old55

Careful not to insult him.

Had a look at their highlights - they both have good attributes, O'Rourke's decision making and skills and Wines strength (which he is big enough to translate into the AFL) and smarts to be in the right place. Stringer is the standout in those highlights packages - he could be anything. Jack Viney looks terrific too though, inside ball winning and he's got pace and dynamism.

Very good read - unusually candid.

Dale Thomas is a more intersting prospect than Lance Franklin given our list.

Romney won the election?

We've got a lot of back-line options - particularly with the addition of Dawes and Pedersen, the retention of Sellar appears to be as KPD depth (and I'm in favour of this) B: Bartram Frawley Garland HB: Dunn McDonald Watts B: Nicholson Davis Macdonald HB: Tynan Sellar Strauss

Rodan replacement for Bail - now I've heard it all. Rodan's an explosive talent with poor endurance. Bail's main attribute is his endurance running.

That's a great outcome.

ADC told Rassilon all the secrets but unfortunately we banned him so I guess we'll never know

A fair bit of pessimism from you. "we should confess to the AFL ..." "we should take our punishment ..." "I doubt it will work ..."

I think that's a great statement, very carefully worded - very happy with that.

I've got significant reservations but the immediate key for me is about our best current course of action in relation to the tanking issue. Aye, two birds with the one stone - if that comes to pass you should buy a Powerball ticket.

See this is where I get confused - I thought you supported tanking but not our implementation of it.

Yes really My view is we should get behind the club and if that means supporting McLardy and Schwab at this time of crisis despite their short-comings then so be it.

It certainly appears they certainly discussed it too widely but it's simplistic to say they should have kept it on a standard commercial-in-confidence need to know basis. A football club is not a normal corporate environment - there's a lot more media and public scrutiny and transparency of activities. If only the Board, the CEO, the Football Manager and the Coach were in on the strategy it would have been very hard to manage in FD meetings and on gameday in the coaches box. Coach: "Take Jones off and put Spencer in the square with Jamar". There's going to be a schism somewhere - good luck managing your relationship with your assistant coaches. It was a difficult to manage strategy.

I think the Board, Admin and FD were acting in what they believed to be the best interests of the MFC for long-term success but poor implementation may have come unstuck. Do you agree?

So was the tanking wrong or the open discussion of it?

Agree, I generally like her and she's usually just doing her job - but she's starting to annoy me now.

You're confusing me ... "We should confess and take our medicine without an official opportunity to state our case in front of the Commission" - there is no way that's going to happen, we'll appear before the Commission before this concludes. And now "it's crucial whether the players were complicit" - FMD, not even Caro is suggesting that, in fact she's adamant that the opposite is the case. You're too hungry for the noose - around someone else's neck.

Let's try to keep the panic in one thread folks ...

Yesterday Caro's article on-line in The Age spoke of "The Vault" conspiracy - I note that the article now doesn't mention "The Vault" - the headline and associated image do - maybe they realised it was bull-[censored]

Look it's a small point but it shows how hyberbole can inflate the situation ... "The Vault" is not a conspiracy to tank. It was the nickname for a portable building used as the FD meeting room at the Junction Oval. I went to a post-draft members meeting in "the Vault" with Barry Prendergast in 2008 - tanking was not discussed. The meeting that has been raised in The Age may have taken place in the Vault but that's as far as it goes. I think a little less panic is advisable.

It's not Caro's fault - don't shoot the meesenger - she's got a legitimate scoop she's running with.

Yes, nice work thanks - and the 4 Rookies to be re-contracted too It's Bartram btw - he needs Trengroves (sic) often inserted extra r

He's been offered a contract so he can't be a delisted FA and the AFL told Adelaide they can't delist him now so he has to go into one of the drafts. I'd be amazed if GWS used 1, 2 or 3 on him - coud you have seen them trading any of these picks straight up for him? Much more likely Brisbane at 8, GWS at 12, GC at 13 or Sydney at 23 - maybe the Dogs at 6.