whatwhat say what

Does it matter what the rule is? AFL will just make something up.

I just can't fathom him coming back and not playing for us. I would be appalled if he did.

Yeah no chance of getting one now. Good to see the afl ignoring their own criteria. My reading of rule 19 is that it goes to the commission for recommendation NOT the head of football ops. Also, no mention is made of games that could have been won...you know, 22 every season. Just ridiculous. Afl making sure we won't get one. No one will ever again I believe based upon this.

He actually looked to hit targets in a manner vaguely similar to Cotchin - dinky little 20-30m hit-up passes. He didn't follow up the way Cotchin does, however. Unfortunately, this meant that nine times out of ten the person he passed to then sat on it like an egg rather than keep the ball moving. Michie gets a pass though, as at least he has shown he can get the ball and not immediately turn it over.

did dawes really just get outmarked by a midget? good grief.

live stream now working in the app. personally, i wouldn't bother.

tyson is a shocking poor short kick.

bennell is giving watts a bath.

it's gonna be so very, very ugly.

Port could. Their recruiting manager has been watching Billy since he was 12.

Looks like the second coming of Cale Morton to me.

he's a free agent - he can walk. i think we should be trying to do a deal for one of north's swathe of similar midfielders - cunnington, gibson, bastinac, ziebell can't all play in the same side as swallow. gibson is the one i would like the most, but any of them would add to our midfield. doubt a pick around 20 would do the job, and a top 3 pick is overs for any of those players, so it'd be a tough deal to get done.

Yes, it's just awesome isn't it? And at the end of next year Garland can leave too as a UFA - and then that'll be our three supposed backline pillars from 2008-2012 all gone!

It's Collingwood, they can do as they please. See also: Nathan Buckley, Brett Chalmers.

The scary thing is I don't think he has been playing sub-par at all - when forward he's been just about our most effective target and down back probably second behind Dunn. Goes to show just how poor we are.

It's just never going to end is it? We are just going to keep being pushed down until we cease to be, through our own incompetence and inability. It. Just. Never. Ends!

It wouldn't be like a trusted news organisation like 3aw to just make something up would it...

Shiel, proven commodity. Petracca could be the second coming of Sylvia.

Will be targeted by Crows and Power following Lycett committing to meth coke.

emma quayle doesn't think we 'deserve' one, and her reasoning as to why we won't get one: Crucially, any recommendation put to the commission would look long and hard at what Melbourne has the opportunity to do in the next three or four years, not what it has failed to do in the three or four just gone. Hogan, Viney, Dom Tyson, Christian Salem, Jimmy Toumpas, Jay Kennedy-Harris have only just started out and should be on a big upswing. Nathan Jones, Jeremy Howe, Jack Trengove, Jack Grimes, Colin Garland, Jack Watts, Neville Jetta, Chris Dawes and others are all good enough to be part of a team that wins a lot more games for some time yet. The Demons have the No. 2 pick in this year's draft, and probably No. 3, too, if Frawley goes. Whether they trade those picks or keep them, they have the chance to use them well. Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/why-melbourne-shouldnt-get-a-priority-pick-20140819-105qvd.html#ixzz3Aqh6947B

Didn't we have this exact same poll last year? It's a keep for mine, but my reasoning is that: 1) we won't get much for him at the moment 2) the coach says he's fulfilling his role best as possible given that those ahead of him aren't necessarily fulfilling theirs 3) we have very, very players aged 22-25 with actual ball-handling talent and around 100 games experience - and for me this is why I wouldn't trade for a pick but a ready-made player if we were to trade 4) he has the talent to be a good player

If we had been granted one in the 2013 draft at the end of the first round I doubt we would be applying for one in 2014. Bit the afl kowtowed to the 17 clubs and as such here we are again, cap in hand. Absolutely we deserve one. We are rubbish. My guess is the afl will 'manage' the situation to ensure we get high end compo for Chip, presuming he leaves, and end of round 1 priority pick.

Can he win his own ball? Yes Can he do something with it when he gets it? Yes Does he provide leadership? Yes Does he have a lot of experience? Yes Is he an old man? Yes Is he still better than nine-tenths of our list? Yes

Agreed. Like us, their midfield is in a parlous state. Well, probably not as bad as ours...

To be honest, I tipped gws - depth of midfield talent and actual ability to score. But the magnitude of it was extremely disheartening.