beelzebub

Before you dismiss quite so out of hand.,.. and without any argument to the contrary, consider this. Just how many of the oh-no-not-another-utilty types do we need ? yes arguably more than a few wont last for ever on our lists but we have a few: Bail, Bartram, Bell, Bennell, Blease, Cheney, Dunn , Jetta, Maric, McNamara , Petterd, Struss heally Huhghes and McKenzie and possibly Wonna. Some havent even any real games to them yet . We have also some who have already shown reasons to keep: Grimes, Morton, and I suppose players like Martin and Spencer fall somewhere into a group like this also. We have some decent mids , if not top flight and were about to add to them honing this section for some time. How many more general-utility type-mids do we want ? Harrington has already intimated that there wil be more than a hint of height in latter picks..i.e after 1 and 2. The better tall timber will undoubtedly have gone by 18...so whats left to venture into. I simply suggest thats where a few projects come into the picture. Daw is no Nic Nac but can reach just about as far and already has a better lower game than him .If this guy can pick up as much about our game in a few short years ...the mind boggles as to his limits if given AFL level coaching and facilities. Harrington has had stints with both Nth and the Pups...co-incidentally the two clubs most closely eying Daw. Sometimes you have to take a bit of a punt. Probably in 'normal' times Daw wouldnt even get a look in before 50-60...but these are not normal times and the chance for us to grab the cherries wont come along for a long long time. Yes..an unripened cherry... granted !!

It will be interesting wont it A lot of cards being kept close to chests. He better be able to back up anything he's written on those tickets on self <_< In FD we trust

why ? His performance at Vic-Screening and in the estimation of more than one observer has his measure massively uprated. Many of the more fancied players.. kpp-talls..& poss rucks etc will quite likely be gone by 18. If the Carlisle's , Talia's, Butcher's, Vardy's and Blacks"s of this draft arent there come our 18 why not look outside the square and look to someone who , yes is raw, and in need of quite some coaching but with massive simply athletic ability. Many a player ( draftee ) has been taken on less visible evidence. He wont be there at 30 let alone 34....doubt it very much. With the likely hood of Thorp in the PSd and having succeeded in grabbing the dynamic duo with 1 & 2 we are well on our way to addressing massive shortcomings. Dot forget we still have a handful of kids to really hit the park so is there that much sillyness in looking forward a bit and bringing on baord a couple of guys who we know are projects ??. Its a bit like grabbing early out of the next draft in a sense for god knows how little we may get out of the next 2-3 years .

I can see the value of him as a player and should we indeed take him and he does our colours proud, then well.. I'll be as tickled pink as the next guy. I too dislike the notion of having our course dictated to by him in any manner, its annoying to say the least..but id rather let him slide than take him in a show of position, only to cut off our nose to spite our face. He's not even here ( or not ) and hes created a huge divide !! <_<

Ive no argument at all that Football is a business. But Id argue that playing football, even at the highest level is a passion, not just a job. Any of you that have been fortunate enough to have access to Personal Dev courses , seminars and the like will advocate that you are far more productive in work that you have passion for. Otherwise..its 'just' a job..etc etc. I can hear some already dismissing that at bunkem and thats your perogative but I have no doubt that Bailey and his crew want people who are passionate to play for Melbourne...to WANT to be there , to give their 100% and then some. I would argue there is a difference between the generally accepted 'journeyman of football" and the case of Luke Ball. In general journeymen will look at all things on merits and play accordingly in a gun for hire manner. Luke has , to me , exhibited sincere contempt for our club let alone any lack of desire to play for it. Well..there are only 15 clubs that are supposedly in any race as he's already rejected StKilda.. and id suggest already rejected us. if he was as some would say prepared to play for us why would he not sit down and negotiate a deal to the best advantage of both parties ? Why... because he simply has no interest. Having said this I also put my faith in our FD and Ill be very surprised if I hear the name; Ball, Luke # xxxxxxx called out after our club is called. Any idea that he is as effectively up for grabs as a Draftee simlpy overlooks the glaring differences of circumstance

the poster and slogan that ALMOST got away !!

