whatwhat say what

Unfortunately it's about where I expected us to be.

Still, the opening round looms and who knows, we could be 6-3 and happy little campers heading into Round 10.

Here's dreaming.

so watts is back in my dream team side i guess...

AFL Predictions:

Brownlow Medal: Nathan Fyfe

Coleman Medal: Buddy Franklin

Rising Star: Brad Crouch

Grand Finalists: Geelong V West Coast

Premiers: Geelong

Wooden Spoon: GWS

Biggest AFL Story of the Year: It's already happened / is happening - the peptides / Essendon drug scandal

The Biggest Improvers: Brisbane

The Biggest Sliders: North Melbourne

MFC Predictions:

B&F: Nathan Jones

Leading Goalkicker: Chris Dawes

Best First Year Player: David Rodan

Most Improved: Jack Watts

Final Ladder Position: 15th

Biggest MFC Story of the Year: Board turmoil

Dream Team is awesome. Ahem.

Everyone should register. At least 20 times with different email addresses. Thanks muchly!

I'd rather Lewis and Thomas.

He's a gem to watch, but I don't think he'll ever be a permanent midfielder.

We are no chance of getting him either.

Would love it if Thomas was at the Dees.

Ellis is another UFA I believe that would add harness as skills to our list.

I'm unsure as to why Howe is set to be stationed in the forward line this season.

He showed real ability as a wingman in 2012.

Sylvia is a classic [censored]-tease.

I expect him to be very good for the Pies / Hawks / Swans / Tigers / Crows / Eagles / Whichever contender he goes to in 2014 and beyond.

Unsurprisingly, I'm in the no camp.

We lack the depth and class required, and the history of development has been previously so poor that those who have been with the club over the journey can't possibly cut the mustard.

Our skills have been woeful for years, and thus far show little signs of improvement under the current regime.

One big difference though has been our fitness levels, which seem to have improved tenfold.

You might also like to check afl photos and see if they had an official snapper there.

Tipped Saints by 46, expect it to be about that with the wind at their back.

What's happened to Frawley?

anyone know why wilkes changed his name to maiser?

still reckon he'll end up playing at tigerland.

His tackling was excellent last night, but the one thing he wasn't doing that he's not really done since his first year at the Dees is run to each contest with real intention to impact upon it - he just sort of mooches around the outside of the pack these days, rather than going and getting the ball.

The contrast between him and Greene is extreme.

Whether its instructions from GWS to be more of an outside player who knows, but when Greene is the only player who can get the ball for them in a pack they really need Scully to be the inside-outside player he promised to be.

2013 looms as a big year for him. He needs to show a lot more.

I've been espousing the completely socialist model of the pool of gate receipts being split evenly for at least a decade.

I've spoken to people at the AFL about it, from 'rich' and 'poor' clubs about it, and the general feeling is it will never fly because of the likes of the Silks contingent will never support it.

I still say it makes sense, and is by far and away the easiest way of evening things up - that way there's no need for a cap on external revenue sources (eg pokies, membership, merch sales etc) or football department spend.

The latter will be the next thing that comes in I would imagine.

It won't work, the wealthier clubs will continue to find a way around it.

And the AFL changed their nomenclature to fixture from draw quite deliberately a few years back. It's forever destined to be uneven now as its geared towards tv revenue more than anything else.

Great thread btw, really enjoyable reading.

Buddy was the biggest champ running around on gran final day 2012?

A certain dual Brownlow medallist might have a case to argue about that...

Swans have a host of players I'd consider superior to the Hawks, including one who used to be there.

Nab cup is not free.

it was his positioning and his kicking that pleased me the most.

he looks a lot bigger across the shoulders.

it's weird, cos he's ostensibly there to play a 'small' role if frawley, mcdonald are the key defenders.

he made a couple of errors, but he was hardly alone.

Best episode in years.

bizarre findings and fining.

caro and co. will have a field day with this.

Port look slick and quick, with two genuine targets up front.

The only team to put in a poor showing so far this preseason comp are the Dogs, who looked ordinary (but we're playing two pretty decent sides).

Fingers crossed for him that he makes it.

Loved the Taylor quotes. They're selling the message beautifully, now just to show us on the field.

MELBOURNE'S new recruiting manager Jason Taylor is rapt the Demons have secured promising New Zealander Maia Westrupp on an international scholarship

Dees' new recruiting manager signs Kiwi prospect