sylvinator

That is obvious though. gardner and his team are obviously working as hard as possible to make as financially strong. we have payed off millions off our debts in the last 3 years. this year we didn't make the 1million profit, but that was only bc we lost 500,000 in unexpected player payments (due to rediculous injuries specifically to players who get paid no matter if they are on the field or not), and was certainly not helped by our miserable on field performances. i think Gardner has got us into a situation where if we are competative on field, and there are no disasters, we will be recording over 1 million profit every single year. that means that within 3 years we will have no debts left. in 2-3 years: No debts plus a first class training facility at olympic park sharing with the magpies! that, together with the fact we have the richest history of any afl club, and also the fact our name in MelbourneFC, means that i have confidence we are in a strong position to never have to merge or be shipped off to the goldcoast. the 1 million 'handout' from the afl, is simply a compensation for not being given the same television coverage or friday night games than other clubs. as Gardner said, EVERY club has help from the afl in some form, this is just ours.

when Dunn was drafted he had recorded a beep test mid15s...that's as good as an elite midfielder. we now have a few taller players who have elite endurance- Dunn, Morton, Meesan, Bate...that's a definite positive in my books.

1) Sylvia, Mclean and Jones to become a unit in the midfield equavelent to any other in the afl. 2) MFC to produce a star...we havnt had one since flower. Bruce, Green, Johnstone and White never became stars though they had the potential. plz one of Rivers, Jones, Davey, Mclean, Sylvia etc, rly push on to become a star. 3) James Frawley to become our quality fullback for the next decade also would love to see one of our 2nd ruckman (meesan, PJ) to show that they can take over white as number 1 ruck for the next decade.

i dont think we'll come bottom next year. we simply have too much talent for that. if we can have a decent run of injuries, we will certainly will ATLEAST 8-10 games. however i can't see us anywhere near the top4 next year. our senior players simply aren't good enough. our best shot at a flag/top4 will be in 2 years time when Mclean, Sylvia, Jones, Bate, Rivers, Pettard, Davey and Bell are our senior players. We will also have to have developed a premiership looking spine by then, with Frawley, Rivers, Newton, Bate and Hopefully Morton all maturing into strong key position players.

just interesting to remember: after Jordan Lewis was drafted at pick 7, afl supporters were shocked and appalled that he was picked so early when he was predicted a 4th rounder. Initially after the draft a couple of years ago, supporters were up in arms that Hawthorn picked up Roughead before the highly rated Tambling. People could not comprehend how last year, Travis Boak got drafted at pick 5 after such a [censored] championships...surely he was only worth a 2-3rd round pick. recruiters know the most information and thus can make the best educated decision. sure, they make mistakes some times, and its not an exact science. but in all this discussion we should know that CAC rated Grimes higher than Rance. lets wait a couple of years to judge, but for now i think it was the right decision.

Chris Kangars projects as a tall defender- an athletic freak who, if developed correctly, has the size, pace, and athleticism to keep up with the likes of Rewold. He is more an athlete than a footballer at this stage but would be a perfect rookie selection bc its such low risk. he was predicted to be drafted at 30ish but slipped through. Others who would be great pick up in the psd and rookie draft would be- David Gourdis- athletic forward many predicted top 20 in the draft but missed out. Tom Bellchambers- ruckman who many rate as having the best tap skills of any ruckman this year...hopeless around the ground at this stage...would be great project ruckman bc alot to work with. Ashley Arrowsmith- too slow, but has put alot of great performances together especially in the TAC grand final. Hugh Sandilands- i thought he's get drafted. certain rookie pickup Clayton Collard- only 1 year of afl and already delisted, but has huge talent and we could use another davey-esk small forward (hense us looking at sampi) Jarrod Silvester- dominates vfl Ryan Willits- big strong forward delisted by portadelaide. would be a low risk pick up as a rookie. 196cm strong fullforward should definitely be looked at considering Neitz about to retire. Ryley Dunn and David Trotter- both first round picks onyl 2-3 years ago, may be worth another shot? Of the players training with us, there's nothing that inspires great hope, but maybe worth rookie spots. If we get one of Gourdis, Bellchambers or McGinnity in the rookie draft i'm be content

