Whispering_Jack

Caulfield Park. It has a tramline to both the west and the south.

Thanks for reminding me Andy. I think I'll keep that story for THE PROTÉGÉ II. I thought at first you were referring to the fact that Yeata lived (lived?) near our place and I used to see him walking his dog around the park. It's the same park I once bumped into the one and only Stuart Spencer and where I often see Adrienne Beames, daughter of another great rover from Melbourne's history Percy Beames. But watch out for my next story - a prequel to THE PROTÉGÉ. And just on MFC rovers I suppose the last true rover we had at the MFC was Greg Healy and there's a terrific piece in today's Herald Sun about the day when he faced brother Gerard in a final at the G. It was 22 years ago and we beat the Swans comfortably. Gerard reckons he still barracks for the Swans to this very day. I don't know how he can admit to supporting that plastic outfit!

Rollinson65 was last heard from en route to the Old Dart to watch a Test Match or two but I'm sure he will be gratified by the front page Herald Sun story that trucking magnate and former Saint Lindsay Fox has thrown his weight behind Carl Ditterich's Supreme Court action to save the family property. Also throwing in their support are a number of former Saints, board member John Gdanski and past players of the Melbourne Football Club. There's still a long way to go but Carl and his family know they're not alone. Fox has offered Carl free use of his legal team.

At the moment we're not differentiating between delistings and retirements until official announcements are made by the clubs. They're all retired until an official delistings list comes out and we'll sort things out then.

A fit Shaun Burgoyne is not a mediocre player but you're right about the possibility of getting him for free in the PSD. We are going to have to deal to get him if we really want him. In the meantime however, this whole story could simply be manager driven to enable the client to get the best price and Burgoyne might well have no real intention of leaving SA. Let's just see how things pan out.

I would like to go hard for him subject to fitness. It wouldn't have to be the start of WW2 with Port either - we should be able to negotiate a suitable trade but if they play hardball, that's what Pick # 1 in the PSD is all about, isn't it?

One of the points used to justify trading away Travis was that he was turning 28 the following year. We most certainly haven't reached the stage in the cycle where we need to pick up players of that vintage at the expense of youth unless they are specialists such as absolute top shelf ruckmen type.

Oops. My bad...a Freudian slip or something like that. Thanks for the heads up Enforcer25. I'll get it fixed up when I can but the point that I was making is that McKenna seems to be coaching that team differently to what you would be expecting development coaches at under age level. Of course, he has a slightly different agenda to most of the others and would be under some personal pressure to perform. You don't want to go down in history as the only AFL coach to get the flick before your team plays its first game!

You're a man of the law Redleg. Why be staggered at any possible outcome in this sort of case? And why would any other than the Carlton Football Club be running the show? Judd is their property. They own him lock, stock and barrel. In conjunction with Visy which has shelled out $38 million in fines for illegal activities not connected with footy, they pay him $1.75 m annually to play football, waffle on about a sustainable environment, smile at television cameras and tell porkies about how he can disable opponents with a single pressure point movement while leaping tall buildings in a single bound. OK, I exaggerate a little with the last one but you get my drift. At $1.75 m per annum, that comes out to $68,000.00 per game. The cost of a three game suspension comes out to $204,000.00. It could possibly be even more costly if the Blues lose those three games and struggle thereafter during a 2010 season when there's nothing to tank for if the team happens to be travelling poorly. But let's assume that Judd's three game suspension costs Carlton/Visy/The Australian Taxpayer 204 large. The appeal costs just $15k and $0 if you're successful so at those rates it has to be a worthwhile objective - more so if the exercise helps a few lawyers like us to pay their children's private school fees. That's the price of justice in this country so take the time today to look at the statue of Justice up there on the Supreme Court building and you won't have to wonder why she's wearing a blindfold. I say it's an even money bet that he get's a reduction in his sentence.

More to the point does he stay on the list at all next year? It's a vexing question. His problem has been that every time he shows some form he cops an injury.

