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There was "go home factor" with Cale Morton. Only we were telling him to go home.

Toumpas and Viney rounded out the top 3 in this year's Ben Mitchell Medal award at the AIS-AFL Academy, which was won by Joe Daniher. The Ben Mitchell Medal winner is the highest award given to a member of the AIS-AFL Academy squad and is named in memory of a former AIS squad member who tragically lost his life in a car accident on his way to training in 2002. All team members vote on the award based on the player who shows exceptional personal qualities, including; respect, honesty, skill and competitiveness. Jack Grimes is a previous winner, as is Jack Ziebell. If we're lucky enough to get Toumpas, along with Viney, we're bringing in a player of the highest character, as well as a gun footballer. In time, we'll have a leadership group that consists of Grimes, Trengove, Clark, Viney, Toumpas, Jones and Dawes. Talk about "culture changers".

I have to say I am genuinely surprised at the number of posters in this thread who seem to consider Watts to be a 'soft' player. IMO that perception is one fabricated out of nothing by the media (whom we are all aware like to stick the boot into us at every possible opportunity) and opposition supporters (no need to explain that one). I have watched 5 replays of games since the conclusion of this season (obviously I saw them at the time also) and I cannot recall a single instance where I thought to myself 'gee you should have gone harder there Jack'. I have also noticed some real agro around the contests, which nobody ever mentions. With regard to his general play the vast majority of the time he exhibits brains, class and effort, and very rarely does he get beaten or make a bad mistake in a variety of situations. I just watched the mauling of GWS, and though he wasn't prolific, did a number of truly outstanding efforts, including contested marks, winning the contested ball and using it properly, and working his way through traffic. If you distilled his highlight reel down to a few minutes he would look a million bucks. The bloke really does have the full set IMO. Even if the criticism of his hardness is valid, I don't understand why that is placed at such a premium. Recent KPP we have had that would run through a brick wall if asked were Brad Miller and Nathan Carroll. Give me one decent half of Jack Watts football over anything those blokes did their whole careers. As mentioned by others, the kid racked up 34 touches across half-back in a side that got belted, away from home, by the eventual premiers by over 100 points. That is anything but ordinary. Though it is painful to admit, I think that only Clark, Jones, Howe and perhaps Trengove, Blease, Grimes and Sylvia are in his category in terms of raw talent for the game. Between 2003 and 2009 we drafted 6 players from the first 5 picks - it has not worked out well for us so far but i'll be damned if Watts isn't a genuine contender to become the star we all crave so badly. I cannot wait to see him in '13.

Hogan, Viney, Toumpas, Barry, Dawes, Pedersen = kissed on the dick. If true, what an off-season.

This is becoming laughable. Toumpas could quite conceivably be the best player from this draft, his ceiling is huge. Wines is a great competitor, a hard worker and to some degree you know what you are getting in 2013, but the calls to overlook the widely rated number 2 pick at number 4 is nuts. Toumpas wins his own ball, is super quick, a great kick and has many many more tricks than Wines. Complete MFCSS, trying to admit defeat before even challenged.

A misconception, some concern that can be allayed with due diligence, and some racism tossed in for good measure. Well done.

Can't reveal my source but it's very solid ... Jimmy T. will fall to us at 4 and we will duly take him.

I dont give a toumpas what he was recruited as - I have a long memory and remember Gary Ayres first 4-5 season - they had no idea where to play him and they finally threw him to the back pocket and voila.... Its sort of like saying - i dont care how successful Trent Croad played down back in his time at Freo and last time round at the Hawks - he was recruited as a forward so dammit - thats where he has to succeed. Tarrant the same. I dont care where he shines as long as he shines.

These kind of posts make my brain hurt. Why do so many people automatically equate "class" with "soft"? I've not heard or seen a single thing to indicate that Toumpas is soft. I suppose it's the same logic that leads people to believe "inside" automatically equals "plodder".

Gerard Healy couldn't help himself on 3AW earlier. At the end of an interview of Adrian Anderson about new tribunal rules for 2013, Gerard asked him whether he expected Melbourne to follow Adelaide's lead and forfeit draft picks ahead of tomorrow's draft. To his credit, Anderson responded by saying that they were completely different circumstances and that Melbourne has not been charged, so no he doesn't expect that.

