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Look, I agree that it's hard to argue that we got amazing value out of Rodan, but this is not the time or place to pan the bloke or carry on about poor recruitment. The guy went in to battle for us and got hurt doing so, to the point where his career is over. Show some respect.

I am covered in my own DNA reading all this...................Rooooooooosssssssyyyyyy!!!!!

David Rodan was brought into the club for a specific purpose and at a low cost and whatever one might have thought about the idea behind that, he worked his butt off both on and off the field for the good of the club. In his last AFL game, he picked up seven disposals in less than a quarter and the momentum swung against us only after he was taken off. He was on his way to a really big number game and I'm sure would have stuck around to support the kids at Casey in the finals. I know this won't resonate with some around here but he was a terrific clubman and my 7 year old grandson who is overseas at the moment absolutely loved him for the way he treated the kids as individuals during the clinic the club conducted over the school holidays. He'll be devastated to learn that David's career was ended by yet another knee injury. Well played DR.

Don't agree. For pick 88 and a spot on the list that would have otherwise only gone to a speculative kid or a Magner upgrade, it was more beneficial to have his influence at the club. It wasn't ever going to be a long partnership, but I'm glad it happened.

On AFL 360 tonight, Gerard's "Sure Thing" for this weekend is that Sunday will be "The last day of a Dismal Demon Era". Man, do we ever hope that proves to be true, and we come out in 2014 a rejuvenated and exciting outfit! Here's to 2014 and beyond...!!

He's either the next Melbourne coach or an absolute [censored] for teasing us like this.

As the great Bob Hawke once said "Any boss that makes their melb supporter employee come to work next week, is a bum"!!!

If peter jackson pulls this off i will go up to him and french kiss the [censored] out of him

I

Paul Roos just said on Fox Footy that (and I paraphrase) "i have more interest in coaching the MFC now than I have in the past 12 weeks...I'm not at the point where I will say I will do it, but I am at the point where I am thinking about it. I've gone from 0% chance to 50-50".

So yet again Freo rest a large number of players in the last round just like GWS last year and Freo did a few years back. Why is this not tanking? Just because there might be a different reason or benefit for/from it it is still the same in principal. No one is claiming the players on the field dont try. This really annoys me.

Spoke with Paul at a conference yesterday and he is a top bloke. Of interest he said he thought we would get a pick 1 PP. He rated both our captains, Sylvia and Watts. He had heard good things about Hogan but never seen any footage. He spoke about the need to get a great team around you and he said it is important to have a close mate as an assistant. At Sydney Ross Lyon was his right hand man. He also spoke about culture and importance of the leadership group setting team norms and enforcing the right behaviors. He is very inspirational and would be an amazing get for Melbourne. Go dees

I had all but abandoned any hope of Roos. I'm not popping the champagne just yet, but wow, this would be massive for this club.

I have been conditioned over many years with this club to expect the most painful outcome possible. I'm going to stick my head in the sand until he's signed. Please let it happen.

What is the chance we will get it right? We picked Barassi instead of Sheedy, Balme instead of Pagan, Bailey instead of Hardwick, and Neeld instead of a monkey.

All the best in retirement Dave. He got the best out of himself and was very unlucky with injury. Could have played a lot more games. Popular clubman at 3 clubs and great Footy Show dancer.

Excuse me while I pleasure myself...

Good luck to him, I'm actually really interested in how he goes and hope he does get some success. Conan was one of the best defenders of the 80's era and is a better footy person than his coaching record suggests.

Too many things are falling into place for my thinking. It looks like Roos was signed a while ago. The "At the moment" comments from Roos to begin with but then things went quiet because of a club being drug cheats but then add no Brisbane, Eade staying at the pies and now Roos comments tonight it equals some happy days in my mind.

That will also make front page of Herald Sun....."man gives birth to 4 kittens"

Screw it, going to the pub and starting the celebrations!

My biggest issue is getting my boner down this weekend. Beyond massive for the club and I cannot think of the last time our club could potentially score this kind of boon. In terms of sponsorship, membership, attracting players/recruits, cultural standards, momentum it just doesn't get bigger than scoring this guy. All of a sudden we would be an attractive side for young players and recruits. All of a sudden we would look like a serious club for the first time since the Daniher years or probably earlier. I don't want to get my hopes up (Judd a dee, Scully will stay, etc etc) - but if he is announced as coach I may never be sober again...

I may or may not of called out Paul's name....

He has announced it tonight on the eve of our last game-makes sense Nathan Jones said last night the new coach will be announced in the next 2 weeks-makes sense Leigh Tudor is moving back to Melbourne at the end of the year,he will be Roos' senior assistant-makes sense. Rocket Eade re-signs with the Pies after most probably being told by PJ that he wasn't successful-makes sense. This can't not happen with all of the above,the wait is over. Geoff Walsh will be Footy Ops Manager. Done Deal PJ has just pulled off the almost impossible,WOOHOO!!!

lets not get too carried away boys and girls. Could just be a Charlie Brown moment !!

Que another 120 pages!

Interview: First and only question, "How would you like to be paid?"

If we do land him, it will be one of the biggest steps the club has made for 20 years IMO.

Haha, who couldn't see this coming from a mile away the minute said "I'm not interested... yet"? I guess nobody, since this thread is approaching page 130.

Eade pulls out + Roos sounds positive = more than coincidence.

