Whispering_Jack

It's never a good time for a player to break a bone in his foot but Jack Grimes' injury was the worst piece of bad timing imaginable for the player and the club. It's well documented that we lost a number of players through injury during that weekend and the next (as well as Jack Trengove for three weeks for executing a perfect tackle on Dangerfield who was so badly hurt that he played one of his few decent games for the year and kicked 6 goals just 6 days later) but losing Grimes for the rest of the season was a double disaster. When the club recruited Grimes he was better known as a midfielder who also had some success when going forward. He played a fantastic game for Vic Metro (as skipper of the team) against WA in the 2007 national under 18s. At Melbourne, he had capably filled the role of a defensive flanker but a move into the middle was on the cards. In the week before the Adelaide game when he was injured, Grimes attended a Devil's Advocates function and told a few of us at our table that he had been doing some training with the midfielders and he was pretty hopeful that he would start there against the Crows. That's exactly what happened but history will record that he lasted on the ground for no more than four minutes after getting one of the game's first possessions. Our midfield was crying out for that extra classy player (it still is) but we can only wonder at what might have been but for that unfortunate break. In any event, I hope the new coach recognises his potential to go into the middle, that he gets his chances there and that he remains relatively injury free in the future.

Trade Week radio was definitely on last year. I'm just wondering if it's capable of being listened to on an iPhone and whether you would need a special application?

The conspiracy theory belongs to The Oracle who is the author of the article.As to the clubs agreeing to the rules, I think that's a contentious issue because the feeling is that they were ramroaded through by the big bloke who runs the whole thing.

Just changing tack and going back to the Draft Combine, here's an interesting article from American researchers who have cast doubt on the correlation between results from the NFL's draft combine and actual success on the football field. The NFL combine: does it predict performance in the National Football League? Work needs to be done on the type of tests used if improved results are to be achieved.

I thought he had a funny action (I know it's no longer pc to call someone a chucker) but his best effort apart from partnering Botham in that remarkable 500/1 recovery was surely this - .

I was surprised to discover that he didn't play a single game this year. That and only 20 games in five seasons would mean that his value would have to be set very low. In light of this, I'd stay away and possibly explore whether we could get Lachlan Hansen if we're going to go down that track anyway.

I forgot to mention that he's the pick of the bunch.

Redleg, You'll be delighted to know that I've put you down for a coaching position with the Demonland/Demonology team purely on the basis that one of our players is called "Bananas".

I still don't understand why the result is to be announced after the trades are finalised on Monday 17 October. If you wanted to trade John Smith for O'Meara as part of the mini draft and had to wait to find out the result, then you might find yourself holding a player you don't want after the trades if you happen to be the losing bidder.

Here's an interesting review of the stand out players in the TAC Cup finals from FOOTY TRAGIC.

I remember Frank "I remember you" Ifield too. The Beatles and Dylan came along and he was instantly outdated.

Do we get Scott Thompson back in the trade?

I don't believe there are any priority picks available. Clubs with compensatory picks from last year were able to nominate these for use this year. It looks as though only Brisbane has exercised this option in 2011 and they get pick 27.

