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The Oracle

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  1. Confirmed: The news is that Gold Coast Suns have been rocked by the withdrawal of captain Gary Ablett. WW is now more nervous than ever believing that Ablett's replacement will carve us up in the middle.
  2. The part of the rumour that doesn't quite gel with me is the length of the term. I think these days it's a risk to offer large sums for long periods. From a club's point of view it doesn't know how the player's career might pan out with injuries, form and the like. For the player, the big $'s might sound good but if he's that good then he might be worth more in years 4, 5 & 6. Who knows? The fact of the matter is that Tom would be well off leaving the matter in control of his manager and the club. Hopefully, they'll be able to nut out a contract that is commensurate with his real worth and allow him to concentrate on developing his career for the next round of contract talks in three years time. Footballers are not all mercenary and there are ways in which a player, his management and his club can look after his interests in an orderly way.
  3. Why not go with the entire list of Demon rookies since the very first Rookie Draft? 1997 3 Nathan Bassett 18 Daniel Ward 33 Mathew Bishop 48 Russell Robertson 63 Duncan O'Toole 78 James McDonald 1998 1 Luke Williams 17 Jamie Cann 34 Ben Beams 49 Peter Walsh 65 Matthew Bishop 81 Daniel Ward 1999 12 Troy Broadbridge 27 Cameron Ramsay 2000 3 Mark Bradly 19 Luke Taylor 2001 15 Kevin Devine 31 Darren Jolly 46 Mark Berts 58 Ben Doherty 64 Tom Marshall 2002 6 Mark Jamar 22 David Robbins 37 Ryan Ayres 49 Nicholas Walsh 2003 11 Adam Fisher 27 Dale Carson 43 Ezra Poyas 56 Nathan Carroll 65 Michael J Clark 2004 3 Aaron Davey 19 Paul Newman 35 Luke Molan 50 Joel Campbell 2005 10 Brendan Van Schaik 26 Matthew Warnock 2006 9 Jace Bode 25 Danny Hughes 39 Shane Neaves 51 Andre Gianfagna 2007 12 Daniel Hayes 2008 3 Trent Zomer 19 Austin Wonaeamirri 35 Jake Spencer 49 Shane Valenti 2009 1 Jordie McKenzie 17 Rhys Healey 33 Danny Hughes 2010 6 Michael Newton 22 John Meesen Players in bold were elevated to seniors in the year of drafting. Nathan Bassett was injured after being elevated and did not play a senior game for the MFC. He was subsequently traded to Adelaide where he had a long career with the Crows.
  4. What have we lost in terms of leadership? Junior was an exceptional leader of men but his star was on the wane. At 34 it was time and I would have hated the unedifying scenario thar took place when Brad Johnson was clearly struggling at the Bulldogs this year (assisted by the conduct of that buffoon Akermanis). We'll lose a little bit but the new wave will come in and we'll be the better for it. Cameron Bruce was a terrific player for the club and we should acknowledge this. I think he would have made it through 2011, given good service and perhaps merited a further season in 2012 but who knows? As for captaincy, I don't think he would have made a good captain with this group. We needed someone with a bit more forceful personality. He just wasn't the type although he could have filled a mentoring role with some of the younger players. Brad Miller spent most of the season at Casey so the club's loss in terms of leadership is going to be marginal at best. All in all, our 2011 leadership group should include a few exciting young players and with many of them coming up together and Bails already looking closely at them I feel we will benefit in the long run from the leadership sea change happening right now.
  5. The Dockers have secured Perth player Tendai Mzungu. They traded their pick 38 for the running defender & the Gold Coast's pick 44. I've checked him out and before he played for Perth he was President of Upper Volta and was deposed in a bloodless coup in 2007. He was granted political asylum on entering the country and the rest, as they say, is history.
  6. THE TRADING CHRONICLES by The Oracle THE WAITING GAME There was a time when the United States had a President who went by the name of "Tricky Dicky". These days, his namesake is involved in player management and looms large on the trade scene. Yesterday, Ricky Nixon who manages Andrejs Everitt, David Hale and Richard Tambling was quoted as saying that all three would have new homes by today. He obviously knows a lot more than the rest of us but the picture coming from the first day's trading is that the week ahead is going to be a long drawn out saga. Indeed, it beggars belief that the powers that be decided it was appropriate to extend the period rather than to contract it into a shorter time frame. The day predictably kicked off with the resolution of the father son selections and there were no surprises there. The representatives of the various clubs then went into a series of meetings with their counterparts. There were numerous stories emanating from these meetings and these have been variously reported in the media. The upshot however, is that nothing has been resolved and no trade deals were consummated on day one. The opening day of trades is like that. The clubs are circling on deals and sussing out what they can gain from the exchange period. Fresh from winning the flag, Collingwood led the way with their suggestion to Fremantle of former Docker Paul Medhurst as an exchange for Chris Tarrant. This was rather cute since Medhurst also announced yesterday that he had retired. What will follow is another week of argy bargy between clubs but so far it's a matter of sitting and waiting for something to happen. Completed Trades on Day One: Nil.
