goodwindees

I have often wondered how Tom would go in a final where the pressure is significantly greater and you have far less time & space. Tom's actual kicking skills are occasionally horrendous apart from he's decision making. Once a game Tom will be totally clear and miss a short target by metres. IMHO Tom's problem is a very slow and awkward drop of the footy which sometimes causes these big misses. I remember a final in Adelaide a couple of years ago when Port jumped Richmond in the first qtr and I haver seen a better example of a number of Tigers simply get found out by the extra pace & pressure despite these same battlers having won their previous 8 or so games to make the finals. I have my doubts about Tom being up to the additional pace & pressure of finals footy but it would be a brave decision to trade him. Interestingly, what would his Market Value be? I suspect a Pick 15 to 20.

I don't believe there is a player in the league that has such a disparity between his best & worst than Tom and it wouldn't be so bad if he played 6 good ones & then 1 bad one but it is much more a cycle of 1 good then 1 bad. To to suggest that Clubs would prefer Tom over Hurley is madness. Tom's market value would be $400 - $450k pa and Hurley would be closer to $850 -$900k pa. Hurley can play in all 4 key positions whilst Tom is probably only a CHB as he isn't physically strong enough to play as a last line FB because he can't match it with the gorillas as a deep defender. I pray for Hurley as it might also be a key factor in convincing Hogan that we might then be able to compete with the big boys.

The Club need to get off the media. Can't believe they allow Gawn to go and list the Top 5 ruckman in the game that he admires or aspires to. Do these idiots not think the other 12 ruckman, eg Hickey aren't going to have that thrust in their face. The Kangaroos stated recently that they remind Ziebell about the fact that Roos once stated in the media that he lacks endurance. Get out of the media Demons until you deserve to be there.

Just like they gave his cousin far too much space the week before. Unfortunately, our only match up for him on a height & endurance basis is as loose as a sieve.

It is a very logical question because besides homesickness this diamond has some flaws. Would love him to stay and be the player that everyone predicts but on his form this year I am a lot more relaxed about the "go home" factor. TBH after a few weak efforts last night I did actually wonder whether Freos 1st & 2nd plus Neale was worth floating. As I say, want to keep him but very relaxed if he doesn't want to be a part of it.

Seriously can't believe that anyone could watch more than 2 Melb games and not realise that Tom MacDonald is not a deep/last line defender and certainly not a bustling, bullocking defender designed to play on the likes of a Cloke or a Hawkins. FCS, please play him at CHB or even further up the ground where he can use his athletic skills and not have his weaknesses exposed by being FB. Surely Roos won't make another monumental error again by playing him deep on Cloke.

Good luck but I think your perspective will be so much more aligned with reality if you stop reading Demonland and simply check in occasionally with the media who for the most part still realise we're a 7 win/15 th placed team. i can't believe the Posters on this site that continually slag off "experts" in the media that deliver anything but glowing comments on MFC. The reality is we're in another slow rebuild after making more horrendous recruiting, coaching & managemnt decisions than any Club has in the last 50 years but the last 10 in particular. We dont yet have any true Elite A Grade players and it is correct, we hardly have a player worthy of a top 50 list atm. Kent, Tyson, McDonald, Vandenberg, etc who get massively overrated on this site are just average to good players. My point is that by reading D'land too much to get your perspective, you are setting yourself up for major disappointment.

Tom McDonald is not, and probably never going to be a strong, body on body, physical defender such as a Dunn or even a Jetta who is a very good body on body defender. This is why Tom is a real liability when playing as deep/last line key defender. Tom has some exceptional endurance running capabilities and is a very good intercept mark when he can lose body contact thru his ability to read it in play. There is no doubt that opposition coaches try to get him as deep as possible because as Allan Jeans would say, Tom is a terrible driver in heavy traffic. If Dunn is not playing I would have Pederson or Frost as the deep Key Defender. The other issue is that our Defence is so terribly slow by foot. Jetta, Tom & Garland are slow by foot and while Salem isn't slow he certainly isn't quick The Prince is quick, but headless chook quick in that he runs into trouble and then turns it over. Gee, it's not hard to see why we've won 30 odd games in 5 years!!

Based on the 2 games thus far I am staggered how anyone that has watched them wouldn't be nominating Kent, Bugg & Harmes for the chop. Now that Tyson has been identified as just a battler, Kent takes the mantle as the most overrated player on this Forum. I can't recall a game where he has delivered in more than 2 quarters and many that he hasn't even done that. Kent must be sent to Casey, played in the midfield and told he won't be picked until he has put 3 x 4 quarter games together.

Kent - AFL's biggest tease Harmes - Just VFL standard Bugg - Just VFL standard Hogan - Cuurrency in decline

Tyson ain't getting dropped next week, probably not even the week after, however, at least we have established that he wasn't a part of the greatest trade of all time as many on this Forum have touted. All I've pointed out is that he is slow, one sided and poor by foot. Might be B Grade at absolute best if he can improve some weaknesses. GWS knew which one to let go, and unfortunately they have also offloaded another NQR in Bugg.

Strange comment as he would be the 28th player picked in most other teams

Exactly what I said. We do have a few bigger problems than Tyson which is why we're a side likely to finish between 10 to 13. My point is that Tyson will need to significantly improve his disposal if he is to be part of a top 4 team.

As was stated by Watts Jurah Dunn, we need some real outside run & class to compliment our inside grunt. This is where GWS got us today but they couldn't convert. It is imperative that Stretch becomes at least B+ (and I think he can) because he has what we need. Over the next year or 2 we need to find our Isaac Smith & Brad Hill. Look how these 2 compliment the grunt of Mitchell & Lewis etc.

Of course he won't be dropped in Rd 2 or Rd 3 or even Rd 4 as we still have a few bigger problems than Tyson, however, unless he significantly improves his disposal his omission will hopefully come. I say hopefully, because the day we can't fit Tyson (with poor disposal skills) in the team is the day we'll be in the top half if the eight. And to those who say he's an A Grader, he's C+/B-

You're kidding aren't you. A slow, one sided, inside midfielder that doesn't have a great leap isn't cutting it in the midfield so we find a spot for him up forward.

Tyson's 3 shocking turnovers within 90 seconds today were nothing to do with decision making, they were totally about execution. We have have all seen him running in a straight line at the goals and kick long & straight a couple of times, however, spotting a 20 to 40 metre target he is no better than 50/60% which isn't good enough for a Pick 50, no less a Pick 2.

Dom Tyson is absolutely the most over rated player on this forum and extraordinarily talented he is NOT. Slow, vey one sided and disposal by hand & foot is extremely poor when spotting up targets. GWS knew which one to let to go.

Garland - much under appreciated Tyson - must improve disposal

Personally, I think they are spot on with 9 - 10 wins this year.

I have also been very negative about Tom with ball in hand. Very poor disposal by both hand & feet and I think he would be found out even more with the increase in tempo & pressure of finals. I find it staggering that we aren't developing Frost as a KPD and get Tom to play that tall wingman or hit up forward role.

Merry Christmas to all & I wish Max Gawn above all others a fit & healthy 2016.

Interesting that Buckenara doesn't have Oliver in top 18 and my Recruiting mates at both Geelong & Hawthorn tell me that both Clubs rate Oliver in the 15 to 20 range. Hawks rate Gresham higher than Oliver and Cats rate Curnow as 3rd best player in the Draft.