THE TRADING CHRONICLES 2011 by The Oracle Part One: THE MEATLOAF CONSPIRACY The official 2011 season came to an end a few days ago but that doesn't mean the football world goes into hibernation for the next six months. To the contrary, it's the Tuesday after the Grand Final and, while the victorious Geelong players are still sleeping off the effects of their premiership Mad Monday and hundreds of their counterparts are holidaying across the country and distant parts of the globe, 120 young hopefuls are kicking off the start of the next season at the AFL Draft Combine today at Etihad Stadium. The Combine is a new name (stolen shamelessly by the AFL from the Americans) to replace the old concept of the draft camp. They used to run it in Canberra but this year it's been hyped up a little and been brought to Melbourne - perhaps to compensate us for the fact that November's national draft will be conducted in Sydney. The foremost authority on all matters pertaining to the draft is Melbourne Age journalist Emma Quayle and she provides a brief rundown of what to expect over the next four days and the major draft prospects in High-flyers of the class of 2011. Quayle's article is good but frankly, it has me worried. In it, she lists the likely types to look out for in November's draft and I see only eleven names. But Melbourne's first pick in the draft is currently listed at twelve and this immediately heightens my level of paranoia. I'm not normally paranoid but, ever since the Tom Scully saga broke out in February, I've become convinced they're all out to get us. There's no way that the media could have guessed back then that the then Demon rookie and former number one draft pick was leaving for Greater Western Sydney on a six year $6m contract without it all being true. So now I see a combined CIA/KGB conspiracy behind anything that happens in the AFL. Having to endure the experience of another American import in Meatloaf mangling every song that he tried his hand at during what was laughingly described as the "pre match entertainment" on Grand Final Day was the last straw. Andrew Demetriou is a self confessed Meatloaf fan and he spent somewhere around 800 grand bringing Mr. Loaf to Australia. That money could have been used to help keep Scully at Melbourne and the change could have been used to put Barry Crocker or Kamahl out there on the stage for the punters. Then again, if anyone saw Hutchy's dramatic vision of the Scully family at Tullamarine on that fateful day when they flew north "just to have a look around", you might have noticed a definite resemblance between Loaf and Scully senior. So, that's how they got that deal across! I raise all these matters because I'm convinced that this year's draft is a thinly veiled AFL conspiracy to give GWS a monumental leg up for its introduction to the competition at the expense of clubs that have been around for over a century and had to work bloody hard to get where they are now. There was a time when an AFL club could strike it rich in the draft. Geelong did it one year when it picked up Jimmy Bartel, James Kelly, Steve Johnson and Gary Ablett Jnr all from the one draft. That won't happen with 17 of the clubs this year because, of Quayle's list of eleven leading draft hopefuls, seven of them (poor souls that they are) will most probably end up at Blacktown or Rooty Hill playing in front of capacity crowds of 4,652 at Skoda Stadium for peanuts and eating kebabs at the local diner while a handful of their more high profile teammates will be sipping piña coladas (make that Perrier soda water for Scully) and dining on beef wagu steaks at Sydney's most expensive eateries. When I see GWS, all I see is Meatloaf. Their has-been coach is the AFL equivalent of Meatloaf. Their system of take the money and run is the AFL equivalent of Meatloaf and their philosophy of giving the punters nothing for their money is the AFL equivalent of Meatloaf. Where does that leave us if the pick of the national draft and the players on show at the Draft Combine are heading towards Greater Western Sydney? Well, I reckon the AFL exchange period which starts next week will be busier than it has been for quite a while because if the rest of the competition has a reduced capacity to fill the gaps in their lists through the draft, then they have to do it by way of the trades. The Oracle threatens to return from time to time during trade week with his own spin on the events as they unfold.

Your footy summer mapped out What's coming up? • October 4-7: AFL Draft Combine, Etihad Stadium • October 10-17: AFL Trade Week, Etihad Stadium • October 13: Greater Western Sydney uncontracted signings deadline October 28 and November 4: International Rules series • Late October/early November: Release of the 2012 fixture • November 24: AFL Draft • Late November/early December: Release of the 2012 NAB Cup fixture • December 13: AFL pre-season and rookie drafts • February 17, 2012: NAB Cup begins • March 16/17, 2012: NAB Cup final

