quite odd really. Certainly not what your expect from the madding crowd is it.

Its 67% against. 33% for. Thats two to one against. hardly an endorsement

Allan Richardson said it would be surprising if we got one and St Kilda didnt because we were higher on the ladder then they are.

Well maybe if they didnt tank and trade out all there senior players and send playera to surgery we wouldnt be higher.

We have been farked for 7 yrs. They played in a GF in 2010. No difference there is there.

Its 67% against. 33% for. Thats two to one against. hardly an endorsement

Well mate.... If it was the same poll for Stkilda.. You would say no too

Its 67% against. 33% for. Thats two to one against. hardly an endorsement

Leaving aside naughty people voting multiple times, it shows a lot of unexpected support for it for the reasons a number of posters have mentioned.

ramunaskis wasn't dead either but they allowed essenscum to redraft him gratis

Had forgotten that, But I bet PJ hasn't. Hmmm Mitch Clark......

And maybe the PP ploy is to ensure we get a decent comp pcil for Frawley....

Nothing is as it seems...

Its 67% against. 33% for. Thats two to one against. hardly an endorsement

given fan's club rivalry and jealousy i'd say it is about as endorsing as you could ever hope to get in an 18 club comp

Exactly right. Barrett calls Melbourne embarrassing, yet I reckon his failure to understand the situation is embarrassing.

As soon as someone says 'doesn't deserve a priority pick' I instantly think they have completely failed to grasp what is a relatively easy concept.

It's not about 'deserving' at all. It's not a prize given out to a good performer. It's simply about 'need' - the question is simply whether the club needs assistance.

It gets even more embrrassing when these journos state the reasons why we have been on the bottom for 8 years. Do they seriously fail to comprehend that THE reason why we have been on the bottom for 8 years is because we have stuffed up? Based on their reasoning, the corollary is that clubs should only get a priority pick when they draft well, develop well and make other good decisions (in which case you'd be sitting pretty in the finals). So on Barrett and others' logic we should give priority picks to successful teams.

The other inherent failure in the argument that Melbourne has wasted draft picks before so a PP won't help is that why are you then so concerned about giving Melbourne a PP? If it hasn't helped before and won't help now, why bleat about it and get so uptight about it?

That they bring up tanking is also a joke - firstly we have already been punished for that and secondly the conduct only occurred in one season, we have still been rubbish for the other 7 years.

Then Barrett really raises his lack of intelligence to unprecedented heights by saying that we will already be getting a first round pick for Frawley. That has about as much relevance to the PP issue as the current fuel price. What Barrett is telling us is that because we are losing our fourth player to free agency and are getting compensated for that under a completely separate regime, we should not get a PP based on 8 years of poor performance. Again, the corollary is that if Frawley stays, we are more deserving of a PP.

It is genuinely baffling how these people can just completely fail to grasp the concept. If they had half a brain what they would do is state the criteria for a PP and apply the criteria - because that's simply all that matters.

Patrick Smith has done this and on SEN this morning he was of the view that we should get a PP. Even Caro on Footy Classified said there is a good case for one.

Also good to see Evans has pre-judged the situation by commenting on it generally without assessing the merits of a particular case.

Spot on, Scoop.

Wally Lock?

A great Demon premiership player who was unlucky enough to play in only one winning grand final (missing three others due to injury).

Don't even dare to mention the name in the same breath as Evans.

Also, if Vlad was around he would have impaled the bloke by now for playing those games. It's an absolute disgrace and I hope PJ diplomatically makes his displeasure known.

The AFL has certain criteria to apply - if we don't qualify on the basis of those criteria, then so be it. If we do qualify (and I think the case for is unimpeachable) then let us have the pick. It's a drop in the ocean compared to what the AFL handed out to GCS and GWS and the rule has to remain to help clubs that are genuinely in trouble.

Think there is a little misunderstanding WJ

I was meaning he is definitely a disgruntled employee.

Sorry for the confusion

Personally, I hope we don't get a PP.

That way when Essendon are 20 players down next season, we can argue against any sort of AFL sanctioned relief because "it was their mistake, they should deal with it. Also they'd probably just inject new players with drugs anyway, so what's the point?"

Seriously the argument against our getting as PP is weak as [censored]. The only reason we won't get one will be the AFL bowing to public opinion again. If that's how it's played, then Essendon can die by the sword too.

