Wallace tells us absolutely nothing we didn't already know

Barrett really doesn't like us, just has a dig at every opportunity

Questions to be answered:

How much improvement did they make in 2014?

How much further can it be in 2015?

Will restructure change the fortunes of the club?

Where are they at?

Brought in midfielders in 2014. Bolstered ability around the ball. Cross and Vince short-term fixes, Vince will last longer. Future of club revolves around Dom Tyson (great pick up), Viney, Salem, and Hogan – but there’s a lot of pressure on that kid as a youngster who has yet to play a game. Either need to trade picks or select young talent (Brayshaw important).

Team structure?
Frost helps spine for future – McDonald and Frost down back, Tyson in the middle, Hogan forward. Lumumba and Garlett will add depth; latter is the ‘right’ age. Need the young rucks to take control with Jamar 31 years old, Spencer 25, Fitzpatrick and Gawn 23 – but are they the right age to be big competitors.

Greatest need?

Midfield depth, either pick Brayshaw or trade those early picks. Frost will help, or Lever in the draft in terms of backline depth. Potentially in a reasonable position.

Losses / gains

Trengove not leaving, Lumumba and Garlett as per above, Frost likely. Frawley deal an absolute bonus – need to now take advantage of having those two early picks.

Make / hold / lose ground

Haven’t seen enough to back them in. Thinks they’ll hold until he sees their team dynamic change – didn’t see enough development in 2014, particularly going backwards in the second half of the year. Got a few young players who could step up to the next level. Need to see the proof in the pudding.

Further comments

Weaselface Barrett says that we’re still sniffing around Dangerfield. GWS are improving in comparison with the players they’re bringing (two multiple best and fairest winners) in to improve themselves immediately; we’re not. Wallace says that Roos has had a look at blokes, judged them in 2014, and will need to settle the side down in 2015. Who’re the young blokes coming through? Which seniors will still be around the mark? Neither Barrett or Suntan can see how we can go past GWS as they have the best young talent (I agree) – for every three, four or five young talent Melbourne has, GWS has 15, 18, 20 potentially young stars. Barrett says that Lumumba and Garlett have strings attached. What that means I have no idea, I presume he means that they have question marks over what they bring to the club in terms of character and likely football impact.

Wallace thinks Toumpas is a battler as he can’t find the ball, but is still a young player – Barrett intimating that he’s another high draft pick wasted. Suntan said at the underage level he looked a very good young player, but some players step up against men and others are more suited to playing against boys. Suntan says that there’s no way we would’ve selected Toumpas over Wines if Roos had been in charge at the time as he wants bulls who can get the football. “Yet another negative legacy of the previous regime”, says Barrett.

Suntan thinks Salem is a very exciting young talent, just needs development.

Calls to follow.

For those that are interested, the thrust of Wallace's assessment was that we're bringing in some handy bit part players (JG & HL) but given what other clubs around us are doing (particularly GWS) we are highly unlikely to be making any serious inroads up the ladder and are likely to hold our position. He emphasised the point that GWS are bringing in 2 multiple B&F winners (griffen & patfull) from other clubs on top of a list littered with Rd 1 draft picks that is already ahead of our list. In other words, they will disappear out of sight from us this year.

Barrett kept interjecting with obvious digs at us and our decisions:e.g. HL & JG are "covered in strings" ie they come with major baggage and will likely fail.

Hope these super trades that GNF and CIP have been on about happen because we sure as hell need them.

If we draft Brayshaw and Petracca or whoever and remain in the bottom, I can see players just wanting to walk away from us Chip Frawley, Tom Boyd style each and every year.

They're flogs.

Will we ever be good again??

Seriously disillusioned right now. Of the four teams above us:

Brisbane - IN: Beams, Christensen

GWS - IN: Griffen, Patfull

Bulldogs - IN: Boyd

Carlton - IN: Jaksch, Whiley

With GWS likely to make a huge play with picks 4 and 7 for pick 1 to secure Petracca. Heck, even Essendon are recruiting players like Giles.

Brain keeps saying "calm down, it's not over", heart keeps saying "WTF ARE WE [censored] DOING!? WE'RE RUNNING OUT OF TIME!" Wallace is spot on when he says we're likely to stay at the bottom when all the teams around us are recruiting guns, and we're doing seemingly nothing.

Edited October 14, 201411 yr by Lamashtu

Will we ever be good again??

Yes. But the previous regime did there very best to completey stuff the joint.

I get the impression Pick 12 was a very important piece in Roosy's plans.

Now it is plan B. Have Faith.

what happens if we win sub-5 games again and apply for ANOTHER priority pick??

what happens if we win sub-5 games again and apply for ANOTHER priority pick??

With a trade period that effectively thus far has resulted in:

OUTS: Frawley, Clark, Trengove

IN: Garlett

We'll be seriously lucky to get 5 wins.

