Aus in Engerland

Annoyingly, a tax exempt business with one of the largest property portfolios in Australia.

Where on earth did you find 4 wins for GCS?

Exactly what I was going to say. Pretty well word for word. The current system is much more fair. Supposedly 3 from your group of 6 and 1 from each of the other 2 groups (mucked up by rivalries and blockbusters a bit). Something of an equaliser without going over the top. What screws it up is the scheduling that favours certain teams. We know WC and Freo travel more miles than anyone (their shortest journey is to Adelaide while the Crows longest journey is to Perth (to standard home/away venues)) but that is a function of locality. Where they do get screwed is consistently getting Tassie games, and NT games, and Canberra games. What is also not fair is that Eddiewood consistently travel less than anyone (while whingeing more) and certain games seem to always end up a certain way. Geelong get 9 home games and that gets stacked with interstate teams and 'lower' Melbourne teams (read - screw you Melbourne). Melbourne get to travel to Perth to play WC but if there is a second game WC don't get to visit the G, they get Alice Springs or Docklands. And so on. At the end of the day the AFL is a dictatorship and as in any dictatorship, some teams are more equal than others.

I agree on the Carlton stuff. Anyone should have seen that they would be bad. The Saints are a bit of a different story. They, along with Melbourne, were expected to push for a place in the 2018 eight. Over the past three years the two clubs were on seemingly identical upward progressions. 2015 - Mel 13th 28pts, StK 14th 26pts. 2016 - Mel 11th 40pts, StK 9th 48pts, 2017 - Mel 9th 48pts, StK 11th 44pts. Both with some early draft picks reaching maturity, both with an attractive style, both with a similar looking playing list and age profile, both just missing the eight for two years running, both looking at being a 'feel good' story. Like many viewers MFC exceeded my expectations for 2018 and the Saints fell short. But I can understand the AFL and FTA network giving the Saints a bit more profile than they have previously had.

He missed a word... 'everyone's second LEAST favourite team'. For me only the Failmantle Muppets rate lower.

That is their strength. When it clicks it is hard to beat. They thrashed WC in Perth in round 14. Kept them to one goal in the first half with blistering ball movement. Except for the Norf game in Tassie it was the worst game of the year for WC. If they work on the skills and stick to the quick ball movement they are a sneaky top 4 chance. I hope not, but I see them as likely top 8.

Chazz is right. In the 6-6-6 fixturing world, if you finish top 6 you should get 3 games against other top 6 sides and 1 against a mid 6 side and 1 against a bottom 6 side. Doesn't always work that way due rivalry rounds and blockbuster games, but that's the idea. I think everyone would rather finish top and get a tough draw than bottom and get an easier one. And good to see that most people are accepting that it is only right that the QB clash is alternated. I hate all things Eddiewood, but this is actually a correct decision.

Unless M/WC playing twice this was likely to be a MFC home game. WC want to play games at the G so won't be excited by this idea.

I think a lot of clubs are going to be caught out in Brisbane in 2019. Regarding the number of Fri night games, I think MFC will get more than the two of 2018. Given there are 11 home games, I think that to get 3 Fri night home games (and maybe 1 or 2 away ones as well) and mainly Sat afternoon and night games would be a big win.

The history of the draft is littered with 'how did we all miss him' and 'why didn't we choose xxxx' and 'why the f*** did we choose yyyy' moments. Just a few others... Everyone had a chance to select Nat Fyfe before he went at 20 Everyone had at least one chance to grab Jack Darling before he went at 26. Everyone had at least two shots at Sam Mitchell before he went at 36. In a good draft (2007), I think that after Kreuzer and Cotchin went, every club that held picks 3-9 would want to reconsider who they chose. Wile Masten (198), Henderson (158) and McEvoy (187) have reached 150 games, none are a patch on Dangerfield. Cale Morton will not go down as the best ever #4 selection, or MFCs wisest draft choice. I still look back on those compromised drafts that GCS and GWS basically ravished (11 of the first 14 picks to GWS in 2011 for example) and firmly believe that those clubs that happened to bottom out over that period are still suffering today. Bottoming out and getting you first draft selections in the 15-25 area does not help a rebuild. Edit - And on Kelly, the person that said that the fact that MFC would have chosen Billings just compounds the error is correct. The trade away of selection 2 was a poor one, just as GCS giving away pick 2 for Weller in 2017 was a poor one.

There's not a lot to complain about really. Yes, they stuffed up opening with Carlton. Late in season 2018 I read something (one of the early 'leaks' about the 2019 fixtures) that due to their sustained suckiness, Carlton were not going to be rewarded with as many (if any) prime time evening (read Friday night) games. So giving them the season opener is the reward. Yes, that is [censored]. But at the end of the day it is a home game at a good time. 35-45K if the weather is good. And Tough Kent. You missed the reward WC get for winning the Premiership. An away trip to Brisbane.

