Matsuo Basho

That is another decision that Taylor can’t entirely be absolved of responsibility for. Paul Roos has come out and staunchly defended what the MFC did there (as he would) but the question remains. Should Taylor have pushed to retain pick 2 harder at the time in order for us to secure Kelly? Why didn’t our recruiters appreciate him enough for the generational talent he’s proving to be now. Seems to me another big recruiting call we backed the wrong horse on.

Not at all. If you care to actually read and take in my posts and opinions I frequently back up my hypotheses and suggestions, whether constructively critical or positively slanted, with facts, examples and analysis. You, like Satyriconhome and a few others, just choose to read everything I post through a "most opinions critical of the MFC are bad" lens. Blinkers. Plus my writing style is not for everyone. What I rarely see from you, Sayricon and Co are interesting counter arguments, logically arranged viewpoints and so on. Just potshots and cheap dismissiveness. That's disappointing I guess. But there are enough posters on here with interesting takes on things to keep me around. Why don't you challenge yourself and join them? Be a little more open minded and willing to have your biases tested. Engage topics as opposed to always seeking to end them.

Jeepers I'd like to be your employee. A performance appraisal one every half a dozen years or so. Generous! Realistically - again in an elite sporting competition - assessments have to be made more frequently than that. I don't really see what the big deal even is. Posters are discussing the line coaches, game plans, the senior coach etc. What gives the recruiters immunity? Good bloke factor? Some superstars, some guns, plenty of quality foot soldiers - that's the job description. Enough to assemble a premiership quality list with adequate depth to cover for a modicum of injuries. Not a middling list, not a near enough is good enough top six list. A premiership capable list. That's what's required of the MFC head recruiter. My feeling is, like Goodwin and a host of them in the FD, Taylor's got 12 months to save and prolong his job. A lot of guys he's brought in have simply got to come on, plus he must nail this year's first and second round picks, if he's going to escape serious scrutiny. There must be serious improvement in his batting average. Soon.

See my reply to Nasher above. Also, Carlton and Brisbane are halfway through the 5-6 year process of restocking with talent and then being able to truly assess all of that talent. We can make a pretty clear assessment of the MFC now. GWS are a lot more complex to analyse given their unique draft concessions and obvious challenges with player retention.

You're cherry picking my analysis which originally looked at ALL of Taylor's post-R1 draft and rookie draft picks, leading to my conclusion that it is a key reason why the list current has holes and lacks depth. Missing out on stars like Curnow and DeGoey is just the icing on top. We laud the shrewd recruiting to nab Oliver, then you've got to look at the negative side of the ledger as well. It's significant. And please factor into your 'data' humiliation in a preliminary final and our current ladder position - 16th!

Whaaaat?? How could you possibly come to that conclusion? Flyin' Ryan, Petrucelle, Rioli, Barrass, Darling, McGovern, Lycett, Shuey. All post-R1 draft and rookie draft picks. 4/5ths of a premiership winning spine and some incredibly talented role players. Come on LGoffy let's be real.

You keep missing the point. Is it deliberate? Merely being “involved at the highest level” doesn’t pass muster. You’ve got to be the best or very close to the best at what you do at the highest level ... or eventually you will get moved on. This is not a charity. This is not park footy. Succeed or hit the bricks. It’s as simple as that. Always has been, always will.

Again. Professionally paid head recruiter who should have the foresight to get more of these huge calls right than wrong. Like anyone in the cut throat world of elite sport you live and die on the thinnest of margins. If you’re on the wrong side of the ledger you get the chop and the search for someone better begins. Coach, player, admin, recruiter - that truism stands. Our list has holes. It lacks depth and is short on stars/matchwinners. After five years in the gig it’s not good enough.

I don't think that mattered. They had successive picks and knew they'd get both. They may have named Curnow after McKay for other reasons. Keep the ego in check etc.