Seriously disillusioned right now. Of the four teams above us:

Brisbane - IN: Beams, Christensen

GWS - IN: Griffen, Patfull

Bulldogs - IN: Boyd

Carlton - IN: Jaksch, Whiley

With GWS likely to make a huge play with picks 4 and 7 for pick 1 to secure Petracca. Heck, even Essendon are recruiting players like Giles.

Brain keeps saying "calm down, it's not over", heart keeps saying "WTF ARE WE [censored] DOING!? WE'RE RUNNING OUT OF TIME!" Wallace is spot on when he says we're likely to stay at the bottom when all the teams around us are recruiting guns, and we're doing seemingly nothing.

i agree. Sucks too as we are in the best trade position in terms of picks than just about anyone.

Absolutely mindboggling if we really did all this work behind the scenes to secure pick 3 for Frawley in the hope of pulling off some kind of super-trade, and everything fell apart because we decided dealing with Colonwood was a good idea (who are doing a spectacular job holding up the entire trade period until the last minute).

Sooner or later other clubs are going to say, bugger them, and go off on their own and start shopping around players we may or may not have had a vested interest in.

what happens if we win sub-5 games again and apply for ANOTHER priority pick??

Don't think we would bother and I hope we don't need to.

Absolutely mindboggling if we really did all this work behind the scenes to secure pick 3 for Frawley in the hope of pulling off some kind of super-trade, and everything fell apart because we decided dealing with Colonwood was a good idea (who are doing a spectacular job holding up the entire trade period until the last minute).

Sooner or later other clubs are going to say, bugger them, and go off on their own and start shopping around players we may or may not have had a vested interest in.

I actually feel the Pies do this tactically, stuffing up other clubs and putting themselves in a good position with a last minute deal.

It's a fair point in some ways.

Right now I feel like we should turn around and throw 3 + 23 at St Kilda for Jack Steven. Why not? Hold 2, let them take McCartin with 3 and bolster the midfield big-time.

Seriously disillusioned right now. Of the four teams above us:

Brisbane - IN: Beams, Christensen

GWS - IN: Griffen, Patfull

Bulldogs - IN: Boyd

Carlton - IN: Jaksch, Whiley

With GWS likely to make a huge play with picks 4 and 7 for pick 1 to secure Petracca. Heck, even Essendon are recruiting players like Giles.

Brain keeps saying "calm down, it's not over", heart keeps saying "WTF ARE WE [censored] DOING!? WE'RE RUNNING OUT OF TIME!" Wallace is spot on when he says we're likely to stay at the bottom when all the teams around us are recruiting guns, and we're doing seemingly nothing.

Ok, lets look at who has been picked up to date.

Beams and Christensen can both play, both had big injury problems with Christensen in particular having 2 back op's in 2014. On the surface big wins for them.

GWS pick up some lose some. Griffen is a gun but struggling with a back. Patfull playing out time to retirement.

Doggies won't get Boyd this year and even if they did he has a long, long way to go and may not make it.

Carlton pick up 2 players who can't get a game at GWS and Jaksch in particular is overrated.

So where are all these guns? Beams, Christensen and Griffen who come with problems and the others are not. Some of the other names you've suggested like Giles are most certainly not.

Ok, lets look at who has been picked up to date.

Beams and Christensen can both play, both had big injury problems with Christensen in particular having 2 back op's in 2014. On the surface big wins for them.

GWS pick up some lose some. Griffen is a gun but struggling with a back. Patfull playing out time to retirement.

Doggies won't get Boyd this year and even if they did he has a long, long way to go and may not make it.

Carlton pick up 2 players who can't get a game at GWS and Jaksch in particular is overrated.

So where are all these guns? Beams, Christensen and Griffen who come with problems and the others are not. Some of the other names you've suggested like Giles are most certainly not.

Seriously dont you have MFCSS? Far too rational for my liking.

Ok, lets look at who has been picked up to date.

Beams and Christensen can both play, both had big injury problems with Christensen in particular having 2 back op's in 2014. On the surface big wins for them.

GWS pick up some lose some. Griffen is a gun but struggling with a back. Patfull playing out time to retirement.

Doggies won't get Boyd this year and even if they did he has a long, long way to go and may not make it.

Carlton pick up 2 players who can't get a game at GWS and Jaksch in particular is overrated.

So where are all these guns? Beams, Christensen and Griffen who come with problems and the others are not. Some of the other names you've suggested like Giles are most certainly not.

I think it's more the total lack of any movement from us. We haven't even secured Lamumba and Frost yet, and the whole thing is making me extremely nervous that whatever was looking promising behind the scenes has now fallen apart.

And probably because I expected a lot more player trading from us given Roos' statements about turning over the list. Thus far we haven't traded one player.

I'll be sick if we line up a team next year with even a vague semblance to the GWS loss team.

