Rhino Richards

I trust we would have done the same if they were in the same boat.

I dont believe you have to formally use a draft pick to uplift a rookie. Bell, Newton, Dunn and Johnson are contracted for 2010. Unless we trade them (I doubt it), they will be with us next year.

The Saints played no more than 15 to 20 minutes of football and blew us away. Dreamtime over.

I should have made the bigger!

When I looked at the fixture and our list and considered our pre season form I thought we were a 3-19 team. I always thought we would have an eye on the PP. By seasons end I thought if we had a fit list to choose from I reckon we would have been a 5-17 possibly a 6-16 team.

Agree. You are right on many fronts here. I find Brown's outburst amazing given his record, his Club's record and his own father being a football thug. Clarkson does not like sniping. Alistair Clarkson!!!! Anyway its all a storm in a teacup. Lloyd will get 4 to 6. Adelaide will win easily. Ho Hum

Geelong have taken a similar time to St Kilda. Brisbane were similar. Arguably the Essendon of 2000 was similar timeframe, albeit they pulled one out of the bag in 1993. The Hawks were ahead of time and had a fair dose of Flag hangover. Would happily accept MFC to have a hang over after a 4 peat! However, Lyon is a far better coach than Thomas and Thomas would not have got them there to 20-2. St K made the right decision three years ago.

Once again, your hatred of McLean is staggering

Its like comparing a tram fare evader with Josef Fritzl.

NO Its about the future. We are not a charity. The Club has held onto recent champions for too long. A clear decision and the right decision has been made. Lets move on.

Campbell and Yates are also in the category. I think I recall Campbell could have looped it over the top to Flower who was on his own about 10 metres out.

Jakovich hit the AFL/VFL ground running and was winning games off his boot in his first year. It was mercurial. With no criticism of Jurrah, he has been very impressive and exciting but not at Jako's level in their first year. I agree with Rude Boy that hopefully the best is yet to come from a player so talented and so raw. Its somewhat staggering given the social, cultural and sporting hurdles he has faced that he has come this far. I hope he continues to enjoy his AFL journey and I trust with a full pre season he will be better. We still would have got socked in the prelim final by the eventual premiers in 1994. WCE were a class act at every level that year. You are right about Jako being a flawed genius. I just wonder whether you can actually have confidence that a side can go further in the finals with a player who can be so hot but often so cold (and at the wrong times). I sometimes wonder this with Fevola at Carlton. I know Ablett Snr played a cracker of a GF in 1989. But he also played 3 absolutely appalling GFs in 1992,1994 and 1995.

Its all just a label but the important thing is that Colin has given a couple of demonstrations as to why he was a highly touted draft pick. With the expectation of Scully and a Trengove type next year to complement the existing squad, having a tough as nails, good marking long (goal) kicking midfield option in Sylvia, MFC have a player who can have an impact on a match and hurt an opposition. He knows whats required now. He needs to keep himself fit and focussed for 2010. If we are going to significantly improve then he is going to be a critical piece of that improvement. Sylvia showed the promise of things to come. He needs to deliver next year regardless of whether it involves September action or not.

The team next year will be similar to this year but with an average 15 games experience plus hopefully some impact from the new recruits and 1st year players that had little impact. But the team is still young and will be inconsistent. It will have days of promise and excitement mixed with days of bewilderment and lack of performance. Thats part and parcel of a young side. If they can pick up the nine games they are short to compete with Carltons ATM fantastic. Its big quantum leap that you cant fathom. And saying we are tanking is not a coverall for some truly inept performances this year where our skills just werent up to it. I trust you will watch the games next year and prove to yourself that you're as equally astute again.

Just give him the jumper now and tell him to report to pre season training in October. He is a lock in!

In the last 20 years I have seen three players who have really excited me when they first started. They look the sort of players that could take an opposition apart on their own and often did. Jakovich Farmer Schwartz Jurrah goes very close to that bracket. If he develops into that quality of player then we have got someone very special..if he isnt that now. Clearly underdone without a pre season unde his belt. But next year if he is fully fit. He is certainly one to watch. Still room for Scully, No 2 pick, Watts, Blease and Strauss, Morton to turn it on next year.

