Dappa Dan

No-one will make the side this year. Beamer deserves it, but as we know, those midfield spots are just about pre-determined every year. You just can't go past guys like Judd, Murphy, Mitchell... even a guy like Ablett has played some quiet ones, but then some games where he was incredible. Moloney's consistency is there, and he's going to be the highest ranked centre clearance player most likely. But his BOGs weren't as numerous. Will definitely make the squad, but isn't high-profile enough to get in the team. Especially when this next month will keep him nice and quiet. If he stars in 3 of the next 4 weeks from hell, then he'll be in calculations properly. Don't hold your breath though. Frawley is one I reckon should be seriously considered. Gibson will get in. Then you've got Fischer and McPharlin more or less as the most likely... After that Scarlett would be up there, maybe on the bench. So Chipper will have had to beat Enright, Taylor and Tarrant if they're going to include a fifth KP defender. And I think you'd be hard pressed to say he was better than any of those three. Let alone any of the four before that. I don't reckon Reid has been better than Frawley, and Jamison will have missed too much footy... So it's Gibson > Fischer > McPharlin > Scarlett >>>>> Frawley, Enright, Taylor, Tarrant. PS... I think in years to come Garland and he will be fighting for each others' spot. Martin = zero chance. He's not even the best AA ruckman chance in his team. Cox has the starting spot, with Goldstein second. Then there's about 10 guys after him that Stef is behind... Leuenberger, Mumford, Jacobs, Sandilands, Ottens, Jamar... the list goes on. And Stef hasn't played enough, or well enough, in any other position to lock down a spot. Won't even make the squad I don't think. No disrespect to the kid. Great year.

I love the idea, considering we have the blue-chip midfield we've always wanted as demons fans since... well... since I've been alive... I don't hate the Sydney model whete they just keep recruiting big forwards as they peter out in their careers... but they pick them up from clubs that are having trouble with delivery from their midfields. I like the White one. Though I'm not sure he has as much upside as we would perhaps need. The Fev one I'm warming to, and I'll tell you why. I really think that the AFL, over the space of the next 20-30 years will get more and more like the NFL. In their game, they recruit players from absolutely anywhere, and at older ages than you would think. They're certainly not as youth obsessed as we are. If you had told me about a player who had great form in the VFL, had developed late, kicked big bags regularly, and had found improvement you didn't know was there.... I'd have given serious thought to giving him a rookie spot. If you told me he'd won a couple of Colemans I'd be jumping at it. It's really only the peanut factor that makes me question it, as it is with everyone. I think all in all if you plan to use him for 15 games in the year at least, and you're SURE he'll behave, then go for it. But if he's only on the list as a get-out clause, like what Campbell is now... then forget it. Not worth poisoning the list if you're not going to get 30 goals from him. The main aspect I like about recruiting players for 1-2 years is that you don't get left with a Newton situation. We keep going for these massively speculative picks... because that's how you recruit young KP players. If you want a good one, you have to use a first round pick. And with recruiting being as it is, usually they end up in the first few picks. All in all, I'd rather us offer a couple of years to an out of contract free agent-type player, while allowing Jack to stay in his spot, than to go for some NQR youngster that asks for WAY more money than he's worth.

Quick thought. I think the premiership winner, and anyone who makes something noteworkthy... like a prelim, grandfinal... should have a medal. Or at least the right to put on their signature what they achieved. Up yourself? Maybe. But then I reckon wear it with pride.

Apologies to everyone on the trade table... Dappa's getting desperate!

I just did the ladder predictor, and I had us in 8th, .7 percentage points over the Saints in 9th. It COULD happen. It's just very unlikely with all the results going the way of our big rivals. It's pretty simple I reckon. Beat one of these big four teams, we get in. I think. That's not that strange. Geelong losing to Essendon, Dogs victory and Saints over WC are crazy results.

