Go the Biff

Not a great analogy Bazz & way too much info in your previous post ! I'm thinking we'll likely get a $500K Chris Heffernan. Won't be happy if we use either of 11 or 18 on him. Not for a player that the 'Pies thought worth no more than pick 30 & a fringe player. Furious_d makes some valid points about Ball's value from a leadership & age-group perspective but I don't see he, Moloney & Jones (let alone Junior) in the same team. Same problem we were facing when Brock buggered off. Hope it's a bluff. Even more, I hope it works.

I'm pretty sure the Tigers re-signed him on a two year deal a couple of weeks ago

I can get pretty close to his response to Leach & Robinson : "Just a rumour. We've touched base with the club & they say they're very close to signing a three year deal" I guess your level of comfort can be measured against the level of cred you give The Ox. I rate him ahead of that no-name Ch9 bloke but like everyone else, will have to wait this one out.

I'm a fair bit older than you but I'll play. It's a welcome diversion from ludicrous trade proposals. B Laurie Fowler, Ray Biffin, Alan Johnson HB Brett Lovett, Gary Hardeman, Adem Yze C Robbie Flower, Greg Wells, Stephen Tingay HF Garry Lyon, David Schwarz, Ross Brewer F Jeff Farmer, Allen Jakovich, Gerard Healy R Jim Stynes, Todd Viney, Greg Healy Int Earl Spalding, Brian Wilson, David Neitz, Peter Moore Emer Stan Alves, Warren Dean, Brad Green Hopefully in five years time, I'll be able to tip out some of these & replace them with premiership players. Not thrilled with having to name Brewer given the lazy bugger [censored] off to the 'Pies but he was a genuine HFF and a bloody good one when he got off his arse. 3 time leading goalkicker albeit with meagre totals. Coodabeen.

Fair enough. That's what I get for skimming through at lunch time !

Not necessarily. He could have gone down the Pagan at Carlton path & recycled some established players to bolster his list. That, in my view set Carlton back as much as their salary cap penalties. Trading TJ for a draft pick was gutsy. It's one thing to have a plan but it takes balls to stick with it. Agree with those lauding the skills of Matthews. Over time, his tough-guy rep has probably detracted from his footy rep but for those who never saw him, be in no doubt. He was a freak. His ability to hit a leading player lace out on the [censored] is the best I've seen. He could kick bullets over 40 metres that never got more than 4 feet off the ground. Freak

You weren't on the [censored] with Hannabal were you ?

I also want to see a flag - and I'm a damn sight older than Jaded although I suspect not as "maturely positioned" as BangkokDemon. I don't have those memories to cling to after decades of disappointment The debate is not about pick 1. It is about getting the opportunity to get 2, not one but 2 of the best prospects in the country to add to our list. A list I expect to develop quite rapidly but it needs a further injection of talent. I am as guilty as anyone of viewing our players through rose coloured glasses but even I know our reality. We do not currently have a list capable of developing into a flag-winning combination. We might not be all that far off though & the club should be ruthless in trying to close that gap. Beating North & Freo in 2009 won't do it. Those two picks could well be the Judd & Hodge of their year. Admittedly they could also be Richard Lounder & Anthony Banik but these days, there are not many duds in the top 3. To get that elusive flag we will have to recruit well, trade well, develop players well & have a shedload of luck in the process. Getting two bites at this years cherry is a flying start. Caroline Wilson thinks we need to win games to attract memberships, sponsors & crowds. Balls. We have a record membership on the back of a pig of a year. We have major sponsors on 2 year deals so they will be on board next year when the renaissance begins. We have some (not enough) exciting young talent that will get bums on seats. There is much to look forward to & I'm sure we will see the tide turn next year but this is our last chance to really add some more quality to the mix. To not do so would be negligent. Those who suggest that winning a couple more games will establish a winning culture at the club - well you're entitled to your opinion but I think you're talking through your arse. A winning culture is established over years, not games. Beating up on fellow hacks won't change a culture - it's just wallpaper over cracks. BangkokD, you make your case well but I think you are trying to have your cake & eat it too. What you call "list management" others are a bit more frank about. You can have your memories of 1964 & may you enjoy them for many more years - I want my own MFC premiership memories to look back on. FWIW, here's my "list managed" team for the upcoming Richmond & Freo games. B. Whelan, Jetta, Bennell HB. Bell, Maric, McLean C. Jamar, Spencer, Johnson HF. Wheatley, Whelan, Warnock F. McDonald, Valenti, McKenzie R. Bartram, Martin, McNamara Emergencies : Bail, Dunn, Yze Magic Out : Bruce, Moloney, Green, Jurrah, Grimes etc , etc etc (general soreness), Watts (study leave) Yeah, I know Jetta & Maric probably won't cut it as key position defenders but now would be a good time to find out for sure ! (insert winking thing here)