The TAC Future Stars panel had another crack at the first round of the Phantom Draft on yesterday's programme: 1 GWS Giants - Jonathon Patton (Eastern Ranges) 2 GWS Giants - Stephen Coniglio (Swan Districts, WA) 3 GWS Giants - Dom Tyson (Oakleigh Chargers) 4 Gold Coast Suns - Chad Wingard (Sturt, SA) 5 GWS Giants - Billy Longer (Northern Knights) 6 Port Adelaide - Taylor Adams (Geelong Falcons) 7 GWS Giants - Elliot Kavanagh (Western Jets) 8 Brisbane - Will Hoskin-Elliot (Western Jets) 9 GWS Giants - Matthew Buntine (Dandenong Stingrays) 10 Adelaide - Alex Forster (Norwood, SA) 11 GWS Giants - Devon Smith (Geelong Falcons) 12 Melbourne - Toby Greene (Oakleigh Chargers) 13 GWS Giants - Liam Sumner (Sandringham Dragons) 14 Richmond - Daniel Markworth (Calder Cannons) 15 GWS Giants - Hayden Crozier (Eastern Ranges) 16 Fremantle - Fraser McInnes (Perth, WA) 17 Western Bulldogs - Nic Haynes (Dandenong Stingrays) 18 North Melbourne - Sam Docherty (Gippsland Power) 19 Essendon - Mitchell Grigg (Glenelg, SA) 20 St. Kilda - Tom Sheridan (Calder Cannons) 21 Sydney - Tom Mitchell (Claremont, WA) father-son 22 Carlton - Julian Dobosz (North Hobart, Tas) 23 West Coast Eagles - Brad McKenzie (Sturt, SA) 24 Hawthorn - Adam Tomlinson (Oakleigh Chargers) 25 Collingwood - Sam Frost (Sandringham Dragons) 26 Geelong - Brandon Ellis (Calder Cannons)

Oh, and now that Leigh Brown is unavailable for the St. Kilda gig I'm about a 1 in 20 chance to be appointed, I reckon.

I have yet to receive my call from St. Kilda although my prospects have improved with Rodney Eade out of the way. Nevertheless, I am declaring my availability for 23 October and expect Redleg to also be available. Will also check with Pringle. Has that 6'8" ruckman returned to the country yet?

My guess is that we were hoping to pick him up with pick # 21 but were beaten to it by Geelong at 17. These things happen in drafting.

Well, as long as you have no problems following a team wearing red and black called the "bombers" we did recruit Aussie Wonaeamirri from the Tiwi Bombers.

I think Melbourne is in an extremely fortunate position to have, in Max Gawn and Jack Fitzpatrick, two immensely tall, agile and quick young ruckmen. There's plenty of tall 200cm types around but it's rare to find two with the mobility of these two and it's going to be interesting watching them develop in the coming years and more so, seeing what a creative and innovative coach can do with a pair of players who possess their attributes. I think the discussion where it's suggested that a one game player needs to prove himself is laughable especially one day after Geelong ruckman Trent West collected a premiership medal after playing just his 20th AFL game. For the record, West was selected at # 31 in the 2005 national draft, spent his first two seasons in the VFL and made his debut in 2008. Like Gawn and Fitzpatrick, West is noted for his good mobility and athleticism. I can't for the life of me understand how the fools at Geelong could have held onto him for so long even through their long period of sustained success and why they never asked him to prove himself straight after he made his debut back in 2008?

To his credit Patrick Smith did point to Collingwood's hubris in midseason when they were flying as a factor that might bring them down but it really wasn't that at all. In reality, it was because they came across a better team on the day and because injuries caught up with them after a dream run that stretched over several years. Throughout the year, Collingwood was pretty well dominant as demonstrated by a percentage that hovered around 180 until that round 24 smashing in a dead rubber by Geelong. Despite that loss, I was convinced the Pies would triumph because of the strength of their press, their midfield and their talls up forward and the coolness of their defence ... and then along came Geelong which I hope will become an inspiration for Melbourne as it strives to recover from the shattering disappointments and frustration of this season. The Cats' campaign in 2010 was effectively derailed by issues with it's coach and the distractions over whether Gary Ablett Junior would go to GCS. They also overcame the retirement of long time president Frank Costa. They came back brilliantly in 2011 with a new coaching direction, with players stepping up to cover the breach left by the departure of their best player. They countered Collingwood's game in the grand final and even came back from three goals down in the second quarter to win by 38 points. Collingwood didn't lose it - the Cats won fair and square. The challenges Melbourne faces next year are different to those that faced the Cats but there are similarities in that we go into next season with a new coaching structure and the ugliness of the Scully saga now behind us. We also have plenty to prove to the world and I hope we can achieve our aims with the same professionalism and purpose that Geelong demonstrated this year. They fully deserve this premiership.

Phew.

Geelong for me. The umpires throwing away the whistle helps them as the clock winds down. Also, the Pies are playing like a team that doesn't have a midfield coach

Is anyone else a bit disappointed that we haven't announced any new coaching appointments in the past 24 hours?