Given the 6-6-6 ladder based fixturing it should be 2 teams of WC, Pies, Richmond, GWS and Hawks. I'd guess Pies and either Hawks or Richmond. MFC will play Freo in Perth, WC in Melbourne. And that will probably be one of only two WC matches at the G, the other being the GF replay. My guess for the five double ups. Pies, Richmond, Kangas, Suns or Brisbane and Geelong. I think the double ups amongst the top 6 might be something like... WC - Pies and either Richmond or GWS, probably GWS Pies - WC (the AFL do love a GF re-match (or two)) and Dees Dees - Pies and Richmond. Hawks - Richmond and GWS Richmond - Dees and Hawks GWS - WC and Hawks

All clubs have had great drafts where they just seem to nail it a and other years they would rather forget. 2014 is the draft that MFC is now reaping the rewards for. You can build a dynasty on a couple of good drafts. Take Hawthorn for example. In 2001 they swapped Croad for pick 1 (who they got back for nothing 2 yrs later) which they used for Luke Hodge and then got Sam Mitchell at pick 36. Both 300+ game players. Except for Zac Dawson they then totally dudded 2002 and 2003 but nailed it again in 2004. Roughhead (275 and still playing), Franklin (290 and still playing) and Jordan Lewis (300+) is not a bad threesome.

I can see both sides of this. JH is a top level talent. Top end KPF don't grow on trees and are worth something. Two high 1st rounders? Not for me. Looking at the whole picture, 5 and 23 seems reasonable. On the other side, I can see the potential problems. He is 1/2 way through his AFL career (8 of realistically 15ish years) so you are buying a 1/2 empty glass of champagne. His foot injury is of a type that is potentially career ending if it goes wrong. With that, would I pay the reputed $8Mill over 8 years? Again, no way. Over this whole trade period Freo are doing what Essendon were doing a few years ago. Talking up their players and demanding way too much while down valuing outsiders and offering under. As a KPF that Freo desperately needs, on the surface Hogan is a more valuable commodity than Lachie Neale. But he is a higher risk proposition (see foot). That evens up the respective values somewhat. I also agree with some on here that there are a whole bunch of deals that have been done in all but name, and the AFL are just sitting on stuff to make the 'live' broadcast more exciting.

They really are playing stupid buggers. Just because they suckered GC with the Lachie1 (Weller) trade last year, and Lachie2 (Neale) is a better player, they think they should get more for Lachie2 than Lachie1. Sorry, it's a case of GC paid way overs and you got lucky; not a case of Brisbane offering unders. Grow up and do the Lachie2 trade for fair value (pick 5) and everything else goes through. If you keep inflating the value of your second hand Toyota while down-valuing the other guys second hand Mercedes, everyone will just think that you are not worth dealing with.

Failmantle have some very strange ideas on sharing the money love. They signed Bennell on a 3 year $650k pa contract and kept Lachie Neale on $450k pa. There is every chance that Bennell will be gone soon (or at the very least get a new low $ contract) and if LN goes as well, that is a lot of money in the kitty. As well as any retirements, delistings and current underspend. So you are right. Lots of salary cap space in the land of purple muppets.

I agree with the AFL website dudes. Just a ploy. More to play out yet. The domino in this whole business is Lachie Neale. When that falls, everything else can get done. It just needs Bell the **** to realise that pick 5 is more than fair. It's not very often that a club comes along and gives a stupid trade like pick 2 (Brayshaw) for a near spud like Lachie Weller. Message to Freo - you got lucky with a Lachie trade in 2017, it's not going to happen twice.

Stop claiming Gibbs went for two firsts as a standalone argument. It is not true. Carlton also gave up 2018 picks 21 and 40, which in draft points value are more than pick 16. If you want to get real say that Adelaide gave up pick 10 and future pick 28 for Gibbs and swapped pick 16 for future picks 21 and 40 (about the same points). But back on topic. Freo as usual have been a bunch of tool merchants over the whole process, but there is every chance it will still get done. Given that MFC have apparently admitted to be willing to have accepted pick 6 and a second round selection for Hogan it could work very simply. Failmantle pull their fingers out of their collective ***** and accept Brisbane pick 5 for Neale. A fair offer. They then give that pick and the pick 23 they got from Port to MFC for Hogan. Edit - and has been noted by some, pick 5 and 23 (a 1st and 2nd rounder) is better than picks 16 and 18 (2 x 1st rounders) Deal is then done and we can all go and have a nice cup of tea.

They can try, but the Suns have that one sewn up already. And equally badly run.

