rpfc

As per the conversation above - if we play Freo on 4 wins I don't think Bailey and Co. will do what HAS to be done, and that Hannabal has faith in the MFC doing - losing against Freo to ensure the PP. I just hope PA and NM turn up when they play us because we will find it difficult to lose to Richmond and Freo.

Why are you gracing Strawberry Fields? Not pissing off enough people over at D'Ology? Your whole existence is sh!t-stirring - now that's pitiful.

Maybe... But that mean Mr Bailey says he might not play...

Details, people.

There are some highly strung people on this site... All three look good, the first one is intriguing because it the famous MFC sticker, 24 of them, stuck together. Second one is your classic two-tone, and the third one has a demon. But I'm going with '24 stickers.' That's number 1. Whose with me?

Unfair. You shouldn't expect people to do what you refuse to do yourself...

Dunn would be my bet if its just one change. I really want Watts though. (I just said that in a very childish voice to myself...)

Well argued. Can't argue with that at all. Except Matty Bate has 18 goals... OMG! Matthew Bate is going to win the Bluey!! I'm going to call those two d!ckheads at Sportsbet and win some MONEY!!

Spot on 45. He was BOG for us against Haw and Coll and has been in the top 5 in losses to BL and Ess (and had a fantastic quarter against Rich). Some of you are too easily pleased. 5-7 good games from a constant tease like Sylvia and he gets this level of blind support?! He gave a roundhouse FCS!! Deserved longer than 3 weeks. And anyone, including the moronic YM, who says Sylvia has been the best player so far this year are insulting Aaron Davey. He has easily been our best player, with Bruce and Moloney behind him.

Could still happen almost 3 months on...

Are we picking on Freak?! Good, hey Freak, I think you have a fundamental flaw in your posting... Where is he? Been missing since Grimes' Day Out.

The funniest thing is that Freak was hounding on about kicking in his thread too!! At least he's consisitent. Tee hee. Oh, Mono. You had a bad 2008 buddy... Very amusing.

The game isn't all about racking up stats. Jetta had 7 touches, 3 assists, and 6 tackles. He did his job very well, infact, it was probably his best game. He stays.

I can't read posts apparently. Deleted. Apologies. Buckley's good. Keep. Moving on.

What is wrong with playing him as a ute? He is tall enough to be damaging at both ends and can ruck and compete, he seems an all round better bet to be a future back-up ruckman than PJ so I say... Keep playing him the way you're playing him Dean.

We will get what we deserve. If those arrogant tossers at Alberton turn up...

It depends on how deep we go into the shallow 2009 draft. It isn't opinion, it's fact backed up by Prendergast, the eligibility changes have meant that BP is picking from kids born in an 8 month block and not the full year. So if we go Picks 1, 2, 19, 35, 51 and PSD1, that is 6 places. And 6 deletions. Wheatley, Whelan, Junior, Robertson, Bell, and Dunn would be my 'most vulnerable' at this stage. But I really don't think, unless we are trading, that getting rid of 8 or 9 this year is good for the health of the list. Don't delete for the sake of deleting.

He turns 31 this November. He is going to have to play a very solid last two months to get another 1 year contract. It's just where we are at. That's not to say we shouldn't enjoy the career of a player who has given a lot to this club and entertained us for a decade.

Then don't say it. Junior is more a leader than Cam Bruce. I love Bruce and the marathon he runs every week but Macca is captain for a reason. And Bruce is contracted next year, if he continues in 2011 he will turn 32 that September and will be on far less than his $500k.

As a fan I want to see Watts but if they want to give an opportunity to Dunn/Bell/Valenti then that is fine. It's just a shame that all our kids bar Cheney are injured.

Jesus Christ, HT?! Well done. The one thing, over other observations, is that it takes 5-7 years for good kids to regularly play at their highest level. For 2010-2012 this would mean that Jamar, McLean, Sylvia, Moloney Rivers, and Davey would shoulder the load with increased contributions from Bate, Jones, Warnock, Frawley, Petterd, and Garland, and an inclusion of a 'Joel Selwood' or two who progress quicker than the norm. Is that enough to challenge? Probably not the flag, but certainly the finals. 2013-2015+ would see our real talent start to impose themselves on the team and the competition. The latter 6 I mentioned should be at or around their peak, and Jamar, Moloney, and Davey will be 29-31 years old, Rivers and Sylvia will be 28-30, and McLean will be 27-29. A number of those will join a group reaching their peak that will consist of: Jurrah, Wonaeamirri, Grimes, Cheney, Morton, Jetta, Maric, Bennell, Strauss, Blease, and Watts. With 2016 and onwards seing the best of the coming 2009 draft. This is where I see us chalenging for a flag, I wish I could fast forward to 2013 but I think the ride will be enjoyable so I'm holding off on making my time travel machine. Some will see this crystal-ball-gazing as saying I think it will take us till 2013 to be competitive, that isn't true. But there is a difference between competing for the finals and competing for the flag. 2010 - 2012; finals, and 2013 onwards; flag.

Unfair. The difference between 5 and 17 or 4 and 18 is one fantastic player - there is no doubt which win/loss ration would be more beneficial to the future of the club. We hate it and I am somewhat ambivalent on this issue but if we finish on 5 and 17 it will hurt. My personal view, and I think 45H misunderstood me, is that PA should beat us this weekend, but those pretenders are just as likely to put in a pathetic perfromance that our kids will pounce on.

No, and I hope D32 doesn't think so. I am just pointing out a point of view that the we couldn't survive a rebuild, to attempt to win a flag, has been shown to be just jumping at shadows. Membership is up, hope is through the roof, and the club is much stronger than it was during the middling years of 2002-2006. And, by the end of this year, we will have enough talent on the list to compete for a flag in the near future.

We can rest Brock and Beamer or whoever, but it will mean nothing if PA don't turn up. It's in the hands of those arrogant tossers at Alberton.

"THE MFC CANNOT BOTTOM OUT AND SURVIVE" I don't want to draw any ire for D32 here but 18 months ago this mindset was prevalent. The nail-biting and hand-wringing over the future seeped into every aspect of the club. 'We can't trade TJ because we have to compete every season - if we bottom out, it will be the end.' Now this is before Jimmy came on board, and Bailey and the various recruitment/coaching staff picked and/or developed Watts, Frawley, Morton, Grimes, Maric, Garland, Cheney, Wonaeamirri, Martin, Warnock, Jetta, Bennell, Blease, and Jurrah. Hope is an amazing elixir. Like D32 says, this trade aided our slide to the bottom, but also aided the rejection of his theory that we would lose members because of that slide. The fans can see a brighter future depite the troubled present. THE 'TRY AND WIN THE BLOODY THING' MINDSET This mindset has also taken a back seat. I would love to compete finals every year, but going to watch a finals match with this nagging feeling that you can't win the flag is a brutal and draining feeling - I felt it in 98, 00, 02, 04, 05, and 06. The need to bottom out is dependent on where your list is. If you have excellent recruiting, some fortunate Father/Son picks, and good leadership you can create a flag competing side without bottoming out. If you have an aging middle-of-the-road side with a dearth of players hitting their prime years because of draft penalties, the risk and chance of bottoming out intensify. Again, don't want to burn D32, I just think it is a discussion worth chatting about as we continue on the journey.