old55

Cats - highest handball to kick ratio in 2007. Just because we did it badly in 2007 ...

Where is RCR and does he want to sack Bailey already?

Thanks Craig for all your hard work at MFC. We all hope to see the fruits of your labour for years to come. I appreciate your friendly, accessible and open approach. You will be sorely missed. Good luck for your future - and may you have a never ending series of mid range picks at Richmond.

I think the coach has a fair input into player trades so I don't think CAC is responsible for bringing Ben Holland to the club. Anyway it's hard to see why Ben is regarded as a "failure", he's listed for his 5th year at the club has played 54 games and performed a range of roles very effectively. Jed Adcock is the only player in 2003 2nd round that gives cause for concern ... Round 2 20 West Coast SAMUEL BUTLER CENTRAL DISTRICTS 14/01/1986 185 75 Medium, inside midfielder/forward with clean hands and good foot skills. Rarely goes to ground and reads the play well. AIS-AFL Academy member and SA U/18 representative in 2003. Member of Central Districts Reserves Premiership side this year. From South Gawler FC. Year 12 student at Xavier College in Gawler. Round 2 21 Richmond ALEX GILMORE TASSIE MARINERS 29/06/1986 Round 2 22 Geelong CAMERON THURLEY TASMANIA 26/11/1981 181.7 75 Small inside midfielder who is excellent front and square. Hard runner who uses the ball extremely well. Round 2 23 Brisbane Lions MATTHEW MOODY SOUTH FREMANTLE (WAFL) 23/09/1985 187 81.8 Medium, outside forward who finds space and is a penetrating kick. Smart near goals. All-Australian U/18 in 2002. AIS-AFL Academy in 2002. Vice-captain of WA at 2003 National AFL U/18 Championships. From Kelmscott FC. Round 2 24 Kangaroos CHAD JONES CLAREMONT (WAFL) 15/06/1984 195.9 80.8 Tall, outside defender/forward – very athletic player who is a penetrating right foot kick. Was in the top 10% for the 10 metre sprint at the 2003 National Draft camp. Round 2 25 Hawthorn HARRY MILLER PORT ADELAIDE (SANFL) 11/06/1985 174.2 77.5 Small, outside midfielder/forward with a great leap. Good speed and knows where the goals are. SA u18 representative this year. Had the best sit and reach (flexibility) at the 2003 National Draft. From Mallee Park F.C. Round 2 26 West Coast DANIEL MCCONNELL EASTERN RANGES 21/06/1986 189.7 84 Inside defender or forward – has excellent pace and endurance for his size. Extremely good in the air and has got sound skills. AIS/AFL Academy in 2003. Was in the top 10% for the shuttle run at the 2003 National Draft camp. From Vermont F.C. Round 2 27 Fremantle ADAM CAMPBELL NORTH BALLARAT REBELS 25/01/1985 191.9 78.2 Tall, inside key forward who continually presents himself. Has speed off the mark and is a good kick. Versatility and leadership qualities are strengths. From Hamilton F.C. Round 2 28 Essendon JAY NASH CENTRAL DISTRICTS 21/12/1985 185 75 Medium, outside defender/midfielder with terrific work rate and excellent finishing skills. Has good football brain. AIS-AFL Academy member in 2002. SA U/18 representative in 2002 and 2003. Was in the top 10% for the standing vertical jump at the 2003 National Draft camp, state screening session. Another member of Central Districts Reserves Premiership team this year. From Nuriootpa FC. Year 12 student at Nuriootpa High School. Round 2 29 Sydney TIM SCHMIDT WEST ADELAIDE 14/03/1986 179.2 77.6 Small, inside midfielder with clean disposal skills and strong in the air. Joint u16’s B & F medal winner in 2002. AIS/AFL Academy and SA u18 rep in 2003. From Robertstown F.C Round 2 30 Port Adelaide BRADLEY SYMES CENTRAL DISTRICTS 7/03/1985 185 75 Medium defender/midfielder who is strong over the ball. Good hand and foot skills. AIS-AFL Academy in 2002. Named South Australia’s most valuable player in the 2003 National AFL U/18 Championships, and won All-Australian U/18 honours, member of Central Districts Reserve Premiership side in 2003. From Gawler Centrals FC. First year student at Adelaide University. Round 2 31 Adelaide JOSHUA KRUEGER GLENELG (SANFL) 27/10/1983 195.3 91.1 Tall, inside ruckman – athletic player who can take a strong contested mark. Excellent work rate. From West Gambier. Round 2 32 Collingwood BRAYDEN SHAW NORTHERN KNIGHTS 16/09/1985 Round 2 33 Brisbane Lions JED ADCOCK NORTH BALLARAT REBELS 15/11/1985 184 81.8 Disciplined, medium, inside defender who is defensively very good. Smart footballer who plays a physical game, but can provide plenty of run. A real competitor finishing 3rd in Rebels B & F this year after representing Vic Country in the National AFL U18’s. Was in the top 10% for standing vertical jump and 10 metre sprint at the 2003 National Draft camp. From Maryborough FC. Year 12 student at Maryborough Regional College.

From BF:

Yes I like the look and sound of Grimes - kicked off both feet under pressure OK in that footrage. McNamara yes Craig Bolton or maybe even a bit of McPhee in him? Laid an bone-crunching tackle on a player at speed.

