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I hope the same goes for Brian Royal.

Royal will be fine. He's the bloke you can't shoot, root, or electrocute.

I disagree. Dawes has shown more at Melbourne than he showed at Collingwood IMO (aka Mitch Clark), it is just he doesn't seem to be on the park enough. Collingwood would have loved to have had Dawes in their Finals campaign I'm sure. Would have been much better than Lynch. The other thing that Dawes does is he bring great leadership to the club, and we are very short of mature good leaders, particularly with finals experience.

Yeah, the jury has come down on Dawes: he is a good player. He had a few niggles, sue him. He plays with the type of aggression and leadership that is well worth the 5% of the cap he is taking. He is also a godsend for our most valuable player right now - Hogan. He will do the bullocking work so that Jesse can get used to playin AFL footy.

I have a lot of issue with the bolded sentence. It's the sort of ignorant bullsh*t I'd expect from an opposition supporter that knows nothing about the club. Since 2003 we've had a total of 2 priority picks. 2. Picks 1 & 17. Hawthorn had picks 2 & 3 as priorities, as a comparison. High draft picks are not some extra "reward" for finishing lower. They are our draft position for having to put up with a rubbish bottom 4 team year after year. We get 1st round draft picks just like every other team in the competition, who by your logic must have been stockpiling them too. Compensation picks are fair compensation in return for losing assets. They haven't come in without us losing something valuable in return. It's inflammatory language to make a redundant and ill-considered point.

Personally, I think they should just ditch priority picks. I mean, if Melbourne don't deserve on this year, no team will ever deserve one.

hes a [censored] of the highest order isnt he. A very biased and jealous [censored] at that

Not surprising. All the best Neil in your new ventures.

For the love of god someone get us a good midfield.

On another new staff appointment, George Stone is definitely coming from Sydney. The source is the closest to GS possible, and I can't be more specific, so don't ask. Announcement won't be made til after Sydney's season wraps.

It won't be surprising if all the assistant coaches go. Its clear Roos will choose his own team.

Here we go again with semantics. I said it is relevant only to the perception of a pick awarded to us, it is not relevant to the rules that we were acquitted of ranking earlier this year per behaviour 4 years ago. And the whingeing is being done by the clubs who gladly lose 8 (Coll) or 11 (Carl) straight to finish a season to get a PP or get back-to-back PPs after 5 years of 10+ wins a season. The rule is designed to amend hopelessness, this noble desire to stand on our own two feet, and say no to 'help' or 'handouts' would be more noble if it weren't so foolhardy. Ruthless clubs would not be bullied about a opportunity like this, no the ruthless clubs are the ones saying one thing and did another, and they are standing on our necks. That is why Jackson 'embarrassed himself' according to Peter Ryan and Damian Barrett. He knows that Essendon would do the same, and so would every other club that was a woeful as us (not that they would get as woeful as us).

At least there are a few above who recognize the issue. If it was Carlton getting assistance in this manner there would be outrage here. But the facts are clear. The AFL's job is to maximise the competition and while we are performing the way we are we are hurting it. And our incompetence in selecting players in the past has provided other clubs with much better picks, a fact they ignore. Our performance warrants assistance on that there can be no argument, but I can see "the elephant in the room". It's a real issue. Those that can't are just blind.

Love the total contradiction in this sentence: "Melbourne has been given enough assistance in recent years, been a debilitating drain on the entire competition for too long."

Very disappointed with that I think he is one of the good guys of football, always upfront, no spin and an all round great guy. Hope he gets the Brisbane gig, all the best Neil.

Impossible to know if he was a good coach or not. Thanks for . . . being you, Leigh. Thanks for being you.

What a crock, it is this mentality as to why the MFC has been a rabble so long. "If it is to be, it is up to me!" There's no reason why we can't challenge for top 4 within 5 years if we get our footy department and recruiting sorted. We don't need the PP for that, one 18 year old kid won't make or break this club. For a club whose stereotype is of being from the establishment/top end of town it truly surprises me how many on here seem to think welfare is the only way to survive.