It ain't over till it's over. They can still appeal the decision and if that doesn't work there's the Supreme Court, the Federal Court the High Court and even Judge Judy. This still has lots of legs and plenty of twists and turns before it's finished.

Not Murphy. Probably Nicholas Walsh and in all likelihood Walsh had a lot to do with the vicious response (not that any reaction of the sort described was justified). Not surprised that Carlton and Judd appealed. The cost is a mere drop in the ocean where they're concerned.

Judd's mister nice guy image and his credibility must surely be in tatters now. He lost the trust of many Melbourne supporters two years ago when he announced us as one of his four favoured clubs and then dumped us when he said it was between Carlton and Collingwood before choosing the Blues. He was entitled to take the money and run but if, what Carlton insiders (read one was a board member at the time) tell me is true, he was signed, sealed and delivered even before he announced he was leaving the Eagles, then he was jerking three other AFL clubs around during this farcical process. Then we discover that part of Judd's package is a high paying role as environmental ambassador (please spare me!) for the club president's company and Australia's biggest corporate crook. All of this outside the salary cap and carrying the AFL's full blessing. Now he responds to a charge of eye gouging by saying he wasn't gouging Michael Rischitelli's eyes but instead he was applying his thumb to a pressure point on his opponent's head. "Nonsense," say the martial arts experts. If they're right then Judd is not only guilty of the low act of eye gouging but also of telling porkies. But if he's telling the truth then he's guilty of what could be more serious because the ultimate outcome of applying martial arts manouevres is to render a player unconscious. If the AFL really had the balls they would call a special investigation into what happened. The points system wasn't really established to cater for people who try to disable opponents by these means.

Melon, do you think his history of injuries might weigh against him being selected by Melbourne?

It's not so much about their needs but more about the perception at Tigerland about what's the best available for the club. My impression of the way Richmond usually goes about doing things is that they have been trying to offset some past drafting miscalculations by coming up with some flakey recruiting decisions. They're still living with the fact that they were trumped by Hawthorn in the Roughead/Franklin draft, have made some other aweful blunders (e.g Oakley-Nicholls) and the Cousins decision also divided the club. I think Melbourne's first and second selections are going to be Scully and Trengove. This will leave the Tigers with either Morabito, Butcher or one of list of many other midsize types such as Martin, Cunnington, Lucas or Rohan. I suspect they won't take the third best mid, they don't have the cohunas to take the risk with WA's Morabito so they'll go for the "tall" in Butcher. On what I've seen of Butcher I wouldn't invest pick 2 on him but the Tigers might well use pick 3. Then again I could be completely wrong.

Sigmund Freud would have an absolute birthday analysing some of you blokes. Just for the record, Redleg and I are definitely not the same person although he does enjoy the privilege of living four doors away in the same street. I believe he and Rhino are in some mutual appreciation society because Rhino was once known as "Redleg" on another site. Back on subject, I would be astonished if Butcher was drafted with Melbourne's pick 2. Selection 18 maybe. I suspect however, that a club like Richmond might be eager to get him.

Butcher was a major disappointment today. He didn't impose himself on the game at any stage and I wouldn't have him in the top 10 in the draft on what he showed today. Scully wasn't dominant in the first three quarters but he looked classy. He spent a fair bit of the last quarter on the ball and turned the game.

Karma is Daniel Rich kicking that miracle goal late in the game and the kick forward that led to the Bradshaw snap that came close to icing the game to Trapper's point that did ice the game. At least they can go to to the VFL and watch Chris Yarran and Chris Johnson play for the Northern Bullants and wonder why they bypassed Rich and which idiot in recruiting confused Johnson with Johnstone!

I will be writing an article on tday's games which will appear later in the week. I would think at this stage that Tom Scully might rate a mention in it.

I went, I saw Scully and i'm still gasping! Butcher will probably play for Richmond.

