Dappa Dan

Fool.

Gentleman? Try living with him... It's awesome. I don't even bother with SC anymore. The trading, between mates, is actually awesome too. In another comp we have a guy 3-4 games clear in the lead who only proposes stupid trades that are hopelessly in his favour, and he claims they make sense. Such a sheister, but even in the context of mates, it's funny. I think that's part of the issue here. Only 4 of us know anyone else in the comp... and as brothers... we're actually less likely to be cordial with one another. Well. Not on here anyway. Down the pub, however... Yeah. Watch Sandi [censored]-slap you this week. You'll change your tune. Geez. Win one grand final... BTW what happened last weekend in our other comp? Hang on... let me check... I had a pretty strong list at the start of the year, and I wouldn't be talked into any silly trades as I held all the chips at that time. JA and I know that a trade would REALLY have to be mutually beneficial to even get talked about... no speculating as you don't want to give your brother the opportunity to gloat. For example, if he had 4 really good forwards, but only 2 good backs, and I had the reverse... 4B and 2F... THEN we'd do a trade. Believe me the only hand me down I'd take from him is his car.

Yup. Before the GWS and GCS entrances, there wasn't a 1 million dollar player... Everyone talked about which one would be the first. Scully aint there yet.

Knowing you, it would be... Exactly. UF = no room for family allegiances. Jackattack v Dappadan this week a good example. No prisoners. No mercy. That result is huge in my year. I'm now a better than even chance to make top 4, with big names coming back from injury. Lose that one, and I'd have been more than likely 5th. I think MOST people on here see the pitfalls now. Well put about the Rydergate incident... We made our point in those weeks, and were given a hard time about it. Since then we've been proven correct, and now that everyone is an expert, I reckon the problems with trading will be lessened in future comps. Bottom line, the pros in this comp FAR outweigh the cons. At least at this stage. I reckon if anyone can sneak trades through the veto process, or with prior knowledge of players' injuries, or inside word on players being overlooked for selection (McIntosh a good example in my list)... then more power to you. It's all part of the vagaries... and all part of the fun.

I wouldn't be shocked to see Bate on the list at the end of the year... But at the same time, he's kind of in a Newton position, where we need to maintain a few talls in the twos, as a get out of jail... Hell. Martin came out of nowhere this year. Bate showed a lot more than him early on, and is actually younger. Could happen. I'm just not expecting much.

Who cares. We're now at the place we weren't at earlier in the year, where players in the twos aren't being forced to work hard to get a place in the ones. Players are being turned over just cos heads have to roll. A very 2008 mentality. This year is shot. Are last hope is West Coast at Etihad.

Yeah. You're cool. A real fan doesn't have "crossroads" moments like you. Thick and thin. Hey... at least we don't follow Richmond. As for this Sylvia/Scully "crossroads" talk... 3-4 years ago we had nothing. No money, president, our list was a shambles... I remember thinking then that the clubs' solution of turning over the entire list (except Green, Jamar, and maybe one or two others) over the following 3-4 years, and basically raping the draft, was only going to be the beginning. This whole Sylvia/Scully thing is part of the second phase of the plan. The first one was to recruit them and develop them. Phase two was the rise up the ladder, where we knew EVERY club would come in and try to nick our players with more money, and promises of game-time, training facilities etc etc. With phase three being the period we're at top 4, and are threatening for a flag. The point here is not that Sylvia and Scully are negotiating, or under threat of leaving. The point is that we're OBVIOUSLY on the right track if Melbourne is seen as a club with vast stocks of approachable, affordable talent. You know what would be the WORST thing? If Melbourne was NOT being attacked for its list. This is all part of the plan, and I reckon the club deserves a pat on the back at times for the fact that Sylvia and Scully are the ONLY two stars that are under threat. Nobody mentions the fact that Trengove signed up voluntarily, despite the fact he's shown just as much as Scully. And no-one mentions the fact that Watts isn't being spoken about as leaving, or even that probably our best player of the future, Chip Frawley, got in so early that everyone MISSED him signing. I'm not saying I want Sylvia or Scully to go. Mostly because we're spoilt with our trades of recent years... like Trav and Brock. I fear that if they go, they'll have a lot of success. And yes, the idea that the best talent in Melbourne is considered approachable... but the best talent at Collingwood is untouchable really doesn't sit well with me... But let's not get all up in a huff about this. If Scully is a player who's only playing for the money, then am I the only one that thinks we might be better off without him? Yes Sylvia will be a gun anywhere he goes, but if he's gone, he's gone... we'll be compensated for a trade there too. What if they gave us White, or Reid, Or Johnson off their list for Sylvia? It's not all doom and gloom. This was ALL part of the plan, and was all predicted a long while ago. It's not like the board didn't see it coming.