BUMP ^^^^^ is now 13063 and thats pretty bloody good I think Also we seem to be the only club with 2010 tally up...shove that up the others. So much for the lack of passion with Dee followers !! I congratulate the club on its efforts to date and continued success. I would also like to commend them for instigating many of the ideas from the summit regarding memberships. Hopefully more of th eideas to roll out yet If you folks have any ideas..dont be shy [email protected]

ah well..a bit of fun 1. Trengove 2. Scully 11. Black/Talia/Carlisle/Vardy ( best of still avail ) 18. Vardy or if gone then Daw.. yes..very speculative I know, but ive been an admirer of him from the start and see no reason to jump ship. Hes come right in with a wet sail and cant see him being there at 34 as The Doggies (@ 31 ) or Nth ( @ 25 ) will snare him. Raw is Daw but we'd be silly not to consider his potential ( like Patrick ) 34. Daw if still there or Dylan Grimes 50. Liam Patrick PSD1. Thorp the thing to keep in mind ( Im sure we all are) is that many of our preferred choices to suit particular needs etc just wont be there. Hence im leaning a little on the speculative side after pick 11. we HAVE quite a few guys yet to hit the paddock for all intents and purposes so we might have a little time up our sleeves to develop a couple of the more left-field selections.

stock....> pot ..... GOLD !!

and your point ?

Blues adopt "controversial" slogan Its quiet...not a lot "Melbourne" happening and then this gem appears. Well if nothing else Carlton certainly have no short reserve of ego !! That in itself is fine but you somewhat need to back such things up or they become not just commentable but comical !! Last year we had "They know were coming" and by golly that put the scares up everone !! Apart from any sleazy connotations it really forgot to tell anyone "to do what " ?? It all ended up a bit like the 5:15 from Flinders St ; it came...it went... nothing terribly much else to note Now we have..oooohhh wait for it... "Can You Smell What The Blues Are Cooking" . accompanied by imagery of Judd, Gibbs, Murphy and Kreuzer standing around a Premiership Cup that is being used as a cooking pot with a Magpie and a Bomber inside. Sinister things are afoot my friends ... They all do however look rather off-colour and sickly, boogadee boogadee !! That they've copied ( essentially ) a catch-cry of the Rock only serves to show how imaginative this lot are. So in answer to Visy land...can we smell it ?? sure can.....smells like a Crock of Sh!t !!!!

yes it bloody is.. its not just "feelings" my learned colleague. Were talking about motivation, life goals etc. Ball is certainly entitled to them. This isnt the 18th century and press ganging has long since gone.

You can effectively have as many picks as you have room on both your list and cap. We could have 1 and 17 in the PSD... We wouldnt get another crack until all teams either choose or pass. Would only make sense if there was actually someone there that would elude all other clubs and that we only used 1, 2, 11, 18 and 34 in the ND. having the ability and needing to are two differing things edit: didnt see TU comments before posting.. is same deal need..incentive. yep !!

strangely that would be contrary to the exact mantra Bailey is exuding to his wards

Im with you. Much efort is made with screening and evaluations when recruiting via the draft. Its not just how good ( or bad ) a player might be from a skills perspective but also how they handle themselves on and off the field. i.e youre trying to minimise the carry on you get with the Carroll types. Sylvia only now scrapes through. You essentially want to weed out potential hiccups. Why then would we not apply the same due dilligence when evaluating the performance and positioning of Ball ? Its all very well to say that supposedly once you snare a player, in any manner available that they would produce according to their ability but I dont subscribe to this. If you applied to work for company A and distinctly didnt want to work for the outfit ( B ) only to have A swalowed by B and they your boss after all , youd fel jipped and might well harbour resentments. These will affect how you work. Im not sure that Ball's thinking is quite up there. He seems overly dependent on exterior influences and bases little on clear thinking if, if, his view of who and where Melbourne are situated is built upon the current ladder . Come round 1 season 2010 all bets are off. we no longer start as team 16. I doubt we will be found at the bottom for many many years to come. If his want is simply to play for Colingwood, to play under Mickey Mouse and sidekick then fine. Many, other than we biased, can se where we are going, that we will play a major part in finals for some years to come once our young brigade gels and that that timeframe isnt quite as long as nay-sayers suspect. Why does anyone want someone who obviously isnt interested? I would however do my darndest to obfuscate our position and intent and in so doing capture our prizes whilst derailing others . Some battles are won off the field