Not supporting the Gibbs trade (they paid too much) but it wasn't simply picks 10 and 16 for Gibbs. Adelaide also go 2018 picks 21 and 40. And gave up 2018 pick 28, expected to be much later as Adelaide were expected to finish a lot higher.

Bryce Gibbs was definitely not worth two first round picks (10 and 16) at age 28. They paid way overs because they were blinded by losing a GF and thinking this was the trade that would be the difference in 2018. Plus there were a bunch of other picks swapped that meant Adelaide got a future 2nd and 3rd rounder as well (picks 21 and 40), so that equates to better than pick 16 and dilutes what they paid. Still too much. Treloar is a good player who hasn't missed a lot of games through injury. They paid overs to get him, but not excessively. He was 21 when traded, so had a lot left in him. I'm not denying Hogan is a talent and a bloody good player. What would I pay? A top 10 and a 2nd rounder. A demand for any more and I'd walk away. He's 24 early next year and has a history of injuries. Foot injuries are often persistent and can be career ending. See Eric MacKenzie.

As a WC person, I have stood back and laughed year after year as the mob in purple make silly trade after silly trade, paying way overs for anyone and anybody who wants to move (back) to WA. (I'll put a few at the end for anyone who wants a laugh) So this one has amazed me. Freo have actually said 'you're asking too much and if you won't budge then we'll walk away'. That is so un-freo like! As someone who admires the direction MFC is taking and how you are going on and off the field, while I admire the determination, Hogan is not worth two first round picks. I'd spit chips if WC paid that. By the way, good pickup in Pruess. This means there will be no respite in the ruck when playing Melbourne. Sort of like NicNat and Lycett when NN was fit. A few Freo comedy trades. This is why I am stunned they didn't fall for the two first round picks demand - In 1994, Adelaide convinced Fremantle to give them Andrew McLeod in exchange for Chris Groom. Melbourne convinced Fremantle to give them Jeff Farmer for Phil Gilbert. Essendon also engineered a deal that saw gun players Mathew Lloyd and Scott Lucas go to Bombers in exchange for Todd Ridely and Tony Delaney. In 1995, Fremantle delisted Peter Bell, later picked up by Nth. Fremantle then decided they wanted him back so they exchanged their picks 6 and 8 in the 2000 draft to get him. In the superdraft of 2001, the club traded away the first pick that it could have used to acquire superstar Chris Judd or Luke Hodge. In return they got Trent Croad. Then gave him back a couple of years later for a bag of crisps. In 2006 Collingwood convinced Fremantle to give its first pick, and Paul Medhurst, in exchange for Chris Tarrant. And so it goes on.

WC. I joined to discuss the Prelim (before it was played) as I find it instructive to see what real supporters are thinking. And I consider that, unlike some groups of supporters, MFC ones are generally human and worth conversing with. I try to be fair in all posts. I think that genuine support is to be admired and abuse, trolling and derision are unacceptable. I have not and will not gloat over the prelim result or the GF, even though I am ecstatic over how the team played. Nor will I shy away from my joy over season 2018. I am aware that I am effectively a guest/visitor and it is not my place to abuse posters or the MFC. At WC, we had a number of foreign posters, (Graham Gaunt is one from MFC I remember) who were welcome under the same rules I apply to myself. I felt that the good ones added to the site and I was happy to have them there. As for Gaff I think that this has ended up reasonably well for both WC and Norf. WC get to keep an elite player and Norf get to keep the silly money they were offering. If he had gone to Norf it would have been a lose/lose. WC would have lost a top player and got rubbish compo and Norf would have tied up a huge part of their TPP on one player. When you add Polac and Hall to Gaff it would have been about $3mill per annum over just 3 players (1.0M+0.7M+1.3M). That is about 22% of your TPP on just 3 guys, which is madness for the rest of the list.

I think that's some of it. Melbourne has the name tied up. Despite a lack of success in my lifetime (yes, I'm over 50), it still rings as more of a 'real club' for some reason. Norf is Norf and St Kilda are St Kilda, but Melbourne is for some reason more. Just more. I think another part is the home ground. It is after all the Melbourne CG, not the Collingwood (see I swore and got away with it) Cricket Ground, or despite what they think, the Richmond CG. And, again despite the continuous failure, you have a decent number of supporters. Certainly more than Norf or the Saints.

If true then Norf do now have unexpected cap space. About 8.4 million over 7 years of space. But at the same time I cannot figure how they can be spending even the minimum amount now (95% of TPP?) and free up additional space by clearing out one name player (Waite) and a bunch of low end talent and have space for big deals for Polec, Gaff, Aaron Hall, Newman and Finlayson. All while keeping enough in the bank to go for GWS Kelly next year.