Our future is bleak

[Anders 14]

Seriously, this entire season was a wake up call as to how mediocre our list was. And I have to say I'm not impressed with our off-field activity since the season ended.

Such as

1. McLean and Carroll getting arrested overseas while credible teams are still over here playing finals. Well done fellas. :angry:

2. Failed to secure Judd. Say what you will about him - this was a once in a lifetime opportunity and typical us we missed it.

3. Traded Johnstone for pick 14 - yep, ummm, year too late fellas. Last season was the superdraft, this is the [censored] one. Absolutely no guarantees with pick 14 particularly with our recruiting staff.

4. Trade Johnstone yet refuse to trade Miller to Sydney. We will NEVER EVER do anything if MILLER is a required player in the 22. If we are getting rid of the deadwood - he should be the first to go.

5. Actually TRADED for John Meesen. We could have let him go in the PSD and picked him up if we wanted. Because noone else wants him and with good reason - he's worse than Jamar. Meesen, Jamar, PJ - the future LMFAO

Why don't we get rid of Colin Sylvia? The blokes is injury prone and not going to make it. Or Cameron Bruce, he is older than Trapper and has worse disposal

Seriously, success is so far away from this club the light at the end of the tunnel is but a miscoscopic speck.

Rant/

[Yze_Magic 3]

Seriously, this entire season was a wake up call as to how mediocre our list was. And I have to say I'm not impressed with our off-field activity since the season ended.

Such as

1. McLean and Carroll getting arrested overseas while credible teams are still over here playing finals. Well done fellas. :angry:

2. Failed to secure Judd. Say what you will about him - this was a once in a lifetime opportunity and typical us we missed it.

3. Traded Johnstone for pick 14 - yep, ummm, year too late fellas. Last season was the superdraft, this is the [censored] one. Absolutely no guarantees with pick 14 particularly with our recruiting staff.

4. Trade Johnstone yet refuse to trade Miller to Sydney. We will NEVER EVER do anything if MILLER is a required player in the 22. If we are getting rid of the deadwood - he should be the first to go.

5. Actually TRADED for John Meesen. We could have let him go in the PSD and picked him up if we wanted. Because noone else wants him and with good reason - he's worse than Jamar. Meesen, Jamar, PJ - the future LMFAO

Why don't we get rid of Colin Sylvia? The blokes is injury prone and not going to make it. Or Cameron Bruce, he is older than Trapper and has worse disposal

Seriously, success is so far away from this club the light at the end of the tunnel is but a miscoscopic speck.

Rant/

1. Big deal, thats been forgotten already

2. Once again, big deal. We did all the right things. We hold our heads high. Chris Judd is the one that lost respect with his grab for cash.

3. Travis - 10 years on the list and has done stuff all. A great move by Bailey, and I am sure Craig Cameron will use poick 14 wisely.

4. Id like to see Miller get traded, but Im not fussed if he doesnt. We have already got rid of plenty of dead wood. And just cos we keep him doesnt mean he is a required player in the 22. Just means Bailey sees somwething in him

5. Umm would you rather is have retained pick 37 in the National draft or pick 3 in the PSD? Think about that one

In summary, youre thread is crap and I am pumped with trade week so far

The futre is bright

[deanox 10,045]

1. mclean are carol were official not the aggressors in either incident. in both cases they have been announced as the victims in the attacks.

2. do you really want judd? look at where he is going? he obviously was only ever interested in money, and we couldnt offer that too him. let carlton rort the salary cap, or cut other players contracts short to get him. but we need a team not a player.

3.superdraft refers to the depth of the draft, not the quality of the top picks. 14 is a high pick and is a pick with a high chance of landing a top class player. TJ was never going to be a part of our next premiership challenge and thus was deemed expendable for an appropriate price.

4. we would've traded miller for a decent trade. obviously sydney didnt want to offer anything decent. CAC and bailey would be weighing up the offer. if sydney offered a mid second round pick, we would consider who we believe to be available at that point...if that player doesnt offer as much as what they believe miller would offer the trade doesnt go ahead. TJ was expendable because he was 28. miller has youth on his side.

5. we want to keep psd pick3 because a player could come through the traps here. every year this option is a chance and this year is no exception. instead of ruling ourselves out now we can trade a lowly pick to ensure we get who we want. as you pointed out earlier, if we believe miller is worth more than the lowly pick, and we rate meesen, wouldnt we feel like we have come out on top in this trade?

