stevethemanjordan

I distinctly remember Morton being compared to Adam Goodes during his first season. He'll be 'our Adam Goodes'. Gysberts first 3 or 4 games I remember reading the same thing however the comparison was Joel Corey. That was on demonland. After AFL games. Not TAC cup games. Gysberts' ability to attract the ball was fascinating as he was so slightly built, and I maintain that the opposition - (especially in that first game against Geelong) - gave him absolutely no respect or attention. His possessions and disposals were next to useless. He had zero hurt factor. He couldn't put on weight. Had terrible aerobic capacity so would blow up early in games, foot skills were average, not a goal kicker and marking ability was non-existent. As for Morton, where do I begin... The bloke was given a free pass to 50 AFL games. Didn't have to earn one thanks to Dean Bailey's 'let's play the kids' mantra. I've never seen someone float around so aimlessly gathering the most useless possessions possible. And again, doing very little when he had the pill. Foot skills were terrible for someone who was claimed to be classy pre-draft. No contested ball winning ability, zero hurt factor, lacked intensity, avoided physical contact, didn't hurt the opposition with his skills, average mark, couldn't put on size. All of these deficiencies seemed so obvious from seeing them play an AFL game only a handful of times, and there are plenty of people who'd agree. However, there are of course certain supporters who believe 'numbers = gun'. The comparisons began after a handful of games in which these two players found it seemingly easy to gain possessions. It most certainly isn't so black and white. Here's a good example. Greenwood for North. He is consistently in and out of the side, yet there have been a number of games in which he has had leather poisoning and because of that very reason, there a people on this forum who wanted him at our club. Because of few high possession games. Were they meaningful possessions? Did he hurt the opposition? Far more important questions in determining a players potential. They're the same supporters who call players like Morton and Gysberts 'guns' from the get-go.

Wow, that bit about Pedo makes me physically ill. I'm hoping to god we get rid of him at season's end.

Moloney... Lol Sylvia... Lol Cancerous, self-interested and arrogant. That's what comes to mind, regardless of their 'service' to the club. (They were highly paid players, I'll be sick if someone says they were great 'servants').

(Fans that don't have the faintest..)

Not everyone thought that. I never rated any of those three. And plenty of others didn't rate them either. Not everyone gets excited by the numbers game. It's how you win and what you do with your possessions. I've already seen in just over a quarter of footy that Salem has far more potential than those three. In just over a quarter of footy, I have witnessed a coolness and belief in ability, a precise left foot, sound decision making, an intent and hardness around the footy, and most importantly in my eyes - a desire to perform sacrificial acts of desperation for the team. Salem possesses far more many football specific attributes than any of those three. And I've seen it in a quarter of footy. This isn't about talking a player up. It's just the damn truth.

Keep dreaming HH.He is gone. Will be good for the club and himself. Not a big loss in my eyes. Our midfield is monumentally more important than Frawley's output as an individual and with him gone we will get great compensation and therefore have great bargaining power to land someone who will contribute more to turning this club around than Frawley.

I thought I was sure from what I 'read into' when Roos spoke about Salem that he wouldn't be picked this week. But yes, I am wrong. Is it the right decision? Is he ready? Let's see how he looks after tonight. I find it very surprising that he was picked for this game. Of course I already rate him higher than players who continue to get games for us, however for the sake of his development and confidence, I'd have thought he'd spend some more weeks at performing at a really high level at Casey. Hope you got a kick out of me being wrong though jnrmac.

Please factor in kicking ability when looking at any player, especially one in which you would hypothetically give up a pick 2 for... Atley can't kick. Like half of North's list. Which is why they are so up and down. We need well rounded footballers. Not more of the 'one or two special attribute' kinds.

His playing days are over in my eyes... I'm all for bringing him over for a coaching/development role, I just doubt he'd want to continue playing beyond this year.

Maybe he just got engaged?

Announced where and by whom?

Spencer is a 'liability' fit or unfit. The sooner Gawn or Jamar are ready, the better for our team. At least we know they can execute the fundemental skills of the game. And compete in the air. And have some idea of where to run. And can tap to advantage. And can snag a goal. And.... The list goes on. We will see an improvement, even if only a small one when Spencer is not playing.

Matt Burgan put the headliner 'Trengove's surgery a success' or smething along those lines after having an interview with Misson who's the man who uses the words himself. I'm simply laughing at how he makes an article out of something with such little substance... As I have said, I see it as filler, and to try and give the MFC supporters some positive news. You're the one trying differentiate the two for some reason.. All I'm laughing at is the amount fluff that's put up on the website concerning these things. Why was Trengoves surgery a success? Was there a point at which it may have been a disaster? Steady on Machsy. Have a laugh.

Agree.. Some of the Matt Burgan/Misson viewing gives you about as much as a stone gives water. It's like website filler. It's comical. I love the club, but I find a lot of Matt's articles and interviews just fluff.

There are plenty that share that view 'Sambo06' I want to see Salem running round in the red and blue just as much as the next.

