Melbourne asks for draft assistance

[McQueen 17,864]

Some of us need to get over ourselves. We need draft assistance. I'm not embarrassed that we've asked for assistance, I'm embarrassed by our performance yesterday, which underlined just how bad a shape our list is in.

Top 10 picks currently on our list.

Watts

Trengove

Toumpas

Hogan

Viney (would've gone top 10)

Salem

Over the years

Sylvia (priority)

McLean

Morton

$cully (priority)

Just outside flops

Gysberts (11)

Cook (12)

No wonder practically every other club supporter tells us to stick our request for a priority pick. Talk about wasting your opportunities.

[Tatu 416]

It is the other way around! The AFL have been costing us money for years, most lately by scheduling the majority of our matches at 4.40pm of a Sunday afternoon. No wonder we are skint. When Carlton or Collingwood get an occassional game scheduled in this time frame (or at Etihad) they scream blue murder and threaten to sue the AFL for $.5M compensation for loss of takings. Remember everybody, the MCG was and is our historic home ground ever since we were the Melbourne Cricket Club Football Club and these more powerful Clubs only got to play there at Finals time or when they played us (and we got the bulk of the takings as the home team).

Don't run away with the idea that the AFL doesn't owe us big time for how they have crucified us and we should even get a second priority pick for the one we lost out on last year when we won two matches. I am so over Eddie Mcguire!

I think you may have misunderstood what I'm suggesting?

I would prefer the AFL give us money and salary cap space, than a priority pick...

[Tatu 416]

Both still have extra cap room I believe but i'd imagine the same rules would apply where they have to pay 95% although both have players on good dollars so I doubt they would have any issue with that

the thing I think our club needs is a good traditional rebuild through the draft with some high quality people on board to make sure we develop the young talent we bring in, no more quick fixes, no more bandaids, a PP now could be exactly what we need

but do they actually pay that money? Have they even made a profit yet? Where does there money come from? They've had everything handed to them for nothing...

[STN91 32]

Tatu, you've had a lot of likes..... (Censored) OFF!

[snomed 54]

The AFL should just let us take 1 player of our choice from each of the other 17 clubs

[jackaub 1,402]

Unfortunately it has to be done.. rebuild through the draft and start over.

Petracca Brayshaw and Wright would be very handy.. we surely couldn't stuff that up....

Right?

No not right. I wouldnt trust the MFC with the responsibility Out souce the selections to some one else

or trade all picks for ready made players

Edited August 18, 2014 by jackaub

[Lucifers Hero 37,086]

Mixed feelings about a PP.

But why did we ask now and not at the end of the season or at least wait for the end of H & A games?

Have we surrendered the last 2 games already?

[Ron Burgundy 8,584]

The reality is - many other, some much larger, clubs have had much more assistance than us in terms of draft picks, salary cap relief and a soft touch being applied in relation to the so-called tanking issue.

That one of the best lists in the game can land Kurt Tippett and Buddy Franklin, pretty well after winning a flag, and yet everyone calls foul when we simply ask for something that might assist us to secure a player like that says it all.

That we've been utterly hopeless over a long period of time adds weight to the granting of a PP, not the opposite. It's never been designed to go to the really successful clubs. In fact, I actually find it hard to see why successful clubs like Sydney consistently get a leg up - it goes against the whole underlying methodology of the draft.

That the MFC was dragged through the ringer on tanking, for as long as it was, and on the basis of literally farcical evidence, was absolutely outrageous. It was also really dumb - but many of those writing the articles and running the investigation have proven themselves time and time again to be just that, so I shouldn't be surprised.

In the circumstances, it is abundantly clear that the MFC needs a PP. Why give GWS and the Suns literally dozens of first round draft picks in recent years in order to get them up and running, only to deprive the MFC one now in its circumstances.

Makes little sense to me.

[Demon Jack 6,322]

We're in good hands now with Roos in charge and the AFL should take this into account. In my eyes, we probably don't deserve a PP but I think we have a higher chance of getting it right with what we do with it than previous years.

[IvanBartul13 2,564]

Mixed feelings about a PP.

But why did we ask now and not at the end of the season or at least wait for the end of H & A games?

Have we surrendered the last 2 games already?

Absolute amateur hour from Peter Jackson and the club, you really have to wonder who provides the media and strategic advice at the club, it really is a shambles and as whole the club is like a gaffe-prone politician. Absolutely ridiculous that a club with a perceived tanking history would, after serving up one of the worst and most inexplicable performances in its history (a loss which has strengthened its end-of-year draft and trading possibilities immensely) ask for a priority pick 24 hours later and before the end of the season. Pure comedy, embarrassing and Jackson's performance here is awful in my opinion.