The handbrake did not come on until the last 1/3 of the year and our disposal was improving over that period. We were unhindered other times the way we perpetually butchered the ball.

I dont recall Brown referring to Lloyd as a dog. Brown should shut his trap especially the way Hawks have underperformed this year and rested on their laurels. Its clear though that Brown's tough man antics appeal to a certain demographic. I hear on the news Sewell had got a depressed fracture of the cheekbone and a cracked eye socket. On that front, I just see a 4 week penalty blowing out to six weeks. Long's incident was far far worse and if he had done that today he would have got at least 13 weeks. Given Franklin's incident last week and the infamous Richie Vandenburg "draw a line in the sand" against Essendon, you have a myopic view.

It was two quarters of magic with a 1/4 either side that was silent. He did well in 2002 and 2004 in bursts but geez its a long time between drinks since he turned it on. He has been mediocre this year at best. If he does not fire then Voss is giving him his last couple of matches. I cant see them giving him a contract if he does not fire against Carlton. Preferably someone better and more team orientated.

I share the same feeling. I have no desire to watch. I can see the game crumbling away all last quarter. Tragic. Pure tragedy.

...and self serving by those who naively claim it as there own.

I just want to bury 2009. MFC did what it needed to do. Its up to Prendagast and the Footy Dept to make the right decisions in the draft and list Next Year we will have Scully, Pick 2 plus others (18,34 and possible a bargain at PSD1) plus we will get a full pre season into Watts, Jurrah, Blease and Strauss. After three hard years we owe about 15 sides some decent retribution in the coming years with no mercy. Bring it on in 2010.

I'll back mine over yours legend any time. Any chance of you addressing your glaring contradiction in that post? Or like usual you just dont see it? FWIW, Carlton beat us by 8 goals last week with barely getting out of third gear and raising a sweat. Carlton arent flag contender but over the course of the year they have been better than average. Carlton have achieved their target for the year...to make the 8. They should not go further. But there expectations will be that they wish push for top 4 next year with recruiting and getting back Waite from injury to bolster the backline. They need to address it.

It will certainly assist his coaching of his son's under 11 side. What a good grounding,

The proud wearers of the No 31 guernsey........ 1913 F. Ellis (also wore No. 30, 1913) 1914 Jack Woolley 1915 A.M. ‘Max’ Hislop 1919 Leo Little (No. 3, 1920) 1920 Reginald Ellis 1921 – 1922 Fred Long 1923 – 1924 Marcus Glasscock 1925 – 1930 Colin Deane 1931 Lew Gough (No. 39, 1930) 1932 – 1934 Jack Power (No. 12, 1930 – 1931) 1936 – 1940 Ronald James Barassi 1941 – 1942 Leslie Gibbs (No. 28, 1939) 1943 Ken Levey (No. 29, 1944) 1944 Leslie Gibbs (See 1941 – 1942 above) 1944 Harry New (No. 20, 1945) 1945 Frank ‘Checker’ Hughes Jnr 1946 – 1950 Stanley Rule 1953 – 1964 Ronald Dale Barassi 1965 – 1968 Ray Groom (No. 15, 1963 – 1964) 1974 – 1975 Bill Barham 1976 Paul Goss 1978 Peter Garratt 1979 Phil Carman 1983 – 1985 Kelvin Templeton 1990 – 1992 Rod Keogh 1996 – 1998 Donald Cockatoo-Collins 2000 - Paul Wheatley Tom Kavanagh wore 13 in 1989. There is too pretence and bollocks over handing over guernseys. Get on with it. RDB has been gone for 45 years FCS. I note Essendon and Collingwood just handed on the No 5 when each had an all time great retire. They just handed it on and let another young player make their mark. I could not be fussed what number Scully wears just so long as he dominates the AFL!