Leaderboard

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOyo5ZTWK0Q Found this little snippet from his Academy coaching days. Very insightful, you would think this would be a style of lay next year. Expect a lot of free flowing play which is good to see instead of the defence choke which didn't work under Neeld. Massive emphasis on spread to which we struggled with.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4LOcB1ffXY http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0AVjgt5RbF4 Even though they are kids he does not go easy on them. Still cannot believe we have him as our head coach..

There must be a thread somewhere where you haven't taken the opportunity to post something as negative as you can imagine. But I haven't found it yet. Keep up the good work.

MCG In September week 2 of the finals would be good!

Born with a disability mate. Played Wheelchair Basketball at school back in the 70's though. No Rules! Now THAT is a tough game!!!

Was told this morning that potential draft choices will be kept very quiet. Don't expect any leaks.

Hey guys, a guy that is a chief staff for Bound for Glory and watches a lot of TAC cup and writes about did a phantom draft and he had this to say about pick 9: 9. Melb - Christian Salem (VIC - Mid) Sandringham Dragons 182 cm 83 kgs Player Comparison: Scott Pendlebury Looks like a human wrecking ball but is far from it. Whilst Salem can win the inside ball with his tenacity and strength, but the real highlight of his game is his rare ability to find time and space when it shouldn’t be there. In his first TAC Cup game this season, Salem dominated the first half to the point where I literally couldn’t take notes on any other player because he was the only one catching my eye. In heavy traffic, he manages to evade a tackle and spot up a player perfectly, even with immense pressure around him. Salem can hit the scoreboard too, although his game isn’t suited to the forward line. His outside skills are fantastic and he is a fantastic tackler. To be quite honest, I think he is a better player than Josh Kelly, but Kelly is a superior athlete. Against New South Wales/ACT, Salem was played in the forward pocket and kicked 3 goals. Yet when he moved up the field, he just played with such composure and measured his kicks so well. He’s also quite quick and can act as a ball carrier. Also got a great head on his shoulders, chatted to him several times through the year and he gives off the sense of professionalism and high level football doesn’t seem to faze him.

Possibly the only list management decision I'm really bitter about was keeping Newton on for an extra (seventh?) year, at the cost of picking up Dylan Grimes. It was a direct alternate. A clear demonstration of recruiters becoming trapped by their own bad decisions, unable to concede the loss. One of Neeld's credits is that he was prepared to make those tough calls, and to dump a whole lot of those 'mistakes'. Made a few errors of his own, recruiting-wise, it would have been interesting to see if he'd have retained the willpower to cut those losses as it became apparent.

Sorry, Dazzledavey36, but I now dislike you. You have officially ruined the preseason for me. I've never met you but you have given me that glimmer of hope for 2014 that I was determined not to allow myself. I was determined not to be burnt again by raising expectations based upon preseason changes. You have now ruined this for me. How could I not have more hope after seeing Roos at work - even if it was at junior level. Great video clips of a great coach with great communication skills who clearly and without compromise demonstrates the run and structure of modern footy. I cannot adequately communicate via a keyboard how impressive I found Roos' clarity and simplicity in those videos. I can see Jones, Trengove, Clark, Frawley, Toumpas all hanging off his every word and growing week by week.

Dave's not here.

I grew up in the Western District of Victoria and played Junior and Senior footy for the Pirron Yallock Tigers who were part of the Colac and District League. My grandfather played in their one and only premiership in 1924 of which I have an original team photo of. I was never a jet and floated between the ones and magoo's for the majority of my time there but that was really due to application as opposed to skill which in turn was influenced by too many frothies with the boys on Friday night before the game. Played under Rob Pekin who was the older brother of Tim (former Fitzroy and St Kilda player) for a few years and experienced the best win of my career during this time. We were playing Apollo Bay at their ground and we're getting smashed by half time. Bay were the reigning premiers and we were the perennial cellar dwellers. There was a howling easterly and it must have been only 8 degrees this day and we knew the game was lost. Peko however, gave the most stirring address followed by an equally as stirring rendition of 'yellow and black' which connected with the team like something I'd never experienced before and have not since. We came from 9 goals down to win by a goal or two by memory. It was after this that I truly got addicted to the game. Unfortunately, not long afterwards I moved overseas for work and footy ended for me - almost.. I tend to think I was light years ahead of the AFL when I invented my own 9 per side game back in 2000 whilst in Zambia. Myself and another expat used to take the pill down for a kick on one of the soccer pitches over there which was in a fairly remote part of the country. Slowly, a few of the younger village kids came out and joined in and then more, including men before it became too chaotic. This became my first coaching role and we set up a few sides which also involved Angolan refugees from a massive refugee camp 10 Kms away. Talk about hilarious although some of the young kids there picked it up surprisingly fast. I'm now 41 years old and have been playing Masters footy here in WA for the past 7 years. Play on the ball, floating forward for a rest every now and then. This is easily the most enjoyable time I've had playing football in my life. If anyone still has a desire to have a kick but is on the wrong side of 35 yrs, do yourself a favour and search for your nearest Masters football association and get back into it. Rules are slightly modified but boys will be boys and the competition is still pretty fierce. I like to think I've got another 20 years to go yet. Great thread, read every post in detail. Well done to everyone.

