Colin Sylvia

[chook fowler 19,429]

Brent Grgic heads my list of cooda/ shooda beens- was going to be the next Gary Lyon and had all the attributes.

[beelzebub 23,310]

Brent Grgic heads my list of cooda/ shooda beens- was going to be the next Gary Lyon and had all the attributes.

not quite all it would seem

[Barney Rubble 1,576]

Sylvia was one guy who demanded respect, but never was prepared to earn it.

I remember his first game after his year of OP. Standing at CHF and stamping his foot like a kid that hadn't got the present he thought he was getting. All because the ball wasn't kicked to him.

Self centred selfish Brat.

[Coq au vin 755]

In 2004 we didn't have a top ten pick, But the hawks picked (and developed) the three best players in the draft, because they knew what they were doing when other teams didn't...

2004 draftPick 1: Brett Deledio (Richmond)Pick 2: Jarryd Roughead (Hawthorn)Pick 3: Ryan Griffen (Western Bulldogs)Pick 4: Richard Tambling (Richmond)Pick 5: Lance Franklin (Hawthorn)Pick 6: Tom Williams (Western Bulldogs)Pick 7: Jordan Lewis (Hawthorn)Pick 8: John Meesen (Adelaide)Pick 9: Jordan Russell (Carlton)Pick 10: Chris Egan (Collingwood)

John Meesen - what a disaster he was! Don't remind me! The poor fellow was continually plagued by foot injuries.

[Coq au vin 755]

Sylvia was an overrated dud spud. He had a couple of good games but couldn't sustain high performance footy. He wasn't as good as the hype about him and that led to his off field shenanigans- the expectations on him were too high and he couldn't cope with that.

[La Dee-vina Comedia 16,664]

It's amazing really, five of those picks in that top 10 aren't just average footballers, they are absolute spuds. Four are stars and the other (Delidio) is very good.

To be fair to Deledio, he may also have attained the standing of the other 4 stars if he had been in a well-functioning club over the journey (particularly in his formative years).

[beelzebub 23,310]

Colin Sylvia....add him to a list of players who enjoyed the ride and took the club for one. Always put a couple of good games together near contract time and then went back to 'normal'. A career at Melbourne of cameo teases and thats all

His greatest achievement for us was going.

[Tim 3,413]

I wish Colin all the best. I still remember him fondly. He helped my close friend's son get through a serious teenage crisis as a mentor through the Reach program.

This boy is now a fine upstanding 22 year old who credits Col for helping him at one of life's major crossroads when he was a sixteen year old.

Just thought I would throw in a different perspective.

Good story. Reminds me that he and Jordie McKenzie attended a community get-together in our suburb not far from the G on a Sunday afternoon in November a couple of years ago. We approached Richmond first and they wouldn't be in it, but Melbourne offered Col and Jordie. They were both terrific, and Col was very engaging with everyone, esp the kids. Didn't stop me growling to myself in the grandstands about his footy over the journey, but good on him for his contribution to our festival on his day off.

Edited April 30, 2015 by Tim

[Grimes Times 1,278]

Pick 5 (Western Bulldogs) – Taylor Walker

It’s almost unbelievable that Taylor Walker was the final draft selection in 2007, the crows taking him with the 75th pick. Remarkable.

He struggled early on with his form and his attitude towards the game, but you get the feeling Walker is the AFL’s next breakout star. He is 24 years of age, the newly appointed captain of Adelaide, and the much-loved ‘Tex’ in South Australia. He’s only played 85 games in his career, partly due to a season-ending injury in 2013 and the early form issues, but Tex is on the verge of something incredible.

He’s kicked 203 goals, is a two-time leading goal-kicker at the Crows (kicked 63 in 2012), and if Round 1’s performance is anything to go by, he could be our game’s next superstar forward.

He is relatively accurate in front of goal, can take a pack mark and has a ferocious attack on the ball.

Walker was a NSW Scholarship player originally from Broken Hill, hence the reason that he was pick 75.

[rpfc 28,211]

Walker was a NSW Scholarship player originally from Broken Hill, hence the reason that he was pick 75.

Yeah, but the person that wrote this is from the widely overrated website known as The Roar where they get wannabe blowhards from all over the country to contribute to their nonsense.

Still better than the Hun tho...

Edited April 30, 2015 by rpfc

[Straight Sets Simon 23,113]

To be fair to Deledio, he may also have attained the standing of the other 4 stars if he had been in a well-functioning club over the journey (particularly in his formative years).

Still, amazing to think that of the top ten half are basically stars and the rest are duds. Almost nothing inbetween.

[jackaub 1,402]

Still, amazing to think that of the top ten half are basically stars and the rest are duds. Almost nothing inbetween.

All the more reason MFC should trade, trade, trade high picks for ready made established players while we have high picks.

Eventually I see a time when all high picks will be traded to higher finishing clubs and the value allotted will become less and the Draft event wont mean as much as is does now. All clubs will wake up to this.

[Curry & Beer 5,444]

All the more reason MFC should trade, trade, trade high picks for ready made established players while we have high picks.

Eventually I see a time when all high picks will be traded to higher finishing clubs and the value allotted will become less and the Draft event wont mean as much as is does now. All clubs will wake up to this.