That's right. Jake Spencer, Jack Watts, Paul Wheatley and Matty Whelan all played enough games in the Casey reserves which, when added to their senior games would qualify them. However, Spencer (jarred hip) and Whelan (hamstring) were clearly injured last week and Wheats has been carrying injuries all season. Watts was sent back to concentrate on his school studies weeks ago. Tom McNamara didn't play last week and Jordie McKenzie is due for surgery. They've simply run out of fit Demons. However. Newton and Valenti are probably the best performed of the Demons this year at AFL level so they will fit well into the club's finals campaign. I'm not sure how anyone could have come up with $1.70 odds though because the Pies are close to full strength and are one of the in form teams of the competition. Still, the thing that you have to like about the Scorpions is that they are a team of goers. They can win this game.

But Wheatley played a couple of games in the Casey reserves to qualify for the finals so you would think he would be available if fit.

Final draft selections (including rookie upgrades): Priority Selection 1. Melbourne Round 1 2. Melbourne 3. Richmond 4. Fremantle 5. North Melbourne 6. Sydney Swans 7. West Coast 8. Port Adelaide 9. Port Adelaide 10. Essendon 11. Melbourne 12. Carlton 13. Adelaide 14. Sydney Swans 15. Western Bulldogs 16. Port Adelaide 17. Geelong Round 2 18. Melbourne 19. Richmond 20. Fremantle 21. North Melbourne 22. West Coast 23. West Coast 24. Essendon 25. North Melbourne 26. Essendon 27. Brisbane Lions 28. Geelong 29. Adelaide 30. Collingwood 31. Western Bulldogs 32. St Kilda 33. Essendon Round 3 34. Melbourne 35. Richmond 36. Fremantle 37. North Melbourne 38. Sydney Swans 39. Hawthorn 40. Geelong 41. North Melbourne 42. Geelong 43. Carlton 44. Richmond 45. Adelaide 46. Hawthorn 47. Brisbane Lions 48. Fremantle 49. Fremantle Round 4 50. Melbourne 51. Richmond 52. Fremantle 53. North Melbourne 54. Sydney Swans 55. Sydney Swans 56. Geelong 57. Hawthorn 58. Hawthorn 59. Carlton 60. St Kilda 61. Adelaide 62. Collingwood 63. Western Bulldogs 64. St Kilda 65. Geelong - Jeremy Laidler (Geelong) Round 5 66. Melbourne - 67. Richmond 68. Fremantle - 69. Hawthorn 70. Hawthorn - Matthew Suckling (Hawthorn) 71. Richmond 72. Carlton - Aaron Joseph (Carlton) 73. Brisbane Lions 74. Adelaide - Brodie Martin (Adelaide) 75. Collingwood 76. Western Bulldogs 77. St Kilda Round 6 78. Richmond - 79. Fremantle - Greg Broughton (Fremantle) 80. North Melbourne - Cruize Garlett (North Melbourne) 81. Sydney Swans - 82. Port Adelaide - Daniel Stewart (Port Adelaide) 83. Carlton - Sam Jacobs (Carlton) 84. Brisbane Lions 85. Collingwood 86. Western Bulldogs - Liam Picken (Western Bulldogs) 87. St Kilda - Zac Dawson (St Kilda) Round 7 88. Port Adelaide - Wade Thompson (Port Adelaide) 89. Richmond - Robin Nahas (Richmond) 90. Sydney Swans - Kristin Thornton (Sydney Swans) 91. Brisbane Lions 92. Western Bulldogs - James Mulligan (Western Bulldogs) 93. St Kilda - Luke Miles (St Kilda) Round 8 94. Richmond - Andrew Browne (Richmond) 95. Brisbane Lions - Pearce Hanley (Brisbane Lions) By club: Adelaide (five selections): 13, 29, 45, 61, 74* Brisbane Lions (six): 27, 47, 73, 84, 91, 95* Carlton (five): 12, 43, 59, 72*, 83* Collingwood (four): 30, 62, 75, 85 Essendon (four): 10, 24, 26, 33 Fremantle (eight): 4, 20, 36, 48, 49, 52, 68, 79* Geelong Cats (six): 17, 28, 40, 42, 56, 65* Hawthorn (six): 39, 46, 57, 58, 69, 70* Melbourne (seven): 1, 2, 11, 18, 34, 50, 66 North Melbourne (seven): 5, 21, 25, 37, 41, 53, 80* Port Adelaide (five): 8, 9, 16, 82*, 88* Richmond (10): 3, 19, 35, 44, 51, 67, 71, 78, 89*, 94* St Kilda (six): 32, 60, 64, 77, 87*, 93* Sydney Swans (seven): 6, 14, 38, 54, 55, 81, 90* West Coast (three): 7, 22, 23 Western Bulldogs (six): 15, 31, 63, 76, 86*, 92* * Denotes promoted rookie selections

