I stopped reading after seeing that apparently Blease showed promise in his first two years. Perhaps he demonstrated some killer skills on NBA 2K9 or Leisure Suit Larry III while his foot lay next to him.

Ah... the man in the polyester suit!!!

That brings back memories!

That's it.

I don't think anyone is saying draft picks alone will save us.

But we shouldn't be looking gift horses in the mouth, or even turning away the raw tools we should be using to rebuil the list.

I don't see why we should make things potentially harder for ourselves than they need to be.

All in the name of false dignity...

Why should they? They are hardly MFC club agents. In fact on the basis of past contributions it better they keep out. I agree with you that the logic behind the anti PP argument is flawed.

You may well be right that those guys haven't always done us much good. But leaving that aside I'd have thought it is pretty obvious why it would be good if supporters in the public eye would counter some of the rubbish that is being touted about PP's.

I dont want a priority pick and prefer the club to stand on its own but if the rule exists then surely we may qualify. Our history including wasted picks and poor development is irrelevant it is a decision that should be based purely on the here and now. Does the MFC need a priority to become competetive and not have a negative effect on the comp?. I am not sure of the answer, I think our back line and potential of our forward line means that we are not weak across the field and that key big men are in place in some depth. This should mean that we dont really need a leg up. If Watts or Sylvia walk then that may impact on the decision.

I dont want a priority pick and prefer the club to stand on its own but if the rule exists then surely we may qualify. Our history including wasted picks and poor development is irrelevant it is a decision that should be based purely on the here and now. Does the MFC need a priority to become competetive and not have a negative effect on the comp?. I am not sure of the answer, I think our back line and potential of our forward line means that we are not weak across the field and that key big men are in place in some depth. This should mean that we dont really need a leg up. If Watts or Sylvia walk then that may impact on the decision.

Where on earth does this train of thought come from?

Did you ever hear Hawthorn say that, or people criticise them now for not doing that?

Collingwood? Carlton?

And if we suffer from that perception, it is not going to change by us not getting a PP now.

Don't complain about getting Scully taken off us, we netted Hogan out of it.

Let's face it, Hogan smash Scully.

It's like a game of paper, Hogan, Scully.

Hogan tears paper

Paper suffocates Scully

Hogan smashes Scully

Scully beats nothing.

Interesting argument whether to go out and argue the point with a statement or whether to stay silent. PJ when asked was quite vocal and adamant on his arguments why we should get it based on performance over the past 7 years and he challenged the Media to do the research and then comment. Interesting that the arguments being raised from people like Barrett and the Like don't address his (PJ) arguments.

Media all believe and have stated on numerous occasions that MFC have had a horrible on-field performance for years. But they believe we should not get a PP but not because we are a poorly performing but because we have had plenty of chances to get it right and we are still struggling.

Emotional charged rhetoric aside the media still have not met PJ's challenge to do the research and then formulate an argument against.

I say to the media put up or shut up!

This is a big call for the AFL, it basically kills the priority pick if the MFC doesn't get one. What then happens it the GWS doesn't improve over the next two years, or Brisbane continues to implode over the next 12 months or Sydney start to lose there older players and really bottoms, the AFL can't have these interstate clubs propping up the AFL ladder, it is not good for the game and the games development in these rugby states. The AFL need to keep the priority pick alive.

You know it's going to be a bad article when they use fantasy points to make a point...

The article does not show more perception than the average Pies supporter on the street would have, which is a bit disappointing from a sports journo. However, it would be remiss of a club in our situation to not apply for a priority pick and I don't think he really gets that.

"Maybe Jackson was still dizzy with his incredible success in getting Roos' signature" - condescending p..k!

As I have metioned before, the real reason they don't want us getting a priority pick is they think we may get it right.

It is frustratingly specious reasoning: to simply say that because we have not picked well, we don't deserve to pick anymore?

Just ignorant.

It is actually the stupidest argument you could mount - if those players we picked were successful then we wouldn't need the priority pick anyway. The fact that previous picks haven't worked out helps our argument that the team is rubbish and needs assistance.

Also just because a team has picked poorly in the past doesn't guarantee anything for the future especially as different people are now making the decisions. Fiora, Tambling, Oakley-Nicholls etc didn't prevent Richmond from picking up Cotchin, Martin, Conca and Vlastuin.

All these journalists trying to shape public perception of what they want to happen, pedaling their own agendas.

If we don't get a priority pick, it's not because we didn't deserve one, but rather because the AFL let their decision be made by the journalists and public.