[pantaloons 2,019]

Cheer up, Charlie.

1. McLean and Carroll let themselves and the club down in Europe. This won't have any impact come Round 1 though.

2. I've seen and heard enough about that mercenary dog Judd to last me a lifetime. He's made it clear what he values in life by chasing the dollar. He'll get what he wants over the rest of his footy career - money and nothing more. I'd rather picks 4, 21 and player X who all bleed for the club than a man who has prostituted himself around the way he has.

3. I'm coming to terms with the TJ deal too. I'm a sentimental character, and I'll miss TJ for sure. However, provided Craig Cameron doesn't suffer a masive brain fart on draft day, in ten years time we'll still have the man we picked at 14 long after TJ has retired.

4. We'll have to trust the club's judgment on Miller. They can't keep rotating him between the back and forwardlines. Stick him down back and keep him there. We're light on for talls, he could be a revelation down back next year.

5. By trading for Meesen we've freed up pick 3 in the PSD for someone out of contract who in all likelihood will be a better player than Meesen.

The glass can be half full, too! While today's trade solidifies my belief that anything we get out of the next two years will be a bonus, we've got the nucleus of a good young team - including Sylvia.

[Anders 14]

Wish I could have your optimism YM. Unfortunately I just don't see. I look at our club comparatively to other clubs. Carlton are [censored], cheating tankers but eventually through weight of #1 picks and Judd, they now have a brighter future than us.

Hawthorn have Franklin! I mean come on, do we have anyone NEAR as good as this? Our youngsters simply aint that good when you compared to other teams. Look at Port Adelaide, some of youngsters they've had coming through this year. Christ, Geelong won the flag and still can't find room for the likes of Hawkins, Prismall - Selwood is FIRST YEAR PLAYER!!

If I had to pick a ladder next year objectively I'd have us finishing 15th, and that relying on Richmond to have another shizen year. Seriously our list is just OK at best. Noone of superstar value, Neitz on his last legs. Probably our most naturally talented player traded. We have to rely on the likes of Bruce, Green, JMac (who I love but he's like 31). And as I've mentioned, our rucks just about the worst in the league (going forward as well that is)

[rpfc 28,899]

Wow, that is whingeing.

If our list, and our future depended on keeping TJ and getting rid of Miller, you're right the future is bleak.

Thankfully, you're wrong and the pragmatists among us will realise that recent decisions were made to give individuals, that deserve it, a send-off or a second chance.

Dean Bailey is making some tough calls, and I don't mean that they were difficult...

[Rogue 585]

If I had to pick a ladder next year objectively I'd have us finishing 15th, and that relying on Richmond to have another shizen year. Seriously our list is just OK at best. Noone of superstar value, Neitz on his last legs. Probably our most naturally talented player traded. We have to rely on the likes of Bruce, Green, JMac (who I love but he's like 31). And as I've mentioned, our rucks just about the worst in the league (going forward as well that is)

So why did you bring up the TJ trade? We've tried to shop him around before. Surely you'd agree that we need to build a team around the Bate & McLean era rather than hold on to guys that might give us decent value for a few years as best?

[rpfc 28,899]

I don't think people are thinking clearly at the minute.

Understandable, but our list is solid, I don't care what Walls and co. say, the future is bright. We have young talent all over the field:

Defence: Rivers, Bell, Frawley, Petterd, Batram, Bode

Midfield: McLean, Jones, Dunn, Moloney, Buckley

Forward: Bate, Newton, Davey, Sylvia.

I can see 13 in this list with genuine claims for a spot Rd 1, 2008.

We've had our quiet rebuild and are biding our time...

[Jaded No More 68,975]

Nothing is ever as good or as bad as it seems.

For the love of god, when did Melbourne supporters become such wimps? Grow some balls and move on.

Judd is a [censored], TJ is gone. Brock and Rivers will continue to be great players regardless of their European shenanigans.

Teams that look a million bucks now will look crap next year, and vice versa. The Roos were 15th last year, Geelong and Port also missed out on the finals.

Get on board and support this club. The only bleakness I see in our future is not having 100,000 supporters witness the greatest football team in the world win their next premiership. We have great young players, an exciting new coach, state of the art facilities on the way, what we don't have is supporters who buy memberships, turn up to games, and believe that we can be successful.

