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Colin Sylvia


Bobby McKenzie

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No surprises whatsoever.

Sad thing is that there is no Beamer to tool around with and reassure him that it is all the coach's fault.

When 2024 rolls around and their careers are over, I am sure they will both be turning up to their nearest drinking barn to carry on like Baby Huey and trade in on their past notoriety.

The sad thing (for them) is that no one will care who they were because they will have achieved nothing of consequence in AFL terms (besides actually having played the game).

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At his best for a couple of seasons - he was a real gun - goals from outside the 50 on the run - strong marks etc. Sad finish.

Him and Brock McLean in the same draft - McLean fantastic in the win over the Saints in the final in 2006 (last final win when Dees finished as top Victorian club) - but then the sour grapes bit on On the Couch which started the tanking enquiry when everyone knew just about everyone had done it.

Brock was touted as a future MFC captain.

So sad that Sylvia and Mclean's output for the Dees wasn't what it could have been.

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thanks for leaving Col

You were one of the last remaining cancers at the footy club

Lazy and undedicated, a staple of the post Daniher era

and thanks for Bernie Vince btw

Edited by hogans_heroes
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thanks for leaving Col

You were one of the last remaining cancers at the footy club

Lazy and undedicated, a staple of the post Daniher era

and thanks for Bernie Vince btw

Gave the club 10 years of service

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You need to get out more often :)

I know it ...I know it...

I don't mind good intellectual discussion and even if I disagree with opinions that are well reasoned - I can see their point of view - disagree and leave them alone. I just go a bit troppo when I see stuff written that a single player like Frawley will "stifle the development of younger players" and " our list can improve 10 fold without him ". I have no problem with any poster not valuing him as a footballer and thinking he is easily replaceable - But stifling youth development and our list would improve 10 fold without him is just blatant nonsense. We basically improved our list one fold with Sylvia going and Vince coming - one puts in the hard yards week in and out and the other didn't.

Further onn Sylvia - I have been thinking about culture killers and I guess for me the ones that I see as problematic are footballers with discipline problems - coming back overweight for PS training or those that skip sessions, drink/(drug ?) problems, late night night clubbing, fighting and that's both on and off the field. Collingwood cleaned out a lot of players that Buckley considered problematic - the ratpack - not for their onfield performances - but their off field behaviours and apparently perceived influence on others.

Sylvia's performances for me were made more disappointing because apart from the fact that he would only shine in one out of 8 games, his attitude outside the club made it worse. He had some noted indiscretions and other rumoured indiscretions. In his years with us he never had a full preseason. This in itself cannot be blamed on him but it adds to the total package.

( I tend to be forgiving of players like Nicholson - I unfortunately don't think he has disposal skills to be a regular AFL footballer but he gives his all both on and off the field. I love the Daniel Crosses of the world because he has average talent and has gotten 100% out of himself to be a more than useful footballer. In between you have McKenzie who is limited and works very hard but hasnt reached the heights of a Cross. I would love to have a hybrid Sylvia/McKenzie.)

Edited by nutbean
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Gave the club 10 years of service

Says more about us a club than about Sylvia. I always saw talent in him and I ( like many ) were always waiting for the breakout season - if only he had a full preseason. A lot of smarter posters than me jumped off his bandwagon earlier than I did knowing that we could wait another 10 years and he wouldn't do a full preseason or have a breakout year. But he sure was a tease - and I think that is what kept him on our list for 10 years.

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At his best for a couple of seasons - he was a real gun - goals from outside the 50 on the run - strong marks etc. Sad finish.

Him and Brock McLean in the same draft - McLean fantastic in the win over the Saints in the final in 2006 (last final win when Dees finished as top Victorian club) - but then the sour grapes bit on On the Couch which started the tanking enquiry when everyone knew just about everyone had done it.

Brock was touted as a future MFC captain.

So sad that Sylvia and Mclean's output for the Dees wasn't what it could have been.

That would be the two seasons when he finished 5th in the Bluey....

If only he had a full pre-season...

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delighted he's gone, what a complete waste of talent and a waster of a human being to boot. any bloke that kicks his girfriend in the head deserves nothing. cocky p***ck who got what was coming to him. Thanks for Bernie !!!