Yep, if it wasn't for those injuries . . . .

Cheers mate. It's been a wild ride so far....it's probably why i get so Sh!tty on the MFC over the last 7 years. Just get your act together!!!!

Some amazing stories, from blokes like me who gave up before they started, to kids who are dreaming big, to blokes in their early-mid 20s who had big dreams that weren't realised, to old guys who hung up the boots years ago who are able to give some insight in to how it was. Giving myself a pat on the back for starting this thread To be honest, I wasn't really expecting this kind of response, I thought I'd get a few responses and it would die. Give people the chance to talk about themselves, I guess...

I am surprised by the negativity towards Bernie Vince and pick 23. The consensus seems to be that Sylvia could be a star and Vince is no great loss for Adelaide. By any measure Vince has had a better career than Sylvia. He's averaged more disposals, been a better midfielder, was BOG in their NAB cup win a few years ago, won the medal for being BOG in their local derby with PA and has won a B&F. He has a reputation for being a "big game player". Sylvia has kicked more goals over his career, as you'd expect, because Vince has played more of a midfield role. And we need mids. Although Vince is actually a good goal kicking mid with a handy goals per game average. Dal Santo is regarded as a "boom recruit" for North. He plays all of next year as a 30 year old. Vince plays all of next year as a 28 year old. Dal Santo is a better player than Vince and I reckon Dal Santo is a good get for North, but the chasm isn't as large as is being portrayed. Over the last two years Dal Santo has averaged 24 disposals and Vince 20.6. Dal Santo has kicked 22 goals and Vince 31. Those extra 3.4 disposals per game to Dal over the last two years confirm that he is a higher production mid, but if anyone knows Vince's game they'll also know that he has a very high kick to handball ratio and doesn't miss targets. You want the ball in Bernie's hands. In case anyone is interested Sylvia has averaged 18.7 disposals in the same time and kicked 24 goals. Vince is one of the reasons we're being marked down, while North gets a boom recruit (definitely a good get - especially for nothing) and Sylvia is being hailed as a potential star and the reason Freo are given an A- trade period rating. It just doesn't make sense. The class of pick 23 since the year 2,000: Petrie, Gardiner, Lonergan, Moody, Rusling, Cook, Stewart, Pears, Zaharakis, Stevens, Guthrie, Newman, Paparone. The first is the best and Zaharakis, Lonergan and Guthrie are good gets and Paparone shows promise. But I'm just as happy to get a very good 50-60 games out of Vince, especially considering where we've been and that we MUST start winning games of footy and improving the whole club's morale. Yes, Sylvia cost nothing too. But from a pure in versus out give me Vince any day of the week.

Ever tried sprinting away from a contest bouncing the footy with someone on your tail while looking ahead for options ? It's far easier to chase. He's fast.

Everyone go back and have a look at luke shueys under 18s tape and its pretty avarage.. just saying. Point is Freeman under a Paul Roos could be a seriously explosive player. Even Patrick Dangerfield was a junior wasnt this explosive. Will probably grow to 183 which is decent hight for a midfielder and his kicking is even that bad as people make out to it. Infact James Aish highlights is pretty average, shanks an absolute howler of a kick and sprays a couple in the footage i saw.

He ran away from everyone carrying and bouncing. Good agility too. Quick disposal. Would only be caught with the ball if he tried to do too much.