  7. To clarify, the article said that the Saints knocked back the offer. The issue was that they wanted a pick in the low 20s at the time, not 30. In the event Wellingham and Goldsack (they could have had either) turned out better players than everyone (including Collingwood) thought. They were hawked around in the hope that they might score a lower pick. In the end, the Pies got their man for the pick only and the Saints got nothing. The irony is that after that, the Lovett drama and the failure of the Jesse Smith drafting, St. Kilda was left with insufficient depth to ensure a premiership win in the two grand finals it played this year.
  8. According to this article in yesterday's Age they did - A message from the heart
  9. Not a problem. I'm hanging around for the VFL Grand Final. I just cannot believe Preston are in it. What happened to Willi?
  10. Dyson Heppell was well held today in the TAC Cup Grand Final. He was overshadowed by the Cannons midfield including a couple of genuine father/son picks in Mitch Wallis who was BOG and Tom Liberatore. Both will play for the Western Bulldogs next year.
  11. Temel was/is a one dimensional footballer who was/is very slow. Mitchell isn't quick but he thinks and acts fast and moves well across the ground. In Mitchell's case the GC17 chose Alex Keath ahead of him last year but you have to remember there was only one team looking at players as part of these concession choices. Last year 16 clubs had a look at Temel and none of them picked him. That says something. I'm prepared to have a bet with you that Mitchell gets picked well before the second round of the draft is over.
  12. Game over with a 58 point win for Calder Cannons - their 6th flag in a decade. Mitch Wallis (47 disposals) was clearly best player on the ground and Dion Prestia was not far behind him among the best. Luke Mitchell is looking a terrific forward prospect. Draft winner is the Bulldogs who will get Wallis and Liberatore through the father/son rule. Wallis guides Calder to win Calder Cannons 5.2.32 9.7.61 16.11.107 17.14.116 Gippsland Power 2.1.13 5.4.34 7.5.47 8.10.58 Goals Calder Cannons Mitchell 5 Kefford 3 Schroder 2 Meli 2 Sullivan Prestia Grenfell Murphy Sheridan Gippsland Power Marusic 2 Lamb 2 H Hector Smith Northe MacDonald Best Calder Cannons Wallis Mitchell Prestia Guthrie Kefford Schroder Gippsland Power Ross Northe Todd Smith Marusic Staley
  13. Three Quarter Time Calder Cannons 16.11.107 Gippsland Power 7.5.47 Goals Calder Mitchell 5 Schroder Kefford Meli 2 Prestia Sheridan Grenfell Sullivan Murphy Gippsland Lamb Marusic 2 Northe McDonald Smith
  14. All one way traffic - Calder 9 goals in front. Wallis is an absolute ball magnet. Prestia and Libba not too shabby either. Mitchell is a dangerous big man up forward.
  15. Great long run from Lamb for his second goal. However, Luke Mitchell's fourth, followed by another put the Cannons 41 points in front. This kid is no Serhat Temel BTW.
  16. Dean McDonald gets one off the ground for Gippy.
  17. Two goals to Kefford who has taken over at full forward makes it a 40 point margin.
  18. A few late goals to the Cannons including one just on the break to Schroder puts Calder in a strong position to win the flag: Calder Cannons 9.7.61 Gippsland Power 5.3.33 Goals Calder Mitchell 3 Schroeder 2 Prestia McLeod Kefford Meli Gippsland Marusic 2 Northe Lamb Smith
  19. Jed Lamb with those yellow boots goals and it's down to 6 points the difference.
  20. AFirst goal of the second quarter a ripper to Clay Smith of Gippy from a pocket, followed by a quick reply from Tim Sheridan of the Cannons. Lack of discipline by Prestia gives away a 50m penalty to Tim Northe. Gippsland trail by 13 points.
  21. Quarter Time: Calder Cannons 5.2.32 to Gippsland Power 2.1.13. Goals: Calder Mitchell 3 Prestia Schroder Gippsland Marusic 2 Mitch Wallis starring for the Cannons getting lots of ball out of the middle and giving his forward plenty of opportunities. Luke Mitchell killing it with three goals. Heppell being well covered with the Cannons smothering him at every effort.
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