Edited August 18, 2014 by goodoil

[Dwight Schrute 16,800]

Barrett is at it again

[Wunders 385]

I like to think about how the old priority pick rules relate to these new ones.

Under the old rules we would have been given:

a) pick 24 in 2012 (nathan wright - st kilda)

b) pick 1 2013 (tom boyd)

c) Pick 1 2014 (petracca??)

I think we deserve pick 1 (we have been punished by the change in priority pick rules as it is).

[Lucifers Hero 37,086]

Absolute amateur hour from Peter Jackson and the club, you really have to wonder who provides the media and strategic advice at the club, it really is a shambles and as whole the club is like a gaffe-prone politician. Absolutely ridiculous that a club with a perceived tanking history would, after serving up one of the worst and most inexplicable performances in its history (a loss which has strengthened its end-of-year draft and trading possibilities immensely) ask for a priority pick 24 hours later and before the end of the season. Pure comedy, embarrassing and Jackson's performance here is awful in my opinion.

Yes, a very bad look, bad message to give the players for next few games and the timing makes it a lot harder to win the public hearts and minds (if that is at all possible). ATMo it looks like a knee-jerk reaction to the GWS loss altho' its been in the pipeline for a while.

Going before the end of the H & A games just gives other clubs and the media more anti-Dees ammunition. Would prefer to wait till after GF as it doesn't distract from the game/finals and then gives more opportunity to present it as a strategic plan rather than a knee-jerk which is what the perception will be.

[biggestred 4,315]

i wouldnt mind finding out how many top 10/20 picks are on lists at other clubs

we currently have 5 top 10 picks.

[whatwhat say what 19,037]

If we had been granted one in the 2013 draft at the end of the first round I doubt we would be applying for one in 2014.

Bit the afl kowtowed to the 17 clubs and as such here we are again, cap in hand.

Absolutely we deserve one. We are rubbish.

My guess is the afl will 'manage' the situation to ensure we get high end compo for Chip, presuming he leaves, and end of round 1 priority pick.

[nutbean 8,837]

Unfortunately it has to be done.. rebuild through the draft and start over.

Petracca Brayshaw and Wright would be very handy.. we surely couldn't stuff that up....

Right?

Wrong....

We are talking about Petracca/Brayshaw and Wright as being very handy.

I recall when at this time of year Scully and Trengove were way ahead of all other potential draftees and we were having the same discussion.

Back it in now - no matter who we take - when someone else is better than who we picked at a later pick there will be the same angst as we always see.

[jnrmac 18,994]

The rest of the competition can bleat all they want but the reality is:

1. we are possibly the worst team to have ever played

2. we have lost top end talent through no fault of our own

3. we bottomed out at a bad time

4. we have financial issues because the draw is so rigged and the stadium deals are appalling and uneven

we have chosen top picks that have not worked (for whatever reason) - this seems to be the main point of the 'do not give them a pick' camp. FFS we even had that moron Craig Hutchison suggesting an external committee should select any draft pick because we were so useless.

5.we have had seven coaches in 7 yrs

6. Our admin was terrible

7. we should have received a pick last year

8. we were [censored] over by the Kruezer Cup and the tanking investigation

9 Our leadership on-field sucks big time and we are particularly weak in the 25-30 age group which means we can't effectively develop players

The argument against a PP runs:

1. they have had too many picks that they have wasted (aside from Cook, Gysberts, Maric, Tapscott, Strauss I'm not sure the others are directly our fault).

2. Its their own fault they deserve to wallow at the bottom.

3. they have had too many handouts

These arguments are fallacious and reflect the fact the comp doesn't want to give a sucker a break. Its a competition and they are happy for us to fold.

So if don't want us out of the competition (which might be a possibilty) there are only a couple of realistic options:

Let us stink around the bottom for the next 4 years.

Allow us to trade vigorously - up to 15 players need to be turned over IMO

Give us picks to trade with. We have some adults in charge with good track records and importnatly the AFL trust them.

The AFL don't have a lot of choice.

In the past 10 years:

Carlton has had four PPicks: Walker, Kruezer, Hampson and Murphy

We have had 2: Scully and Blease

Why are we pilloried when Carlton won 3 spoons in a row??

Why did they give PPs to Carlton yet won't give one to us?

[jnrmac 18,994]

My guess is the afl will 'manage' the situation to ensure we get high end compo for Chip, presuming he leaves, and end of round 1 priority pick.

Yeah but we are losing a top quality player. Its different to a PP. Its compo for a loss.

The other element at play here is free agency. We have probably lost the most via FA and are likely to continue that trend this year. The AFL should be worried about this.

[Bingo 235]

I find it laughable people are saying that we don't deserve a PP due to stuffing up previous drafts.