We can still argue against their submission for assistance next year. They broke the rules and haven't paid the penalty. We broke the rules, paid the penalty and continue to perform like a joke. We're an impediment on the league, as PJ said. We're perfectly within our right to argue against support for Essendon next year. It's a completely different thing. They're drug cheats.

emma quayle doesn't think we 'deserve' one, and her reasoning as to why we won't get one:

Crucially, any recommendation put to the commission would look long and hard at what Melbourne has the opportunity to do in the next three or four years, not what it has failed to do in the three or four just gone. Hogan, Viney, Dom Tyson, Christian Salem, Jimmy Toumpas, Jay Kennedy-Harris have only just started out and should be on a big upswing. Nathan Jones, Jeremy Howe, Jack Trengove, Jack Grimes, Colin Garland, Jack Watts, Neville Jetta, Chris Dawes and others are all good enough to be part of a team that wins a lot more games for some time yet. The Demons have the No. 2 pick in this year's draft, and probably No. 3, too, if Frawley goes. Whether they trade those picks or keep them, they have the chance to use them well.

Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/why-melbourne-shouldnt-get-a-priority-pick-20140819-105qvd.html#ixzz3Aqh6947B

That's a pity. I quite respected her as a journalist. It appears she's an idiot as well.

This kind of post I find pathetically simplistic.

How about we get 5 Friday night games. We deserve them. How about we get blockbuster games, We deserve them. How about we get a decent stadium deal like Geelong that makes $750k with 20000 at the ground. We deserve it. We deserve as much as the other 17 teams in the comp. Its as simple as that. If you are going to have equalisation policies then make everything equal.

Its not a level playing field. Stop acting like it is. Until the playing field is actually level then inequities will exist.

Stop perpetuating the 'we are the only one who gets handout' myths. The whole AFL is handout based. Its just not equal.

It's disappointing when some of our own supporters are [censored] on their club with this mentality too. People are so easily manipulated by the media. It really is staggering.

Allan Richardson said it would be surprising if we got one and St Kilda didnt because we were higher on the ladder then they are.

Well maybe if they didnt tank and trade out all there senior players and send playera to surgery we wouldnt be higher.

And he says they have only had one pick inside the top 8 in10 years, well Allan thats because not so long ago you were competing in the finals. They were in the finals for 5 years to 2011. (Grand final in 2010.) Thats 5 years at least were they wouldn't get a top 8 pick! And thereafter the slow drift down the ladder.

Hardly comparable to our history in the same period.

Revisionism at its worst, he can join Barrett at the bottom of the class in logic although they can go to the top of the class in spin.

you can add Cameron Bruce to that list...

No you cant.

Gil is too busy making sure he looks good at keeping entry prices the same as last year Redleg

I am probably biased but I have real trouble liking this guy.

He looks like a light weight to me.

He does to me too 'old dee', to eager to please.

His off sider Evans is very similar, doesn't have an idea or stance of his own.

Actually saw Gillon at the Broome Cup horse racing on the weekend.

First impressions last, cant say I was overly impressed with the guy, nor were others.

Gillon McLachlan should be telling Evans to shut his trap.

If he has indeed made commented on the likely outcome of our application, the club should show some strength and confront the AFL about one of its officers preempting the decision (which might open up a challenge if the outcome is adverse to the club). The situation is made more unpalatable by the fact that he is a former employee of the club. We have had enough problems caused by disgruntled employees in the past - I hope he's not another one.

Evans spoke in general terms in regards to qualification and wouldn't comment on MFC's application other than he would look at it in the next few weeks.

I don't think we have grounds for much at all... unless a longterm strategy of continually moving the goalposts can be challenged.

Its 67% against. 33% for. Thats two to one against. hardly an endorsement

given we're only about 5%of the landscape I would have thought 33% quite a bit

Actually saw Gillon at the Broome Cup horse racing on the weekend.

First impressions last, cant say I was overly impressed with the guy, nor were others.

here we go again sounds like AD going to the Olympics in the middle of the season.

They get paid very large sums to be the chief what are they doing at the races in WA in the middle of the season?

Think there is a little misunderstanding WJ

I was meaning he is definitely a disgruntled employee.

Sorry for the confusion

OD - no confusion. Just a bit tongue in cheek.

OD - no confusion. Just a bit tongue in cheek.

oh good I obviously missed it

here we go again sounds like AD going to the Olympics in the middle of the season.

There get paid very large sums to be the chief what are they doing at the races in WA in the middle of the season?

He may have been promoting the game and branching out OD....

I reckon if we lose within 40 this week there will be no PP. if we lose by more than 40 there will be a Pp

I reckon if we lose within 40 this week there will be no PP. if we lose by more than 40 there will be a Pp

we will lose by 90+ mon and we will not be tanking so the PP lives ?

That's my personal opinion

I reckon if we lose within 40 this week there will be no PP. if we lose by more than 40 there will be a Pp

Is it tanking if we barrack for St Kilda?

That's my personal opinion

I know mon