I didn't know that happened. Just googled it. I shouldn't find it amusing but the first paragraph reads - A MELBOURNE Football Club player has been ordered not to assault his teenage girlfriend after an early-morning incident last weekend.

You have to ordered by a court not to assault your girlfriend ???? really ??????

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I didn't know that happened. Just googled it. I shouldn't find it amusing but the first paragraph reads - A MELBOURNE Football Club player has been ordered not to assault his teenage girlfriend after an early-morning incident last weekend.

You have to ordered by a court not to assault your girlfriend ???? really ??????

She went 50m post high though....

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At his best for a couple of seasons - he was a real gun - goals from outside the 50 on the run - strong marks etc. Sad finish.

Him and Brock McLean in the same draft - McLean fantastic in the win over the Saints in the final in 2006 (last final win when Dees finished as top Victorian club) - but then the sour grapes bit on On the Couch which started the tanking enquiry when everyone knew just about everyone had done it.

Brock was touted as a future MFC captain.

So sad that Sylvia and Mclean's output for the Dees wasn't what it could have been.

It was still one of our better drafts

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Gave the club 10 years of service

Yeah Shite years! Only the dees and the serial apologists on here would put up with it

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He has always been inconsistent but he had a breakout game against the Hawks in mid-2009. 40 touches and 4 goals in a losing side. For around two years after that he was an absolute gun when in-form. 2010 being his best year.

IMO, he has followed a pretty similar career-path to Travis Johnstone. Both frustrated fans for a decade with their work-ethic and inconsistency but had undoubted talent. Both left the club in their twilight years and played forgettable football for their new clubs. And best of all, both netted us handsome compensation (Jack Grimes, and Bernie Vince). For that reason, I harbor no ill feelings towards either of them.

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Sylvia was almost certainly going to turn out to be the player that he is. That wasn't necessarily predicted, it's just the nature of things. He was a standout under 18 player but that form often doesn't convert to AFL level. The pick number (3) next to his name can cloud people's judgement.

Sure, Col's got some great skills but some players just never get any better than their under 18 year. Morton was another very good player at under 18 level but neither should be condemned for not becoming very good players at AFL level. It's just the way things turned out.

No amount of good coaching is going to change things much either. Maybe 10 or 15% improvement might come from good coaching but nearly all the top players work the hardest and have a huge inner drive. Again, at 17 years old it's difficult to evaluate those qualities.

The draft is a lottery, always has been and always will be. There's no way that anyone can ever evaluate a 17 year old with any guaranteed accuracy. Haven't we all seen enough "busts" yet? I can't comprehend why people still get so disappointed and frustrated. All prospective young recruits should be viewed equally and fairly - at any club.

Also, any draftee is potentially even harder to evaluate since the AFL became a much more contested game (circa 2005)

Where our club has made some obvious errors (IMO) is turfing out (prematurely) our experienced players and ... not trading enough for some experienced talent. Recruiting Vince and Cross has a been a step in the right direction. We could do with a few more - Cross and Vince won't be around forever.

Edited by Macca
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Heard Ben Allen from the Dockers say how unfit Sylvia was especially running. Between the lines he was astounded that a player could come from another club in such condition. No wonder we have been a basket case. Shows how amateurish our previous football department and admin have been.

Also heard Cale Morton say he couldn't believe the difference in training standards between the Dees and West Coast. A lot of our past conditioning staff should hang there heads in shame.

Have never been a Neeld fan but he was on a hiding to nothing taking over the rabble that we were.

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Heard Ben Allen from the Dockers say how unfit Sylvia was especially running. Between the lines he was astounded that a player could come from another club in such condition. No wonder we have been a basket case. Shows how amateurish our previous football department and admin have been.

Also heard Cale Morton say he couldn't believe the difference in training standards between the Dees and West Coast. A lot of our past conditioning staff should hang there heads in shame.

Have never been a Neeld fan but he was on a hiding to nothing taking over the rabble that we were.

I work in the fitness industy and have worked with blokes who played AFL in the past and I have heard that when Mission took over we went on a three year intensity increase plan to get us up to AFL standard, that's how far off the pace we were.

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