Rhino Richards

Come on they like the name! I am sure they have offered Nikki B a Lexus coterie membership B)

Buckely cant hit a target and has no accountability. Bartram is at least some sort of tagger but is not preferred at this point to Bennell. BTW, Bartram was one of the final players re contracted so he was not a shoo in for Rd 1.

I think there are a few posters with greater illusions of grandeur! One of MFC problems is that 1. we dont have enough good mature players and 2. and many of the players who fit that category except Junior and Green went missing big time on Saturday. We have too many young players exposed at any one time and we aare getting phyisically monstered. Our best players on Saturday were Scully, Trengove, Jordie and Grimes. Great individual pperformance but a very depressing reflection on the "enough good mature players" you think we have. And Bailey does not have the courage to get rid of good players.... You're kidding..There have been some hard decisions made.... TJ, McLean, Robbo (purely emotional). Also the careful retirement of Neitz, White and Yze. Neither Meesen or healy are close to an AFL game. Valenti and Buckley arent AFL standard. So I am not sure what the issue is there?

I am not sure how much more development you can get out of Miller, Newton and Dunn who are either not up to the AFL standard or are warming seats for better options to come. On the flip side I have seen Davey, Frawley, Garland, Morton, Warnock, Jurrah PetterdJamar improve considerably. I see our future in those players not the NQRs you list.

No I understand it. I dont see the point of getting a dubious character who had moderate talent and got KOTD with 4 flags talking to a group of young players who are possibly three years away from playing finals. His habitual off field matters are a reflection of the sort of person he is. Its very relevant to the guidance of young players. Surely, there are better options to use for that role. I am not sure you are a sound judge of who would actually "knows" what's what.

If the senior players are not pulling their weight and a number are not then messages need to be conveyed to them as to what is required and if the poor showing continues then a standard need to be set for the whole list and the offenders be dropped. Its not an ideal situation given the paucity of senior players on the list and in a number of cases their mediocre ooutput. The performances of Scully, Trengove, McKenzie and Grimes were one of the few bright spots on Saturday. There are fantastic ssigns from these inexperienced players in a situation where the team was getting monstered. But aside from Junior and Green, where were the senior players and the mid level players of 5 year experience plus?

As a footballer he had serious issues off the ground. He is not the first but why do you need to gloss the facts WYL. You get found out every time. I am not sure what a bloke with a chequered off field behavioural record has for young blokes at our Club. Even you could have come up with a better choice of doing that role if you actually thought about it. For he how performed over the course of his career he was blessed to be part of 4 flags. I have seen many better players who have not played in one

You thought Shane Warne was a down to earth knockabout bloke. He had serious issues at 3 clubs, MFC (sacked), Fitzroy (folded with allegations of misbehaviour) and North where he was delisted for further off field troubles. Brisbane were fortunate to get 3 to 4 years out of him before he allegedly assaulted a BFC official after the 2004 GF loss. I am not surprised you would listen to him.

A talented player who was absolutely KOTD as being in the right place at the right time for success. But as a role model for young players....please you jest. He could do a Comedy show act with Fevola

Was thinking about whether Bailey will circle the wagons or continue to be attacking? I think the latter. Should be interesting.

Try global media. Its owned and directed by global barons for the benefit of the LCD at times.

Its the law of the media. Imagine the locusts if he was not contracted. I would not line Dunn up. Waste of time. I have seen enough of him to know that in his 6th season he does not have the intensity and heart for the contest. Miller knows its his last year but is playing as No1 forward. He aint that. Bate will hopefully be better after his first real run after an interrupted pre season. Bruce, Beamer, Jones and Davey need a rocket.

In absence of either area expertise or the facts I am not sure most supporters would have a clue. Surely there has been enough experience with player injuries in past year to know that if its a XXXX injury its not always a set number of weeks. I think the biggest issue for Jurrah besides his shoulder is if he does not have AFL football what does a guy from the remotest part of Australia have to connect him to big city life? It was football that got him here and I hope we can hold him.

The fact that he is challenging with the names you have quoted who 1 are not stars and 2 I dont think O'Bree and Davis are big game finals players only higlights how well Malthouse has done. When on song is there a more disciplined harder tackling team than the Pies at the moment? Malthouse's list suffers from the fact that they drafted so poorly between 2003 and 2006. Their three top picks (Fraser #1) Thomas (#2) and Didak (#6) over recent years are flawed footballers (not stars) that have questions about their big time performances. However, Swan may go the next step this year. Otherwise he has crafted a team together that 100% demonstrates get the maximum from your list, Is Paul Roos vilified for forgoing draft picks for estab players to grab a flag in 2005? Of course not. Sydney are going to go through a long hard rebuild to be any more than a middle rung dweller. After his stint at Footscray, what have been the hallmarks of the Clubs MM has coached. Wealthy, well resourced....And MFC aint that. Once he finishes at the Pies with or without a flag then I doubt he will coach again. If he does it wont be MFC.

In RDB's first year MFC won 1 out of 22 games with a % of 63. They were only insipid and pathetic once....for the whole year.

I dont believe that Malthouse is interested in coaching Melbourne. Given where he is at I reckon that the Pies last swing at a flag will see him out. But I cant believe the carp written about Malthouse the coach. Grumpy and intemperate at times, what MM has been able to create out of a lists at C'wood over his time given the crap drafting he has endured has been extraordinary. One of the great teams, the great teams of the past 60 years, Brisbane were almost overrun in the 2002 grand final by a bunch of no name, blue collar players coached by MM. They came from nowhere that year and almost won it. Its amazing how he has also taken a team of disciplined, dedicated and hard working footballers who none at this stage are "stars". They dont have a Cooney, they dont have a Riewoldt but they are a real chance this year. This is also notwithstanding some of the brain fades players like Didak, Shaw and co have conjured. Talk about getting the best out of your squad available and he is being lynched here. Amazing.

Indeed.

12 months ago or so in the Hun. Wish I kept a link/copy. Very instructive and a perfect remedy for some of the fallacies tossed around here about ingredients for success.

One of the benefits of drafting a player who will hopefully become a star is they make other players around them play and look better.

Because every man and his dog knew he was going to Geelong. And your last sentence has no substance.

Read Leigh's article. He is right. It is the whole package but the key ingredient is the quality of your list. Unless your past playere are superior gene pool for F/S then you are going to have to draft the bulk of the talent you need And as I said before it not just having the draft picks, its using them wisely. Richmond are stellar example of not doing that...in spades.

Completely agree Iva especially your last sentence.

It was too easy. He wasnt breaking up with his gf too was he????? B)

Definite case for booing. FFS. Whatever pleases people these days?

The issues you raised are important components no doubt. But the according to Leigh Matthews in an article in the Press that without the quality of players on your list the other components wont get you there. Having access to top 10 draft picks if used correctly provides you with the best opportunity to access the stars you need to develop a Flag winning side. So for MFC to be successful, it needs 4 or 5 of the following to become stars, quality A graders......Scully, Trengove, Watts, Blease, Strauss, Gysberts, Frawley, Morton and Jurrah. If they are not stars they need to be very good players. We also need a number of the sub 16 draft picks players to step and be very capable footballers with 1 or 2 (like Garland being a A grade). It helps to have the top draft picks but you also must use them wisely.