jabberwocky

Can you explain this statement?

If you have a membership that cares enough and has the resources to support the club surely that is a strength and not a weakness. Is it not part of the board's job to extract the dollars from it's membership and corporate supporters? It's a credit to the board and those who support the club.

The club recieving donations is actually a sign of it's strength and sustainability. It means that there are people out there who love the cub and have the $$ and willingness to contribute, we all know that it is not easy to stop loving your club. Well done to the whole club for keeping it ticking along in this tough period. With good business decisions and some footy success the future will be rosy.

Melbourne supporter and Demonlander, stating the obvious.

Would be surprised if we didnt pick up a mature age small forward for the rookie list. Would be consistent with everything else we have done.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLR3CgeUeyc

Would Morton, Gysberts and Cook be drafted under the 4 Pillars? The philosophical differences between this recruiting team and the previous one are striking. This crew rates the boys more on what is in front of them rather than what they might become, especially in a physical sense. It seems that we have a footy department that is looking to control all aspects and not leave much to whimsy and luck. Neeld is all about playing the percentages both on and off the field.

I think that what we have addressed over the pre-season will make the worst player in the 22 better. I expect that as a result we will be harder to play against. What we don't know is where the brilliance will come from ie: the big clutch marks in defence, the line breaking runs, the strong clearances and class disposals, the freak goals and the pack marks up forward. Those big game defining moments that are consistently provided by champions of the game of which we have none.

What WJ said, The players we have added could not give any less than the players that were removed.

You have an interesting way of agreeing with people.

We can isolate decisions made by the FD but it gets back to what they are trying to do with the list in it's entirity. Personally I think that Stefan Martin is a greater loss than the Gys but that comes back to my perceptions. The fact is that Neeld's vision for the list is very different to Bailey's and I am prepared to back his mandate to make us harder and better. he is in a much better position to judge these blokes than we are. We can only surmise at the commitment these guys have through what we see on the ground and track and what we hear through rumour. As for this bloke Hannath, the modern ruckman needs to have good strength, athleticism and a strong diesel engine that allows him to get to contests and influence the game around the ground. Even better if they have the skills to be a link man when needed. If thats what he is and he wants it then I hope we pick him up. As I said earlier getting your rucks from the rookie list is a wise move if you can swing it.

Exactly. Obviously fairly important aspects of being an AFL midfielder. If only my skills and pace were a bit better I woulda been awesome.

I think we will be vastly improved, which is contadictory to a few of the pundits on here I normally see eye to eye with. Penny should drop with game plan, fitter and stronger young bodies, more players vying for selection, holes filled.

Personally i don't think Gys is good enough, nowhere near exceptionally talented. We shall see. If he does become a serviceable player, which with his limitations is all that I can see him becoming I will not think that getting rid of him was a bad decision. What are Gysbert's exceptional talents Stuie? Chucking a tanty, who said Neeld was the one who had the tanty?

Neither player has the attributes that Neeld wants, and he brought in players that he thinks have them. Very simple stuff. So the list improves according to Neelds specs. The opposite of an each way bet. Notwithstanding the fact that trades/delisting enforce the adherence to standards set by the coaching crew. You need to take a broader view of these things.

Martin was a PSD pick and was traded for 52 and 72 which snared us Matt Jones at 52 , 72 was used to upgrade Evans and allowed us to use the pick on Terlich?

Chances are that one or two of the blokes that we have let go will succeed at another club. That won't mean that we will have made a mistake. The list needs to be looked at as an entity on it's own and not as a group of indivduals.

This is the problem I see with Spencer, not a great judge of the ball in flight and has concrete hands. I like my rucks to be able able to take marks around the ground even if they have other shortcomings, he hasn't been able to show that he can do it consistently. Maybe this year he can, would like to see him succeed.

I'm a big fan of getting rucks on the rookie list.

FB: Nicholson Frawley Garland HB: Watts McDonald Taggert C: Toumpas Viney Trengove HF: Howe Clark Blease FF: Pederson Dawes Byrnes R: Jamar Grimes Jones Int: Mckenzie Rodan Sylvia Sub: Strauss/Bail Tapscott and Dunn thereabouts. Hopefully big Max breaks in. Need someone to own the line breaking half back posi, put Taggert in there but could be Strauss, Terlich, maybe Tynan or even Toumpas eventually. Also opted for Toumpas on the wing, not ready but again speed and skill needed. Not the round 1 side

Seth Fiegels looks very impressive. Nuggety, good skills, one touch player goal kicking mid. Was on the junior pro surfing circuit but developed an allergic reaction to board wax.

All good. I like pretending to be the mentalist is all.

Apparently it went to Blacktown just to have a look around.

I am certain I know who you are now

I agree HT, I don't expect either Toumpas or Viney to contribute consistently at a high level this season. If they do I would consider it a bonus. I think the improvement will come because of thes factors which were missing under the "get games into kids" fiasco.... -with the inclusions of the mature players that we have added to fill "holes" through strategic recruiting for the here and now. -the increased options that the coaches will have at selection to make repairs, cover poor form, lack of discipline and injury. -and the pressure that depth will place on players to consistently perform at a high level. Add to this an improved fitness base, another year of strength and conditioning into our kids and a greater digestion of the "game plan" it should bear some results. We also have a nice draw. I understand what it is to be a Melbourne supporter, but this coaching and recruiting group has gone a long way to eliminate any excuses for under-performance. There is no safety net anymore and Neeld will know that this is not purely a development but a year where all expect results. It's not bruise free football anymore, it's not bruise free coaching or training either. Its balls on the line stuff for everyone. As Gysberts, Cook and Morton will attest, there won't be unlimited chances. Perform or perish for everyone. I predict that by the end of the year there will be more individual casualties, but less than last year. I also expect that the MFC will begin to regain it's self respect.