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Absolutely. I do strongly agree with your point Olisik, and having met Todd I know he wouldn't put Jack over the needs over the football club. I am differing in my view to alot here but I think it's something Melbourne need to do for more than a footballing stand point. I have reasonable knowledge of the upper echelon of this years draft picks and Jack is well and truly within the range of 3-12. He is a gun. He's small, but football is removing itself from the year's where we drafted 'athletes' and back to picking footballers. And Jack Viney is a footballer's footballer. The moral standpoint is my second and more important point. Melbourne over the past 2-3 years have made some moves that some both outside and inside the club have questioned. Letting go off McDonald and Bruce as we did has let hurt the image of us. Jack Viney is not our only F/S pick coming up. Billy Stretch is coming through the system also and him watching Jack get brought into the club than thrown out to GC or GWS for little benefit IMO sends another bad message- We're not a family, we don't look out for our own- we look out for ourselves. Football is a business, everyone understands that. But for certain servants you are willing to give an extra year too (hindsight: James McDonald) and for some future servants you are willing to reach in the draft knowing they will bust their bloody ass off for 250 games and want to show up every critic who suggests we shouldn't have taken them where we did (hopefully: Jack Viney).

Pressure Bahhh!!! Wait till you try and tee off on the first tee on the golf weekend away with all your mates watching...now thats pressure !

Marc Murphy was shown laughing in the stands while his team was getting flogged. Delist!

I've seen more good coaching moves by Neeld in half a season of footy than I ever saw with Neale "No Plan B" Daniher

Clark out. Bennell in. [censored] life!

As far as I'm concerned the issue here isn't one that's about ensuring the survival of new franchises. It's about ethics - those of the AFL. The AFL sat back last year and not only condoned poaching but was actively involved in the GWS heist that procured Scully. It made damn sure that Melbourne couldn't match the GWS offer to Scully and didn't see fit to give Melbourne the proper restitution for the loss of a #1 draft selection. Now it's worried about poaching? Please give us all a break!

All a bit of smoke and mirrors by the club. Just trying to pressure GC and GWS into making a hard call. I still firmly believe we will take him at Pick 3 if required. But I applaud the club for turning the blowtorch back on the expansion teams.

He really didn't do much given that he played for a whole half. 1 goal, 7 disposals, 0 marks and 1 tackle. I don't think those numbers are really enough to justify keeping him in the side in hindsight. Didn't Neeld say they have their own set of indicators and players have to score a certain number of points in their system to stay in the side?

I've got no problem with Blease taking shots like that until he misses them . I've got bold type on somehow as well-it's quite exciting .

Don't know how many times it needs to be said, but sorry, Bennell doesn't pick himself. And I really dislike this term "pea heart", especially when it comes from so called supporters, directed at their own players, and from people who probably wouldn't get a game at any level.

Back on the topic of Melbourne's midfield. If it ain't Boak, then don't fix it!

Was exactly what he needed to be today. You can see the kid constantly runs to the right places and puts his body on the line at all the appropriate times. He still does some things that you expect an u/18 football to do eg. handballing on the ground to himself to run onto (which just went out of bounds) but the most impressive thing about him is his toughness and his mind. It would be a real disappointment for me if we stood him up; the son of a loyal player, who's done everything we have asked of him over the last 2 years, just to pick a player we'd rate a couple of places higher on the draft board.

It was pretty obvious he was just giving his opinion. If you thought he might have some inside info then that makes you the twit storm in a teacup

It began in the Herald Sun the next day after the alleged assault .

If Only Ricky P had some/any form. Talk about a nose dive season for ricky he could of played Full forward whilst he is no Mitch clarke he could of given us something up forward. To ricky's form: WHERE THE BLOODY HELL ARE YOU?

I agree he'll be in a Melbourne jumper at the end of the year... but I don't think GC will be risking much by bidding pick 2 on the toughest inside clearance specialist that junior footy has seen.

Perhaps they want to try Russian at FF for the majority of the game? I for one love 50/50 shots on the goal line. They make for exciting viewing. Now, where the hell is Gysberts. Some sub action at least. Give me something Neeld!

Jetta and gysberts back playing footy, you beauty! Williams has come a long way, from where he has come from and his illness earlier this season to be playing vfl is a good effort

As I've said elsewhere, Viney will be in the red and blue next year, make no mistake about it.

Get a grip Big Jim This is like saying we should intentionally lose games for the rest of the year. We have been down this route and look what it got us third last on the ladder in the fifth year of a rebuild. I want the kid to be best on the ground every week he plays. We will then know we got the best kid in the draft for pick 3,4 or whatever it takes.

I don't think teams should be allowed to talk to players or agents outside of the relevant October window as the player is coming out of contract. If they do, the team is fined $100k, the player a tenth of the current salary, and the agent loses their licence. Teams may talk to their own players but I assume players will most likely wait till October. Get all the contracts done in October.

I'll say it again, if JV were not the son of a former player, and we passed him up at pick 3, we'd forever be bemoaning the decision to not select a player who typifies exactly what we need. If you thought the Darling decision was bad... most supporters would spend the next decade calling for TV's head if he were still at the club following the decision.