I can appreciate the hindsight argument but there are important differences between random supporters and journos and the head recruiter at an AFL club. One gets PAID to get these crucial decisions right, the others don't. One observes these kids carefully over several seasons, the others don't. In short your head recruiter gets professionally paid to have exactly what makes them an expert in that field and that's ... FORESIGHT. As for being 192cm (6"4') instead of 195cm that is a big trap to fall into when you're a recruiter analysing as athletic a specimen as Curnow. He had a leap like superman and a build like a young Greek God at 18yo. The scope for exploding into the player he's becoming was so obvious, if a tad risky. Give me the next Anthony Koutoufides any day over a stock standard 195cm young key tall with no game whatsoever below his knees. There were some huge wraps about Curnow online going into the draft at the time. Plenty were saying he was a top 3 talent there for the taking. I recall about three days before that 2015 draft Curnow was busted for drink driving or something and it was all over the paper, with SOS coming out and saying the Blues were disappointed and would be having a hard think about their first few selections. That was VERY suspect at the time. I'm not convinced that wasn't a furphy that sucked clubs like ours in. It's happened before at draft time (see Jack Darling).

The Melbourne thing to do would be win the next 9 on the trot then lose R23 to North to fall short on %age.

Ask 20 pundits/journos and 1000 random fans if they think we got it wrong. Curnow was touted as the most explosive and exciting tall at the 2015 draft but of course we went the vanilla choice. It was the wrong call by a so-called seasoned professionally paid head recruiter. A terrible call.

Abuse? "Green Maggot"? Come off it. They're even warning people not to barrack too loudly! Please. Where does the sanitization of society end? And who determines the standards? Gillon McLachlan and a few dopes at AFL HQ? Neo-Marxist Feminazis at The Age? People need to tread very carefully when dictating on high to others about "appropriate behavior". There are lines you don't cross and Gillon is currently crossing them in grand and arrogant fashion.

A possibility for sure but not in that bracket yet.

I'm sorry but picking Sam Weideman ahead of Charlie Curnow was unforgivable by Jason Taylor. He overlooked a generational player there in Curnow. People can say 6 other clubs did as well but it's not good enough. At pick 9 (Weideman) and pick 12 (Curnow) a clear decision had to be made between the two and Taylor went the wrong way. Add that to his resume please, bolded, highlighted, and underlined.

No of course not. Our fan tolerance is something to be cherished. But it doesn't mean we have to be meek and cop this kind of PC rubbish lying down. Joffa Corfe is to be commended for his stance and hopefully there is a groundswell of more non-aggressive resistance to this bulltish. As I said in an earlier post supporters from all clubs should band together and begin chanting "bald headed [censored]", "green maggot" and "Gillon's a wa...ker" in protest. What's the AFL going to do then? This is the beginning of the end of Gillon in my view. Completely lost the plot.

I’d like to see that “Behavioural Awareness Officer” try and do that to hardcore members of the Kop at Anfield. Wouldn’t make it past the third isle without a ‘Liverpool kiss’ and cauliflower ears. We too meekly accept this rubbish in Australia.

Why not Petracca? Billings has reached higher peaks so far. When has Petracca had a 33 touch, 8 mark, 11 tackle, 2 goal match winning game of the kind Billings displayed yesterday? I’ve yet to see him come close. I bet if you asked St Kilda fans about a Billings -Petracca trade they would be just as or even more vehemently against it than ours.

Can we please just have one Dangerfield, Judd, Ablett, Rob Harvey, Goodes, Dusty, Buddy in my lifetime? Please? Just one out and out superstar?

Like the confidence but I also heard: We won’t be trading Watts. We won’t be trading Hogan. If there’s a trade scenario which improves the 22, you look at it.

Crowds need to start chanting “Green Maggott”, “Gilllon’s a w...nker “ and “Bald headed [censored]” in unison before and during games. What are they going to do then? Solidarity. You can’t beat it.

It’s true Billings has had accuracy issues kicking for goal, but so as we know has Petracca. I know who’s kicking action is better though. What a nightmare it’s going to be trying to correct the latter’s technique now.

Billings has improved but if you look at his pure numbers over the season he and Brayshaw are pretty evenly matched. The only point of difference is that Billings probably had more upside and a bit more class and vision. Its not Brayshaw I would trade him to the Saints for, though. It’s Petracca.

Good call Dame Gaga. I have been guilty of using ‘dog’ incorrectly, too. The most wonderful, loving and as you say loyal of creatures. To borrow a Bill Murray quote: “I won’t trust a person who doesn’t like dogs. But I’ll always trust a dog when it doesn’t like a person.”

I hope you aren't being serious about that Kallangurdemon. And if you are use this as an opportunity to take some long, deep breaths and reflect that it's only a silly ball game after all. A bit of light entertainment punctuating the important things in life. It's the seasoning, not the steak.