Could this be considered tanking?

It's times like this I wish I didn't have tonatopia on ignore, cos I ran the risk of missing these hilarious posts. Racial profiling relevant to drafting? You're a damn fool.

Totally agree. If the priority pick was still in play, we would've been accused of tanking in 2012. Most of our backs played in the forward line in 2012 and Dunn, previously a forward, became a half back flanker. Watts, recruited as a key forward, is now a permanent fixture in our backline. We lost the first 9 games straight. Many of our senior players were dumped from the leadership group, and the B&F winner from the year before couldn't find the ball. He reckons he was played in the 'wrong role'. Clearly we tanked. Surely that's what the evidence suggests. But heh, no one cares - because there's no priority pick anymore.

Is the question posed by the tread title actually meant to be serious?

Interviewed today ... with additional comment from Shifter.

Dusty may or may not make it through the end of the year as an AFL player. But he will only do so if he moves back in with Gary March. Otherwise, even given the traitor, our picks may yet prove smart.

You Dee Enthusiast ... you really are a ... young Dee enthusiast. Keep it up!

And there hot

At school we've all been studying ethics and it has partly covered the Universal declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and i had a look over it today and noticed a part of it that CW may be out of line with! Article 11: You should be considered innocent until it can be proved that you're guilty. If you are accused to a crime, you should always have the right to defend yourself. Nobody has the right to condemn you and punish you for something you have not done. imo she is out of line with this one, the first and last sentence anyway.

Yes I think they go to GWS

Our team is desperate for class in the midfield, our team is desperate for good kicks to compete with the Hawthorn's of this world, our team is desperate for pace, our team is desperate for players that work hard and spread, yet some on here don't want Toumpas ? FMD.

Thanks to the locals for these training reports. It keeps my MFC-blood-levels up durng the off-season. Love the descriptions of the intense training this year & Jesse Hogan. I am reminded of a quote that I heard from an NFL player this week, "I don't expect results, I expect effort. The results will look after themselves". It could be the motto for MFC in 2013, me thinks.

Daniher aside, if we get Toumpas we will be getting the two players I would take at 1 and 2 for picks 4 and 27. GOLD.

I believe in a gesture of "jacked off" with the unprecedented targeting of our club we should take Adelaide's first two draft picks

2030 AFL announces that it hopes to wrap up the MFC "Tanking" Inquiry shortly. They just need to re-interview Broke McUnclean and that should conclude the investigation Richmond President Carowhine Wilson again claims the MFC are a disgrace and CS will finally get his just desserts MFC QC Ray Finkelstein states the MFC are prepared to take their case all the way to the UN Crimes against Humanity Tribunal if necessary

That sounds promising, would love to se him play again.

I was there and took some photos, will post a bit more later, spoke to Jesse Hogan, cool kid, lookin fwd already to playing in the VFL, target weight for him to play at 104KG, so just a medium sized fwd then They had solid nearly 3 hr session outside, spoke to Howie on the way back in and he said weights and wrestling this arvo Had John Muggleton from the Rebels this morning doing tackling technique And how do I put a photo on here?

I stopped on my way past this morning, around mid-session. They were doing 1km repeat gut runs. Looked like hard work. Will come back with more later.

You misogynist pig

Watts will be star, of that i'm certain. As i have said before by his mid 20's (another 4 years away!) he will be a regular AA selection and considered to be one of the top 10 players in the league by most pundits and footy fans. Mark my words.

Rob Mac Yep I might have got a little overboard with my expectations. Should have said something like, 3 standout games and playing at a consistent level throughout the year. Bottom line, would like to see him continue to develop into the player we all hope him to be. cheers s81

After being involved in 5 premierships at Melbourne. Cam Schwab decides he needs a newer,bigger challenge in life. He takes the job as president of the Tiges. An old haggard,frail looking woman, in a wheelchair parked outside the punt road offices Displays a sign around her neck, "hes a tanker,get him out get him out!!" Excerpt from the link: Richmond In 2030, the Tigers are two years into a new five-year plan, which aims to return them to the finals for the first time since 2001. As the 2030 season begins, the Tiger faithful are full of hope, only to have it dashed by being thumped in round one by Carlton on a Thursday night at the ?G?.