You get the feeling we may have told him he wouldn't get the gig and the Lions did likewise.

I can live with Neil Craig as coach.

Colour it how you wish.. Freo are pulling the carpet out from under themselves. We have the old chestnut about the players still playing to win and they will. So The "trying to lose" is a crock of shlt. its about empowering ( or not ) your team to have its best chances. Clearly Freo arent, they dont care. Its irrelevant to the season , but the fitness of players in finals is. Thats their carrot, a different one to us but they are playing to gain something. Its exactly the bloody same in my books

- My guess is he doesn't know anything that isn't in the public arena. This is just his gut feeling which he often goes with. - A bottom six finish, AF? I dream of getting out of the bottom four. If we can manage to take a few scalps other than the expansion teams, and be competitive against the rest, that would absolutely be an end of the dismal era. It would mean the club is finally moving up, not down. For the record I don't see next year bringing much relief and I think bottom four beckons, but hopefully we see genuine improvement. - The excuse about being low on confidence is wearing a bit thin. I'm not counting it out, but Craig doesn't instil confidence in them? Why not? I think we have to face up to the fact that many of the players we drafted in this period just aren't that good. Look at Gysberts. Taken out of the toxic environment and still stinking it up. Confidence in terms of trusting in each other on the field is another matter.

Surely we are all smart enough to know the difference

This will be me as soon as the siren sounds this Sunday...gosh it's been a long year. Gosh, it's been a longer 7 years. This has got to stop:

Rattan just said on SEN that he hasn't been approached or spoken to anyone from melb... Just thought I'd add this so we can tick another potential coach off the list.

Wow, that interview on Fox Footy was certainly the most positive in regards to Roos actually coming to the Dee's, he said he was nearly 50/50 and is seriously considering all offers. That's big!

Warwick Capper, with Mark Jackson as assistant coach. It's the only way forward for mine.

Depends how you define untried. Leigh Tudor is not lacking in experience at AFL level. Up to the coaching panel. Wouldn't be ruling out anyone myself, including Worsfold - or Craig. It's not going to turn around in a season or two though, no matter who we pick.

I just want the best candidate, if that is Simpson, Tudor, Eade, Williams, Richardson or Roos I don't care. I actually have faith in Parkin being able to pick the best candidate through the process.

No more untried coaches, please. 5 years of this rubbish. Time to right the ship. Roos, Craig, Eade - all proven - I'm happy with any of them.

I agree with you RB!The exception is the last line. The day I stop supporting the MFC will be the day I completely drop the AFL at senior level. No Dees = No AFL for me. As my wife constantly reminds me their is more to life than the AFL

Sue, I don't see why 55's point is so weak. It's all about intent. Freo may lose, but it's not their *intention* to lose, that is just a likely by-product of their strategy to rest players. Clearly our intention was to lose. Anyone who wants to argue the point about the MFC wanting to lose is either being disingenuous, or is just thick. In the same manner that it's not the MFC's intention to make Casey bow out of the finals in straight sets, but it will probably happen for a third year straight as a consequence of MFC's injury management decisions. Are we going to say Melbourne/Casey are tanking now?

Freo don't care whether they win or lose. If we'd won, we'd have had to have a moment's silence and a week in mourning. It's not the same coin.

Only Damian Barratt could report Tudor and Simpson as smokies. 1. Simpson. Captain of his club, defensive and tough player, coaching under Clarkson who is flavour of the month (and rightly so) in terms of producing assistants and has already spawned Hardwick at Richmond and Cameron at GWS. He's the obvious choice for a first time head coach. 2. Tudor. Geelong VFL coach (VFL premiership) to Geelong assistant (premiership) to StKilda assistant under Ross Lyon (Grand finals) to Sydney (premiership). This guy clearly has the most outstanding record in the league for an assistant. And to me he'd also qualify under the 'experienced coach' phrase. Would I feel more confident that we'd at least build a competent team capable of winning games if we went for Roos, Eade or Williams - of course I would. But that doesn't mean that these 2 shouldn't be interviewed. I hope PJ would feel the same way, especially about Tudor.

PROS: 1. Leader-200 game player 2. Wins contested footy 3. Helps Jones while Viney is developing 4. Better than what we've currently got CONS: 1. Old 2. Slow 3. Exposed on the outside- no spread 4. Takes the spot of a young developing player on the list My gut says to go down the youth path, but Cross has some merit while we're transitioning our midfield. Not the worst suggestion. I'll sit on the fence for a while.

Bad teams become bad because of decisions THAT club makes. Everyone in a position to get draft assistance has put themselves in that position. I am not about to let other clubs shame me into thinking that we shouldn't get draft assistance because we have 'brought this on ourselves.' And I am certainly not going to allow the 'pride' of MFC supporters to let the club shoot itself in the foot by not receiving what the League has placed in its by-laws as important to the integirty of the game to even the competition. We have had Blease and Scully as draft assistance. That was five and four years ago. We have gone 22-63-2 with % of 75 in the years since our last 'hand-out.' Carlton had 4 PPs (three pre-draft) over 5 years from 2003 to 2007. Hawthorn had two pre-draft PPs over 2004 and 2005. Our competitors would like us to stay down as long as possible and not get the kind of help we require and the League needs us to have. I would prefer them having a whinge than us struggling in front of their smug faces.