I am not sure of the timing but I leave that to PJ, but I would get in the media about having a truly fair competition. All the inequities of the competition need to be pointed out and that we will be seeking those remedied, if there is no early PP for us, given the AFL having the provision to award one. I have raised the matters before but they all contribute to the inequality and unfairness of the competition. Things like fixturing ( friday night games ) MCG games, skilled stadium games, interstate games etc, 3rd party deals.etc, etc, tanking investigations on other clubs that got PP's, funds to North, cats, Bombers , Pies for devlopment grants for stadiums and training centres. All of these things and more, affect our ability to compete equally. If the other clubs want to [censored] and moan about a PP, lets get it all out there in the open and see if that opens up a few cans of worms.

Sydney gets extra money for some sort of 'cost of living' allowance, which we all know isn't used on cost of living. Collingwood, Essendon, Carlton, Richmond get to avoid trips to Geelong. Hawthorn travels to fewer interstate clubs because it gets accommodated for its decision to play down in Tasmania. In one way or another, many other clubs get some sort of leg up from the AFL. We happen to be the biggest basket case the competition has ever faced. Unlike the other nice little advantages the other clubs get, ours is to help us out of the quagmire, to ensure we don't fall apart, that we don't continue to ruin their financial bottom lines. A strong Melbourne is in everyone's best interests, whether Damien Barrett likes it or not. Was about to post the same thing. Damien Barrett = AFL's biggest [censored].

you know when Damien barrett is translated into german ,and means whale virgina

Darren Jolly's comments on Paul Roos last year. I owe a lot to Roosy and the Swans. He gave me the confidence to turn into the player I am today. I remember a lot of the conversations I had with Roosy, but one in particular stands out that I had with him in round three of the 2005 season. I was pretty flat, playing ordinary footy and was focused on the mistakes I was making during games. He told me he didn't care if I made mistakes as long as I was having a crack. He spoke about confidence and how he would always give me the confidence to believe in my ability. His door was always open and he wanted me and all his players to come in and have a chat with him about anything. In the five years I was there, Roosy hardly ever lost his temper during or after games, but would tell you constructively the things you didn't do well and what you needed to work on. Players can put a lot of pressure on themselves and so it was truly inspiring to have a coach who would ease that pressure, give you the confidence to just play and not think about anything else and be constantly talking with his players and making sure he was up to date on how everyone was feeling. There's no secret why the Swans were successful in those years. We didn't have a team full of superstars, we just had 22 guys with an extremely strong culture playing their hearts out for each other and a coach motivating them and leading them in the direction he wanted us to go.

I don't believe that anyone is doing Junior or the club any favours by dredging out this stuff ad infinitum. Junior was 33 years old, slowing down appreciably and had spent most of the last half of the season recovering from a hamstring injury. It was a fair call on the part of the football department to pull the plug. Unfortunately, the way it was handled by Dean Bailey was poor and this has been acknowledged long ago. If Junior wants to honour his commitments with GWS then so be it. There's no need to make political statements about he situation. It's pretty much irrelevant now.

Just you wait til he gets a full pre-season under his belt. He'll be a gun one day that boy. Mark my words.....

And we can call it "Head Job" I'm predicting massive ratings.

http://www.afl.com.au/news/2013-09-10/anger-threatens-to-boil-over Seriously? I haven't seen much of anything that suggests there is anything to this at all, seems as though he is making things up to try and pour cold water on the idea. most seem unimpressed about the financial assistance, but 34 wins in 7 years, a new coach, president, Ceo, board completely flipped upside down, mostly new players, might be time for Barrett to pull his head out of his ass. Discuss.

How funny would it be if everyone goes except Brian Royal.

Please for the love of god someone get us a good midfield coach. PLEASE!!!!