Love Lewis Taylor. Has been very good every time I've watched him. Combination of Brent Harvey & Sam Mitchell. Very creative, very skilful and doesn't waste possession. If he were 5cm taller, am convinced he would sit in the top 5. As it is, he's in the 12-16 range. I think his height has recruiters questioning his ability to play in the guts at the AFL level. I'd personally rank him at around 7. Think Freeman is the one we're after, with Salem or Lennon the next cabs off the rank if Freeman is gone by 9. Brisbane might nab him, though I'd say they're a good chance to get Lennon. Sheed's lack of pace will count against him given the lack of pace we already have in midfield. None of Trengove, Jones or Tyson are overly quick. Salem's not super quick but is above average and has versatility to go with that very good left foot. Excellent tackler too.

Well I have been to many training sessions under Neeld and before that under Bailey, and I can tell you I have never seen anything like this at a Demons training session. It does not mean it didn't happen, and more likely under Bailey than Neeld, but certainly I have never seen them practice like this. For me it said a lot about Roos style, certainly very different to the style I have seen demonstrated at successive Demons training sessions.

Kent's different to Nahas....why the comparison? Kent will develop into a huge clearance machine, Nahas is a stay at home small forward. Davey and The Wiz were the last two to fulfil this role well...

Here's my predicted top 10. My thinking is at some point over the next 10 or 20 years if I keep guessing at this kind of stuff I'll eventually get one right. When that happens I intend on offering this as proof of my incredible knowledge of underage footballers and the inner workings of all 18 AFL clubs. 1. Boyd 2. Bontempelli 3. Kelly 4. Aish 5. Kolodjashnij 6. Freeman 7. Scharenberg 8. McDonald 9. Billings Cheers

Geez, watching through some of those videos there looks to be quite a few good choices around the pick 9 mark. Haven't seen any of them live, but it makes the decision to trade pick 2+20 for Tyson+9 look like a winner. Many in the media and on here have said that the draft thins out after about 14. Nice work Dees.

Mobile wingman playing between HB and HF. First or second receiver at ball-ups / throw-ins and finding space on his own is where he could (potentially) do a lot of damage with his disposal ie. playing to his current strengths and (hopefully) developing some new ones courtesy of Paul Roos guidance, increased confidence in his own ability and lots of hard work on the track.

Anyone notice the HS rankings of the top 35 trades in this year's trade period ? Gumbleton 10, Hampson 14, and countless other terrible evaluations.

sounds more like a nightmare, you need to upgrade your dreams young fella.

How in the f.u.c.k does bloody players like Shaun Hampson (worst ruck in the comp) and Luke Delaney (a bloke who was traded for pick 77, so obviously North didn't rate him) beat Dom Tyson? You know what i say guys?! The Dees go out and we make finals! Yes finals! To shut all these idiots up!! GO DEES!

I don't mind this. He is quick. Most of ours aren't. I've always said and will continue to - once Kent gets confidence he will be an awesome attacking player for our club. I still argue that he will prove to be one of Neeld's best pick UPS.

The concept of "worth" and "value" I'd have thought were relative to need. Vince was "worth" a pick in the 30/40s - according to whom? There is a need for us to have experienced, AFL capable midfielders now. I'm happy to sacrifice a long term B-grader (or worse, possible dud) taken in the 20s, who will require time to develop, for a player who will protect our already promising youth and help accelerate our return to competitiveness.

Played in U/15 flag from my specialist position of 20th man and got on for the last 10 minutes. Career cruelly cut short by a tragic lack of talent and courage.

Kent had a great first year, considering the situation he was in, being a first year forward with limited supply from midfield.Kent played most games this year and has a lot to build on, with a solid pre season I think he deserves every opportunity. He looked unfit this year, but has the skills and footy brain required to make it.

