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Look, I'm as big a Morton critic as anybody, probably more, but this is a terrible post. -He was expected to go at pick 4, it wasn't a shock selection. -He didn't "run away" from him despite what you may have seen on YouTube, he was actually following the play when he ran off. -How would you know what his work ethic was like? Was always one of our best runners and I never saw him slack off at training once. I hated watching him play for MFC, but at least don't make stuff up about a guy whose career has just finished.

Let's extend Hogan and re-sign Frawley first.

He didn't run away from Lade. Watch the subsequent 20 seconds that have been removed and you'll realise that it was selective editing to deliberately paint the wrong picture.

Before anyone says anything: NO, HE ISN'T AN OPTION FOR US.

I would seriously love us to land a huge sponsorship with Range Rover. Embrace the stereotype.

This was a kid who had talent, needed nurturing at all costs to keep his confidence up. I saw him run back into an on coming pack of forwards in a preseason match at Visy Park, he did his knee but it said to me this guy has got some guts. Injury and problems with coaches did him in at MFC. That said from there he went down hill and never recovered. In a top team I think he may have had a better run. He did have some ability.

Mistakes are always a good idea at the time.

I'm finding in a way that having a pick in the vicinity of 9 is in a way even more exciting than having a pick in the early couple. Reason being I know we should still getting an excellent player, but there are so many permutations of who could be available and who we could like that the mystery adds another element. Can't it be draft day already?

His skills went from being elite at U/18 level to sub-par in the pressure cauldron of the AFL. He was soft and skinny and only had average pace. Who would have thought after his first couple of years that he'd be on the football scrapheap by age 23. A sad story. All the best Cale.

Gee some posters on here must get dizzy from all the spinning from changing direction so rapidly. Roos is appointed coach and you can hear the orgasmic groans all over Melbourne "now we will see some changes" Taggert is delisted and what?.....why has this happend?.....why not delist A, B, C.... So this footy dept is inept as well is it?

I spent a fair bit of time in temples in India (in the 70's). If he treated his body like some of them, it'd be full of hash and other assorted items. Having said that, I think Cross will be very beneficial to the team.

Why does the fact that it uses hindsight make it any less valid? He turned out not to be any good, I can't see how that's not a mistake. Mistake, wrong, bad. Are you saying selecting Morton was correct, right, good? The evidence that was available in 2007 is the same evidence that is available now: the same bloke who's now on the heap for the second time. He didn't magically transform in to someone different after being drafted. I'm not suggesting that it was easy, or even possible, to predict that he wouldn't make it, hence the use of the word "forgiveable" in my first post. Everyone in the footy world thought he was good. But that doesn't mean we made the right call - I would have thought it was patently clear that we didn't. Everyone in the footy world got it wrong with Morton - but we were the only ones who made a call on it that mattered and we got it wrong. Although West Coast took Masten ahead, in spite of what was almost universal agreement in the footy world that Morton was a better player. Perhaps they should be excluded from "everyone".

We are in a new era, guys. Do you think for even a second Paul Roos is thinking about Cale Morton (or Jordon Gysbertsif it comes to that). As much as I feel for those guys, and the personal sadnesses the demise of their AFL careers may represent for them, the revenge threads on here does none of us any favors and frankly are very undignified. Get over it guys. We are about to begin a fabulous new era. The past is the past. Let's learn what we can from it, but let's never be a captive of it which a lot of posts on here seem to be..

You can bag out his on-field performances as much as you want, but you're flat out wrong about point 2. He did not run away from Lade, you clearly haven't seen the whole footage and you are like the scores of other bitter MFC people who just like paying out on Cale. As for his being drafted at 4, that was not a shock selection by any means, so you need to learn to get over it. Unlike the Cook or (arguably) Gysberts picks, there was clear form for picking Morton at 4. West Coast was tossing up between him and Masten at 3. Picking Morton at 4 was absolutely fair and was not a bad decision by our recruiting panel. We can chalk this one down to Morton simply not being able to get weight on his body; whether that's his fault or ours, we may never know.

All good decisions. Well done, list management. I still count about 12 players on our senior list that I would hope are slowly surpassed over the next season or two.