Agreed that it may be the one we have to win. We have 7 matches left, and by my Bailey's ladder predictor calculations, the only way we get in off 3 wins is if EVERY team around us stumbles at some point. The unusual North/Essendon/Dogs and Saints wins are all screwing with our chances. I can't see us beating WC, Blues or Geelong. But if we can sneak one of the next 4 AT ALL, we will be a good, good chance of having Bailey as our coach next year. :D

We play them again. :D

I picked Watts, with Martin a VERY close second.

I read somewhere that they sung the song in the coldroom, and Scully was in the rooms...

You're right, Tappy will get better. I feel like he would have been taken off had Scully not got his knock. Either him, Strauss, Nicho or Morton anyway.

Actually I do. McIntosh, Sandi and [censored] Clark.

I didn't? Did it seem like I did? Yeah, have a look at the Stokes one. It's his accuracy that forces him up, so you're right to say he's ranked higher than he should be. Just not THAT much higher. I reckon Nicky's also ranked higher than he should be too... Good player though. Why else would I be having a crack? All for that, assuming there's a forum for us to discuss these trades at length... You and I are part of a different league where we can all discuss our trades every weekend at the footy... So it's easy for us to campaign. So without that, trade functions are all we have.

Am I the only one who isn't all that wrapped up in Malthouse? Took him the better part of a decade at the richest club. He's said himself it takes you 5 years to get the team of assistants around you that you need. And I don't know that he's gonna have that hunger. And... and... and... he smells.

Sooo.... I think it should be a blanket rule here that when a ridiculous trade comes your way, it's not necessarily something you should knock back completely. Most of my trades start on the scale of helping me... but are more to get the ball rolling with counter offers... OMR... Stokes for Nicky Dal is not ridiculous. As I recognised last year Stokes is an awesome UF player. Got me deep into finals last year, and no-one sees him coming. Granted it's kind of an even trade there, so you have no reason to go for it... but it was meant to get the ball rolling, moreso than to be actually entertained. If you're gonna let go of a Nicky Dal, and me of a Stokes, it's going to take a lot more courting, which was all I was initiating.

Aaaah. Never mind. Forgot there's no red and blue this weekend momentarily. Blease getting a good 4 quarters in would be good. Bennell needs to be dropped for the weekend after next though.

What's wrong with that? Well. I guess you're not far off. Those guys have the 60 metre goal capacity... just not much else.

I reckon both those names would have been first on the list to be dropped if there were players that HAD to be moved up. Maric/Bate/Tappy for example.

Heeeey... What's with the Rivers and Jamar hate? Jamar leads by example and Rivers, while not being the greatest player ever, has never had problems leading.

Scully is better. Good player, but he's not in the top 10 IMO. I think Sheahan might sneak him in a few times over his career, but he's not the midfielder Judd, Swan, Ablett, Bartel, Embleberry and a number of others are. Kind of reminds me of a much better Montagna. Montagna at his most damaging is in the top 20 in the league, but that's his ceiling.

I do.

I predict a draw... :D Gonna be AWESOME. And the best part, even if you miss the finals, you still have a finals system to play in. Yep. Now that people have the swing of it, it's gonna get pretty dicey up in here...

Yep. If he wore a bib with "C" on it, might have helped his chances. Strikes me as the sort of player that if he can play next week, he plays next week.

Holy crap. 34? Wow. That's just really, really sad. So young. Condolences to anyone who knew her well here.

Yep, for sure. A suggestion though. Assuming that if a second UF comp got started up, maybe the current league could get split into half and half, just so with the newer comps they have some leadership through the difficult teething period. Another suggestion... just a fun silly one. Make it a Premier League/Champions league type scenario. Bottom four from the premier league get relegated, top four from Champion's league get promoted. Would weed out the no-shows a little bit better, and give incentive to keep playing despite having been taken out of the finals race. :D Yeah, and you get to know their personalities better too... makes reading their posts make a bit more sense. Some powerful senses of irony in this place. And I don't see why it wouldn't go to 18. Play each opponent once, plus one player twice = 18 rounds... plus 4 for finals. Another suggestion would be to make week 18 a "floating" schedule. In this last week before finals 1 vs 2, 3 vs 4, 5 vs 6 etc etc...