RR stop posting as if u actually have any clue what actually happened in trade week with regards to carrol. the club wanted a first round pick for a player. the only player that was able to get us that was johnstone and that's why he was traded. Carrol may have been offered up, but he wasn't worth a first rounder to any club, and thus wasn't traded. its very possible a team would be willing to part with a 2nd or 3rd rounder for carrol, but at the end of the day, that is not good enough compensation for us to trade our number1 fullback atm. In 2006, Carrol proved a very steady and capable defender against the best forwards in the afl. 2007 he struggled, firstly because our [censored] midfield meant our backline was always under overwhelming pressure, but also because injuries to Rivers, Bartram and Whelan meant that our backline was compiled of 1st year players (frawley+pettard) who were playing out of their league, and aging average players like Bizzel, Brown and Ward. No full back is going to look good if his midfield is applying no pressure, and injuries mean that the team can't have a settled back 6 playing together week in week out and gelling together. Having the same defenders playing together week in week out in imperative to having a strong defense. Even Geelong in 2006, the best fullback in the league, Scarlett, OFTEN looked ordinary and out of sorts. Their midfield was ordinary, people were calling for Ling to be delisted, and injuries meant that couldn't have the same guyz playing together on a consistent basis. people were bagging Scarlett and others constantly throughout 2006. supporters just have short short memories. If in 2008, Whelan, Rivers, Bartram, Carrol, Bell and Wheatley are able to play together each week, coupled with the development of Frawley, Pettard, Garland, McNamara and Cheney, Carrol will not look as vulnerable as he did in 2007. He is certainly no superstar fullback, but with a stronger midfield and less injuries to defenders, he will be much improved in 2008.

sounds like an eventual replacement for Whelan, but also helps cover the loss of 2 halfback flankers we lost over the preseason in Ward and Brown. another gingerpubes never hurt as well haha

2-3 years time i see our back line like this: Frawley and Carrol to take to best 2 opposition tall forwards playing deep. Rivers playing at CHB. Garland and Macnamara playing as tall flankers or 3rd tall backmen who read the play well and cut off everything across half forward- Basically the 'Bizzel' role. Bell and Cheney playing as defensive players against small forwards. Pettard and Bartram providing run out of defense. i think the smokey that could turn this defensive group into a great one could be Morton. He could potentially become a CHB imo. in the mean time, we'll have to rely on the likes of Wheatley, Holland, Warnock and Miller to help our against the tall forwards while Garland, Frawley, Morton and MacNamara are still 2-3 years away from playing their best footy. that's why for the next couple of years we will struggle to make top4

Morton will start out as a flanker/ wingman. he has terrific skills and can kick the ball lace out 50m onto a teammate's chest. however, he is only 17 and already 192cm. when he bulks up, and maybe grows a couple of cms, i think its very possible he could turn into an awesome KPP.

Gourdis and Bellchambers are certain to be picked up in the first couple of rookie picks, as they are still highly rated despite not being drafted in the national drafts. (both were rated top20 picks by many pre-draft). Picking one of them up in the Pre-season draft means we are able to get the jump on Carlton and Richmond in the rookie draft. Just because they slip through doesn't mean they won't become great players...just look at all the AllAustralians and premiership players who came thru the rookie draft! i'd prefer to pick up one of the 18yrolds who slipped through, than pick up a delisted player when there aren't any good ones this year! Sampi is dump, and isn't needed now that Maric has arrived

