuals as much as in a fundamental change in dedication and approach from a group of individuals.

so would the PP be pick 1&2 or 1&5 or what any ideas?

If we finish 2nd last would it not be 2 & 3?

That seems the most likely scenario.

The other one is its a true priority pick at the front of the draft, which would scupper GWS plans to trade it as the 'rights' for Boyd.

The pitiful capitulation to North on Saturday at Etihad seems to have restored the PP to a higher place on the agenda - Melbourne could snatch wonderkid Tom Boyd from GWS if handed a priority draft pick by the AFL.

I've seen 1st hand how the AFL go out of its way to help us. 1/2 a Mil fine later, then lend us the $$ to bail us out of a hole.

All the while about 8 other clubs were rolling around laughing.

Would the PP come with strings attached? Or would they give a PP, then 5 yrs down the road nail us again for bringing the game into disrepute. Perhaps CW may have retired by then. Either way if he doesnt barrack for Richmond we should be safe.

I'd still take Boyd if he is available. Clark's foot may not come good, if it does, 2 yrs on we get to choose Hogan Boyd or Watts (if Watts gives the OK on the new coach and is still with us) to throw around as a trade. Guess who goes.

The prospect of building a side around two young key forwards does sound exciting, like what Hawthorn did.

if we take boyd do we trade dawes?

if we take boyd do we trade dawes?

I think if we take Boyd that we would trade Watts to the highest bidder.

The prospect of building a side around two young key forwards does sound exciting, like what Hawthorn did.

Except they already had the makings of a midfield. We may as well have nothing.

I agree though. It is exciting. If Boyd is best available, it's a horrible pickle to be in. Do you take him and trade something with potentially less value or do you trade the pick on to an opposition club who really need him? The latter option could bite us down the track in a big way. I've always been in the best available camp, but he'll never get the ball if there isn't a decent midfield in place. I wonder if we can begin to develop midfielders from within and let's say we've taken Boyd and added Hogan to the forward line, all of a sudden that could be a serious footy team.

And no, DF. We don't trade Dawes. He's just about the best leader we've got at the moment and left his last club to join us. What does trading him then say of us? FAs and potential opposition players would stay even further clear of the MFC.

Edited July 30, 201312 yr by AdamFarr

I think if we take Boyd that we would trade Watts to the highest bidder.

See, I'm torn on this. Watts has far more flexibility than Howe. I'd be trading Howe to the highest bidder. Watts' disposal is sublime and we could use him anywhere from half back to the wing to rotating through the forward half. Too valuable for mine. If we've got men that can take marks in the forward fifty (Hogan, Clark, Dawes and say Boyd), what does Howe offer us?

Edited July 30, 201312 yr by AdamFarr

See, I'm torn on this. Watts has far more flexibility than Howe. I'd be trading Howe to the highest bidder. Watts' disposal is sublime and we could use him anywhere from half back to the wing to rotating through the forward half. Too valuable for mine. If we've got men that can take marks in the forward fifty what does Howe offer us?

Howe is contracted.

Watts is contemplating leaving based on who we get on coach.

It would be great to take Boyd just to starve the other 17 teams of KPFs

It would be great to take Boyd just to starve the other 17 teams of KPFs

Wouldn't we just be starving 1 team?

Howe is contracted.

Watts is contemplating leaving based on who we get on coach.

Mate, that is a random news article. How do you know what he is actually thinking?

Wouldn't we just be starving 1 team?

Not if we used the second or third pick we'd get to snare an elite mid and then use our next pick on another mid.

If we manage to get a PP at least one of these has to be sought to be traded. Obviously this depends on who is available but we need rapid improvement and that won't come through drafting two more 18 year olds.

If we got picks 1 and 3, If they'd take it, I would trade pick 1 to GWS for pick 2 and Taylor Adams, then use 2 & 3 on the best midfield talent in the draft.

We don't need Boyd. We need midfield grunt.

Fyfe and Mundy to Melbourne for pick 1.

Edited July 31, 201312 yr by mjt

1. take boyd to build the forward line with hogan and Clark.

2. trade Watts to the highest bidder (keep Howe).

3. with pick 3, 19, the Watts pick select young midfielders to go with Viney, Toumpas, Jones, Trengove.

do NOT give up Boyd for a quick fix for our midfield.

dont worry about having too many talls in the forward line. Hawthorn's forward line regularly features Buddy, Roughy, Hale and Gunston - it seems to work for them.

The pitiful capitulation to North on Saturday at Etihad seems to have restored the PP to a higher place on the agenda - Melbourne could [censored] wonderkid Tom Boyd from GWS if handed a priority draft pick by the AFL.

Wow I really thought that was out of the question.

I thought they would be giving us a 2nd round pick (if they did give us a pp)

Edited July 31, 201312 yr by Young Dee

If we got picks 1 and 3, If they'd take it, I would trade pick 1 to GWS for pick 2 and Taylor Adams, then use 2 & 3 on the best midfield talent in the draft.

We don't need Boyd. We need midfield grunt.

VERY good idea that, I like it.

If we got picks 1 and 3, If they'd take it, I would trade pick 1 to GWS for pick 2 and Taylor Adams, then use 2 & 3 on the best midfield talent in the draft.

We don't need Boyd. We need midfield grunt.

This is one of the better suggestions i have seen on here mate, well done!

only thing i would change is i would bundle pick 1 and mark jamar and trade that for pick 2, taylor adams and anthony miles

then use pick two and three on James Aish and Dom sheed, ironically a fairly similar combo to viney and toumpas, it would take a few years but a midfield of,

Viney, toumpas, adams, N.jones, M.jones, dom sheed, james aish, trengove ( if he finds his zip ) sits pretty well wwith me, maybe throw in a mature free agent to teach them abit and we are well on the way.

I'd be staggered if we got a PP at the start of the draft.