Seriously disillusioned right now. Of the four teams above us:

Brisbane - IN: Beams, Christensen

GWS - IN: Griffen, Patfull

Bulldogs - IN: Boyd

Carlton - IN: Jaksch, Whiley

With GWS likely to make a huge play with picks 4 and 7 for pick 1 to secure Petracca. Heck, even Essendon are recruiting players like Giles.

Brain keeps saying "calm down, it's not over", heart keeps saying "WTF ARE WE [censored] DOING!? WE'RE RUNNING OUT OF TIME!" Wallace is spot on when he says we're likely to stay at the bottom when all the teams around us are recruiting guns, and we're doing seemingly nothing.

Nice "balanced" look there... How about you look at the players and picks those clubs are losing as well, especially seeing Griffen and Boyd are swapping.

Nice "balanced" look there... How about you look at the players and picks those clubs are losing as well, especially seeing Griffen and Boyd are swapping.

Alright, here's a balanced look of the situation so far.

Melbourne: OUT - Clark, Frawley, Trengove.

IN - Garlett.

And what have Brisbane lost? They've gotten Beams for draft picks and a fringe player. They've done an excellent job this trade period.

Alright, here's a balanced look of the situation so far.

Melbourne: OUT - Clark, Frawley, Trengove.

IN - Garlett.

And what have Brisbane lost? They've gotten Beams for draft picks and a fringe player. They've done an excellent job this trade period.

Ummm Trengove still plays for us mate.

Plus, if you're putting Clark and Frawley as outs, don't forget to put Lumumba and pick 3 as ins.

Maybe you should google "balanced"...

Edit - Also, Brisbane are losing a high draft pick and a very promising big bodied mid.

Seriously mate...

Edited October 14, 201411 yr by stuie

This trade period is looking like a massive boilover for us. What the hell is going on?

Collingwood definitely holding things up, trades that have been decided for over a week/fortnight still haven't been finalised (namely Lumumba & Clark) and we sit here twiddling our thumbs while allowing them to get their ducks lined up. I thought the Beams deal was finalised, what's the delay in submitting the paperwork? Same with Lumumba/Clark/Varcoe.

I'll be extremely disappointed if we don't see some massive changes to this list, at the moment the only changes are a few delistees and two guys walking out who we would have preferred to keep. Not to mention now having our ex-captain on the long term injury list after pushing him halfway out the door, that's gotta be good for morale.

I'll eat my words if they pull a rabbit out of their hat tomorrow but as it stands it's been an extremely frustrating and disappointing week.

Ummm Trengove still plays for us mate.

Plus, if you're putting Clark and Frawley as outs, don't forget to put Lumumba and pick 3 as ins.

Maybe you should google "balanced"...

Edit - Also, Brisbane are losing a high draft pick and a very promising big bodied mid.

Seriously mate...

Trenners won't play a game next year if our attempts to trade him, and the ensuing medical, caused him to re-injure the navicular bone. He now needs to go through another 4 or 5 month recovery, depending on the severity of the break, before even beginning to gradually train himself up again for match fitness (after already missing an entire season). Call it MFCSS if you want, but this has Clark written all over it (minus the obvious pissing on the club at his exit).

Frawley and Clark are justifiably outs. We're zero chance of retaining Clark and Frawley is already signed with Hawthorn. Lamumba conversely could easily fall through the cracks and stay at Colonwood; he's contracted after all, and apparently North are talking with his management. Frost is being sounded out by the Bulldogs because we're considering taking him via the PSD. Could easily end up with eggs on our face there with that strategy.

This trade period is looking like a massive boilover for us. What the hell is going on?

Collingwood definitely holding things up, trades that have been decided for over a week/fortnight still haven't been finalised (namely Lumumba & Clark) and we sit here twiddling our thumbs while allowing them to get their ducks lined up. I thought the Beams deal was finalised, what's the delay in submitting the paperwork? Same with Lumumba/Clark/Varcoe.

I'll be extremely disappointed if we don't see some massive changes to this list, at the moment the only changes are a few delistees and two guys walking out who we would have preferred to keep. Not to mention now having our ex-captain on the long term injury list after pushing him halfway out the door, that's gotta be good for morale.

I'll eat my words if they pull a rabbit out of their hat tomorrow but as it stands it's been an extremely frustrating and disappointing week.

I agree, i can't see how we are meant to get any better after this trade period.

We need a star mid to come to our club but what did we get? a small forward and possibly 2 backman.

How are they meant to make us better?

His is the reason why they need a mid-season trade week during a bye round because stupid teams like collingwood prevent anything from happening.

There is a day and a half left, will we see something happen??

if nothing of worth eventuates over the next few days, the last thing i would want to see is us trading these picks away for less than their true worth. Roos has already stated that we need to see success and soon, so it wouldn't surprise me if we panic at the trade table and trade our valuable picks away for some player's less than worthy of these selections.