Grimes was the best available player available at 14, and we should not be taking a tall defender above a sublimly rated midfeilder simply bc of the position he plays. ur the guy who was applauding Luke Molan being drafted about 30 picks too high bc we needed a tough CHF, when the hugely rated Nick DalSanto was there for the taking. and also, Grimes will become a quality, hard running midfielder and is a great leader. you can never have enough quality midfielders!!! its interesting to note that EVERY afl club passed on Rance. He may become a great player, but Grimes is a safe bet to become a quality 200gamer with his attitude, work ethic, leadership and skill

Morton won the beep test at draft camp with 15.2. Grimes had a recorded beep test result of 15.10!!! jeezus, for all those who have run the beep test before, you have to have serious mental strength to get to that kind of level. that is seriously impressive. now we're gonna have Morton, Grimes, Jones, Mclean and Dunn running through the midfield...all of whom run 15+ beep test, giving us a midfield with elite endurance. adding to the fact that they are all bloody talented with good skills, and great leaders, our midfield will be a strength for years to come.

i forecast 1 more season outside the 8...probably 9th-12th... thats not because i'm not confident in our list, but because i think we'll really start to improve when our draftees in the last 4 years hit their prime. we're not gonna be serious contenders with Green, Bruce, Robbo and Carrol as our senior leaders...with Mclean, Jones, Grimes, Morton, Rivers and Bate however i see us pushing for premiership in 2009-2010. 1 more year near the bottom, giving us another great year of drafting, will set us up for pushing in 2-3 years time

1) Matthew Bate- We drafted him as the youngest player in the draft at 191cm. now coming into his 4th season, he is bigger, stronger and now 194cm! 3rd in the b&f is a great return last year, but i think this year he can become our star CHF. spine in the future- Frawley Rivers (Garland/McNamara third tall) Bate (Morton could develop into a KPP in 3 yrs time) Newton 2) Sylvia, Dunn, Moloney and Bartram to all play permanently in the midfield. all 4 had injury interrupted season, which meant that Sylvia and Dunn were played more across HalfForward. Add them, plus Grimes, to Mclean, Jones and McDonald and we have ourselves a midfield.

i really really really want to know which 17 yrs old (who now can only get drafted next year) CAC was considering with pick 72. i have a feeling it might have been Geartner...and i think we might regret not having picked him up when he's picked up in the top20 next year. id prefer Gourdis, McGinnity or Bellchambers in the psd than Sampi. if there isn't quality uncontracted players in the psd, u dont have to pick someone up just for the sake of up.

it seemed that CAC always had his heart set on Cheney so he must be something in him. McNamara may be a very good get, but he was actually rated by most clubs pre-draft, so its quite surprising he slipped so far. mid year, alot of people considered him a first rounder

Morton's two brothers are in victoria (Mitch and Jarrod) and his parents are moving to victoria to be with their children... no go-home factor so u dont have to be worried

im really pleased that it seems we just went for the best available player. in the long run, we will be a better club for it. the mistake of picking Luke Molan higher than he deserved bc we needed a hard-at-it CHF has been learned from. stoked with our picks, our last 4 years of drafting has been truely sensational. these draftees, added to Frawley, Pettard, Jones, Bartram, Dunn, Bate, Newton, Sylvia, Mclean, Davey, Bell and Rivers will be a truley strong core of players to build upon. Geelong's premiership this season was based around 2-3 years of incredible drafting from 1999-2002 in which they unearthed about 10 premiership players. Could this be the case for MFC as well? Also, i agree with what whispering jack said about Ruckman and 195+cm KPP. many seem a lil disappointed that we didn't pick up any really tall KPP. Firstly, these picks are much more risky and less likely to be 100game players. We can certainly pick up a couple of these types in the rookie draft, with Gourdis, Kangars, Geartner and Bellchambers still available. But most importantly, we should not forget that we picked up 193cm key defender in Frawley and 192cm key defender in Garland just last year, so the club has certainly not neglected this need. With Frawley, Rivers, Garland, Newton and Bate we have 5 young KPP coming through, and McNamara can be added to this list. anyways, premierships are won in the midfield nowadays... Mclean, Sylvia, Jones, Bartram, Morton and Grimes are 6 top quality midfielders coming through. add Dunn and Moloney who could also be included if they get their bodies right. go dees