I love how some are righting off Mark Jamar, he gets his body right he is still a mile in front of Gawn and Spencer.

Because Harry Hindsight confirms he was. Pretty simple really.

I'll be honest, I feel for the guy. But I also feel for the MFC at large, and I sincerely hope we've learnt from some of those unbelievably bad decisions that have no doubt contributed to where we are now. All the best with your future Cale.

Watching games with your eyes closed doesn't count.

Id rather throw money at Ollie Wines. Decided not to sign a long term deal with Port that was put in front of him mid year.

Come on Melbourne! Lets do something stupid and ruthless! Lets mortgage our future as a club with one idiotic deal! Come on!

Yep, frequently hilarious. Most of the Taggert speculation comes from a combination of disappointment at past recruiting failures with pure irrational idealism. The idea that the MFC list builders would let someone go who could be 'a gun' if only he had the right chances/development/attitude correction/luck with injuries/opportunity, is just waffling nonsense.

Coach...............Games....Wins....Losses.....Draw....Win % Dean Bailey........ 83......... 22......... 59.......... 2...... 26.5% Paul Roos .........202....... 116......... 84.......... 2...... 57.4% So heres my thinking.. Taggert may well have gotten games under Dean... but I think Roos desires something better...Thats why he wins more.

I'm tempted because we lack X-factor. So I went to BF to have read up. It refers to his facebook page which is open to the public and the content is not the material of a person doing everything he can to resurrect his reputation and get drafted. He's a young peanut. http://www.bigfooty.com/forum/threads/dayle-garlett.938906/page-13#post-30485276

Anyone comparing to Taggart to Michie should note that Michie averaged 26 possessions a game for Peel Thunder, won their b&f and got 13 possessions in half a game at geelong in the AFL. Like comparing apples to turnips.

Roos has spoken. Good. We cannot be mediocre anymore. Some make it some don't. That's life.

I AGREE WITH EVERYONE, WE SHOULD GO FOR FREEMAN:

I am very happy to have Daniel at our club and believe that he will be a valuable contributor for us on the field and as a role model off the field for some of our younger players. As the thread title suggests, I welcome him to the MFC However, I also wish he could have finished with the Bulldogs as a one club player. I wish the same for Paul Chapman. They were linchpins of their teams who will always be associated with their original clubs. Whilst the circumstances are different, there was something very wrong seeing Dal Santo in a North jumper. Brereton in a Swans guernsey and Junior in orange. I understand why it has to happen but I still find it sad

On another note, Cale Morton has just been delisted by the Eagles

Do you know that was a rhetorical question?

Played 120 colts , reserves and 1 league game for WAFL club back in the late 90's ( most of alongside Woey). Trained with Dockers but never had the skill or professionalism to go to the next level. Ended up playing 130 games for A grade amateur club but was cruelled by knee & shoulder recon's. Was lucky enough to coach an undefeated premiership side and be awarded life membership and Team of the decade for my amateur club. Now with 3 kids and a sore body.

Do you ever go to the games, Jetta has rarely played in our Midfield the bloke was blown up after one effort he has never had the fitness base. Would have loved him to play in the midfield, I remember being at Visy Park one pre-season against Brisbane, he dominated in the middle. When Neeld came they tried to push him onto the Wing but he couldn't run out a quarter, he then had to push him forward again found out he was no good as a small forward then pushed him back found he could play there preferring to keep him over Bennell, Once again this year his couple of games down back has saved him from being delisted. I wish he could have played in our midfield he is hard and quite good at stoppages, the fact is he hasn't been able due to fitness.

Nice idea for a thread BD, however don't agree with your point apropos our ruck stocks. Jamar can scarcely be considered a ruckman, given both his perennial injuries and total ineffectiveness when playing. Gawn is one knee-reco away from retirement. Spencer is a long term battler. Fitzpatrick is flat-out not a ruckman. I'd say that's a precarious situation to be in. Wouldn't be surprised if we went after Jolly or someone similar as insurance.

I'd offer Pendlebury big money but only on a 3-year deal. Doubt there's any chance of him coming but then I laughed at anyone who thought we'd get Roos when Neeld was sacked.