ever since our coup collaring Jurrah I have a new found respect for our FD. They, like any club wont get every selection right as some just dont realise the potential. You have to be astute in the way you go about getting the players you want. A lot of mind games and posturing. I particularly believe we are seeing a game of brinkmanship unfolding. ducks and drakes Be interesting to see it all unfold

All things being equal...lets not worry over whenother teams think or feel its appropriate to draft someone..lets draw our list and do it in our time. Probablywont suit a lot...thats life :rolleyes"

Keep in mind he had three token games this year...but the talent IS there. manifesting it to its penultimate level is a journey we will have to watch and wait. He along with Blease.. and Strauss just add to the pile of talent that really not had much of a chance to exhibit itself. Compared to many teams there a warehouse full of potential with the Dees.. Time will tell..as always !!

I should have added the word..NOW !! lol Originally I think we were dead serious about getting him but since weve been spurned I think the club is turning that into a draft weapon of sorts. Why not Only the club will actually know.. all other clubs, well those interested either in Ball or anyone we are likley to draft after 1 and 2, will not know whether we are bluffing, serious or silly...or what We know who we're after...they dont !! Nothing like blindsiding your oppositon B)

hey Jaded....dont forget the Powerpoint presentation !!! B)

I seriously believe that any mentioning of this club with Ball is purely for the purposes of scaremongering and goading Ball to be taken with a sub 20 pick...even pre-11 thus freeing up other players for us to choose

Tall option likely fir Dee's 3rd pick Matt Burgan ( AFL-site ) goes on to suggest: ""WITH Melbourne's first two picks in this year's NAB AFL Draft all but locked in, the club's third pick - No.11 overall - remains a mystery. Tom Scully (Dandenong Stingrays) and Jack Trengove (Sturt) are considered by most to be certainties for the first two selections, with only the order in which the pair is drafted creating intrigue. What seems certain is that several talented talls - including 198cm ruckman Nathan Vardy as well as other key position players - will still be available for the Dees at their Nos.11 and 18 picks."" Well its that time of the game. Every possibility will be written about from now til whence the numbers are called out. So far though much deliberation has been given to the likes of a sliding Butcher..or a Talia..or Black etc being taken with pick 11. of course this morning its also being touted as a threatened way of nabbing the bouncing Ball.. With the now more than equal betting possibility we may take Mitch Thorp either in the ND or the PSD new focus can be allowed towards the use of Melbournes 3rd pick at 11. Vardy's name isnt unknown in the thinkings and suggested selections by many a pundit but for the most part it has been as a lucky filip ought he still be around at pick 18. Melbourne is incredibly lucky in having 4 picks inside the first 20, no other club does. There is pressure inbuilt then to use them wisely in this year of compromised selections. Weve just delisted one Ruck. were not convinced , other than Jamar as to who else will step up as his sidekick so it might well be intelligent to give more than a peripheral glance at any decent talls...and sooner rather than later.

let the games commence... oh..they have Have fun MFC

thats a marginal & line -Ball decision at best ........ its not a notion thats thick in my thoughts...I dont think he does

I tell you what he doesnt have a bad kicking action at all. Looks better than many Irish converts who are a littel too used to the round ball. be interesting to watch his progress...even if he is fillth !! again ..theres a whole country of them.. theres a few guys on our list hed put to shame.. For a yank hes worked out our ball pretty well!! Good luck to him .