mo64

If the mindset of the club is to lose games in order to gain a priority pick, IMO that's as low as any club can get. And if you think that gaining 1 priority will change the club, you are delusional. And do you honestly think that the youngsters are learning from 10 goal + beltings every week?

Dappa, we also have to start drafting for needs. Craig Cameron's motto was to draft the 'best available', and I agreed with this at the time. But it's come to the stage where we desperately need to reinforce our kpps and ruck. The success rate of kpp's and rucks with early picks is low. The Hawks and Saints were extremely lucky in their draft years when they went for talls and got Roughhead/Franklin and Reiwoldt/Kozi respectively. Knowing our luck, we'll end up with a Danny Roach and a Tim Walsh.

Donny, despite what commentators who were contemporary footballers are saying, some posters have blind faith in Bailey's game plan, and shrug off what you're saying as a rant. I agree with you 100%, but it also comes down to playing a game style that is capable of winning a match with the players we've got.

How do players lose confidence before a season starts, because we have been playing unsure, tentative football since the 1st quarter of the preseason. And what's the role of the coach if it's not to instill confidence into the players?

So out of that list, who can competently play a 'run and carry' game plan?

I really don't understand where your coming from, but I'll pose this hypothetical question: If Dean Cox was available in the draft, would you take Rich ahead of him?

According to Carlton's recruiting manager Wayne Hughes, Naitanui is a freak, and will bring people in through the gates. Hopefully we can convince Warnock to come to Melbourne. We should screw Fremantle, and offer them a 3rd round draft pick, and tell them to take it, or we'll pick him up in the PSD.

Times have changed. Kick to kick after the game is now frowned upon. Our coaching panel will oversee the after game events, and if any kid kicks to a contest, the security guys will drag him off the ground. They need to be disciplined in the Bailey game plan from an early age. From now on the kids will play handball to handball. At least they won't get sconed by an errant ball like we did.

If Bailey goes down this path, it'll be interesting to see what happens with Miller and Bell. They're both try hards who aren't up to it. And Bailey seems to like try hards.

When we play 'run and carry' in the heat of the battle, the opposition zone off at the contest, knowing full well that handball is our 1st option. They pressure the player going for the ball and sit on our receivers, which results in turnovers. They also know that a quick kick into our forward line isn't an option because we don't structure up that way. The players regress into kicking options out of frustration. And when they do, they're made to look silly because we don't structure ourselves for a kicking option.

Is this the same bloke that you've been slagging off for the past 2 years. And what relevance does where a player was drafted 5 years ago have with today? Sylvia should be assessed as to where he is at as footballer now, not as a no. 3 pick in the 2003 draft. People should note that players can progress from being good players to elite players over a short period of time. Two seasons ago, Bartel and Ablett were considered good players, but had flaws in their games which would prevent them from being in the elite. Cooney falls into the same bracket. Assessments of McLean and Sylvia are constantly based on the expectation of where they were drafted, rather than what they've achieved. Ironically, Cam Bruce isn't given the same slack as a no. 64 pick. If Sylvia and McLean are given the opportunity to play to their strengths, they could both turn out to be better than "good" footballers.

Your basing your argument on a quarter of football when the game was shot, and the pressure from the opposition had relented. We have yet to win a quarter of football when the game was in the balance.

And I'll say it again. The Eagles with Judd, Cousins and Kerr have been the only club to consistently perform using the Bailey game plan. The Power use it, but it hasn't stood up consistently in the finals. Unless we uncover all 3 of Judd, Cousins and Kerr in the upcoming drafts, his game plan is doomed for failure, and his tenure as an AFL coach is shortlived. I'm prepared to give Bailey another year, but unless he's prepared to accept that his game plan is flawed, he may not see next year out.

And you believe that the other clubs are going to trade early picks knowing what lies ahead? Clubs are far more judicious with trading early picks, which is why few trades actually go through. For those professing a complete overhaul of our list need a reality check. Their replacements will predominently be draftees selected after pick 30, with a poor success rate of being A grade players. And those who believe that we can build a premiership team in the next 5 years through the draft and trade system are delusional.

I don't want to get caught up in this Bailey game-plan debate, but Leigh Matthews stated after the Collingwood game that with all the bench rotations, midfielders can't be held responsible for a direct opponent. And the skill you talk about in getting back defensively, is more to do with the structure that the coach has implemented, rather than the players themselves. If you have numbers around the ball carrier, of course you're going to get caught out if you lose the ball.

As long as your happy watching us struggle to kick 10 goals a game, that's all the matters. BTW, the individual brilliance of Buddy Franklin is why Hawthorn are undefeated. He can be selfish as all f#ck, but he consistently wins games. End of story. And your continuous denigration of Yze is nauseating.

"We rated his game as equal to the game last week, when he kicked five goals." That's the quote that I found disturbing. Little wonder we haven't looked like kicking 100 points in any game this year, when the coaches have this mindset. If he was promoted to the seniors, they'd be just as happy if he made 4 tackles than kick 3 goals. Amazing!

Thanks mousey for the report. I find the comments above really disturbing, and symptomatic of our malaise this season. Is the coaching panel trying to suck individual brilliance out of the players' game? Drawing reference from another code, Storm coach Craig Bellamy mentioned that after a couple of losses earlier this season, he felt that his coaching had become too focussed on playing disciplined football. The following week they came up against the unbeaten Broncos, and smashed them on the scoreboard. The scoreline wasn't a true reflection of the game, but the players were allowed to play with more flair, which resulted in a massive win. The Melbourne players look like they've had all the life sucked out of them, and the enjoyment of the game is not there. FCS, Bailey and Lovell, let the players play, especially a talented 17 year old kid like Maric.

I don't see anyone on our list who will develop into an elite key position player. And wouldn't getting Fevola be a quick fix?

We bemoan the fact that we don't have any elite players on our list, and yet you aren't prepared to get a superstar from another club. You can't develop the next Jonathon Brown. BTW, I don't think that Brown will leave the Lions, and I don't rate Fevola as an elite player.

There's a massive divide between being an able assistant and the head honcho. You can't quantify the role of an assistant coach. His track record as a senior AFL coach will determine whether he has good man management skills. And raising his coaching experience at Mt. Gravatt as an example is ridiculous, because the level of expectation in the QAFL is miniscule compared to the AFL.

I've read it all now! WTF do you base this on? The plumber and electrician at Mt. Gravatt may have responded to Bailey, but the professional footballers at the MFC certainly haven't warmed to his management skills.

Even if it takes 5-7 years? Because as Hards stated, our recruiting policy over the past 5 years has been built around hard in-and-under mids (McLean, Jones, Sylvia,) who aren't suited to a run and carry style.

If I was going by the best players, I'd be happier if I was a Hawks fan. Renouf, Kennedy and Morton have all got wraps about them, and McGlynn is a depth player. Whereas Garland, Yze and Warnock aren't the answer to our prayers.

You're pulling our pud, right? Surely this hasn't been sanctioned by the club. Because if it is, it would take them at least a month to analyse it before it gets sent to the supporters.