I heard James Magner speaking on the radio. He was speaking of his deficiencies. He knows he has them. Wants to keep playing AFL but didn't sound to confident. Mentioned his fathers construction company. The club has made the right TOUGH calls. We have get off the bottom of the bloody ladder, let some other poor sod club make a home there. I am sick of it.

When another club has Pick 6 and Pick 10 then the owners of Pick 9 will keep their cards close to their chest. With that in mind, do you think Roos and Viney would do such a thing?

If Paul Roos, Todd Viney, and Jason Taylor think it is best we don't pick a player - I am inclined to trust their judgement.

I think he will be there at 40 and that we will not pick him.

Landmark...Im right...lol

it is important on so many levels and for so many reasons that we DO NOT BLOOODY LOSE THIS! THIS IS WHERE THE NEW MELBOURNE FOOTBALL CLUB [censored] BEGINS!

Right to go round 1 mate.

Clearly if Roos is serious about improving the side the list had to be turned over. The limiting factors appear to be our bottom of the heap attractiveness to players, a so called weak draft this year, players contracted beyond this year, a need to maintain some semblance of structure for next year and I would imagine Roos unfamiliarity with many of the club's players. I actually would be interested to see who has made the call on some of the players like Taggert. Clearly Roos would never have seen him play and would know little about him. That means that while Roos has agreed with delisting it was probably not his call. I am imagining that Viney and Rawlings and to a smaller degree Mahoney have made several of the delisting assessments. I could still see another delisting or retirement coming even of a contracted player. Hopefully we can position ourselves with a decent player in the PSD as it appears that GWS has their pick lined up and that makes us the first live pick. That is a good opportunity to get a decent player who may be unhappy with what his current club offers.

Here's a snippet from your mate Baghdad about BP: "Year one was Watts, Blease, Strauss, Bennell, Jetta, Bail, Jurrah, McKenzie and Healy. Healy is the only one that is gone and of the others there will be few if any misses. That's quite an extraordinary performance for a first year recruiter and he showed a lot of guts picking Watts over Nic Nat because he knew Watts would take years longer to mature and he would be judged harshly initially." "Year two was Scully, Trengove, Gysberts, Tapscott, Gawn and Fitzpatrick and (Joel) Macdonald. Gysberts was the gutsy pick here and initial signs are very positive." "I think BBBP has an exceptional eye for talent evidenced by McDonald, Davis, Howe, Bail, McKenzie, Evans and Nicholson. He was gutsy with Cook and Gysberts. We will miss his footy smarts, independent thinking and courage and if we are Premiers one day his fingers will be all over it. Good luck Bazz." I'm not sure if he's changed his view, Rob.

Jetta played 3 years under Bailey before his two years under Neeld. As to why I don't love him: he has no career-defining tricks. I know he has guts and lays a mean tackle, but doesn't get enough of the ball (has had less than 10 possessions in 13 of his 41 games), has little leg speed, isn't particularly dangerous with the ball, and is small. I feel for the guy because he has heart in spades and I've been waiting for 5 seasons for him to come on and prove me wrong, but...

I really don't understand the lack of love for Jetta... he was starting to show a lot at AFL level, but was then reported after which he was held back by Neeld and so his momentum was completely halted. I think Roos probably has seen something he likes about his game and believes he can harness his undoubted talent. As someone else mentioned, perhaps he is seen as our small forward option?

It's not wasted, it's the nature of the beast. Why are people presuming that every draftee we take should turn out to be an AFL player? A third of all draftees taken never play a single game. Another third (higher actually, around 43%) play less than 50 games. The total there is 3/4, 75%. At the other end, only 13% get to play more than 100 games, and only 3% more than 200. So, across the history of the draft and across all clubs, around 1 player in every 6 plays more than 100 games - and most of those would be in/close to the first round. That a pick 36 didn't make the grade at AFL level is more to be expected than to be unexpected.

According to Demonland, Taggert is a serious talent unfairly dismissed, and Nicholson both the luckiest and worst player on an AFL list. The hyperbole and unfoundedly speculative comment on here is just WOW!

Shirley you can't be serious?

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