rpfc

I am finding hard to envisage how anyone can agree with that post...

The Jack Viney of the future can wait, maybe he would have learned how to bump and protect himself as he had to do when came to the club. The clubs are thorough - the failures continue - and they will not cease. The most funded clubs will always have an edge, the edge will be diminished with more exposed form if kids were made to play two years of state league footy before being drafted. The clubs with less are making less educated guesses and it hurts the league. And you last point about winning the flag and finding gems in the 60s is tongue-in-cheek isn't it?

You are basing recruiting decisions on 'what might be' by getting a forward. I am basing recruiting decisions on 'what is' by adding as many talented mids as possible. Then there are those that scream 'best available! best available!' without the self-reflection of knowing that sometimes the standout kids do not become the standout men. Do you want the best available 18 year old? Or do you want the best available 22 year old AFL player in 4 years time?

Well, not really. As stated - you are going to see the emblem on your membership letter, you just won't see it on clothing. The machines in China mustn't be that sophisticated yet... I like the monogram, I like the emblem, I like the Demon, I don't 'not like' things simply because I don't like the person who brought it in. I am glad this happened without a fuss or even a statement and am awaiting the walking, week long groan when the club does have some sort of re-branding in the next few months... Just re-brand, then win games.

Well, if you follow Sam's logic - he has only had 3 coaches... Nah, he only showed anything under Roos. I would still maintain that no matter how many messengers you have had, if you reject the messages, you will get nowhere.

Can I just say that when you put actual names in inverted commas it doesn't read well.

That, or a contract... And, really? Not using ND40 on some teenager and you are done? Roos thinks we have enough kids - that's why they targeted Newton.

Both Sydney and Port could have kept those two on their list for the first list lodgement. After that, they are removed for the second, but they are then to go through either the PSD or the ND to get to another club. These clubs decided to do these players a favour and grant them FA rights when they didn't have to. My issue is not with that culturally righteous and ethical decision - it is with the fact that it isn't applied universally. And if it was, we would have a more pure Free Agency (one where any 'out of contract' player is a FA regardless of years spent on a list), and I don't think we want that. I just want consistency.

The decision of these boys to go to the lowest clubs is great. But it is not an argument for the process - only for their healthy inclination to go somewhere for the benefit of their career. I also would question your 90% number - when it comes to players choosing the weakest teams. They go to the teams that want them the most. Geelong had a dearth of good talls, so we lose Clark to them. Hawthorn wanted a former Pick 3 from two years ago and he got there pretty easily... If you give Ben Newton the freedom at 22 to go where he wants - it weakens the FA model the AFL has just brought in. If we are ok with a bloke leaving after 4 years to wherever he wants - why do we care so much about FA being 8 years for RFA and 10 years for UFA? I just think, if we want to have a structure - it should be understandable and uniform - if you are offered a contract by your team, you can't be a DFA.

The right thing by him, but not the evenness of the comp. While he has gone to the second worst team, what if he went to another top team? The PSD (and the nat draft) is structured so that the worst teams have access to the best players. The PSD is designed to give the worst teams access to those players that wish to move on for more opportunities. Newton was a prime candidate to go through that route. I don't like hypotheticals, but why does he get to go where he wants as a wanted player but other wanted players around the league are told their fate is through the PSD? PA did the right thing by him, but they should not have been allowed to IMO. As soon as you are offered a contract for next season and you turn it down - you should be made to head for the PSD/ND.

Watts should be a high HFF and not go through the middle. I think he can fit a role where we can play another mid. Salem and JKH were fighting it out for the 12th spot - I have JKH ahead on exposed form. And that exposed form is why Toumpas is behind them, he has done nothing at AFL level for me to justify putting him in that rotation to start the year...

For him to help us improve he has to get himself in the best 12-man midfield/flank rotation from 2014 somewhere: N Jones, Tyson, Vince, Viney, Cross, M Jones, Bail, JKH, Watts, Kent, Salem, and Riley. He would have to be considered a show to get into that motley crew... I would love for that list to be in 2015: N Jones, Tyson, Vince, Viney, Cross, Newton, Kent, M Jones, Bail, Riley, Brayshaw and JKH. More talented, pure midfielders, and less reliance on kids to fill out the middle section of the rotation. I don't think it is a very good rotation just yet but it is an improvement.

This pickup has implications for the AFL recruitment infrastructure; here we have a player who is wanted by his club (they offered him a contract), but he wants to go elsewhere and they delist him out the kindness of their heart. He was supposed to have gone through the draft to get to another club. I am excited to see him play for us, but this is another example of why we need to look at the recruitment and contract infrastructure of the AFL.

Jetta is already counted. We have 3 vacancies at the moment. Newton or ND40 right now until more changes.

Well, if the forward line doesn't have a Plan B, the midfield doesn't have a Plan A. 12 mids. 12. We have half that at the moment with the requisite talent and career projection. We really can't hope for a strong harvest of next years FA crop, and nor can we sacrifice ourselves at the altar of the Church of Best Available.

I have a feeling about this kid for some reason. I think he might be 'the reach that never was' of the this year.

You guys might be playing with yourselves...

You're being more vindictive than petty... The only thing he bagged about the club was our propensity to have a number of coaches over the last few years. I don't think you can argue that a player being at Melbourne has been a good thing fro their development. I am not going to burn him for telling the truth, well, the truth as he sees it - but I will disagree with his version of the truth. Other than that, I don't like to hold grudges - just don't see the benefit. If we want a healthy culture, we are going to have be a 'bigger' club when it comes to things like this.

Discuss. Looks good.

I'm reasonably young, rjay... I think we just need to start winning to entice younger supporters.

The AFLPA couldn't care less about the teenagers... No, I just meant that Evans' vacated spot on the list may be better next year rather than this year. If you delete every player you don't want in one year, you are going to have to delete someone you do want the year after...

I am certain they won't get another contract on current form. But we will still need to delist players next year to make way for a few early picks, another F/S, and hopefully some FAs... This is a point I have brought up quite a bit - there is something to be said for not having to give a kid at ND40 and ND53 an automatic 2 year deal...

Yes, preferably after the next list lodgement...

You need to grow up, tdm. Wishing someone well, up to - and not past - the point where their success embarrasses those that spurned him, is pretty petty.

Can't even get both his kids to support the club... Just starve the kid, Steve! That'll learn him.