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Read between the lines folks. Effectively the club through Viney is telling both Gold Coast and GWS that they will call their bluff on pick 3. If either choose to take Viney at one or two then the MFC will let him go. It's called "Game Theory". Are both GWS and Gold Coast willing to risk pick one or two on a pick eight. Viney's statement sends the message to both clubs that the MFC has discussed the prospect of not using pick three to secure him. The ball is now entirely in Gold Coast's and GWS court. This of course may just be all bluff and we end up taking Viney at either pick three or twenty six. The thing is we will never know and neither will the other two clubs.

A penny saved is a penny earned. Good things come to those who wait. Shaddupa you face. Three sayings that come to mind.

Joe Daniher was asked this morning on SEN who was the best junior footballer he'd seen. His answer was Jack Viney. He said being around Viney had helped his development and that he'd never seen anyone before that had his fierceness, willingness and determination. He said it's amazing. Yet some supporters would rather pass if we have to give up pick 3. Daniher has played against Whitfield, Toumpas and rucked against Grundy, yet Viney is the best junior he's seen. Just be thankful.

We signed Viney on contract because Adelaide were trying to get him via the mini-draft last year. He was eligible and we convinced him to come to us, so he signed a contract. GC and GWS don't really get much for nominating Viney - just elevate their 2nd round picks one spot higher in the draft. The risk that they take is that they end up with Viney instead of another player that they have their eyes on. For such a small reward, it's hardly worth them nominating Viney if there is any risk at all that they may get him - provided that they don't rate him at 1 or 2. With Viney saying that he will make Melbourne regret not picking him, he is telling GC and GWS that there is a real risk that he will play for them. If there is a risk, then the reward is not great enough for them nominate him ....... unless they rate him as the best or second best player in the draft (which, however, is a real possibility). The risk of us not taking him are slim, but the reward for GC and GWS is very small. The alternative is to play the game some are advocating. That is to get Viney to come out and tell GC and GWS that he doesn't want to go there and will walk out on them after 2 years. Something that transparent just tells them that the risk of us not selecting Viney is zero. I'd love to play poker against some of the panic merchants on here.

Too confident. Let's get a nice kid instead.

Will probably go late in the 3rd round

Byrnes now a Demon

Let's put a little perspective into all of this... Tim Harrington's number one priority is to act in the best interests of the MFC. Picking up Viney with pick 26 (or whatever our 2nd round pick ends up being) is by far and away one of his main priorities. In order to do that, the perception needs to be that we will overlook Viney with pick 3. We have to be strong in our public convictions to give ourselves every chance to make this happen. If Gold Coast nominate Jack with their pick 2, the scenario clearly changes. It is then in our best interests to secure Jack with the #3 pick. Plain and simple. He means more to us from a cultural, membership, marketing, sales, future F/S perspective than picking up a Toumpas or O'Rourke (no disrespect intended to those boys..). It has been a long time coming, but I will sit/stand proudly as a passionate MFC member when GC nominate Jack with pick 2 and we come over the top and claim him as our own. GO DEES!!!!

I cannot believe this, amateur hour again at the MFC! Obviously the correct response would be to say that he understands we have to go with the best pick available, and that hopefully he can one day make it to the MFC. That would cast some doubt into GWS/GC and maybe scare them out of screwing us over. He has gone and done the complete opposite, in effect gauranteeing the Suns will now nominate him and we lose what might have been a 'free' top 3 player. Isn't anyone at the club, including his father, smart enough to work out what to tell the kid to say in the media? Nice start to your career Jack, you've just cost us pick 3 with utter stupidity... and what kind of way is that to talk about the club anyway, who does he think he is? Now we can look forward to the player taken at pick 5 becoming another NicNat to our Watts. Idiots every single one of them.

Day 4 The MFC draft a 2 time premiership player who cost us very little. Good start. It's only Day 4

Shannon Byrnes to MFC 2 year deal as expected reported by the hun

wish i could fast forward to monday!

We won't, IMHO, let Viney pass. Neeld has spoken about a high performance culture and Viney is this personified. He will step straight up and bring the intangibles the club needs to produce long term success. Add to this he is a super talented player. He moves wonderfully well through traffic and is very clean. Has a good, sharp burst of pace as well as covering a lot of ground. Talent wise I'd be surprised if he isn't rated in the first 5 (although this is from an my limited viewing of most players) generally, and certainly he'd be rated there by Melbourne due to our specific needs (inside midfielder, contested ball, running ability, super driven and competitive). I also don't necessarily see there being a hard and fast top 3/4/5 or whatever this year. There are a number of players that bring different attributes, and add in there a ruckman (Grundy) that isn't necessarily required by many teams (like us). When you have the likes of Toumpas, Mayes, Stringer, O'Rourke, Plowman, etc, there isn't really an absolute standout that you'd rather have over Viney. Just different types of player - and none of them offer the same thing as Viney. It just depends if we get him at market price or bargain price.