If true, it's a big loss for MFC. Craig Cameron has done a great job as recruiter. I'm taking it hard. Recruiting is a refined art and he's had plenty of experience now and I think particularly in the last 5 or so years he has really peaked (of course it remains to be seen about the 2007 crop but the trend is very good). We're fortunate to have had the benefit of his experience over this period. Typical of his commitment that Craig has seen out this vital recruiting cycle for us and 11 years is a very strong effort at a club with such limited resources. The recruiter is equal most important person in the FD along with the coach and the football manager, I don't think a flag can be won without great skill in each area. There are other great recruiters out there and we need to do every thing we can to secure one. Maybe Steven Wells at Geelong thinks the job is done there and is looking for a new challenge. It appear that Collingwood's Derek Hine was a good pick up, so a decent replacement can be found - must be found! Quite frankly a club like ours with limited resources needs all the breaks it can get and we really need excellence in each key area to compete - that's why having CAC has been so important. If true, then all the best to Craig for the future, he will be sorely missed. Richmond is an interesting choice and I guess old loyalties come into play - either they'll make the eight the next few years and he wont have early picks or he'll be working with a new coach very quickly - wonder what he'd think if they appointed Kevin Sheedy?

Please list the monster FF that we should be so worried about - yeah Gehrig, Rocca and Thompson - but the main thing they have in common is that they're in their twilight. Full forward speed rather than bulk is the issue - Carroll, Frawley and maybe Garland are well equipped in this area.

Our current youngest 22: B: Bartram Frawley Bell HB: C.Johnson Rivers Grimes C: Bode McLean Buckley HF: Petterd Bate Morton F: Maric Newton Sylvia R: Meesen Dunn Jones I: Garland Weetra Cheney McNamara

The real price is what the Eagles got - Kennedy, Masten, Notte - give it 3-5 years.

Sounds like the anti-Travis to me. Give him #16. Shaping to be my new favourite player.

Very happy with our picks - Morton is extremely highly rated and has the attributes to possibly be the star we crave. Grimes sounds like the quintessential guaranteed 200 gamer who will never play a bad game. Maric is a bit of an excitement machine and could become a cult figure - he apparently has the greatest accuracy for all shots on goal in recorded history, I love that. Cheney sounds like a Wheels protege - hard as nails and strong overhead. McNamara sounds like another real footballer. Overall we appear to have gone hard for best available and hard for smart footballers ahead of pure athletes.

agreed but there just can't have been any good ones at our picks. CAC may as well stop off at Bunnings on the way home and pick up a 2m redgum sleeper as pick a dud KPP.

No it isn't success. Glad to hear you're satisfied with those results from your ample resources - I wouldn't be. How long have Eddie and Mick been in charge now? BTW did the Crow player in your sig successfully disarm Didak or did he get the shot away?

Yes but surely the question is with all those games on the MCG in front of big crowds, all those games where the GF is played, all that money spent on the Lexus Centre and high altitude rooms etc, the trips to the Grand Canyon, your 35 and growing coaching staff, the massive recruiting structure including stealing the best of the Irish, a fixture that provides huge exposure for your sponsors and therefore a never ending money pit and gives you year in year out the softest draw in the AFL bar none. How come you still cannot generate any on field success? I can understand why my club with meagre resources and a draw heavily biased against it struggles to win the flag. What's your excuse? Quite frankly all those benefits and resources are wasted on your perennial loser of a club and the AFL should do something about it. Collingwood = ugly spoiled rich kid who is not much good at anything.

The fact is that Collingwood are supported by the AFL with a soft fixture with huge commercial upside and have massive resources at their disposal and are still unable to win the flag

Agreed, it's gotta be the Dogs - perfect fit.

Good question, it's conspicuous by its absence. I suspect they're about to be flogged with a wet sponge.

You only have to read page 2 of the article to get your explanation: The disappearance or shuffling of so many unfulfilled ruckmen and key position players has another explanation, according to Sydney's manager of player acquisition, Kinnear Beatson. "A number of them are taller players who have had long-running battles with serious injury — Brooks with a bad knee, Walsh with a knee, Watts with a broken leg and ankle, for example," Beatson said. "But I've got a theory on tall players, too, that I think counts for something here. In my opinion, they're either really good and they become the spine of your team or they're not quite good enough and they don't have anywhere else to go and forge a career. "A midfielder, on the other hand, can end up being a run-with tagger or a defender or change his game and reinvent himself. A tall generally has nowhere else to go and therefore he becomes more expendable."

Understand, and it's probably hard to type the updates from your current position unless someone re-attaches the probe to your forehead.

Oracle, The Age is reporting the following adjusted ND pick numbers Taking into account other teams actual number of picks.

Good find from RayS at Demonology: http://www.aflpa.com.au/media/2007_Draft_booklet.pdf

The ones yet to come are the interesting ones.

Yep agree with that, there doesn't appears to be much else on offer and we can cut and run on a one year contract if it turns to custard. Says he will nominate for the ND ... "He'll nominate for the national draft and he's prepared to play for minimum wage. That's about $10,000 more than a third- or fourth-round draft pick," van der Wielen said. so we would need to consider 53, 69 or 85 for him.

Wow, that is sensational news, we've really struggled through lack of resources in the development area and that is a huge step forward! I think that makes it: Football manager: Connolly Senior coach: Bailey Assts: P.Williams Mahoney Wellman Development coaches: M.Williams K.O'Donnell Recruiting & List management: Cameron Fwd scout: Prendergast That's a new and strong looking team for MFC. Good fortune to Sandy finding a replacement for Mark Williams who has done a superb job there.