And the winner is ... 154.055 Aaron Davey 91.935 Brent Moloney 76.305 Cale Morton 71.561 Brock McLean 66.242 Colin Sylvia 63.967 Nathan Jones 60.559 Cameron Bruce 53.732 Jack Grimes 46.415 Ricky Petterd 45.940 Mark Jamar 39.609 James Frawley 37.985 Brad Green 36.653 Jared Rivers 36.144 Matthew Bate 34.406 James McDonald 33.646 Matthew Warnock 24.055 Liam Jurrah 21.535 Neville Jetta 19.408 Brad Miller 17.363 Shane Valenti 14.404 Paul Johnson 13.126 Russell Robertson 11.207 Stefan Martin 10.053 Kyle Cheney 9.952 Addam Maric 8.827 Jamie Bennell 8.603 Clint Bartram 8.031 Lynden Dunn 1.488 Tom McNamara 0.613 John Meesen

by Whispering Jack History has already recorded that in the final home and away round of season 2010, the AFL's minor premiers stormed home over the top of the bottom side to win by 47 points. The final score was St. Kilda 17.12.114 to Melbourne 10.7.67. The result of the game was not needed to confirm the Saints as winners of football's biggest prize outside the finals - the McClelland Trophy for the team that occupies top perch on the ladder after 22 rounds. The Saints had already secured that award some weeks ago. However, the outcome of the match did determine what one commentator described during the week as football's second biggest trophy - the priority draft pick which Melbourne secured by losing the game, finishing last and not winning any more than four matches for the season. The reward for that is not only the first two selections in this year's national draft but also first pick in the pre season draft which carries with it the right to take an uncontracted player in December and therefore gives the recipient some extra leverage in player trading. Aside from that and the somewhat surreal atmosphere that existed at a cold and windy MCG in late August, you could hardly detect the fact that the gulf between the two combatants was as wide as that which signifies the two extremities of the competition. With spring and the fragrant smell of new flowers and freshly cut grass just days away, the Saints were battling their way through a form slump probably occasioned by playing too many meaningless fixtures as they waited for the finals to arrive. The Demons were just mucking around waiting for it all to end. They were highly competitive in the first half (as they were earlier in the season when the two teams met at Carrara), remained in touch until midway through the final term and finally, the expected happened and they were blown off the park in the game's last fifteen minutes. The one thing about this game that resonated for me was that it was summed up so well by a dinner I attended earlier in the week as a guest of the convener of the Devil's Advocates - group of lawyers who raise funds for the club. It was an unofficial gathering with four of the club's senior list in attendance and, of course only one of the four played in yesterday's game. Two of the others are injured, the fourth footballing member of our party was an emergency. While two of this small group of four players were missing through injury at the weekend, another AFL team in Collingwood had one lone player on its injury list. And that player is an unknown outside the precincts of the Lexus Centre. The fact remains that it's not easy for teams to perform when half of the list is simply unavailable. Another curiosity of that evening was that, by co- incidence, at another table and just out of earshot sat former Hawthorn President Ian Dicker. Ironically, had events turned out a little differently 13 years ago, he might have been at the table with us and dining with his fellow Dawks. Perish the thought although I suppose that I would have copped the premiership last year! But I digress. There will be plenty of time during the off season for trivial chit chat. Let's get back to the game. In the beginning it was Melbourne which gained the upper hand with first blood to Brad Miller followed by an absolute pearler to last year's number one pre season draft pick Liam Jurrah who somehow manoeuvred a kick over his head through the goals much to the astonishment of everyone at the ground. If ever the Saints needed a wakeup call this was it. The way they were negotiating the early going was suggestive of the