Whispering_Jack

If I was coaching today, you would have had to kick them from a back pocket

Dees win by 20 goals over the Bombers at Olympic Park. The lead was by over 10 goals at half time and with Paul Gardner coaching, I didn't expect the boys to let up and while I wasn't able to follow Supermercado's commentary but I'm sure the Chris Sullivan line cracke a mention at some point. Well done lads ... Reports to come.

If we're believe everything we read in the media then all 17 clubs were against us getting assistance and, on that basis, while I don't have any problem with them getting the same financial package as us, I would oppose anything bigger and certainly, if they perform badly next year, they can forget about applying for a priority pick. They played in a grand final as recently as 2010, they do awful things with 17 year old schoolgirls and they burn dwarves - all important reasons why they deserve no sympathy from anyone.

I've received word from Redleg whose ship made landfall at Valencia, Spain yesterday and he tells me that the first thing he did once he had Internet reception was to head straight over to Demonland where he noted with some disappointment that, apart from losing Colin Sylvia, the Dees have done bugger all so far in the recruiting stakes. I thought it would be cruel to tell him about Shannon Byrnes' contract extension but then I'm sure he'll read about it when his cruise ends at Barcelona later today our time. I did have to break the news to him that a horse in which one of his mates has a modest share saluted at Flemington yesterday and paid $17.00. He was very impressed, particularly that nobody tipped him off or that there was no TAB at Marseilles where he could have gotten on if only he knew. Anyway, he and Mrs. Redleg will soon be in Liverpool for their son Scoop Junior's wedding and the wife and I will be joining them. I'm hoping to get a seat at Sir Paul McCartney's table although his attendance has yet to be confirmed. The fact that he was never invited might have contributed to this fact.

I got this after googling:- I'm sure that's as clear as mud but please don't ask me what that solecism means

Good luck to all the boys today ... I was hoping to be able to make it but work commitments (I'm going overseas next week) will probably prevent me from turning up until late, if at all. I'm sure you're in good hands with Rollo, Paul, Wise and Supermercado

Actually, I've always wanted to be able to start a thread like this but with the AFL as the competition and the Redlegs being the Melbourne Football Club. Today, the SANFL Redlegs (Norwood) start as hot favourites to win the flag against North Adelaide Roosters who made the Grand Final from fifth spot after the home and away series. This is effectively the last football match of the season and, in the absence of success at AFL level, this will have to do for Red & Blue tragics for this year at least. For those who don't particularly feel the connection with the SA Redlegs, there's the youth connection. Norwood has teenagers James Aish and Trent Dumont expected to gain first round draft selection next month and that should be of interest given the draft selections we currently hold. And remember, we drafted Dean Terlich from Norwood last year after he was BOG in the grand final win last year and half back flanker Jace Bode is a former Demon while Michael Newton, who had ACL surgery last year is also on their list. Coach Nathan Bassett was once a Melbourne rookie before going on to have a stellar career with the Crows. Rookie Mitch Clisby came from the Roosters. And, if that doesn't whet your appetite then surely the fact that this is the last game of footy at that scourge of all grounds for the MFC, Football Park or AAMI Stadium, surely will? Grand Final Teams NORWOOD F: M. Evans, Warren, Grigg HF: James Aish, Dawe, Jefferies C: Phillips, Thomas, Fuller HB: Pfeiffer, McGuinness, Bode B: Stevenson, Georgiou, Kirwan R: Baulderstone, Webber, Suckling INT FROM: Davis, Dumont, Zorzi, Fantasia, Bampton IN: M. Evans, Fantasia NORTH ADELAIDE F: OSullivan, Johnston, Langford HF: Ryswyk, Stewart, Gordon C: Thiele, Fenton, Campbell HB: Blee, Hill, G. Thring B: Keller, Dalwood, Clinch R: Miles, Shannon, M. Thring INT FROM: Amato, J. Craig, Anderson, Williams, Boles IN: Williams, Boles TV: Live ABC1 SA Coverage is available at Charles Dicken Tavern Collins St Melbourne from 3:30pm. RADIO: ABC Local Radio Adelaide, FiveAA, RPH Adelaide & Life FM Adelaide are available through the TuneIn Radio App. Norwood comprehensively won at their last meeting in round 23 by 51 points: Norwood 14-16(100) def North 7-7(49) but earlier in the season, it was the Roosters by 21: North 14-5(89) def Norwood 9-14(68) Odds from Sportsbet Norwood $1.22 North Adelaide $4.20 ($1.90 Line is 29.5pts) You can follow the game on www.sanfl.com.au and here's to a premiership today for the red and the blue!

No cigar.

I tend to agree but I'd like to see us try to do it in such a way that we get a quality mid and retain a decent first round pick. Perhaps I'm trying to have my cake and eat it but I think its important that we get maximum scope for improvement in this draft. We only have Roos for 2 - 3 years and we need to stop the bleeding you get at the club from consistently getting blown off the park.

