Cheesecake

Very interesting point about St Kilda's probable preference for Ball to go to us over a flag competitor, Old! We could speculate on St Kilda's real intentions with Ball. Given Lyon's previous lack of enthusiasm about keeping Ball on the list (around trade week), and then the subsequent turn around from the club (where they have now stated he is a required player), could it be that they are just trying to keep Ball hanging on until the Nov 10 deadline, to prevent him going to a club other than Melbourne, and then will go cold on him again, happily handing him to us? Ahh, conspiracy theories ... gotta love 'em! Surely Ball's management wouldn't fall for this, though, would they? If he wants to stay at the Saints, they will want the new contract sorted prior to Nov 10. So .. perhaps we will know by then. (That is, if he doesn't nominate for the ND, and we haven't heard anything about a contract being signed with the Saints, he is pretty much 99% sure to go to us). Long bow?

Just to back up what has been clarified here by Old and RR, there is an article in The Age at the moment about Tadhg Kennelly staying with Sydney that states the following... "Because he left in January, after they had lodged their list for 2009, Kennelly remains a part of the Swans' playing list, and as a result, they could wait until just before the AFL's final list lodgement on December 2, before either including him, or delisting him." This fits with what has been stated in this thread. So .. unless we get something concrete from Ball or his managment prior to these dates, it looks like we will know for sure that he wants to leave the Saints but play for someone other than us by Tue, Nov 10, 2pm. We won't know for sure that he wants to play for us until Tue, Dec 1, 2pm. That leaves ample time for the media and discussions forums like this one to speculate wildly on what will happen. Joy! Oh well, at least we may know that he is either ours or the Saint's within a fortnight.

Cheers for that. I knew it was wishful thinking. OK .. so, even though his contract expires at the end of Oct, it is not until the end of Nov that St Kilda have no hold over him anymore. (Bit like a cooling off period for the end, rather than the start, of a contract.) Got it! I think.

Excuse my ignorance, but can someone who knows more than I do about these things, please explain the full implications of Ball's contract expiration on the 31st? Once his current contract expires later this week, what hold to St Kilda have over him? What priority, if any, do they have over other clubs in re-signing him? Do they then join everyone else in having to get him through the ND or PSD (where we hold all the cards)? If so .. .. AND considering many believe that his only realistic options are to come to us or head back to the Saints .. .. AND assuming he has actually agreed to meet us next week (after the 31st) ... ..... Well, I'll let you join the dots. Am I missing something? Or wishful thinking?

Spot on Toots. For a hint on the age of the video, check out around 2 min 45 sec into it. Garland up and about in the red and blue. I assume it must have been just prior to round 2 or so, when his foot flared up. Man, I hope we get to see Col like this again soon.

I noticed that too, Rogue. I thought Chip would have polled higher. He was fantastic this year. Gave a few quality forwards a bath, that's for sure. Does the Bluey suffer from Brownlow-disease? A midfielder's award?

I would love to know for sure what the expectations of the inner sanctum at Melbourne really are. Brock suggested, with his reasons for leaving, that the club had told him 5 or 6 years. Do they really think this? I doubt it, somehow. There is no doubt that the club is really well positioned to be a dominant force over the next decade. And in 5 or 6 years (assuming no diabolical injury run) we will be a powerhouse. We all know this. But what most of us are more interested in is how soon we will be competitive, and when we might potentially be playing off in a GF. Can we follow in St Kilda's (02-04) or Carlton's (07-09) foot steps and go from cellar dwellers to competitive in two years, or even do a Hawthorn (05-08) and go all the way. Personally, I think we can. And I think the club should be aiming for this (without disregarding the long term future with dumb decisions, of course). Does the club really think we are 5-6 years away? I hope not. And I don't think so, either.

Thanks for the welcome, Titan. I won't be contributing much for now. But once exams are over, I reckon I will be. Nice user name too. Definitely my favourite of all the Demonlanders. Can't help but let out a little chuckle every time I read one of your posts.

Totally agree, Clint. One of my most respected Dees, is Valenti. I left out those players no longer on our list, but he is definitely worth a mention. Hopefully we may be considering re-rookie-ing him, as some have suggested (assuming we can do that, and he falls through the draft, of course). Though, I just can't see him surviving on our list beyond the next few years anyway, once our midfield fills up with the likes Scully, Trengove, Grimes and co. Maybe its for the best he is cut now, and maybe gets a chance with another side.

Hi folks. Long time reader but new poster here. Love the site, but not as much as I love the Demons. Anyway, thought it about time I participated, instead of just using you all to get the latest news and gossip. Firstly, congratulations Flash. I think the Age article BB59 linked to pretty much sums up the value of Aaron to our club. So important both on and off the field. Would have been AA this year in a more successful side. Love him. Secondly, I thought it would be interesting to rank Swapfox's list on B&F points per games played. Not sure if this will tabulate very well, but here goes .. Player | B&F | Games | Average per game Mark Jamar 30 7 4.285714286 Aaron Davey 82 22 3.727272727 Brent Moloney 69 21 3.285714286 Cameron Bruce 56 19 2.947368421 Matthew Warnock 44 17 2.588235294 Colin Sylvia 44 17 2.588235294 Brad Green 29 12 2.416666667 Matthew Bate 47 20 2.35 Liam Jurrah 21 9 2.333333333 James McDonald 42 18 2.333333333 Nathan Jones 44 20 2.2 Jack Grimes 24 11 2.181818182 James Frawley 43 20 2.15 Cale Morton 42 21 2 John Meesen 8 4 2 Jared Rivers 39 20 1.95 Ricky Petterd 28 18 1.555555556 Clint Bartram 20 15 1.333333333 Brad Miller 18 17 1.058823529 Jamie Bennell 15 16 0.9375 Lynden Dunn 12 13 0.923076923 Paul Johnson 16 18 0.888888889 Michael Newton 4 5 0.8 Kyle Cheney 9 12 0.75 Stef Martin 13 19 0.684210526 Jake Spencer 4 6 0.666666667 Neville Jetta 9 15 0.6 Addam Maric 3 6 0.5 It shows a few things that won't surprise many: The fantastic seasons of Flash and Moloney. Warnock continues to be one our most valuable assets. Green, despite only 12 games, as consistent as ever. Johnson, Bartram, Miller and Newton's very average seasons. It shows a few things that shouldn't surprise many, but seem to: The solid seasons of Bruce and Bate. Both seem highly underrated by many on here, in my opinion. It shows a few things that will please everybody: The breakout season of Sylvia. The great debut (or close to) seasons of Jurrah and Grimes. And, most obviously, and as already pointed out by some posters, it shows how valuable Jamar was when he managed to get onto the ground. Given our other ruck options, the value of a big-bodied, experienced ruckman who can also pinch-hit forward and is about to enter his prime years, should not be undersold. At least until Meesen or Spencer come on, we need to keep the Russian at all costs. I'm a bit disappointed that we only signed him for a year. Two would have been nicer. Go Dees!