Far too simplistic. Vince has averaged over 20 disposals per game every year for the last 5. We only had Jones do it this year. Some of our players would be rapt with his "inconsistent" output. Michie is rated best 22 by Paul Roos, which is why he turned his back on Freo even though he was a required player. Freo wanted to retain him, so he didn't accept our offer to play at Casey. To a man Freo supporters rate him, which is very unusual when a player leaves a club. Viney plays most of next year as a 20 year old. With another preseason and support from the likes of Cross, Vince and Tyson his lot will only get easier. You're under selling him and his capacity for 2014. He doesn't play like typical "boys". Tyson has the makings of an absolute gun. He's fit and with a decent preseason there's no reason he can't make the progress other year 3 players have made, such as Prestia and countless others. Ever seen Pendlebury's stats from his first two years ? You consider Cross an old man, but Dal Santo plays next year as a 30 year old and he's considered by all and sundry as a "boom recruit". Cross has never had pace to rely on, so he'll hardly miss it. He gets his hands dirty, plays with immense courage and self sacrifice and dishes off to others. Nothing will change and he too averages over 20 disposals per game every year. Now we'll have three instead of one. He'll be one of the fittest at the club next year and show others how to train. Dogs supporters say that he's been instrumental in the improvement to Liberatore and Wallis. Nothing to sneeze at. Some supporters seem to think that certain players won't make a "difference". It becomes an accumulative effect. Cross takes the heat off Jones, Vince takes the heat off Trengove and Jones ? Michie takes the heat off Viney. A second year Viney take the heat off Jones too. A third year Tyson helps take the heat off everybody. If players improve a side they make a difference. And if enough do it the difference can be huge. There's no doubt we need these new players to perform to their capability, but if they do we'll get quantum reward. If they don't ... you know the story.

Has anyone else had the audio issues with the draft highlights on the AFL website? The audio seems to go out of sync and then stop all together about halfway through. Really frustrating!

Looking back at Roos' time in Sydney it is clear that he doesn't rate draft pick numbers as highly as most. He has a history of paying overs for players in other peoples eyes. Jolly, Richards etc Although what is evident is that Roos likes the known value of what he is bringing into the club, and has been very good at trading to fulfil his teams needs. This trade period melbourne have significantly improved its midfield which was its glaring weakness, and because of that, we have done well. Listening to Plough on trade radio yesterday banging on about the draft pick numbers of the Saints and how they've done so well is quite funny. At the end of the day those numbers need to be turned into players and as melbourne fans we can all agree that it can be a lottery. I'm quite happy to try Roos' known quantity drafting for a while...

That's a really good, insightful post Ben - thanks. I've been wondering whether we could've picked up Vince and not lost Sylvia. Probably not. And should we have had a big crack at Dal Santo in addition to the players we landed during the trade period? Dunno. I think we've also been marked down for the Dom Tyson trade. Unfairly. What some journos seem not to get is that, for the MFC in 2013, Dom Tyson and pick 9 in this draft is far more valuable to us than pick 2 alone. It's actually that simple.

Mike Sheahan, Martin Flanagan, Emma Quayle. Three names that spring to mind. They all have one thing in common and interestingly enough they are three of the most insightful, thoughtful journalists.

Understandably most Melbourne supporters will be cautious when it comes to their expectations for the coming season, however we really only need a bit of luck on the injury front to be a completely different outfit to next year. We know what we get with Jones, Vince and Cross, who are of a similar standard, although different in style, but it's the unknown quantities of Michie, Tyson, Viney, pick 9, Clark, Hogan, Dawes and Roos that will either impact our prospects. If you believe Freo supporters Michie will be a tremendous asset. Many rate him more than Barlow. He's a good size, a quality kick, has pace and is a clearance machine at WAFL level. Unlike Magner and Mckenzie who butcher the footy when they get it Michie has good skills and class. At 21 he's ready to play good footy if he's injury free. Tyson could be our best midfielder in 3 years and one of the competitions best. It's not overstating things to say that he has the ability to be a bona fide gun. He's big, smart, balanced, a great mark and looks like a cross between Hodge and Pendlebury. Along with Viney we get that inside mid presence we've been lacking. He's only slid down the pecking order at GWS for one reason - injuries. Viney will be better in his second year and better with good players around him. I'm excited to see where he can take his footy next year. Pick 9 could be a revelation and play 18 games, or take a while to find their feet like Toumpas. Wines, Brad Crouch, Vlastuin and O'Meara are examples of the former. Clark could be close to the best key forward in the game next year if he's injury free. His impact could be massive. I won't listen to people that want to quell pressure or talk about this guy. He's the best talent to walk into the club in 40 years. At 19 he will be a damaging player and impact the results of football games. Dawes still has injury worries, but has time to get fit for round 1 and enjoy the bulk of the preseason. He's a reliable workhorse who has entered his prime and will be terrific for Clark and Hogan. Ross Lyon has shown what an elite culture and coaching environment can achieve in a short time. The players will love playing under Roos and enjoy their football. They want to get better and he'll give them the tools. Others may think of Watts and what he can do, so he's another ingredient that can make this cake rise. I realise that I'm asking for blue sky and for everything to go right, but it's about time we had an ounce of luck. Other clubs enjoy moons aligning and I reckon it's about time we got a break. As I said, I'll understand the reticence of others, but a fit and strong 22 could surprise a lot of people next year.

