deanox

would be pretty funny if they sneak into the 8 this week and win a couple of finals!

i hope that no one is ever sacked by the club unless they stuff up big time, like has happened in recent times. a contract is a contract, and i think it should be upheld regardless of the line of work. its not like newton is on much, and with wheelan, wheatley and robbo gone, its not like we are desperate for delistings either. given that newton does have some upside, and extra year on his low pay cannot hurt us that much...

he is quick. and was rated in the top handful at the club in his early years. i dont know where the article is but you will be able to find it. search for articles mentioning bate the year we drafted him. he will be a very good player, especially as we start to win more games will people start to take more notice.

can you do me a favour and get info on games played by the players who stayed (ie less than 50, 50-100, more than 100?) and i am wondering what those stats look like based on state (ie drafted from vic, SA or WA?) would be interesting to see if there is more of a pull over all from one state or another, or if there is an overall difference, vics versus other states. Out of interest, your stats say that over 1 third of players drafted interstate in the top 20 return home during their career. thats a huge number. if you get 3 top 20 picks in 3 years, and draft 3 interstate kids chances are 1 will go home. chances are 1 wont make it either so you are cutting your percentages down...

I'll be happy if he covers one of these losses thanks very much...

hawkins only chance to make it is if he gets angry. he needs to bully players around, push, pull and muscle. if he wants to last he needs to use his bulk, find some aggression and dominate using his strengths. he isn't built like reiwoldt so nobody should expect him to play like that.

if we get trengove, can we offer to relocate his family, his missus and his best mate to somewhere out near casey fields?

i would be dissapointed for bailey to do the hard work with a crap list, then get sacked so lyon can have the time in the sun. no offence to lyon, he hasn't put his hand up, but if the plan was to bring in another coach, at that point i would hope it was an experienced coach who could a) whip the side into shape quickly and B) use proven game day/ match winning tactics. but i hope bailey gets the nod unless he is deemed to be failing according to criteria set out for him.

:D mids are easy to find. ok mids are easier to find than ok forwards. but elite mids are just as hard to find as elite forwards. scully is apparently elite. after that, wiith 7 players vying for pick 2 it sounds like none of them are elite (yet). if we believe any of those players will develop into elite then that is who we pick regardless of position. if we think they will all be of similar caliber then we pick best available and position will come into it.

RE jones, I really feel that if he isn't going to play this week due to form he should be playing for casey to get a run around and get into it. if the reason he is missing is because he is 80% fit, then he probably shouldn't be playing for melbourne at all. My tip is jones is still being 'rested' but could have played this week and as a result will play if required, but they won't make him play (i.e. casey) if he doesn't have to. personally if thats the case he shouldn't be played at all, but it seems like a waste of a week to leave him out based on form then not give him a chance to work on that in the seconds.

dee luded, that is my concern also, maybe a player that fits the mould but not quite that high in the draft, which means i wouldn't want to take him. i'm not sure if we need to draft another tall forward unless we are going to delist one. robbo, watts, miller, jurrah, newton, bate are all fighting for similar positions and hughes is doing similar at casey. while not all will make it, or be around for much longer, all have at least 1, maybe 2 years left on the list, and a draftee will be playing maybe 8th in line for one of 6 spots at max (3 at mfc 3 at casey) any more than that and players would be hardly playing. a ruckman/forward could fit the bill, i.e. someone with tap work and a contested mark up forward. i agree i doubt we'll take a pure ruckman with a top pick. but to me, that is starting to standout as a big hole, we have defence, have forwards, have mids coming through, and potentially a superstar mid. but don't have a solid ruck. how many mids do you need in a top side? 8? centres, followers, 3 on the bench? yes some will rotate back and forward, so they are extras, but take the part timers out of there for a moment, how many mids do we need to hit 8 that we'd be happy with in our 1st side? and how many do we need at casey?

the trade for whom we got grimes. as with any such 'trade an experienced player for a pick' scenario there was constant discussion about whether it was any good. grimes is getting a game this week, TJ isn't. win for the dees. then i heard TJ was injured (back) given grimes history of back injuries i felt it was suitably ironic that TJ was out with one.

in jack grimes, out travis johnstone. edit: though TJ is listed as back injury (test), which in some ways is even more ironic.

I am with you as well H. Our midfield is proving to be our weakest area. Any defenders are likely to start 10-11 in the pecking order for a spot back there, and unless we are getting an andrew mcleod, small backs should be left for later in the draft. Our forward line, while struggling, is lokoing better, and has prospects. Watts and Jurrah look likely types, with wonna, maric, jetta, bate, all developing as well. there are goals to be had up forward when the ball comes in well. That leaves the midfield which has struggled this year. While we have blease and strauss to come into this side in the next couple of years, 2 extra mids would really put pressure on a couple of the oldies mcdonald and bruce to retain spots in years to come, and also put pressure on the almost theres and nqrs to perform ie dunn, bartram, and for the sylvias and mcleans to take that step up or miss out. my question is, is there a chance of using that pick to strengthen the ruck division? i have never been an advocate of using high picks on rucks, but we struggle in that area, and if one was good enough, especially a ruck who drifts forward with a good work rate, he could come under consideration.

have a bit of a theory that it doesn't matter what the noun is, put -ed on the end and it because an adjective to describe being really drunk!

Cheers HT, but I am wondering about the immediate impact. I mean we know that blease and strauss could/should be good mids, but wondering whether we expect them to have much of an impact (scully included) next year or the year after? unfortunately we really need leaders, older heads, consistance, and lift. all traits that you cannot expect from 18,19,20 year olds. hopefully we can see it from sylvia and mclean the next couple of years when these exciting youngsters start to come through into the senior ranks so that their skills can be balanced by the others.

you reckon scully will be that important immediately? do you think the addition of scully to our midfield could turn aroud its current performances? We seem to have ok players there but none that are standouts. Do you think one player could make a difference or would he be destined to star in an average midfield? i haven't seen him so i can't really judge.

correct on one thing, i think he WAS a pies fan!

also will be remembered as one of the worst drafts ever imo, cooney being the excetion due to the brownlow. mclean and sylvia have a lot of ground to make up if they want to put that draft on record as being reasonable. that being said, if mclean is currently in doubt for a full preseason now, why don't they rest him for the next 10 weeks? get him right, because he is no good to anyone playing at 50%, if he really is carrying injuries.

i think we would've, especially given how much we were crying out over a key forward. you can have all the mids, rucks and defenders you want, but yo still need someone to kick the goals. even a second rate forward. we don't have even that.

hopefully he learns to use his height in marking contests. i would rather see him be able to take strong marks than get his own ball under packs...

exams finish Friday, I leave for Europe on Saturday. It would be great reading from London if you can get around to it.

Really? I thought Hills goal was just a goal. Yeah good run and recieve, then kicked it from 50, but I expect that to be standard from midfielders. Jurras was exceptional and different, which is what I want to see in Goal of the Year. Nothing ill beat the Wells(?) goal from a few years ago where he kicked it in mid air though.

very interesting question. i think he is stronger in the air than walsh, but i think they'll be similar players. disagree here jaded, i really think one of cheneys strongest points is his strength when the ball is above his head. from his first handful of games i would suggest that he could quite easily be a a solid second tier player for the next 10 years, who does his job quietly, no fanfare, rarely gets smashed, but who is never your best and won't really win games for you. could play in a premiership side, but will not be the one to win the flag for you, unless it is a body on the line last minute type situation. won't win it off his boot, but could contribute.

anyone know anywhere in the airport i can watch this game? international flight leaves at 1050pm so i will check in around 730 and hopefully catch the game, disappointed its on foxtel for this reason.