Felt exactly the same. It's a stuffed up arrangement when you've got mixed feelings about your own team scoring goals. It's a [censored] not being able to celebrate a win with any enthusiasm because you're concerned about the longer term imact on your club. I hate feeling like this & almost can't wait for the year to be over. The stakes are so bloody high though. If you threw Hodge & Kerr into our team would we be a team that could make the finals ? Obviously no. But if you threw them into what this team could be in a couple of years it's a different story. That's what we have at our fingertips - the chance to pick up a pair of Hodge-like and/or Kerr-like players for next year who will develop with this team. We need them both. I too want a flag - not an occasional victory against mediocre interstate sides. And I never want to have to feel like this again - couldn't even sing the bloody song after the game

Rhino, I take issue with that description of Robertson, particularly from someone who has followed the MFC as long as your username suggests you have. You're not a 14 year old kid. No matter what you or anyone else thinks of Robertson, his form or his future, his contribution to the MFC entitles him to more respect than you show him with that description. Just a couple of things you might have missed. Over 200 games. Over 400 goals. A B&F. I hope you ignored the request to wear your Melbourne jumper last Saturday because you would [censored] disgrace it.

My greatest disappointment in the whole sorry incident is that he whacked the wrong Selwood brother. Had he got that other [censored] he could have used something similar to the Josh Carr defence.

One of my least comfortable days at the footy WJ. My jumper was last on my frame about 25 years & at even more kilograms ago. Needed a bloody shoehorn to get it off when I got home!

Agree. I don't mind him being ignored if he's in a poor position but a number of times today he was available & a poorer option taken, resulting in a turnover. Began to wonder if he's shagged someone's missus.

Obster from Demonology knows MF and has apparently filled him in on this.

Great work fork. $100 lodged via the blue box. DN122674

Yes but you are an enlightened Demon Jaded, not a scurrilous bluebagger. Your actions are to be applauded.

Dingo, you replied to one of our Demon ladies posts. QueenC. Refer also to Jaded who also is "not a he"

That is child abuse. That "carer" should be immediately removed from any contact with children, be formally charged with crimes against humanity & incarcerated. Interesting reading about partners of other persuasions but I can tell you, it is better to be involved with a Collingwood fan than it is to have a partner that has no interest in footy whatsover. They have no concept of our passion for our club. They can't understand why we abuse the umpire, even when watching a tape of a game we've. And they utter that horrid expression "why are you getting so worked up - it's only a game". Or "did you lose again - oh, well, it's only footy". Shits me no end. She decided at one point to embrace attending football in the name of "doing things as a family". After a few games when it became apparent that she found the crowd more interesting than the on-field action, the kids banned her. Queenie & Jaded - much respect to the pair of you for the fine job you are doing in expanding our supporter base. Keep up the good work !

Of that lot, the 'Pies look the most vulnerable at the moment. I'd be happy to pick up our next win against them on QB.

It's a pleasant change to have posters struggling to decide who they would see as being surplus to requirements. A year ago the same thread would have had us struggling to decide who justified being kept. Just another small sign that things are on the up.

That was the mail over at Demonology from a bloke who's usually on the money

Never met a footy or sports journo that needed a reason to get [censored]. And I've got [censored] with a fair few of them over the trip. A few have very short arms.

Voted - get on board people. I can't believe they let Jackson's opinion in Adelaide turn into a story in Melbourne. Typical of the appalling standard of sports journalism in this city. Fat lazy pricks incapable of finding a real story of their own.

Newton led the scorers with 3 goals in that game. Doubt that lightning will strike twice though.

No doubting your passion Typical Ducker but you're wasting your time here. You see, we don't give a [censored]. There was a time when I had a bit of a soft spot for Freo - after all with CC, Schwab, Icke, The Wiz etc there was a significant Melbourne connection. Pavlich is a gun & a delight to watch play. I don't even mind purple. But I'm over all that now. If you spend more time on your own boards instead of ours you'll find no shortage of Docker fans lambasting Schwab & Connolly for the current woes of your club. These are the two blokes who turned that club around. Where once it looked like collapsing in on itself, it's now well supported & financially viable. Connolly was the bloke who gathered a squad & got them playing good enough footy to storm into a preliminary final - a result your supporter base would kill for now. Instead of firing mindless barbs at us, maybe you should have a squiz at those at the helm of the good ship Freo now. You've got a coach who looks bereft of answers, a playing group that appears to have lost all faith in their coach and a captain who appears to have lost faith in his club. But if you choose to go Ducking your problems in favour of slinging off at us, that's your prerogative. I'll agree that the original thread title was over the top & some of the posts ill-informed, but those posters were only commenting on the available info at the time. And where did that info come from ? An incorrect journo ? No. A misquote in a newspaper ? No. A comment purposefully taken out of context ? No. Your bloke, Steve Malaxos, [censored] up. That is the sole source of the latest round of Freo-bashing. Fix your own house before you comment on what our walls are made of. Good luck for the remainder of the season.