Who was the last premiership player we had on our list? Dual premiership player I might add. He's an exemplary character with a strong work ethic coming out of the best team in the current era. He got overtaken by young guns like Christiansen and Motlop - no shame there. He will play a role where our previous options were Davey and Bennell, and he's proven he can play that role at Flag grade. We're desperate for senior players with leadership as we seem to be in a permanent spiral of our list getting younger. He comes for free. I'm amazed people can't see the upside here. No, he's not Tippett. But if you're looking for that one player who's going to lift us above his shoulders and carry us from our current misery to glory then you're going to be spending the rest of your life disappointed.

Ah is is just so great for us to have so many really positive true supporters. So, he may not have been able to break into the strong Cats team, but he is renowned as a hard worker and has big match experience, so should add to the MFC lineup. But there is no pleasing some folk. And welcome Shannon - we are not all negative tossers by the way.

Great pick-up for all the right reasons. Welcome to the MFC Shannon.

He will be turning 48 in 2034 though.

Looking forward to this all being over

If I was GC I'd say "Caddy + 23 for 4 (that I'd use on Tippett). That gives you Caddy for free. You've got two choices: 1. Viney + 24 2. Caddy + 23 + Viney"

Am I the only one that hates the term "war chest"?

I would give him jumper # 31 because from what I've heard of his good character, I believe he will restore the integrity this guernsey lost as a result of it being worn by the predecessor.

I think you might find that Geelong's main list is just a tad stronger than ours and therefore possibly a little harder to break into... and correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't their magoos do reasonably well? We need experience, skill and pace and they are three things he does bring with him as well as a desire to play for our club. Tell me who you would rather have that we could realistically convince to come to our club during this free agency period.

I can't believe I'm doing this, but, actually, they aren't. Rumor, like color and humor and all of those spellings are American. They aren't correct in Australian English. If you put them in a job application, it might get turfed in the bin. Just putting it out there.

Good news everyone. We have a small forward. So in total, we have one small forward.

he will be an ideal pick up for us as we don't have any small, fast, crubing forwards and he ticks everyone of those boxes he brings a large amount of experience (dual preiership player) and he is also coming from a winning culture which is an invaluable trait and he can hopefully give our young players an idea of what they have to put in to make it at this level!

Mark Stevens? John Ralph? Welcome! Jack Viney - pick 3. Mum's the word.

Some of the comments regarding Dawes and Wellingham on here are just insane. 'Wellingham isn't the leader of a midfield'. Well that's great. I don't think anyone is saying we're looking for a new captain. 'Wellingham is only 5th best at Collingwood'. Maybe that's because 1-4 are Pendlebury, Swan, Thomas and Ball? The fact is, Wellingham is better than any mid on our list right now. He doesn't have to lead, that's Grimes/Trengove's job. He adds value to our side, and anyone who disagrees with that either holds deep-seated resentment to Collingwood or Wellingham, or just doesn't know enough about him. Similar arguments apply to Dawes. He would clearly improve our forward line. Having said all that, they're not worth pick 4. That's just an absurd price to pay. These players add value to our side, no doubt, but that value is diminished by whatever we have to pay for them, and 4 is too much. 13 is maybe OK, I think I could live with that. But not 4.

What about Dawes for Morton? That is sort of pick 4

Outside 50, Dandeeman, Axis and others have perfectly summed up the situation - unlike Curry & Beer. If Melbourne wanted to call the Suns bluff they couldn't have done a better job. Even I'm concerned we'll pass - even though I know we won't.

Sounds like he doesn't want to be jerked around, spend two years with a meaningless 'franchise' club, and then go through this entire process again to try to get back to the Demons. It also sounds like something you'd only say if you knew you were definitely coming to Melbourne anyway. He must have some kind of inside contact of some sort.

Denhan would have loved telling the world this.

All this says to me is that the club is trying a tactic of distancing itself from Viney. The result of which leaves Viney saying that he will go wherever he ends up and that, by extension, the Dees won't pick him at #3. Given he's rated (from what I've heard) between 5-9, I think that this is an attempt by the club to make other clubs think we'd let him go to them if they bid.

Alternately he comes out and says. "Yeah looking forward to getting to the dees and putting on the red and blue at the club the old man captained".....goodbye pick 3.