Thankyou Leigh. All the best.

No we don't deserve one, yes we should get one. Of course the other clubs will say "no way"........... what else are they going to say? Simply it is terrible for the game to have a team completely uncompetitive, season after season. Statistically over the last 2 seasons Melbourne has been the worst team since Fitzroy in 1994 & 1995. In other words a 1 in 20 year event. I would have thought if ever a PP should be given it should be in this instance.............. otherwise the rule should be scrapped all together. Despite Roos Melbourne will win the wooden spoon next season. We will however improve, GWS will improve dramatically and the likelihood is we will again be along way behind the rest of the competition. For the strength and good of the competition the difference between the bottom and the top teams must narrow dramatically. After 7 years at the bottom of the ladder, interest in the Dees is at rock bottom, the supporter base is drifting, we are reliant on welfare on and off the field. It is in the AFLs best interest to help us become competitive as quick as possible, to get us off life support and so we can become independent, strong and proud once more. Another season like the last two would almost finish us off. In dollar terms a PP will save the AFL significantly. It will also be to the financial advantage of every other club. Who wants to watch a smashing? The AFL must take care of its competition and in particular the minors or we will end up with a EPL situation. No body wants to see this. Another season of little hope and less than 4 wins will be another dagger to the completion and our club....... despite Roos. Hope needs to be restored. When you take the rose coloured glasses off, the reality of our list in the broad daylight is horrifying. I urge the AFL to present the MFC with #1 PP, for the good of the completion. Despite what we want to dream, realistically Melbourne is years away from challenging for the top 8. Getting smashed week in, week out is bad for everyone who loves AFL.

Yeah, but they weren't stupid enough to offer him a 3 year deal.

There is only 1 criteria that should be taken into account for a priority pick and that is our performance over the last 7 years. We have already been punished ( scapegoated) for the tanking issue. Nowhere in the decision did it say the penalty was to be ongoing. Penalising us by taking away something we are clearly entitled to. All these opinions from people who clearly have an agenda. Gee I wish they had been this outspoken as to why we were the only ones investigated for tanking

If media pressure is so good at affecting decisions made by clubs and the AFL we need to write more articles regarding the sacking of Damian Barrett.

The elephant in the room is the fact that it's about time we just rolled up our sleeves and got on with it instead of whinging all the time - it's starting to sound like Shinbonerland around here not Demonland. Sure ask for a pick, make your case and argue for it and take the pick if they give it to you but if not it's not the end of the world. We can turn this ship around with or without the PP, it's not essential it's a luxury.

The elephant in the room is only relevant to the perception of any assistance. It isn't relevant to whether we should have draft assistance or not. Since that elephant there have been 4 seasons, two of which have netted a total of 6 wins. The rule is there and has been used in a way that has not evened up the league - giving the Pies Thomas two years removed from back to back flags is not evening the competition. They didn't deserve it if we wish to talk about the D word. We need it and the league needs us to have one. The elephant in the room has to forklifted out at some point. I am not going to hang myself and my club on the schadenfreude of others.

If we get a PP I'll take it as you don't look a gift horse in the mouth but if we don't get one who cares; no point whinging and moaning just get on with the job.

They may not give us a PP but still give us draft assistance... Jackson will fight for it. These hacks can continue with their contradictory nose up in the air if they want to. It is not relevant that we have drafted poorly to whether we get a PP but the AFL will want to tread lightly and Barrett thinks he is going to be the darling of the other clubs if he kicks up a stink about it. Meanwhile, Hawthorn has its hypocritical hoof on our throat. I hope we get it and I hope they hate us. No apologies.

Hahahahahahah they got 2 PP's that won them a flag in 2008, should have won last year and might well win this year.. clearly not good at thinking before they speak.