This is the exact reason that we need one. If we had have aced our drafting, and the record shows that we didn't, we wouldn't be having this conversation.

The path that we have taken to got to our current position is irrelevant.

What's relevant is our ongoing poor performance and the clear fact we need serious changes to the list.

People were dumbfounded a couple of weeks ago when out of nowhere Roos raised the subject of tanking, saying that under his team there would be nothing of the sort.

It all makes sense now, this throwaway line at his press conference was a precursor to us applying for a PP.

He was grooming the public and AFL, effectively saying that every round of this season, we are trying hard to win. But again, the stats show that we are crap, and we need help.

The timing of our application just happened to be after the most embarrassing loss of the season. I'm sure if the score line had have been reversed, we wouldn't have been applying on Monday.

[Moneider96 1,045]

Aren't laws/ policies meant to be enforced in a impartial and objective way? I think the main problem with the AFL is that their decisions are always made for the good of the majority at the expense of the minority. The person above who used the Carlton example proves this. If we were one those big teams there would be no question about the priority pick. I think their plan is for us to eventually fold and join up with North Melbourne or some [censored] and move to Tasmania...you know for long term profit....cause who gives a [censored] about the supporters. I know I'm implying that we're victims...but we kind are...victims of an unfair system that is continuously fuking in recent years

Edited August 18, 2014 by Moneider96

[Dr John Dee 1,057]

That one of the best lists in the game can land Kurt Tippett and Buddy Franklin, pretty well after winning a flag, and yet everyone calls foul when we simply ask for something that might assist us to secure a player like that says it all.

That we've been utterly hopeless over a long period of time adds weight to the granting of a PP, not the opposite. It's never been designed to go to the really successful clubs. In fact, I actually find it hard to see why successful clubs like Sydney consistently get a leg up - it goes against the whole underlying methodology of the draft.

Exactly, Ron. While the AFL persists with its 'some clubs are more equal than others' version of equalisation we don't really have any choice. The disturbing thing is that we should somehow be expected to feel embarrassed about it.

[Moneider96 1,045]

The likes of Roos will give us a lot of authority...because that's how the AFL works it seems. So I'm expecting a PP

[Deecisive 1,652]

I believe we deserve a pp only because it was designed for circumstances like those melbourne are in. not winning enough games. yes we have had a lot of top 20 picks but so what, picking someone does not mean it will translate to them being successful.We have had top ten picks leave who obviously would have assisted us, we gave up a top 10 pick to Bank Hogan so was a pick that did not provide us with a top 10 player in that year. .

While i think there is certainly an element of MFC not being able to develop players we have not seen a lot from those players we drafted, we can see quite a few early and even late draft picks in other clubs that come in and make it and stay in the team, ours for whatever reason did not make it. Main criticism is from the powerful clubs that have lots of money and resources who laugh at us while they have lots of medico's, additional trainers, better facilities and trips to the rockies and say its our fault that we dont develop. Well we are trying but we are still working from a position far back in the field. We are also getting crappy TV times while the big boys continue to take up prime time television. If melbourne does not get a priority pick then we need to start to agitate to get more prime time spots, by agitate I would suggest we even threaten to take the afl to court for discrimination. As others have said collingwood gets a bum crowd and starts talking about compensation and that is a crowd that we at melbourne would probably be pretty happy with given our past drawing power. The MFC had 32,000+ supporters sign up this year, which is pretty good considering for each one that signs up there is probably another 4 or 5 that dont, the AFL runs the risk of alienating these people from football if they continue to play favourites, once melbourne has gone then others like stkilda and footscray will probably not be far behind, as this turns even more ruthless in the pursuit of $$ and premierships.

Melbourne has had top ten and priority picks, but after the Goldcoast and GWS have scooped up the best. Sydney has tippet and buddy and really is buddy going to play for 10 years? Collingwood with their yank, GWS and Sydney with their training academies, eagles with their drafting of an ex top junior footballer who went to america for a few years so can be drafted without going into the pool. Essendon with their drugs which by the sounds of it the AFL knew before being told, if so what the hell were they doing about it, plus the infamous tanking saga, where only one club was investigated and only one club was punished and has that sigma attached to them. This is a business and every club is looking for their own advantage, we are seeking what is due us by the rules, the rules do not state that if you have had x picks before you are ineligible. If we are due it then give it to us.

[Moneider96 1,045]

^ I only read your first sentence but I agree with you straight away

[Moneider96 1,045]

The only reasons we're going to get more supporters is through inheritance, and even that is going to increase at a diminishing rate. The AFL better help us but I think they just prefer to let the oldest team in Australia wither away. The system is all corrupt atm

Edited August 19, 2014 by Moneider96