That's exactly what he is saying. IE if you pick me you get me, not if you pick me you will be gazumped and force the MFC to use a higher pick. That is the essence of it all. If thats what GC and GWS believe it effectively neutralises the threat of them forcing us to use the higher pick because we are "committed". This would all happen under the direction of the club. Think...why would Jay Clark suddenly have access to young Jack?

This is unescessary I dont particularly care to be held to ransom or dictated to. If a charade its both ill conceived and poorly executed.

you started the drinking early?.....this is an article in the Herald Sun, read it, laugh at it, move on........

NOT HELPFUL JACK

I'm sure he is just sick of being asked questions he isn't able to answer. I'm sure Jack will happily go wherever he is drafted and be a very good player for that team. From the MFC perspective, if we rank him within our top 4 draft prospects we should take him at pick 3. If not GC17 can have him and I'm sure we'll draft yet another injury prone stick insect instead.

We should all just stop jumping at shadows.

No, the way Selwood is. MFC supporters have get over the fact that not everything is designed to kick them in the groin and that sometimes good things fall in their lap. This is an 'rpfc gaurantee' - you will love Jack Viney.

The only reason we are having this discussion about whether he is a top 3/4 pick or a 5 to 8 pick is because we did so badly in 2012. If we had won a few more games we wouldn't have picks 3 & 4, they would be in the 5 to 8 range! So the discussion is rather futile really. Lets just get him, whatever it takes!

I'm really hoping Rory Taggert comes along next year. While Wellingham could play a role for us and add some experience, I'd like to think Taggert will be developed. Harder body and all.

Viney will be the best pick up Melb has made in the last 10 years .... you just watch. As Emma Quayle tweeted "future captain". So pick 3 - no sweat.

I can't wait til Monday is done, we have taken him pick 3 and he becomes a great for the MFC.

While I agree that Port Adelaide have produced better on-field performances than us in the past decade, the off-field issues that they are experiencing at the moment are much worse than ours. We currently have a stable (and most would say competent) board and we are financially sound. On the other hand, Port are struggling to find someone who wants to coach them as their "candidates" are dropping out faster than they can find new ones. Their rivals, Adelaide, are on the rise and I think it is highly likely that Port will lose many supporters to the Crows. I would much rather be in our situation than theirs.

Don't mean to be a wet blanket, and i admire your blind... support for our club. They beat us regularly, have had a flag in the last 40 years, finished above us on the ladder. Hope you criticize us internally with the same venom, otherwise some may say it would be a little hypocritical.

Whitfield, Grundy, Toumpas are 3 ahead of Viney. You could argue Wines, but he's about on par. If GC bid, they get Viney and we get Grundy and Toumpas - excellent result for us with 3 and 4. Then look foward to our mid round pick, hopefully Garlett/Wines/Stringer/Kennedy - one of these should be there. Then we a pick in the 20's and hopefully can gain another pick in the 20's through trading. We should have a good draft, Viney is just a small part of our draft outcome. I just hope we take a stand if GC bid and show that we have a bit of back bone. Others disagree and everyone is entitled to their own opinion. The reason why I dont think GC will bid, is because they will think that in two years time, we will still be down near the bottom of the ladder and we could get Viney through a PSD in the future and they could lose him for nothing. The risk of taking him at 2 is massive for them.

Viney may be rated by some recruiters between 5-8 in the draft but there are other intangibles that add to his value due to the exposure we have had to him. He has had time in our system already. We know what we are getting with Viney and how he will adapt to the rigours of an AFL pre season (which he completed in most part). We have seen him play against men. We know he will be true to the jumper and not a turncoat like others may be. I watched Whitfields and Vineys pressers yesterday and in one I saw a young boy and the other I saw a warrior. I would put my money on Viney having the better career not necessarily out of talent but out of want. Viney is a sure thing 150-200 gamer at worst. He is a culture changing once in a generation mid at best. Whitfield is a nice player unproven against men. I hope we get the added value of him in the second round but if required we would be mad to not take him at 3.

I'd take Martin over Dawes.

Copy and paste for those too lazy to scroll down the board... I've read at least one simpleton, possibly more, argue that the bloods culture is a myth, I'd argue that said posters intelligence is a myth. Even more so than fantastic coaching and intelligent recruiting, the swans success over the last decade is built on the back of one player looking into their history at depth (as opposed to management lecturing on it) and discovering the old 'bloods' culture that existed for a period of time. With the backing of the senior players in Sydney, they vowed to adhere to a culture that represents the 'bloods'. Without exception. The players bought in, those that didn't, didn't play. I envy them and pray for the day that Melbourne show the type of commitment and passion for their club that the Sydney players do.