It's still a fact though that a pick in the top10 is more valuable than a pick from 11-20 - there are no guarantees, just a higher probability of success, and that will never change. At this moment we have Hogan, Tyson, Salem, Brayshaw and Viney (if not for FS would have been about pick 7) all of whom are high draft picks and all look set for great careers.. then there's Watts, Petracca and Trengove. Then there's our skipper and VC who were pick 12 and 15.

[beelzebub 23,310]

All the more reason MFC should trade, trade, trade high picks for ready made established players while we have high picks.

Eventually I see a time when all high picks will be traded to higher finishing clubs and the value allotted will become less and the Draft event wont mean as much as is does now. All clubs will wake up to this.

i tend to agree. The nature of the draft is bound to change, even more should the age be lifted a bit. Not sure it will be all one way traffic but smart clubs will use the sharp end of the draft less and better refine their recruiting via better info..

Sylvia just highlights an older less informed era

[Moonshadow 17,672]

Colin who???

[Sir Why You Little 36,870]

All the more reason MFC should trade, trade, trade high picks for ready made established players while we have high picks.

Eventually I see a time when all high picks will be traded to higher finishing clubs and the value allotted will become less and the Draft event wont mean as much as is does now. All clubs will wake up to this.

excellent point Jackub

We need ready made players now.

Get the supporters out of the shadows and into the MCG.

[beelzebub 23,310]

Colin who???

..sorry, no idea,; some bloke !

[Tony Tea 2,806]

Not sure I take kindly to this Robbo article. Does he do any research?

http://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/afl-premiership/colin-sylvia-retired-after-failing-to-maximise-his-immense-talent-writes-mark-robinson/story-e6frf3e3-1227325516212

"Leaders" at Melbourne when he arrived:

David Neitz

James McDonald

Jeff White

Adam Yze

To name a few.

To me a "leader" is someone who drags his side over the line in tough games - think Joel Selwood. Between Northey and now hopefully Roos, we rarely won a game when the other side put the clamps on us. I put that down to too many Whites and Yzes, who regularly went missing when the heat was on, and not enough Blacks (Simon) and Kirks, who just about always played well in big games.

I would suggest James McDonald was a leader (and the league's most underrated player for about 5 years) and Nietz was capable of leaderlike acts despite being isolated at full forward. Not White and Yze, though.

[La Dee-vina Comedia 16,664]

To me a "leader" is someone who drags his side over the line in tough games - think Joel Selwood. Between Northey and now hopefully Roos, we rarely won a game when the other side put the clamps on us. I put that down to too many Whites and Yzes, who regularly went missing when the heat was on, and not enough Blacks (Simon) and Kirks, who just about always played well in big games.

I would suggest James McDonald was a leader (and the league's most underrated player for about 5 years) and Nietz was capable of leaderlike acts despite being isolated at full forward. Not White and Yze, though.

I'm not disagreeing with your assessment, but I suspect Sylvia needed leadership off the field as much, if not more, than on it. It's why the choice of captain of any club needs to be a person who can do the "job" both on and off the field. from what I can see and hear, I'm very comfortable with our current choice.

[Sir Why You Little 36,870]

To me a "leader" is someone who drags his side over the line in tough games - think Joel Selwood. Between Northey and now hopefully Roos, we rarely won a game when the other side put the clamps on us. I put that down to too many Whites and Yzes, who regularly went missing when the heat was on, and not enough Blacks (Simon) and Kirks, who just about always played well in big games.

I would suggest James McDonald was a leader (and the league's most underrated player for about 5 years) and Nietz was capable of leaderlike acts despite being isolated at full forward. Not White and Yze, though.

Correct. I hope Jnr makes a return to the club soon.

I think we would benefit. I hope he isn't bitter for decades. The fools have been gone a while

[praha 11,226]

How many years did we sit around, hoping "THIS year" would be the one that Trapper finally hit his straps and became the star we all wanted him to be, and could see he had the talent to be?

Alas, it was never to be. We just got teased!

Then, along came Col...

Alas, yet another tease...!

Here's hoping the rot has been broken, and Jesse and Gus go on to be more than just teasers...!!

In Trapper's defense, I thought he was a spark and an "x-factor" in many, many games between 2000 and 2006.

Watts' demeanour and attack at the ball is similar to Trapper's but we certainly got more out of the latter imo. In Trapper's first 7 years we got a hell of a lot more than we've gotten out of Watts. Granted however he was playing in a much better side.

[daisycutter 29,595]

..sorry, no idea,; some bloke !

does ring a faint bell, but

[jane02 3,741]

Correct. I hope Jnr makes a return to the club soon.

I think we would benefit. I hope he isn't bitter for decades. The fools have been gone a while

Amen to that.

[watchtheeyes 1,417]

Who else would be wasted talent?

Dayle Garlett! What an idiot.

[jnrmac 20,040]

How many years did we sit around, hoping "THIS year" would be the one that Trapper finally hit his straps and became the star we all wanted him to be, and could see he had the talent to be?

Alas, it was never to be. We just got teased!

Trapper won a b&F and also came 3rd. More than Col ever did.