Wiseblood

Is it the same old forward line WJ, or are they trying something different? With Bate and Aussie out I have a feeling it's the same old Newton/Sylvia combo not giving us much... Best players so far?

Love it!!

Is WJ at the right game???

Waaaaaaay off. Cheers for your updates today WJ, much appreciated.

We would be kidding ourselves as supporters to think that one pre-season will turn the club around COMPLETELY. The first 3 quarters showed the improvement, but the lapse is something that will take time to get rid of. It's not something that will vanish in a few months. I'll take 3 good quarters in the first hit out of the year any day of the week, especially after last year. We HAVE improved, but with a young list, consistency will still be a long way off. Be patient. Your second paragraph is spot on though. We wasted too many chances in front of goal, and that is one area we need to work on. Against the good clubs you simply can't do it.

I couldn't agree more, but the responses on here tonight are borderline laughable. I hate losing and I'm bitterly disappointed that we coughed up a lead.. but when you consider the season we just had, the way we played today was promising. Morton, Spencer, Grimes and Cheney giving us something, McLean making a very pleasing return from injury, Garland and Frawley impressing down back, Bate kicking 4 from FF... I think the club can take a lot from the game today and lets hope they are cut deeply by the loss and they learn from it. At the very least it does show that we can take even a small sliver of confidence into the year ahead. No-one should be put off by what they saw today, which was a young side being overwhelmed in the last after running and working hard all day. Nothing to be ashamed of.

Hold on, I thought we were only playing NAB Cup today? Sounds like we just coughed up a Grand Final. We whinge about things never changing with some players, but things never change with Melbourne supporters. Simply content to come in and whinge and look at all the negatives... about a NAB Cup game... in February. Oh NOES!!!! Season over. Get a grip. I'm hurting just like anyone other Melbourne supporter, but I think we have some real positives to look at. We have a good young group coming through and we saw that today. We still have others to come back into the side, and we already look further advanced than last year. We lost and that sucks, but I think we can look at the season ahead with a little more confidence than we could last year.

This is coming from the same guy who posted that Bell and Pick 35 would get us Pick 4. Laughable.

Daniel Harris to leave North Melbourne I don't really think we need him, or could we trade to satisfy them, but he does provide decent skills and great centre clearance ability, something we sorely lack. I must say there are more names being thrown around that are LEGIT this year than I though there would be.

Didn't he practically get that chance this season? White played a few games but Jamar was our number two for the majority of the year.

He beat him once, in 07. Didak is three times the player Bell is. I don't really like writing bad stuff about my own club, but there is no way Bell is close to being in the same league as Didak.

Before you were saying we could get Pick 4 by trading Bell and Pick 35, yet the Didak deal for Pick 4 is a loss for Port? Sheesh. Take the glasses off. If the Didak deal is a loss for Port then we would be royally screwing them in that Bell deal went through.

That's better, but why trade two players who are finally starting to come good for us? Miller is basically our only tall forward and Sylvia is getting his body right for the first time in his career. No thanks.

I believe Seaby is still under contract Rhino so we would have to trade to get him. I could be wrong though... ?

Of course we will look at it. Then we will realise we simply cannot get it and move on. Look, I'd love to have that pick. Who wouldn't? But we simply cannot get it. Bailey hasn't ruled out looking at trading fringe players for more picks, but fringe players don't get you first round draft picks in a deep draft. And fringe players coupled with third and fourth round picks don't get you first round picks either.

A couple of steps? Try alot of steps. It aint going to happen.

If you want to be realistic I think we would have to offer Brock McLean to land Pick 4. We won't offer that, so our chances of landing Pick 4 are, well, none.

In alot of ways that's true, plus we would have to cough up far too much to get him anyway. We may as well stick with what we have.

Collingwood paid over his worth because they needed a ruckman - BADLY! He was the only one on the market and they paid it in good faith that he will turn out to be a good player. He hasn't done anything to warrant that yet. Carlton had the Eagles over a barrell with the Judd deal. They go more picks than just Pick 3 (Pick 19 as well?). Just like we had to take Pick 18 for Jeff Farmer all those years ago. He was worth more than that, but what could we do? Just like Judd he was out of contract and we had to take what we could get. I'll be VERY VERY VERY surprised if Port took Bell and Pick 35 for Pick 4. They might do it for Pick 22 but I still wouldn't be too sure of that.

What's wrong with NicNat? I've read a few interviews conducted with him and seems quite modest and down to Earth.

Why? In a STRONG draft, why would they give us Pick 4 for a player who had a terrible season and a pick in the third round?

It was reported in the Sun today that his manager had been in talks with Richmond, Carlton (who don't they have a crack at?) and St. Kilda. Doesn't look like we are interested at this point. He would be one step up from Jamar as he can go forward and kick goals. He and Johnson could simply swap between the forward 50 and rucking duties all day. Would take with a 4th or 5th round pick but nothing more.

There is a 99% chance that we wouldn't be able to satisfy Port enough to land Pick 4. We simply don't have anyone they really want other than untouchable players. BUT... if you could land Pick 4 somehow you could get the Watts/Vickery package much like the Franklin/Roughead deal that the Hawks got 4 years ago. We can dream.

Why do they have to be current? I could have Ricky Jackson in there if I really wanted too. Alright, I'll move along now.

Always great Deefan. Wonders never fail.