[Diablo 1]

Rant/

Unqualified pessimism like this is the only possible reason why our future could be considered 'bleak'. TJs gone. Yet, against all odds, the sky is not falling. It's not even off-balance.

[occo 2]

1. Yes big fu**** but they will learn from it. Especially if McLean isnt captain. I would love to have Jones captain

2. Judd would have cost us pick 4 + 21 + frawley or pettard.

3. Trav has never been a #1 pick., He has played reflecting a # 25 + pick

4. Agree with this one but look the draft is pritty small. After pick 30 there is nothing much around. Its not a detailed draft so it would seem silly if we traded him cause we wouldnt get anything better than a 3rd rounder.

5. Saints would have signed him up on friday as there are noone left besides Moran and King. THey dont want king too. Plus the draft is small like i said so best outcome

ur post is silly. A bleak future: well think about this

B: Wheelan Carroll Bartram

HB: Rivers Frawley Bell

C: Pettard Jones Green

HF: Sylvia Newton Bate

F: Robbo Neitz Davey

R: White McLean Moloney

I.C: Dunn, Bruce, McDonnald, Meesen

Emm: Yze, Miller, P.Johnson

Not too bad. we have little depth i recon, the weakness of melbourne but Bailey will address that. Plus the 3 top 25 players we will get too will prob replace that emmergancy haha. The future is Bright. Saying that, melbourne will not be playing in the finals, that wont happen till at least 2009

The futre is bright

[deanox 10,045]

you know what...i wouldnt be that upset if we had a poor year next year. yeah i know it will be a bitter pill to swallow, but a couple of extra high draft picks on top of this year and the current crop of kids will make us look good.

occo, i think we need to find 8 more players before that team doesnt have any holes in it (for the future). neitz, robbo, white, mcdonald, bruce, wheelan, yze, carrol, are all the odd players out regarding age in that team. we will hopefully get 2 pretty good players this season, and hopefully we can get a player down the other end of the draft. if we get 2-3 next year we will be absolutely laughing in 3 years time...

[Anders 14]

Really, people's optimism on here has made me feel a bit better so thankyou.

I really hope that DB does build something special. I guess it is hard letting go of blokes like Trapper, you envision so much potential and high hopes in these blokes - and with his departure it really is the sign the the arduous rebuilding campaign is on. And its a bit frustrating I must say. I still have my concerns about the list BUT as you noted Jaded - anything could happen given the performance of the Roos, Port, Geelong this season.

[Diablo 1]

Really, people's optimism on here has made me feel a bit better so thankyou.

I really hope that DB does build something special. I guess it is hard letting go of blokes like Trapper, you envision so much potential and high hopes in these blokes - and with his departure it really is the sign the the arduous rebuilding campaign is on. And its a bit frustrating I must say. I still have my concerns about the list BUT as you noted Jaded - anything could happen given the performance of the Roos, Port, Geelong this season.

You just need to stick fat Anders. Don't be one of the idiots who think Armageddon is upon of us because we have traded one seriously flawed genius. There is massive upside for our club.

[occo 2]

you know what...i wouldnt be that upset if we had a poor year next year. yeah i know it will be a bitter pill to swallow, but a couple of extra high draft picks on top of this year and the current crop of kids will make us look good.

occo, i think we need to find 8 more players before that team doesnt have any holes in it (for the future). neitz, robbo, white, mcdonald, bruce, wheelan, yze, carrol, are all the odd players out regarding age in that team. we will hopefully get 2 pretty good players this season, and hopefully we can get a player down the other end of the draft. if we get 2-3 next year we will be absolutely laughing in 3 years time...

yeha i agree. well aware that there are gaps there. but what im trying to say is the young players we have hadve already shown heaps of potentual. I have long been wanting to bottom out next year and still think we should. otherwise it basically takes another year if you do well due to restrictions in draft picks and numbers. Ill be happy to trade bruce next year for a 2nd rounder. Be deligted to do it 10am today but wont happen of course.

[Geddy Lee 582]

Really, people's optimism on here has made me feel a bit better so thankyou.

