old55

I was rapt with his discussion with Andy Maher following the Collingwood draw. Best thing I've seen from a Melbourne player for as long as I can remember.

Two more years of spuds - have you developed a taste for them?

It may be too early to rule a line thru Cheney but comparing his development potential with Watts is naive. More patience with Watts has to do with his much greater scope for development not his high draft position. Same would be the case comparing Cheney with Garland at the same age, both similar draft picks but with massively different scope for improvement. With Cheney WYSIWYG - he's AFL standard like Nathan Brown, Peter Walsh and Daniel Ward and can probably carve out a similar AFL career.

No, big Bulldogs fan Said recently there was more chance of her lining up at FF for the Dogs than being PM Expect In: Gillard Out: Hall this week

Yeah but you're not fooling anyone - we all know you do it the privacy of your own room. I agree that it's a leap to include anyone who hasn't at least shown something at AFL level so those teams containing McNamara, Gawn, Tapscott, Fitzpatrick, Blease and Strauss have got plenty of imagination. B: Bartram?? Warnock? Garland HB: Grimes Frawley Davey M: Morton Moloney Trengove R: Jamar ??? Scully HF: Sylvia Watts Bate F: ??? Jurrah Wonna I: Jones? Gysberts? McKenzie? Jetta? Bennell? Bail? I'm assuming McDonald, Bruce and Green are gone - will Green be 33? Maybe he can do a Brad Johnson? For the question marks above ... The big hole is ruck relief/tall forward. I don't see Spencer in this role - he's a replacement for Jamar if necessary, not a tandem option. Miller, Johnson, Dunn, Newton, Martin - none can be even pencilled in. The interchange is for midfield rotation so it's pointless naming backs or forwards there - those 6 all have credentials and one of them can make the starting midfield - I think we're missing a defensive midfielder - thinking of Cameron Ling. No-one has cemented the lock-down small defender - thinking of James Kelly. Bartram has done a pretty fair job, the only alternatives currently on the list are Bail, Strauss and Cheney. Like Barts, Warnock is not completely convincing as premiership FB but there's currently daylight second IMO. I think Petterd and Hughes are on the fringe of that forward line, Maric hasn't show enough. Rivers and MacDonald can't break into that backline. Bell and Meesen surely stamped. Probably forgotten someone ... We should have a pick in the top 10 this year and hopefully Jack Viney later on so there's plenty of water to flow under the bridge.

Got an up-to-date link to an official version of this info? This was the original link: http://www.afl.com.au/tabid/208/default.aspx?newsid=86214 Petterd was a Rnd 2 selection and has pretty much played like one. I reckon Category 3 would be best case.

Some chance of the rainman consecutive numbers 1-10 playing this week. We've been close recently.

Think you might need to go to the University of Punt Professor Redleg will explain why that's not a "trifecta"

Some #1 picks take longer to develop. I don't agree with the comments made that if a player doesn't show dominant traits in his 2nd year he never will. Brendon Goddard is a good example - he took until his 4th year to really show his capabilities and justify his recruiter's decision, before that he got prematurely canned. I think Goddard is at least a very good player, close to elite, and will be happy if Watts turns out as good - they're different players but I'm talking about a slower burn to quality.

The simplest explanation is that the FD rates Rivers ahead of Warnock and Macdonald. It was only a couple of weeks ago that Bailey was singing Rivers praises on OWAAT.

:-)

Incredible thread. James Kelly is a very good player who is playing a crucial role for the Cats. His stopping job on small forwards is great week in week out - e.g. on Milne in last year's GF. We need to find someone like him - currently Bartram is doing a good job but he's no Kelly. He was fantastic against Collingwood just two weeks ago and would be high in Geelong's B&F this year. It's Geelong business what he does during the song and I'd be surprised if they have any problems with it. It's no insult to us.

We need good management to prosper but it's the icing on a cake of good luck. If our 2009 had been our 2007 - Neale Daniher's last year we would be in at least as much shiite as Richmond are. They've been dealt a cruel hand - somebody was going to be and it's their misfortune to be down at this time. Melbourne, Carlton, Hawthorn, Footscray, St.Kilda have all had their down cycles. Richmond has a tragic recent history, much of it their own making, but it's hard to find more tragic than no flag for 50 years like the Dogs, Saints and Demons.

Cameron Schwab is part of the committee devising the rules so he would agree with them. I have sympathy for Richmond and March - Martin comes from NSW and apparently has been offered stupendoeus money - if we were in the news similarly the bleating here would be off the dial. All power to Tim Harrington to sign our players up as he did with Chip recently - but just remember EVERY player on our list except Chip and Aaron Davey is vulnerable to GC and GWS uncontracted player poaching. GC have 2010 and GWS have 2 years 2011 and 2012, my understanding based on us giving maximum 2 or 3 year contracts, is that no-one apart from Chip and Aaron is contracted beyond 2012.

News of the year! With GWS having 2 years at uncontracted players that means everyone whose contract expires prior to and including the end of 2012 is available - that's EVERYONE on our list except Davey and now Frawley. It would be a major achievement to not lose a player in this process, but some are more important than others and Chip is in my highest group.

Tried TGR?

Bruce and Junior are both on the vets list and there's no one qualified to replace them in 2011 - Green qualifies in 2012. So retiring doesn't free space on the list. We'll have plenty of space for rookies in 2010 draft thru promotions and delists. While they're contribting and in the best 22 we should keep them. Finding 5 delists primary list delists for 2 draft picks and 3 rookie promotions will be a challenge

Bruce was great on Friday, but Grant ran past him in a ball chase like he was standing still at one stage.

exhibit a

Grimes turned it over too much last night but he's a ball magnet and a great contest winner, beat Gia 3 times in 3 minutes at one stage. Dale Morris is a pretty good player. Dunn is frustrating but his kicking for goal was was OK, particularly his banana from the boundary which was a very close. Ben Hudson won the game for the Dogs.

"Character" is one of the Hall of Fame criteria and IMO it must be - just because something is difficult doesn't mean it's not worth doing. If you remove character Josef Fritzl is in your HOF. It's like the old joke about the bar conversation "... now that we've established what you are, we're just haggling over price ...".

So for example Christopher Hudson would be inducted into your HOF and if he was in it when he committed his crimes would stay in? It's a very strange world we live in Master Jack.

Agree, if the OP was arguing about never changing the jumper there would be some credibility but he seems to have some underlying issue with pink.

Is there no off-field behaviour that would cause you to exclude someone from the HOF on ethical grounds? Think about it carefully, people do some heinous things. Although it's a tough decision a line has to be drawn somewhere. Maybe Carey is inside the line and maybe he isn't but there has to be a line. His actions that devastated a football club could come into the equation depending on where the line is drawn.

I think it's hard to apply a character test but I think it's naive to exclude a player's off-field behaviour - what if they're a convicted criminal?