Blease and Strauss Delisted

[Nasher 33,246]

Wait.

Why special mention of Harmes getting another year?

Does that mean Georgiou and Max King have been given the chop..?

Given that we haven't been told that Tapscott has been delisted - and he surely wil be - I'd say that they just haven't been through all the players yet.

[Biffen 12,567]

Thanks for your work.

Bad Luck guys.

Wish you every success in the future.Break a leg!

(just an expression).

[Nasher 33,246]

Wish you every success in the future.Break a leg!

I'm not sure whether to laugh or berate you for your poor taste.

[jackaub 1,402]

A sad end to an era of poor drafting & development 08-2012 of so many early picks!

Its not the end of the era yet Hoges more to go!

[gsmith12 491]

I never saw much in Strauss. He seemed to lack that competitiveness all players need at this level and his much vaunted 'elite' kicking skills went to water once in the pressure cauldron of the AFL. A good VFL player and probably one that looked great in his younger days but that's the way it goes for many players out there.

Blease, yet another player that showed so much promise in his early games then faded into obscurity.

It's alwaysa little sad to see players delisted regardless of their story. Good luck to them both.

I agree with your assessment SS, Strauss just didn't get hold of the footy often enough from the get go and when he did lacked the urgency required.

Sam always looked likely but didn't deliver, other than a few early games, despite many chances.

Hope they find a spot somewhere, doubt it will be in the AFL though.

[BIG JIM 508]

Good luck to both guys but it's players like this who have been holding this club back. Very poor drafting killed this club

[Mondê 525]

Strauss looked like a deer in the headlights his entire time at Melbourne. You can't be as indecisive as poor James was at AFL level, it's a one way ticket to delist-ville. As for Blease, took the game on which at times I admired...but couldn't contain an opponent to save himself. All the best boys.

Edited October 22, 2014 by Mondê

[Redleg 38,638]

Gone MC, Chip, Byrnes, Clisby, Nicholson, Blease and Strauss. That is 7 off.

On HL, Frost, Billy, Garlett. Jetta to be upgraded That is 5 on.

2 spots left.

We have 2,3,40, and 53 and PSD2 in drafts.

Therefore to use all picks we need 3 more off.

I think Tapscott will be delisted.

Evans and possibly JT to be delisted and rookied. JT will probably miss the season and should understand. Both would receive their contracted amount. The alternative to JT being delisted, is for Jetta to stay on rookie list and JT to go on LTI list and then Jetta to take his place.

[demoniac 1,246]

Do interstate rookies get a guaranteed 2 years ie Georgiou and King?

I think they do but can find no evidence to support!

[gg1964 2]

Delisting 7 players, and from a list finishing second last with four wins...???

We are kidding ourselves, and if we think the remaining players on the list will take us to the eight.!!!

Only hard and tough decisions on our list, turning over our bottom end of the list with a strong hand and finding new young talent will bear the necessary fruit for a final eight team.

[DemonFrog 1,347]

Delisting 7 players, and from a list finishing second last with four wins...???

We are kidding ourselves, and if we think the remaining players on the list will take us to the eight.!!!

Only hard and tough decisions on our list, turning over our bottom end of the list with a strong hand and finding new young talent will bear the necessary fruit for a final eight team.

Think we are trying for the bottom four again next year GG.

[picket fence 15,810]

Not earth shattering news.

Also confirmed James Harmes on the rookie list for another year.

Edit - source MFC Website

Good move on, neither up to it!

[demoniac 1,246]

Delisting 7 players, and from a list finishing second last with four wins...???

We are kidding ourselves, and if we think the remaining players on the list will take us to the eight.!!!

Only hard and tough decisions on our list, turning over our bottom end of the list with a strong hand and finding new young talent will bear the necessary fruit for a final eight team.

Methinks you are locking the stable doors before a few more horses have bolted.

More list lodgements to go.

[Damo 3,042]

Prendergast just keeps on giving.

[autocol 448]

Delisting 7 players, and from a list finishing second last with four wins...???

We are kidding ourselves, and if we think the remaining players on the list will take us to the eight.!!!

Only hard and tough decisions on our list, turning over our bottom end of the list with a strong hand and finding new young talent will bear the necessary fruit for a final eight team.

You might find this surprising, but when you delist someone, you have to replace them, and you can't just take players from opposing team's playing lists. We clearly don't have the best list right now, but chopping everyone and replacing them with VFL players and kids isn't going to help either. List management is a long game.

[The Song Formerly Known As 6,479]

prefer Blease to Tapscott, but whatever.

[Toad33 57]

Pity.....

Reading the above posts I get the feeling that the players weren't really to blame in the end........

....I must admit I have had a 'bee in my bonnet' for a long time when I comes to 'player recruitment and development'......and the subsequent 'cast-offs' that occurr as a result!

Without knowing all the details......just like the rest of you... I put their collective downfall firmly in the hands of the recruiters and development coaches!!.......

.......and before you jump to their defences.....I don't suggest that they aren't decent and knowledgeable football people trying to do their best....but, like the fringe players in our league, they too are struggling to eek out a lucrative living in this competitive and ever changing ruthless environment......and only usually get one or two chances at it before they too are cast aside.

So.....to put it as simply as I can.....

...Player X (Blease) is recruited because he has skills that COULD make him player Y (Line breaking half back)......BUT he could 'BE DEVELOPED' into player Z (outside Mid/wingman/attacking forward)....a position that we desperately needed to be filled what he was recruited !!! And so the coaching begins.

.....but the result of player X trying to curb his natural instincts and develop into what the assistant coaches want......to appease the Senior Coach (or Senior Coaches in our case)....completely changes his game from one of 'understanding and instinct' to one of 'stop, think and act'.....and as we all know at the AFL level there is no time to stop and think........unless you want to look like a human tackle bag or a deer in the headlights!!!