When we think about it, we have just lots of 2 running defenders in Brown and Ward. Whelan is slowing down due to injuries and only has a year or 2 left. CJ will never mate the grade imho. Pettard and Bartram and both expected to move into the midfield in the next year or 2. Bell, of coarse, is an absolute gun. So a hard nosed small defender in the mould of Matthew Whelan is actually quite useful if we look 2 years into the future!!!

no-one can doubt we picked up 3 quality player at 4,14 and 21. pick 4 in Morton there was no doubt because he's such a quality propect that we had no choice but to pick him. however while i'm very happy with Grimes and Maric, i'd love to hear CAC's explanation as to why we went for these players over highly rated key position players in alex Rance or Tayte Pears. didn't CAC feel the need to pick 1 one KPP? with that said, i think Grimes and Maric were best available at 14 and 21, and at the end of the day i'd prefer us to take the best player available at each pick, because a great midfielder is better than an average KPP. doesn't CAC ussually visit demonland and explain his rationale behind picks?

just because you don't get picked up in the national draft as a 17-18 year old, doesn't mean you won't turn out to be a star of the afl at 22+ yrs old. just ask dean cox, James Mcdonald, Aaron davey and all the other stars of the afl that have come thru the rookie drafts. alot of the guyz who will get picked up in the rookie draft are terrific atheletes, but not necessary terrific footballers at this stage. if they develop well, there no reason why Gourdis can't be a great CHF, Mcginnity a great onball/tagger, Kangars a great fullback or Geartner a TomWilliamesk CHB...

id be expecting a ruckman in the rookie draft- Bellchambers perhaps. is a great tap ruckman so hopefully he can improve around the ground. with White retiring in the next year or two, Jamar [censored], PJ only a backup ruck and Meesan untried, we need to unearth a ruckman. i'd also be looking at Kangars or Gaertner. true both are shocking kicks, but incredible athletes. teach them to play and they could be steals. i see Geartner as a tom Williams type...

There were a number of players expected to go 30's to 40's in today's draft who missed out. Most of these are sure to get picked up in the rookie draft. Who should we be looking at? What type of player should we be targeting? Players that missed: Patrick McGinnity- All Australia midfielder. a Tagger. We could use him to replace godfrey perhaps? Kangers, Smouha, Geartner- are sorta similar in that they are athletes before footballers. However if they are taught the game properly, then they could perhaps turn into fantastic key defenders who have the athletic abilities to keep up with even Nick Reiwold. Gourdis- Highly athletic and highly rated pre-draft. not sure why he slipped, but with his draft camp results could definitely be worth a go. Bellchambers, Renton and Mulligan- ruckman that missed out. clubs love picking up ruckman in the rookie draft bc they are so risky. bellchambers would be a great rookie pick up. Sandilands and Arrowsmith also missed out. In my opinion, we should not pick up Sampi in the psd. we'v picked up Maric now so there's no need at all. He's fat, unfit and has a bad knee. We should instead go for an 18yr old. Gourdis would be a good pickup to add to our KP stocks. In the rookie draft we should certainly pick up a ruckman. I'm a big fan of Sandilands I hope we get him.

if people want to see footage of McNamara (or all the draftees for that matter) there's 1.5 mins of footage on afl.com.au, through the 'draft tracker' link. he looks very impressive. picking up 17 year olds who are still growing can pay off massively! Tom Collier wasn't picked up last year, but this year was drafted early 20s. Pavlich wasn't drafted when he first nominated, next year drafted at pick 4. Newton, Dunn and Bate were all bottom age when they were drafted, and would have been top10 picks had they waited an extra year to nominate. CAC is a clever bastard, so at pick 66 this kid could be a steal. we wont know for atleast 2 years.