I really hope that DB does build something special. I guess it is hard letting go of blokes like Trapper, you envision so much potential and high hopes in these blokes - and with his departure it really is the sign the the arduous rebuilding campaign is on. And its a bit frustrating I must say. I still have my concerns about the list BUT as you noted Jaded - anything could happen given the performance of the Roos, Port, Geelong this season.

Would you prefer to support North Melbourne and have an article about the relocation of your beloved club in the paper every week?

Grow a pair Anders.

[deanox 10,045]

yeha i agree. well aware that there are gaps there. but what im trying to say is the young players we have hadve already shown heaps of potentual. I have long been wanting to bottom out next year and still think we should. otherwise it basically takes another year if you do well due to restrictions in draft picks and numbers. Ill be happy to trade bruce next year for a 2nd rounder. Be deligted to do it 10am today but wont happen of course.

if we finish in the bottom half of the 8 next year and get pick, say, 7, and 23. i would be tempted to trade bruce for almost any pick in between there, but hopefully first round. 15 or so id be happy. i would consider trading green also, if the trade was right (but i have been convinced of our need for him and his leadership abilities in the coming years). why i am happy to do this is to build around our current core of 23 and unders.

ive said this a few times but i think any team who wants to win a flag needs a complete list. and by that i mean you almost need to draft well every year for 10 years. you need a few players in each age group so that the side flows successfully. since the inception of the draft we havnt had that. the early years of the draft were flawed, but then we had the draft penalties. i believe they are still hurting us. think about 2005 and 2006. if we had of had those top picks we lost around abouts 1999, 2000. those players would have been 23-27. two or three of them. and i think that could have made the difference with depth.

[Rogue 585]

For the love of god, when did Melbourne supporters become such wimps? Grow some balls and move on.

How's that working for you?

[Pinball Wizard 362]

Seriously, this entire season was a wake up call as to how mediocre our list was. And I have to say I'm not impressed with our off-field activity since the season ended.

The real mediocrity is in the pathetic way you support your club. I'm not suggesting we should go around with rose coloured glasses but at least we should have an understanding of what the new regime is trying to achieve and that is a new positive era for the club. That can only be done with a change of attitude around the place and not the same sort of negativity that's held us back for decades.

I suggest you read The Oracles report on Day Four of the Trading Chronicles in the Drafts and Trading Section.

[Jaded No More 68,975]

How's that working for you?

It was just a metaphor

[Mattress 0]

I think everyones forgotten how bad this year went for us i.e injuries etc. If im not mistaken Geelong had a similar year last year.As to Carlton and all their no. 1 picks, not very long from now their going to start losing some of them to salary cap pressure.Good on them for getting Dudd and paying shitloads for him. Whats going to happen when they come out of contract and want more money? Im hoping this comes back and bites them on the ass big time!

[Premiers '08 0]

For the love of god, when did Melbourne supporters become such wimps? Grow some balls and move on.

I'll drink to that Jaded!

Melbourne supporters are wimps but I don't disagree with everything he has said.

The TJ trade is a risky one - I just hope we pick up someone decent in the Pre-Season draft.

But it has to be said, pick 14 for Woewodin was Daniel Bell in 2002 so not all is lost - Daniel has showed a lot of promise so be ready for him next year. It's his time to prove his worth & I think he will.

The only reason I think the trade is a little on the silly side is once again we will be paying a percentage of an ex-players wage.

This I don't agree with.

[mauriesy 7,410]

The only reason I think the trade is a little on the silly side is once again we will be paying a percentage of an ex-players wage.

This I don't agree with.

TJ had a year left on his contract. He didn't have to agree to go.

Woewoedin put in two ordinary years at the Pies then got delisted. We got a good 10-year player for him from the draft pick. Why are we afraid of doing a similar deal again?

[Premiers '08 0]

Why are we afraid of doing a similar deal again?

Not afraid - The deal is already done.

$400,000 on nothing is what I'm getting at. That money could go elsewhere.

Like picking me up in the draft or something -

[Diablo 1]

Not afraid - The deal is already done.

$400,000 on nothing is what I'm getting at. That money could go elsewhere.

Like picking me up in the draft or something -

I heard the club are looking for a full-forward, Premiers. If Neitz doesn't come up you could just about get a gig.

And it's not the WHOLE salary. TJ is ON 400k, not half his salary is 400k. I believe we are paying less than $200,000 of his wage next year.