rpfc

I haven't seen enough exposed AFL form from the last 3, and Wonna was a close one but I need some strong form from his hamstrings in 2011.

It's subjective of course, but nailing down a position when you are 20 isn't a great concern for me. The more troubling behaviour would be how Colin Sylvia conducted himself in his early years. I don't hear anything resembling that so i'm pleased. And I brought up Colin to illustrate that yo don't have to be a together, ultra-professional superstar from the get-go to be a Flag Core player. It doesn't hurt though...

I think 45 juxtaposed your post with a previous one detailing said rumour, to point out the fact that if you were 'passing on (said) rumour to demonland,' it was a tad redundant...

I wish to coin a new term - 'Flag cores.' I think required player can be interpreted a manner of different ways. Whereas 'Flag Core players' are those that are vital to the MFC winning a flag in the near future. Those that form the Core of a Flag winning team. Those players are: Scully, Trengove, Watts, Jurrah, McKenzie, Sylvia, Grimes, Morton, Frawley, Garland, Bennell, and Petterd. I see only Jamar and Davey playing an important role out of the older players, but others will/could play periphery roles. As for how that comes into play here; keep your hands off the above players!

And what is Dunn? He ain't a CHF. He's a HFF too. In a negation role for the most part. Who, incidentally, went missing in the biggest game of the year against the Hawks. I am pleased with his form turnaround but I don't want to give him a bigger rap than he deserves. He has done nothing for years, and 5 or 6 effective to good games and we are marrying him to a position to our long term forward line? Please...

Maybe, but in the instance that they convinced Bruce to stay (not that he needs convincing - this is all probably rubbish) and they didn't act on Junior - he would not have had the farewell he deserved.

This is a bumped thread. That comment was from May - against the Bulldogs. Bate can go missing in games - Dunn has gone missing for entire seasons. I know HT loves the Respect Ladder - Dunn is well below Bate on that ladder, while in terms of current talent and performance Dunn is ahead. 0 However, I believe that sometimes (alot of the time) fans get stuck on the last match(es) they saw. I know you are only as good as the last snap judgement you make...err, last game you play, but more reflection is required. Bate was struggling with injury this year and I would not be trading him yet. They both have hard work to do - but they both should be kept in 2011.

You can't put players from other clubs onto oyur VL until they have been here for 10 years. So Pav would be 39... It's designed to keep the Brad Johnson's of this world around longer than would be afforded them on the actual list.

You're right. We couldn't have waited for Bruce to make a decision; we had to properly farewell Junior. I don't think Bruce will go, but if he does, I am in favour of a full reversal of the decision to retire Junior.

Form was the reason he was dropped, not effort. I have had those games, where you just seem lost out there and missing the right spots, missing marks, making poor decisions, etc. If I lost respect because of that I would be ropable. I think you are using a very liberal definition of 'respect' - maybe you mean 'respect as a football player'? Opinions of talent can diminish but, to get back to what prompted this thread, Colin Sylvia was in a respect vacuum not because of his performance or talent but because of his lack of application, his extracurricular activities, and his general attitude to his footy.

BUMP (this thread was in response to the Bulldogs game - to jog your memory - Scully 39, Pink Jumpers, and Brian Lake) As many know, I have a lot of time for Bate. It really is amazing how perceptions change so quickly, I really don't think it is reality that has changed - I think Bate is capable of playing in the future forward line of a competitive MFC. With that said, he must deliver in 2011. He is compared to Dunn a lot as they are vying for similar spots, however, if given the choice - I would still go with Bate. Dunn had done nothing up until mid year 2010. From there he played 5 or 6 good games. Bate has more runs on the board, and I realise that in list management, and in selecting the 22 - opinions must change as the facts change but I have seen more, more often from Bate than Dunn. I would keep both for 2011.

I really don't. My assessment of Bate as a footballer going forward for a flag tilt took a hit in the second half of this year, but when you see him bust his guts when he plays well or plays poorly, and when you see him give everything down at Casey - my repsect for him went up another notch. Teams lose respect with bad performances, and effort probably isn't enough to gain it back. But for players - all I need to see is when they come off for a rest - they are spent and blowing hard. Bate at times looks slow, and clumsy, and can make poor decisions. But he doesn't lose my respect. Players lose respect, as you say, by not chasing, poor body language, shirking contests, overlooking teammates, etc. (not skill errors) I would be really disappointed if a poster came on here and said they respected Bate less after this year.