We'll see what Roos decides hey Stu?Every case is different. JKH is a small forward, had a full pre-season and certainly started with a bang in the NAB challenge. He adds a dimension to our forward line that hadn't been there. Defensive pressure. He's now keeping Byrnes out of the side. It's very different to Salem who is being moulded as another player who can run through the midfield and to be able to do that, you need a tank. He didn't complete the same amount of pre-season as JKH and we all know about his setback. He didn't feature in the NAB challenge and is now starting to perform well. Each case is different, but we know the Roos' mantra. Take the pressure off the young kids. Salem is a different case to JKH and so it silly to compare the two. Couple more weeks of solid form from him and I'd slot him in if it were up to me..

He will not play. I'll tell you that now. He said his name has now come up at the selection table. That is the extent of it. He will be made to play at a consistently high level at Casey for a few weeks before he gets a game.

Is it that hard to put an 'indefinite' next to his [censored] name? It's been '4 weeks' for two or three weeks now. It really frustrates me.

For those calling for Salem to play next week, take a step back and have a think about how many draft picks we've blooded too early over the years in hope that they'll magically be the ones to lift our side on their own. Remember how it worked out? Of course there was some terrible drafting, but we know from watching strong clubs that developing young players at a level below is paramount to their improvement, belief and self confidence. We are one of the worst clubs within the AFL with one of the weakest lists. We have arguably the worst leadership and we all know about the environment and culture of the joint pre Roos/Jackson. With that in mind, who thinks we should take reactionary approach this week and blood another first year player (who's had barely half an AFL pre-season), based off the form of ONE very good game and one decent game the week before? I will be absolutely stunned if Salem is picked this week against one of the strongest clubs in the competition when they're just hitting form.. A carpenter doesn't start building houses until he's served his apprenticeship, especially when his co-workers are not fantastic carpenters themselves... Whilst there are different case studies, (JKH for example), Salem is a different player, has had a limited pre-season and plays a completely different position. He will and should continue to develop at VFL the right way to be given the best chance to succeed at the top level.

Wow. The ignorance.

I'm on both sides.. Of course Roos will continue to spin off the same little 'positives' or 'wins'. That is after all all he can focus on and regurgitate to the media etc. But Jesus Christ I'm sick to death of hearing it. Even from him. That game was woeful on our behalf. No matter how many little positives or wins people pick out. I'm just genuinely sick and tired of watching the skill level of so many of our players. Roos surely knows he's got a lot of work to do with the list. Bring in more talent. Move on the deadwood. There's my positive. Knowing that there'll certainly be some players gone by seasons end.

I also find it fascinating that he wasn't included... I would rate him as high as Nathan Jones and Daniel Cross when it come to effort given on game day. He gives his absolute all. You only need to look at his follow up efforts and chasing for a guy of his size to realise how much he contributes to the team. There are certainly other senior blokes who don't do enough of those things. If he has a healthy year he'll be in it next year without a doubt. I'd say the fact he'd been injured and hadn't played much last year would been the reason for him not getting in for this year. It'll change though. No doubt.

Il say it now. Salem will be our best pickup of last years draft. In that footage I saw him go to block with serious intent. Whilst in isolation it may seem insignificant, for me it's extremely exciting. We're all aware of how highly he is rated for his foot skills, smarts and break away speed but to see that matched with some aggression and desire and awareness to do the team things means that we have what looks like a very well rounded player. They're the types that turn into stars. A mix of inside and outside game. An appetite and desire to learn and be the best you can be. Working as hard as possible to make it happen. Viney, Nathan Jones and Hogan all possess similar attributes (although jones' consistent improvement year after year has surprised me) We need more of 'em.

Jordie was good? Excuse me? It was absolutely pointless having him on the field. As for Salem, I agree it will be great to slot him in at some point and he'd be fantastic to have as our kick in player however I'm with others who are of the belief that he should be made to wait. One big game in the VFL doesn't earn you a call up to the firsts. He needs to find consistency and continuity to his game in the VFL now, and if he finds that, it will have a hugely positive effect on his prep going into an AFL game knowing he has been performing well. Roos will know that. But jeez I can't wait until he cements his spot. One less player on the field for me to shake my head at.

As unfortunate as it is, we persist because we literally have no other option. It's such a complex situation. Our depth is still shocking, and it's partly contributed by our shocking drafting of Cook, Gysberts, Maric, Morton, Bate, Blease, Struass, Tapscott... The list goes on. All of those players should have been starting 22 and solid contributors for us. But they're not. So we have players with even less talent and skill who get games. We all know why these players are getting games. We know what we need. Move the deadwood on again, do some smart trading again and make sure we nail some [censored] draft picks. The environment at the club is in better shape. We just need to go back to the draft again and get the picks right. That and make some smart trades like we did with Tyson and Vince. Tyson is down atm but he is quality. And Vince is already our best user. Draft Trade Delist Work hard We have the coaching group. We have the environment. We need to start ticking some of those other boxes or we'll continue to be poor year after year.