.....AND SO THE 'PLAYER' is effectively 'BROKEN'!!!!......and generally that means.......trade or delist and try again.......unless a miracle occurs.

I am now going to type the MOST BANDIED AROUND and most DAMAGING WORD that I believe is associated with young draftees and players.......POTENTIAL.

This is what KILLS players in my opinion.....not ability.....but the 'value' (POTENTIAL) that the recruiters, coaches AND SUPPORTERS see in a player. In most cases if a player doesn't reach his 'potential' in 'good time' they are cast aside as a failure.

So..........thanks for your commitment to the MFC Sam and James and I sincerely hope you can put the negatives behind you and find a place where you can express yourself through your football abilities.

Go Dees

[WERRIDEE 5,256]

I can't believe it! This could tear the club apart, they were both loyal.

[WERRIDEE 5,256]

Gone MC, Chip, Byrnes, Clisby, Nicholson, Blease and Strauss. That is 7 off.

On HL, Frost, Billy, Garlett. Jetta to be upgraded That is 5 on.

2 spots left.

We have 2,3,40, and 53 and PSD2 in drafts.

Therefore to use all picks we need 3 more off.

I think Tapscott will be delisted.

Evans and possibly JT to be delisted and rookied. JT will probably miss the season and should understand. Both would receive their contracted amount. The alternative to JT being delisted, is for Jetta to stay on rookie list and JT to go on LTI list and then Jetta to take his place.

Tapscott will be delisted.

Pick 53 will be used for Jetta and PSD2 won't be used everybody else is contracted aren't they? Melbourne are too tight to pay out contracts.

[jabberwocky 2,301]

Interesting that we look at these two players at 17 and 19 from the 2008 draft who supposedly tick boxes in terms of athleticism and skill but fail to make a spot thier own.

In the same draft we took a player at 51 who now owns a spot and I hope may end up one of the better small defenders in the comp. Rohan Bail was picked up at 65.

You have to wonder what we were doing. I know that the draft is a lottery but we clearly did not investigate the characters of these major investments adequately.

Strauss could not operate under physical or mental pressure, and Blease either could not or would not accept instruction and work hard. These are things that surely should have been picked up.

I am happy to hear that our interview process is now probing and gruelling,

[low flying Robbo 979]

I really wanted Blease to succeed, he had such good pace. Obviously just couldn't improve the tank. Good luck to them both in the future

[nutbean 8,837]

Interesting that we look at these two players at 17 and 19 from the 2008 draft who supposedly tick boxes in terms of athleticism and skill but fail to make a spot thier own.

In the same draft we took a player at 51 who now owns a spot and I hope may end up one of the better small defenders in the comp. Rohan Bail was picked up at 65.

You have to wonder what we were doing. I know that the draft is a lottery but we clearly did not investigate the characters of these major investments adequately.

Strauss could not operate under physical or mental pressure, and Blease either could not or would not accept instruction and work hard. These are things that surely should have been picked up.

I am happy to hear that our interview process is now probing and gruelling,

Horrible coaching, horrible culture, inept administration ( infighting and schisms), zero development, no ethos in the club that hard work is required for success - and we wonder why so many picks have failed.

There is something to be said about the characters of some of these footballers as the likes of Nathan Jones has improved despite the obstacles thrown at him (the major one being the way our club was run in every facet) because of his character and determination to succeed.

If we could only bottle what Jones has inside him and distribute it to all at the club.

Edited October 22, 2014 by nutbean

[Redleg 38,638]

Tapscott will be delisted.

Pick 53 will be used for Jetta and PSD2 won't be used everybody else is contracted aren't they? Melbourne are too tight to pay out contracts.

As I said in the alternative JT can go LTI list and then Jetta could replace him. That would allow us to use 53 or PSD 2 and one more delisting would allow allpicks to be used.

I said Tapscott would be delisted also.

[beelzebub 22,762]

I really wanted Blease to succeed, he had such good pace. Obviously just couldn't improve the tank. Good luck to them both in the future

No disrespect for the kid , but I never really saw what some others seem to have. I saw a very one dimensional , mentally lazy, cameo type player. This was never going to cut the mustard.

Another inept pick

[Bedraggled Dee 336]

Interesting that we look at these two players at 17 and 19 from the 2008 draft who supposedly tick boxes in terms of athleticism and skill but fail to make a spot thier own.

In the same draft we took a player at 51 who now owns a spot and I hope may end up one of the better small defenders in the comp. Rohan Bail was picked up at 65.

You have to wonder what we were doing. I know that the draft is a lottery but we clearly did not investigate the characters of these major investments adequately.

Strauss could not operate under physical or mental pressure, and Blease either could not or would not accept instruction and work hard. These are things that surely should have been picked up.

I am happy to hear that our interview process is now probing and gruelling,

I think Strauss is coping a bum rap here. He never cemented a place but just prior to breaking a leg he was begining to show what he could deliver. I thought he played some excellent games off half back that year and was in the top 10 players in those games. He never recovered from what was a terrible break. Have a look at the output from Brown after Wheelan snapped his leg he was never the same. Blease obvioulsy has some work ethic issues because numerous coaches have said the same but Strauss was never referred to in that vein.

Hopefully both boys can make a mark somewhere else.

I think we will cut one more this year, Tappy or Evans most likely but Fitzy and possibly Trenners are in the mix. They are probably waiting to see what Trenners wants to do and what the medical opinion is before making a call. I think Georgiou will hang on as a rookie to add some depth, Jetta will get a gig on the senior list.