rpfc

You don't have to like a poster, Thomo. But this 'skidmark' stuff is on the nose. No pun intended.

How about a compromise: We get Thompson, Goddard and Cornes to add to the senior players in Trades in October, Thompson is given the captaincy and then we can draft Fevola.

I think some are actually deluding themselves into thinking we are a Fev away from the top 4...

I don't know who will be looking to move on. It will depend on what clubs say in October. I would also target an older mid with leadership skills - Scott Thompson or Kane Cornes or similar.

Yeah, been amazing. Martin has turned it around completely. If someone had told me that we would have one of the leagues best ruck tandems I would have said 'yeah, Jamar's left hand and his right hand...' Well done.

The vote is getting closer. It's nearly as exciting as November 2008...

Adversity and challenge reveal character, it doesn't build it. You cannot test the culture of this team - it's not ready. It's embroyonic, or if you are looking at Rivers, Moloney, Davey, and the coloured one - it's pathetic. We are not ready to tame Brendan Fevola.

You have to look at what we have in excess. Warnock now has Rivers, Frawley, Garland, MacDonald, and McDonald ahead of him as a back who can play on talls. He is gone. Bate has had his opportunities - had a far better career than Dunn and Warnock, although that is saying laughably little... If he were to be given an unlikely 2012 then the midfield is the only chance for him. I don't think what I have said is terribly outlandish.

No, but he will if you get your way... It's funny how we have this awful culture, a curse since '65, that dooms our present, clouds our future, and decisions like getting Fev is going to cahnge it? Our awful culture is the fault of those at the club now (I put the blame at the feet of our senior players and the FD because they should have better) and not some abstract, endemic lack of boldness attached to the club. I say 'No' to Fevola because we have got a culture to build, not to test. Clubs that can handle him should take him.

That may be. But for realistic reasons, many of those do no think it is possible to achieve, or desired.

Head in the sand. Really, BB? You want to tie yourself to ADC on this one? Scully may leave - no head in the sand there. I just believe the kid on the fact he hasn't signed already. We will see in few weeks...

Yes, where there is smoke there is fire. Walker and Carlisle will be leaving for GWS soon too...(Rolling Eye emoticon)

You'd be devastated? Really? I will see the plusses and drawbacks of both situations and how it relates to us winning a flag but I won't be 'devastated' either way. And I personally think that Scully going for pick 8 and 20 in the 2012 draft (when we will use them is not quite good enough compensation). Losing Scully will hurt our flag aspirations. If he goes I hope we trade in a 23-26 year old big bodied mid who will command a place next to Moloney and Trengove in the centre bounce Rd 1, 2012.

I'm sure if someone was to 'Rogue' my postings they would find many posts lauding the abilities of Bate. I think he will leave in October. But if I was to keep 1 of Bate, Dunn, and Warnock - I would keep Bate. I have said that he is too slow for the midfield, but he has been shown up in our forward line with Jurrah, Howe and Watts providing better marking options who happen to be agile.. The midfield is the last place he can find a spot for this club. He provides one thing we don't have too many of - a mature body. If he does stay - I would be open to pushing him into the midfield for 5 games to see if he can resurrect his career. But, as I said, I don't think he will be here next year.

That 'more than double' is your subjective analysis. The $3m over 5 years (that has been reported we have offered) may be excessive for a 20 year old, but if he travels the path I think he will travel, he will be worth that price for a couple years and possibly good value when he is 24. The club knows what it can spend and they won't pay more than they can afford. They have given a long term deal that they can manage and Tom will leave or sign for that manageable figure.

Latest numbers I saw a couple years ago were around 23k of the 80(odd)k MCC members are MFC supporters. And the MFC claims to have around 10k MFC/MCC memberships IIRC.

We are going to have to pay people more than they are worth sometimes. Welcome to professional sports. I'm just glad we have got actual talent to throw $600k at, I never thought Bruce was worth that...

There is if you don't have adequate leaders to fill the position. All our senior players are NQR - even the new Bluey winner-to-be Moloney has been a frontrunner this season. I don't want to take it off of Brad. But he has done little to earn a second year and shouldn't be given it.

Not really. If he doesn't have a good year and then Malthouse mysteriously takes over, it looks like we have had an interim, it looks like a young coach has not had any faith given to him, and what are the players thinking now with their coach suddenly not their coach. It would be untenable and Neeld would leave, it might even be his only opportunity to coach a team. It wouldn't be advisable from any party. If Malthouse wants to coach again, he can come to Melbourne in around 6 weeks time, otherwise we can get Neeld - but he won't sign a one year contract...

The MFC must be trying very hard then... Don't put that on us, or the club, just because you see it a completely different way to others. Not getting Fevola means we are more concerned with PR than a flag is BS.

If Mick would like to coach every again - he must come to Garry Lyon (if he hasn't already) over the next few weeks and say (even through his people) 'I want to coach Melbourne in 2012.' It is really in his court - he can coach again if he wants to - at Melbourne in 2012. Or he can melt away into irrelevance - which is the path Eddie would prefer he take. What is it, Mick? You want to go out on Eddie's terms, or your own?

Mentioned by Watts himself in an interview on the website (I can't remember when). He's the future of the forward line and he is the smartest player we have - it makes sense to revolve it around his strengths.

He is a Demon until he says he isn't. The more outlandish addition would Fevola or Sewell from the VFL.

Watts has already been told it's 'his' forward line, he is getting better at his body work and is learning how to be that forward we want. And so we are going to plonk a 31 year old FF there for two years?

We need experience and big bodies. But you don't pick players from the National Draft to fill that need. Trades or Pre-Season Draft or, from next year, Free Agency are the mechanisms to get those bigger bodies. Prendergast can be criticised for his picks in the National Draft but not for us having a dearth of bigger bodies and experience.