fact that they had arrived at the ground firmly of the understanding that their opponents were so desperate to lose that they would simply lay down and die. They were as bland as their predominantly pale white attire and the script wasn't panning out the way it was planned. With Colin Sylvia and Cale Morton dominating, the Demons remained in control, led by the margin of two goals at quarter time and stretched it to three by midterm in the second. As usual, there were some Demon supporters claiming that "the umpires are killing us" but this time it was because they were handing "us" too many frees! The order of things needed changing! The inevitable swing came in the latter part of the second term when Saints skipper who had been held well in check by young Demon defender James Frawley shook off his lethargy and his recent goal kicking yips and raised his team back to life with three goals (one from a dodgy free kick - thank you umpires). His mark and goal on the siren put his team in front for the first time in the game and ended the possibility of the only half time deadlock of the season thus far. As with Carlton's Brendan Fevola a week earlier, the forward's goal kicking spree took part in the absence of Frawley but let's face it - even key defenders need a break sometimes! The complexion of the game changed for the worst ( or better depending on your viewpoint) with Riewoldt booting a fourth and with midfielders Dal Santo and Hayes now firmly in control and tagger Jones (theirs, not ours) doing the job on Aaron Davey, the Saints jumped out to a lead in excess of four goals. The prize was almost in our hands. Once again, it was Jurrah who thought otherwise and he turned on another magical cameo of two goals that had the hearts of fans on both sides fluttering. There still wasn't much in the game as the teams changed ends for the last time. There was one remaining act to play out and that was to bid farewell to three great servants of the club. To paraphrase the old children’s' song, Demons live forever but not so little boys. If you're going to adopt a policy of youth then something has to give way and the tough decision was made that Russell Robertson, Paul Wheatley and Matthew Whelan - all of them stalwarts with aging bodies and injury problems in recent times - were the ones who would have to make way. Fittingly, Robbo ran in for his final hurrah and Wheaters, playing just his third game for the season, banged through his last long bomb from outside fifty. Wheels was never a goal kicker and was nursing his tired aching body through game number 150 but surely, he took great vicarious pleasure from the four magnificent goals kicked by fellow Territorian Liam Jurrah. The game was still in the balance as the clock ticked towards the halfway mark of the final term but, with the heroics of the retirees behind them, the Demons fell into mission accomplished mode and the Saints started practicing for their finals campaign. This was, after all, their first appearance for the year on the hallowed turf of the MCG. They finished with all guns blazing and turned what was an otherwise close and interesting encounter into yet another rout. The Demons may have collected their second successive wooden spoon but they have plenty to look forward to in the coming months and years. The ongoing rebuilding phase is about to gather momentum and, with spring only a day away, I am reminded and inspired by the words of Amanda McBroom who wrote: "Just remember in the winter far beneath the bitter snows lies the seed that with the sun's love in the spring becomes the rose" Those words must surely encapsulate what these past two or three years have been all about for the Melbourne Football Club. Melbourne 4.2.26 6.5.41 8.6.54 10.7.67 St Kilda 2.2.14 7.5.47 10.10.70 17.12.114 Goals Melbourne Jurrah 4 Jamar Miller Moloney Robertson Sylvia Wheatley St Kilda Riewoldt 6 Koschitzke Milne 2 Dal Santo Dempster Gilbert Gram McQualter Montagna Schneider Best Melbourne Jurrah Sylvia Morton Jones Moloney Dunn St Kilda Dal Santo Riewoldt Hayes Jones Gilbert Goddard Gram Injuries Melbourne Spencer (jarred hip) St Kilda Nil Changes Melbourne Nil St Kilda Nil Reports Nil Umpires Donlon Kamolins Mollison Crowd 36,748 at MCG