rpfc

Here we go again with semantics - you say that Jackson would be remiss for not asking and then you criticise me for saying the same thing, and chiding me for implying the club would be remiss for not asking for the draft assistance. And fans would be foolhardy for not asking for it. Jackson mentions the 'Elephant' and so do I, and then he dismisses it as irrelevant as our previous history with screwing up our draft picks.

Bless you.

Ok, you are relatively new here D26 - in no way can you say that anything that is mentioned on this site in terms of rumours is 'pencilled in.' The Roos signing doesn't change the strikerate around here when comes to trades and signings...

Why should it? It hasn't changed Peter Jackson's - and we are two peas in a pod...

Let's keep it to the years after we fell off a cliff - 2007 to 2013. Blease and Scully (or Hogan and Dawes so we actually got our pre-draft priority from 2009 - half in 2013 with Dawes and half in 2014 with Hogan) 4 seasons since we have bothered the AFL for one after having what would normally be two top 6 picks turned into Pick 12 thanks to the expansion allowances. 22 wins from 88 games. Frankly, having a go at us for picking the wrong teenagers has always smacked me of an acute level of triteness; Morton is soft, Watts has struggled to come on, Blease spends his time injured in his first few years, Gysberts does not develop the body for the AFL, Maric has the tank of an 8 year old, Scully decides that $2m can buy you happiness et al. "Oh, we are so sorry for picking the wrong effing players, other-AFL-clubs-that-benefit-from-our-misfortune! We are so sorry!! Please take our draft assistance from us!! You're right, it's much easier on the ground with your foot on our neck - thankyou sir!"

Picking poorly was counter-productive too... A counting Scully's Pick 1 AND the comp picks we got for him as you did and Ryan has done is misleading. We have had 1 pre draft comp pick since 2007 when we fell of a cliff into oblivion. And because we were investigated (and exonerated) people think we shouldn't get help? We all want to move up the ladder and stop having these conversations, but as a fan, I have put up with enough nonsense from this club without rejecting the draft assistance that a club in our lowly position should be given.

Here we go again with semantics. I said it is relevant only to the perception of a pick awarded to us, it is not relevant to the rules that we were acquitted of ranking earlier this year per behaviour 4 years ago. And the whingeing is being done by the clubs who gladly lose 8 (Coll) or 11 (Carl) straight to finish a season to get a PP or get back-to-back PPs after 5 years of 10+ wins a season. The rule is designed to amend hopelessness, this noble desire to stand on our own two feet, and say no to 'help' or 'handouts' would be more noble if it weren't so foolhardy. Ruthless clubs would not be bullied about a opportunity like this, no the ruthless clubs are the ones saying one thing and did another, and they are standing on our necks. That is why Jackson 'embarrassed himself' according to Peter Ryan and Damian Barrett. He knows that Essendon would do the same, and so would every other club that was a woeful as us (not that they would get as woeful as us).

The elephant in the room is only relevant to the perception of any assistance. It isn't relevant to whether we should have draft assistance or not. Since that elephant there have been 4 seasons, two of which have netted a total of 6 wins. The rule is there and has been used in a way that has not evened up the league - giving the Pies Thomas two years removed from back to back flags is not evening the competition. They didn't deserve it if we wish to talk about the D word. We need it and the league needs us to have one. The elephant in the room has to forklifted out at some point. I am not going to hang myself and my club on the schadenfreude of others.

I have no doubt that more confidence and ball winners (especially contested) will give us a great boost, but we are so far away from other teams right now... I don't think 10+ wins is probable.

They may not give us a PP but still give us draft assistance... Jackson will fight for it. These hacks can continue with their contradictory nose up in the air if they want to. It is not relevant that we have drafted poorly to whether we get a PP but the AFL will want to tread lightly and Barrett thinks he is going to be the darling of the other clubs if he kicks up a stink about it. Meanwhile, Hawthorn has its hypocritical hoof on our throat. I hope we get it and I hope they hate us. No apologies.