Anybody else listen to 'rumour files' on 3AW breakfast? Ross's rumour, this morning, was that we weren't going to get a PP. Hate to say it, but he's usually on the money. As the rest of you have said, it's outrageous. Their argument just doesn't make sense. You're a basket case, so you don't deserve a priority pick. That's exactly when you do deserve one. Jeez, two wins all year... Hawks get Roughy and Buddy (and are about to get a premiership) Pies get Pendlebury and Swan. We get zip.

The other clubs must be prepared that if the MFC doesn't get a priority pick this year it basically mean the priority pick is dead. It's funny to listen to members of the media whose teams have greatly benefited from the priority picks in the past now come out dead against us getting one. Carlton for example has 3 priority no 1 picks, they shouldn't have been in the draft for 2 of those years due to cheating but found a loop hole that allowed them to get Gibbs and Murphey followed up with the tank year to get Kruzer. Of the top 8 teams I think 5 have benefited from priority picks. We have had 7 bad years and received 2 priority picks. The media are making it out that we have a heap of proirity picks, the other early picks we have had are due to trading, losing a No1 pick to an expansion club and our National draft picks.

If we don't qualify based on our record, noone does and the rule should be scrapped.

Getting real sick of your [censored], Barrett...

I'd do the deal for pick 2. There's still a good chance he'll become top shelf I think, so it's trading a maybe for a maybe (as opposed to the Selwood trade which is a maybe for a definitely not), only this maybe has a couple of years development up his sleeve. I see it as a lowish risk way of skipping a couple of steps in the long winded improvement process.

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/tigers-contract-fight-20130909-2tg3x.html Punt Road's Korin Gamadji Institute wants to pay Martin to be an Indigenous Ambassador? What an effing joke. The Tigers are just using this place for their own ends now. If Caroline would like to lift the lid on some shady practices and waste of government money - she should focus on Punt Road; more than 50% of the 'programs' and 'accredited training' to help indigenous youth transition into employment have been one-day barista courses... I am sure it helps to get the desirable and stable job down at the Starbucks on Collins St, but we don't need an institute for that... They do it to inflate numbers of people and programs at the institute, and as a way of sourcing more money. To pay for Am-effing-bassadors...

I have no problem with Jones but I dont think Grimes has done anything wrong this year to warrant a change. There is an argument that Trenners may benefit from being freed from the captaincy. There are plusses and minusus here, Maybe Jones would not handle the captaincy and that Grimes is the best man for the job. I think stability is a good thing right now and sacking our current captains and installing Jones would have little effect on performance and could be detrimental to Jones and potentially Grimes. My preference would be to discuss with Trengove and if he is comfortable get him to focus on his own game and maybe just have Grimes as skipper and retain Jones as VC.

PP1 - Lock it in!

Sylvia is a mature, hard bodied Midfielder, Roos wants him there, if he leaves it will hurt, we need the experience, Roos might get him to another level as a player and i thought this was his best season for us as it is. fingers crossed for good news here.

Maybe we can turn it into a reality tv show...having assistant coaches competing each week for a spot until only 1 or 2 remain for Roo's to choose . Also create another revenue stream for the club...

It's probably a good thing that McDonald isn't coming back any time soon. There's still too much baggage there. And as for the Roos successor situation, it's not like we're going to hire 4 or 5 homogenous guys and name one of them as the next Godfather. Instead we're picking (along with a few other coaches) a "senior assistant." This is someone whose responsibilities are likely to be very large right from the get-go. By his own admission (SEN interview), Roos said that he does not have the in-depth day-to-day understanding that your average coach does; he has just been out of the game too long. For this reason, he will be hiring a super-assistant to help him and eventually take over from him in 2-3 (or more) years time. I think the move is brilliant, because it says to the very best aspiring senior coaches in the making "come here if you want a guaranteed head position." Where else will you get that offer? The best in the business would be lining up to get a crack at a guaranteed job, with the added bonus of being able to see how the best man-manager in the history of footy goes about building a unified team.

Q has been an utter failure. Dawes is clearly better.