Was "worth a crack" intended? Hell no.

Toumpas = blue chip. I've gone from faint hope he'll still be there at pick 3... to dismay at the fact we'll not be in contention for him... to delirious that he looks headed to MFC. Wines is a decent looking prospect, as is O'Rourke, but Toumpas is blue chip.

-New tanking allegations. - A regretfully tattooed Nathan Jones appointed as coach - Players can go to and from clubs any time. - Free kicks for touches in wrong places - 9 on the field, 13 on the bench to reduce congestion. - Goal keepers and players who can only stay in the centre square -Social media player ban - 20 teams. - Thread about what footy with be like in 2048

Plus some leaders and ridding of projects and Damian Barrett can go and use his private parts as piranha bait. I'm sorry, I just love that Metro ad...

I don't have the energy.

As a Melbourne supporter I consider myself a patient guy, but that's getting a bit extreme.

Stinga, I'm sure you don't intend it, but that's the kind of unreasonable expectation that puts unfair pressure on Watts! I'll just assume you didn't do the math. There are 44 players in every game @ 22 games per year. = an average of 0.5 BOG games per player per year and you reckon it would be just "a pretty good year and sign of his ongoing development" (meaning you'd expect better in future) if Jacks performance is 10 to 12 TIMES better than the average AFL player!! "5-6 BOG ..and the rest high level" is probably a Brownlow!! Hahah No pressure on you Jack, just win the 2013 Brownlow or we'll think you suck! ;-)

Its funny what people say about the 'go home factor'. In 2009 we drafted two future superstars at pick one and two, one of them left the club going interstate. The one who stayed was born in South Australia and his parents still live there. The one that left was born in the city of Melbourne, but that did not stop him from leaving. Pick the best player available, not the player who lives in Melbourne therefore you believe will stay.

Anyone who cites 'go home factor' is defeatist and raising the white flag before a shot is fired in anger. If you can't back yourself to retain your best players regardless of where they're from, you've got no hope in a national competition.

If the latest rumours are true and Toumpas is available at 4 it could go down as one of the sweetest drafts in history. How to transform your club in one off-season. Viney, Toumpas, Hogan, Barry, Dawes and Pedersen would be an amazing outcome.

Strauss is a different animal, still hold hope for him. We need him to turn out to be a good one, we need his ilk. Needs belief

Maric had two great problems. First was a lack of work ethic, hence the fitness issues. Second was his ability to cope with pressure. He was a poor set shot because he had time to think about it, but occasionally he showed us some real magic with his field kicking. It just wasn't often enough, again due to a poor work ethic and inability to get the ball.

His first shot at goal for us was not even Auskick standard and to be quite honest I don't think his kicking was ever that good. Fortunately, as Todd said in his interview, they aren't going to draft players in future because they are a good kick, or a good mark, they have to have the whole package. The 4 pillars of Melbourne; sounds good.

The issue of skills when exhausted was raised earlier in this thread. Let's put a perspective on the whole skills issue. First, get the skills perfect. Second, get the skills perfect under pressure. Third, get the skills perfect under pressure and when exhausted. Why this order - because in most cases if the skills are perfect in the first place, the other two cases won't occur! Also interesting to note the comments on endurance running - OK, but just remember that most football running is sprint followed by sprint etc, as I think someone pointed out. No, these are not negative comments, just something to think about - I'm guessing Shannon Byrnes knows a bit about this area.

Srooy, a brfie monemt fo dylesxia

We dont need to do anything about the Scoprs debt, not if we are a little bit business ruthless. Its not OUR debt. They ARENT us.. Any decent accountant would tell you to fold it unless theres a Tax benefit in absorbig them and I cant think of one off hand. i.e I cant think of what the assett(s) is/are we would gain cheaply by doing so.

Only if we played a home game at Geelong. A double header will never happen at the G or the grave yard.