This week. 1st v 2nd, 3rd v 4th. JCB will be in the top four at weeks end!

Well fought 45. Good game. Can't believe 16th nearly tok out 1st, but for a few kicks... Amazing. Pointy end of the season looking interesting now!

Looking at the draw, we have this situation now everyone's talking about where we have to cause an upset over one of these next three teams to make it. The thing is all these other sides have been causing upsets. Essendon over Cats, St Kilda as well, Bulldogs did an amazing job there or a while, and North are looking pretty powerful. I think the next two weeks we'll lose, and lose big. Which means we have to beat WC at Etihad, and the last 3. That's four in a row. Going on what we see today, we won't make it.

What ended up happening sub wise?

Don't doubt the effect of Darwin. Not a shock that some of our players that made the most impact were guys who didn't make the trip. Half of Jack Watts is still in Darwin now.

JACK WATTS! This interview, I assume at half time... with Leigh Matthews!?!? How did I not know about this? Jack looks like a blonde Ron Jeremy!!!!

Dunn also doing lots. Heaps of improvement left in us on the day though. Frawley could turn it around. I'd like to see Garland go to him, maybe to free up some of that Frawley rebound. Watts needs to take a grab. Sylvia needs to earn us a first rounder.

Some of the unsung names having an impact. Bate doing things. It's big names that aren't doing much. Beamer and Green touching it heaps but not having much of an impact. Frawley getting pantsed. Strange. They're definitely having a dip.

From 16:18 on the clock in the first quarter, we've actually won this game.

This is a hell of a matchup. Gonna come down to Shuey vs DeBoer. 12 hitouts between us. :D

Yeah, from what little you can tell from the radio, we just don't have the cattle... but we have turned up. 12 inside fifties to 10 in our favour in the first quarter... Unusual that the Hawks kicked 6 goals from their 10 inside fifties. Usually that's a strength of ours. McKenzie 7 tackles in that quarter. Smashing the clearances. Some things to like. Hawks are just that good. That much more mature. Even if we stop Buddy, Hodge, Mitchell... they run deep with Breust, Savage, Suckling etc.

Give him a break. He's no rocket surgeon. Oh dear. That's my main point. I like the idea of Hanneberry (cos I think he's a better all round player), but only cos he'll mature with the rest of our guns. But there has to come a time where you stop being the training ground for other sides. Trading Woey, Trav and Brock when they were past their prime is one thing. trading Silly when he has 3 of his best years right at his doorstep is a worry. I liken it to the MLB. The Toronto Blue Jays are a side who always suck. They have no money, but somehow end up with the best pitcher in baseball in Roy "Doc" Halladay. Then the Phillies come steaming in with millions on dollars and snaffle him up in exchange for about 4 big name prospects. But history will show that the good doctor will win a few Cy Young awards, take his team to multiple Division championships... and people will wonder why they parted with him. Obviously it's because they're poor. But then we're no different If we were the Pies or Blues we wouldn't even be talking about this. He'd have signed aready. And for that reason, the ONLY way forward is for MFC to be steadfast in negotiations. There's no other way.

Oh my god... Put Schneider on my bench and what does he do? kicks 5 straight.

I was trying to come up with a better word than stalled. I was going to go with plateaued. But both imply that when he reaches this point, he won't improve again. Like I said, I always expected that his natural game of busting through packs would actually WORK when he finally is bigger than everyone else. Which will happen in the next few years as the big scary sides (Cats, Hawks, Saints, Dogs) are forced to rebuild. My point was that I was kind of expecting it to happen now. He's definitely freed up with the inclusion of Scully and Trengove, but I expected perhaps a bit more impact on games. Especially since he's now not the first line of defence when the opposition are cannoning into him running through the midfield. From my limited experience, it's SO much easier to go in hard and work your legs to come out the other side clean when you know you're not the first and last player doing it. It's not a sleight on him. He's still a good player.... That's the idea! The other is that he's not injury prone. In fact, I would say his incredible durability is what's been his best feature so far. How many can boast that at 23? Selwood?

Absolutely not. Power is massively over-rated. No room for him anyway. No, Neit, Nay.

Ouch.

The Jones boy. Having a very good year. Been solid... but I am actually more disappointed in him at the moment than I have ever been. I really thought his career would stall around the 21-24 age... and then rocket to Nathan Burke-style reliability by the time he was 28, since he would by then be one of the BIGGER bodies going round. At the moment though, it looks like Hannabal (who has fallen off the edge of the planet) might have been right. In a gun midfield, he'll be one of your second rotation of mids, and will get squeezed out of a premiership midfield.

Oh yes. It'll be the crowning achievement in demonland. I'm limping though. Can't everyone tell by the dozen or so trades I put forward this week? Take your pleb competition somewhere else. This is the game of men.