Saw David Neitz out tonight.. he suggested Nahas as a great option for us next year, sounded like he knew something

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and while at Sydney Roos was often accused of picking uglies. Amazing how many blossomed into beauties.

Good get YD relevant comments and at least you've seen him play puts you way ahead of Barrett on the other thread. Nothing wrong with promoting a friend as long as he can play. I always find your thoughts interesting and never aggressively promoted so keep up the good work

The whole football world is obsessed with bagging every move we make.... Bloody hell we even got criticized for getting Roos!! Soon we will start our march up the ladder, then they will shut up and forget what they said..... But we won't.

He has got to learn his place in the footy jungle. At being a dirt finding, looking through ben cousins rubbish bin, new idea trash journalist he is the best in the business. But for him to understand a good drafting strategy? Spare me. Such a [censored].

1. Fremantle --> Will improve on last year...they will be the team to beat. 2. Hawthorn--> Will be able to compensate for Buddy. Very strong midfield and forward line, even without him. 3. Sydney--> Could finish lower...we'll see how well Franklin gels with their lineup. 4. Carlton--> I think year #2 of Malthouse will see the Blues start to become the dangerous team they said they'd be five years ago. 5. Richmond--> Similar year to last year for the Tiges, I think. I personally don't see a whole lot of room for improvement in their list. 6. Geelong--> Will start to fall a bit with the loss of many of their experienced players. Will still be a strong team though and could contend for the flag. 7. North Melbourne--> I think they really under performed in 2013...they are a much better team than that. 8. Collingwood--> I see them on the cusp of the 8...can't see them being much higher than this. I don't think Buckley is a good coach. 9. Gold Coast--> Could make finals, but still think they're a year or so away from it. 10. Port Adelaide--> Played out of their skin last year; I don't think they will be able to do it again. 11. West Coast--> Will improve on last season's disappointment, but many of their best players are getting on. 12. Adelaide--> Depends on what Tex can do on his comeback from injury. I don't rate their back line. 13. Western Bulldogs--> Strong midfield, weak everywhere else. 14. Melbourne--> We will see an improvement, but unfortunately I can't see us getting much higher than this. 15. Essendon--> The investigation will take its toll. Their forward line is now very weak. 16. Brisbane--> Could well finish lower...it seems no one wants to play for them. 17. Greater Western Sydney--> Will improve marginally, but I don't think they will ever be a dominant side. 18. St Kilda--> They will be the "2013 Melbourne" of 2014.

Because perception matters and some players might actually listen to this [censored] and think twice about joining us. He has such a [censored] for Nth Melbourne it's embarrassing.

Why are we so worried about what outsiders think of our club? Are we happy? Is the club happy? Why does it matter?

While I prefer a single captain I seem to recall Paul Roos favoured multiple captains when he was at the Swans, so I suspect we should anticipate something similar here. I don't know who should be captain because it needs more, much more, than the ability to be the team's best player (although being a regular starting 22 player is a necessity). That doesn't mean Nathan Jones shouldn't be captain. It depends on all the other aspects which the club considers important such as media capability, glad-handling sponsors, controlling off-field antics of immature players, training professionalism, on-field behaviour (can't have someone as captain that spits the dummy on field) etc. From what I've seen it probably means James Frawley shouldn't be captain as he doesn't appear at all comfortable in front of the camera and that's one of the captain's key responsibilities.

My thoughts exactly. Whilst Jones played a great year and is inspirational on the field, I don't believe he has the people skills that Grimes has off the field. I use the article this week as evidence where he stated he was so down for a couple of days that he didn't want to come back out to play. Granted of course that this would be totally understandable, yon can't let that negativity rub off on your teammates if you're captain. Grimes has a better grip on the emotional aspects of leading a team and deserves a chance under Roos. Trengove should absolutely just concentrate on his own game this year.

© I think Col Garland is the strong silent type leader. His football rose to another level this year. Would handle it maturely and with actions speaking loudly and a few level headed words. Would love him in the role for the next 4-5 years. (VC) Jones is a champ battler. A great example to those around him, excellent vice captain.

Grumpy old cynic

May I recommend Imodium or Lomotil then.