Respect is different to performance. I still respect Miller, I thought they did the right thing to delist him. I respect Bate, but I know his performance in the second half of the year was below standard. I respect Dunn, but I effing hate his Mo...

No-one that roves a ruckman the way Moloney does for Jamar is slow of mind. And this preoccupation with pace is becoming absurd - it's moving the footy quick that matters the most. Chasedowns from a stoppage are rare to the point of irrelevancy, non-issue. Moloney first half of the year made me think he was in the top 50 players in the comp. His clearance work was Powell-esque.

I write an essay on the syndrome every summer. Trengove?! To those that say other supporters also have the syndrome - they inflate the negative. Melbourne supporters question the positive and turn it into a negative. As a defence mechanism, perhaps? Expecting the worst has it's advantages - hopes never collapse because they are never raised in the first place. Trengove, really?!

Must continue to get games into our core young talent: Watts, Morton, Grimes, Scully, Trengove, McKenzie, Garland, Frawley, Jurrah, Wonaeamirri, Bennell, Gysberts, and Petterd. Davey, Moloney, Green, Jamar, Bruce, Sylvia, and Rivers will command spots for the near future, and maybe longer. But those previous 13 players is where our flag hopes rest. Get them up and going and there is your window.

Jamar, McDonald or Green for the Bluey. Scully first year and if we are going on inter-season improvement - of course it's Dunn. His first 7 weeks was near batsh!t. Heh, that's a backhanded compliment if ever I have seen one... McKenzie has improved more than Dunn in my opinion. I would give it to him.

Other than calling you an Alanis Morrisette album - what abuse have I shown your way? I do not know the wages of many players. I know Green and Davey from reports and I know Bruce's from a conversation in March 2007. The number sticks in the mind... You don't have to me trust DC, but you have little reason not to. I have been here a few years now and I don't think you would find many posters describe me as attention [censored] who loves nothing more than spreading rumours about the very understandable pay packet of Cameron Bruce from 2008 to 2010. And, if you believe he is well paid and most posters accept that. Why jump down the throat of a poster who is giving you the wage? It's a footy club. They have friends. They tell their friends things. The truth on certain matters gets out. I post it on DLand. A few times over the years I might add. If I could be bothered doing a search, I would probably find a mention or two. You should treat your Demonland elders with a bit of respect. I don't abuse, I condescend...

Bruce commits to 2010 It's worth reading this and noting that at the start of 2007 - Bruce was an established star in a team that was expecting to do something. Hence the wage.

I'm happy with my memory capabilities. Especially considering that Cam Bruce signed his 2008-10 contract in late March of 07. I'd love to give you the multitude of links that I'm sure there is but I am on my iPhone at the minute. And, lastly, you're a jagged little pill aren't you?

With all due respect, I think there are those on this board with groundless fears for the future. Save for the fact that they are Melbourne supporters... I am pretty effing certain that Geelong supporters felt uneasy about life in 2006. And we haven't had our 'year we went backwards because of various reasons.' All we have seen is steady progression, but as MFC supporters, we have to hand-wring and second guess. It's what we know best.

I had a chat with a few folks from the old admin after they signed him up the last time, at the start of the 2007 season I believe. I don't wish to use hyperbole but I believe the mindset of the club as a whole and towards older players was different in March 2007 than it was in September 2007... As I said before you have 'gotta pay someone.' The minimum to pay everyone this year for example is $7.3m, and the max is only $600k more. The best players at all clubs earn roughly the same amount. He's on around a $500k base with payments and incentives that can get it up to $600k. I would say he has got it up that high this season. He's been very good.

He was paid his worth to the MFC - not the AFL. You can't place comparative standards on Cam except for the fact that each club has 'gotta pay somebody.'

I think good organisations do do them. It's a good culture trait - getting ahead of problems that may arise or have arisen in a small way. This type of honesty fades quickly, though. Comfortability and complacency will do that.

Right. It's about being predictable to your teammates. And before some of you scoff and say 'yeah, and predictable to the opposition.' Doesn't matter if they are not good enough to stop it... Our gameplan (and there is only one) as HT says is, at its heart, Operation: Play On. When we get bogged down in our forward line it is because the players have tensed up and refused to get to the backline, get behind the ball, and run the effing thing out of there.