That was hardly the edited for public consumption version. That version would be "we will work that out with Neil in the coming weeks - he may wish to move on, but as Peter said last Friday - we will honour the contract of a very good footy brain and a good person." Now that is pablum and I am not going to damn Roos for being honest but we are talking about another person here, and PJ left it in Craig's hands three days ago, that is where Roos should have left it in my opinion.

I think you are going to be disappointed - unless we get a midfield over the summer - we are going to struggle to win 6 or 7 games. Stop the thrashings would be a solid start.

Injury free? "I am sorry Nathan - you should be captain, but you just broke your left arm diving on the footy. We have an injury free Captain policy because we make bad decisions." Leading Teams will help them pick a Leadership Group that reflects the players that the majority of the group look up to and they will appoint a captain for that year that embodies the best leader of the group. They should do it every year and it will most likely be Jones. There is no need to create long lists of things players "should or should not" be.

The way Roos blurted it out on OTC I hope that they have already come to that conclusion and Craig is well aware because not 3 days ago Jackson said we would honour contracts should Craig not find somewhere else.

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/tigers-contract-fight-20130909-2tg3x.html Punt Road's Korin Gamadji Institute wants to pay Martin to be an Indigenous Ambassador? What an effing joke. The Tigers are just using this place for their own ends now. If Caroline would like to lift the lid on some shady practices and waste of government money - she should focus on Punt Road; more than 50% of the 'programs' and 'accredited training' to help indigenous youth transition into employment have been one-day barista courses... I am sure it helps to get the desirable and stable job down at the Starbucks on Collins St, but we don't need an institute for that... They do it to inflate numbers of people and programs at the institute, and as a way of sourcing more money. To pay for Am-effing-bassadors...

Yeah, the jury has come down on Dawes: he is a good player. He had a few niggles, sue him. He plays with the type of aggression and leadership that is well worth the 5% of the cap he is taking. He is also a godsend for our most valuable player right now - Hogan. He will do the bullocking work so that Jesse can get used to playin AFL footy.

Then he better choose right. He got Longmire spot on. Hired Lyon... And if we play our cards properly, there is no reason why he can't move into his next phase of his career at the Dees - whatever that might be.

When 2+ years removed from the draft - your draft position matters a great deal less than your performance.

If this were after his rookie season I wouldn't even think about it - I would just do it. 51 games and is 21 at the start of next season. However, hasn't averaged more than the 19 touches a game he averaged in his first season. And I know his role isn't as an outside player but he only averages 10.7 uncontested possies a game. That is =201nd in the league sandwiched between players who get more contested than uncontested footy. If this were Prestia - I am handing over that Pick 2 very easily...

No, I get it. But, jeez, Pick 2 - this is where we should be getting the star players we obviously lack. You have been banging on about it for a better part of a decade. I am far more comfortable than ever with the people charged to make this decision but I would want to see an incredible talent prized with Pick 2 - I want one of the players we get to be able to take pressure off Jones in 2014 and be able to get their own footy. Two B talents for Pick 2 is not what we need.

One thing in his favour is his size. I would love to get Jones some help in the clinches. I love Matt Jones and Jack Viney will be a star, but they are not ready to help to the extent that Swallow could.

Can we get their Pick 5 back aswell? I would be happy to get these solid bodies into the club but I don't want to overpay. We would be giving back more obviously - Swallow and 5 for Aish and 17 etc.

Well, hyperbole always wins arguments doesn't it?

I believe the opposite. If we do to Hogan what we did to Watts in 2009 that would be a disaster - we swapped 10k at the gate and a few hundred memberships for ruining a kids introduction to AFL. He should never have played, and if it cost us $100k not to play him - so be it. Same with Hogan.

I agree completely, but the above is not what I get angry at - I will be angry if we allow him in front of the media before his first game, or if we have an extended '[censored]' piece on the website before his first game, or if we build up his first game for any reason. I think Jackson is smarter than that and I know Roos will protect him. Hogan is not the answer to our prayers. He is a good footy player who can help us win footy games in the future. Using 18 year olds as marketing tools is in the rear-view I hope.