Nice try but you have the Bulldogs in the wrong place in the order. They finished ahead of the Saints.Having read The Oracle's first Trading Chronicle, I think the selectors might be faced with a dilemma when it comes to Zak Jones. Will their hearts or heads reign?

This is mentioned elsewhere and contradicts the post above. This is the obvious place for discussion on the subject matter - West Coast star Luke Shuey attracts plenty of interest from Victorian-based clubs Collingwood appears to be the frontrunner but our pick 2 and the fact that there's a prominent place in Melbourne's midfield for a player like Shuey. I haven't followed him a great deal but this was interesting -

Now he's talking! Garlett gives grog the boot

FWIW and because this is the rumour mill thread, I'll put this in here. Sources are reasonably good and seem to match info being put about elsewhere. * The proverbial is going to hit the fan in the next fortnight with multiple infraction notices to be served by ASADA on several NRL and AFL players with the number of Essendon players hit to be between 10 and 15; and * A Victorian club (not us) in diabolical financial strife with AFL intervention required to bail out the club. This doesn't look promising after the AFL clubs put pressure on the Commission to limit assistance to the MFC. Most of this came at a Friday lunch attended by some people of influence. About Melbourne, I heard absolutely nothing.

I think the problem is that Bucks is very much of the same mould of a person and coach as is Mark Neeld in that he's not connecting with all of his players and his match day strategies don't cut muster. The Pies under Buckley are at the crossroads.

That's what I thought actually. Those were the Bailey years if I remember correctly and they set us up for the disasters that followed (actually why stop back at 2008 because there were some terrible decisions made in the last 3 or 4 years under Daniher as well?). Neeld was no great coach and his 1½ years were godawful but he was on a hiding to nothing after that disastrous period of inept coaching, poor recruiting and player development. Nobody expects Roos to repair things overnight and I often wonder how long it's going to take for us to get over the stigma of it all?

... and let's face it, the hyphen would be far better suited to the MFC than at sleepy hollow.

15,517 now as per the melbournefc.com website which still has Colin modelling some of its merchandise.

Peter Thurin also remains and I think he's been excellent in his role. As for Sugar, it's interesting that he's escaped a lot of the flack gratuitously thrown at the others even though the football side of things has performed so poorly. We do need a football director with plenty of both business acumen and experience in football at the coal face to give the football department the support it needs. I'm sure one will be appointed in the near future.

You seem to have a good grasp of how the bands work and I understand the criteria and the AFL's thinking behind the way it works these things out. However, I remember last year, a few of the clubs (including MFC) were still dismayed at the outcome. Are you able to demonstrate how we ended up getting pick 48 after losing two players of the calibre of Moloney and Rivers (the gain of Byrnes I understand was inconsequential) and how Port Adelaide finished with 29 & 30 for Chaplin and Pearce? My understanding is that it was due to the age of the two players and the fact that they were offered contracts that weren't all that flash which vindicates my view that neither were particularly worth retaining. On Moloney in particular, I won't buy the revisionist guff about Neeld spoiling him. It was widely known that Beamer wanted out to Essendon after Bailey was sacked and his attitude and demeanour as well as his manager's conduct in 2012 indicated he was uninterested. That probably cost him a better contract in the end and he would have been shown the door anyway IMO which is what I call karma. I just regret we didn't send him off to the Bombers when he wanted to go. He would have made a good fit for the clowns over there and we would have received better compensation than what we eventually got.

I don't know what any of the recruiters are thinking but, apart from Tom Boyd who seems to be everyone's choice as # 1, there are perhaps half a dozen or so who could fill the next slot. If we can trade 2 for the midfielder we appear to be seeking (early to mid 20s with at least 8 years to play) and get a pick around 10 in return, we might strike it lucky. Whether or not we can do such a deal, I have no idea.

I haven't seen much of Freeman but that physical attribute can't be underestimated. It's the exact quality that Chris Judd had early in his career. If he can mark, kick well and make good decisions, he would make a worthy acquisition.

I'm a big fan of Savage. I hope we can get a suitable deal done with both the player and his club.

It wasn't just Neeld and Bailey it was the Daniher era (or most of it) as well.And it wasn't just angels but spoiled brats who wanted cushy roles. That's why Daniher's great mantra of ruthlessness was such a failure (as if it was ever implemented), why Bailey's team was considered bruise free and why Neeld ultimately failed. Be that as it may, don't hold your breath waiting for the MFC to claim Garlett.

In the case of GWS, the addition of pick two to pick one which they already have, gives them a fair hold at the top end of the draft and an even stronger position to deal through the trade period.

It's a lamentable fact I know, but there are Melbourne supporters around these days who not only don't possess a humidor, but they're not even house trained.