A lot of Stef Martin hate, when in reality he is miles and miles ahead of any second ruck option we have on our list (and that includes Mitch Clark who should never be risked in the ruck anyway *sob*). With Rivers and Garland possibly moving forward more permanently, Stef could easily shuffle down back when not rucking. He should play this week, and I believe he will. We forget so quickly, but he was one of our best players last year and came on in leaps and bounds. Injury has ruined his season thus far.

Howe does it work, this goal kicking aid? Is it some sort of circle that can be maneuvered into different set positions between the posts? Perhaps we could make our own using a certain ex draftees head....or his dads for that matter.

This topic is Martin vs Cook - I dont see Cook listed in the announced team or extended bench - Martin might still not play but we can be sure that Cook wont. So those arguing for Martin have more endorsement from the team selectors than those for Cook it would seem.

For all those without Foxtel, JV is playing in the Metro v Country clash today. AFL Match Centre: http://t.co/yam6q3q5 Watch me be incredibly unproductive all afternoon.

I do but nothing lasts forever. For one thing this site is a helluva lot easier to use and I like the way news articles are linked

Yeah I think its unfortunate whats happened with Liam. The most likely outcome is that we've already seen him play his best footy for us.

Throwing a kid like Liam in jail for what happened is not the answer and never will be. He didn't kill anyone and he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time dealing with a cultural matter regarding his family that 99.9% of the population could never hope to understand He's a rare talent with skills and abilities that are up there with Buddy Franklin He'll be back.

Horrible to use a 'like' but I totally agree. Ive never bought into this 'cursed' thing about MFC but at times you have to wonder. You know.. Ive gone from disappointed to bloody angry about ol Liam.. He has everything to become the "it-guy" in footy and the bastards that are his family ( extended etc ) drag him back to inane and superfcilious infighting. The poor bugger never really stood a chance, what , when you you have the Alice's version of the Hatfield and the McKoys going on. I suppose where we sit we would argue he always had choices, and has made some bad ones it seems. But I wonder if they were ever really options or just inevitability rearing its ugly head. Love to see Jurrah wrench himself clear of all this and resurrect his career. Just cant see it happening. Geez we can pickem sometimes !!

I gotta say, that's a pretty stupid rumour.

Nathan Ablett won a flag and i dare say if he never quit and had the passion/desire that his brother has, he would've had a very very good (if not great) career.

Jack Watts was in Sarejevo in 1914 . He had issues with JFK in Dallas Chairman Mao used him to promote the cultural revolution and now you want to swing him to full forward for the Demons? Give the kid a break . Hes still only 17 .

Adelaide and West Coast are powerful, successful rich clubs. Wtf are GC and GWS if not a home for unlucky teens and mercenaries?

That and the selection of both Spencer and Martin for the Demons this week indicates to me that the Russian is likely to join Aaron Davey as a Mystery Injury of The Week contender. Bail will probably bail out and hopefully come back next week (probably via the AFL now that he will have missed a large enough block of games) and we'll take up one emergency who will be a non player.

Hope the judge likes AFL

A mighty big if cfh! He is in more trouble than the early explorers. I have a horrible gut feeling we might have seen almost the last of him. If the normal MFC luck holds out he will be gone away for 5

Naitawhoi?

it really bothers me that in the mind of some people here Jack Watts, with his 2-3 good games, has more cred than Moloney who has finished 1st,2nd,4th and 7th in the B+F

Good for him. I rate Jetta and still think he can be a part of our regular 22 at the end of the year (if he can just avoid shattering into a thousand pieces by then).

We must go get boak like we did clark last year. We have clark now it's time for lots of great mids

Quick, game-smart and skilled type players like watts are wasted in a one dimensional 'pack crashing' forward role. Lynden Dunn type blokes who can kick straight can play that.

When have the AFL not been hypocritical about anything?

There'll still be 100,000 there and I'll be one of them. The AFL has bitten of a huge bite in GC and GWS and it might take 50 years to digest but it's required if the AFL is going to dominate Australia-wide. Otherwise it'll stay marginal in NSW and Qld.

Martin looks like tarazan and plays like jane..well actually more like Andrew Bogut. he is not a natural footballer. He is tall and built but doesn't use it and can't hold a grab to save himself. He has been given his chances and unfortunately fits in to the melbourne category of 'i like the idea of being a football but.....'. Seasons like this throw up opportunities...its time to stop baby-ing these 'kids'. he may be skinny but will only learn in time, but cook, in the absence of clark deserves the call up. i saw his game for casey last weekend and i think he will show a bit if given the opportunity.

Smaller post - when we are in front I think we will see Watts go forward to enjoy junk time build confidence for 2013.

And we've come full circle. Please someone complain about drafting Watts ahead of Nic Nat and this thread will be complete.

He could be the New Holland

Indeed - obviously he felt like it on that day. That just adds to the frustration, really.

And I will make a comment if I chose to- and I do. When thinking about a player coming to the club, don't think of it only in terms of what he brings with his play- think of it in terms of what he brings team balance. Cloke in the forward line doesn't necesarilly mean 2 big gorilla forwards- it means we can shuffle Clark around a bit and he can be a second ruckman resting forward- or worst case Jamar goes down and we don't lose anything. Cloke adds contested marking in spades and insurance. He allows the forward line to walk taller. He is the best player available right now, and as they say, you go the best.