Dappa Dan

Given that Rivers, Garland and Frawley own the defensive posts, his competition for a place on the bench or emergencies will be Warnock. I think it's a healthy choice... DB still thinking defence, defence, defence... I'm actually more excited about having a pacey big man than I am about any of the other three, for some reason.

I wouldn't. Not with all the height we have now. He'd be only a pickup for 2011, maybe 2012... and during this time we have to squeeze in Gawn and Fitzpatrick who are highly rated at the club, along with one or two of the big four we just picked up that might come on quicker than expected. Gone are the days of having an old and tired Neitz/Robbo/Ooze/White and needing to top up. There's no room on this list for outside chances, as good as Scully would have made him look. MFC spots are getting rarer and rarer all the time. Oh. And we already have Juice.

Pavlich way too quick and hard at it for that comparison. Watts, likewise, way too quick. Which is not to say Cook isn't good in other ways. You certainly do. He's a sensational deliverer. I originally said I compared him a bit to Dunn, which is wrong. Dunn is a dasher, and pace is certainly Cook's weak point. Is anybody else getting a bit of Jared Rivers with him? Only taller and can kick beautifully? It's all a question of whether or not you think his pace will hurt him. If they want him to play up around half forward, then yeah, there might be games at Subi where he disappears. But if he's going to lead out of the goal-square and bust packs, then pace isn't as much of a problem. We have our high CHFs in Watts, Bate and Dunn ALL of whom like to get out of the fifty. I reckon it's about what you expect to get with pick 12. If he was lightning quick in a straight line, he'd have been just behind Day, maybe ahead of Lynch... So I can't be too annoyed. He has a LOT of strengths, and you can't buy that kind of footy brain that reads the ball that well.

Is it seeming that way? Well that's unfortunate. I'm excited... mostly because of BPs record so far. If he picks a tall, he likes the tall. I'm pleased with the selections because we FINALLY have some height around the place. But even when it's a whole bunch of early picks, I'm more reserved. I wait until they've played. Yes, yes. But you know what I mean. You can compare your style to Staker... or a BETTER player that plays the same type of role. But don't worry, I'm not writing him off because of a puff piece... On a side note, have you noticed how touchy people have gotten on here lately? It's like the opposite of what happened at 'ology in the last 12 months.

Yeah me neither Freak. And searching on Youtube isn't easy.

I have to say... he screams Lynden Dunn to me.

Yeah jeez.... aiming for the stars there Lucas...

The Howe pick is the one the commentators on SEN said was the biggest bolter. I dunno about anyone else, but that kind of excites me, especially in a draft where no-one cared what went after about 30... I like that BP marches to the beat of his own drum, AND that we've addressed a lot of needs (though not a ruckman or HB flank)... If he recruits predictable ones, and they turn out to be stars, he's a genius. If he recruits smokies and they turn out to be stars, he's a genius. Regardless of predictable/smokies... if they're duds, he sucks. It's really that simple. So honestly, what more is there to do but get excited about all the height?

Absolutely. But I didn't do that, and I think only one or two nuff nuffs did. If you look closely I've been supportive. I just don't like it when people crack it when there's even the slightest grumble. There's been no fallout here, just a few question marks. I reckon it's absolutely fair enough to say that a certain player would have lasted another round when all the professionals have staked their reputations on the fact that they wouldn't have been picked up as early as they were. There's nothing WRONG with raising a few question marks. It's our duty as members, and recruiting is among the most IMPORTANT aspects of a footy club. You're saying I don't know [censored] about recruiting? Fair go... That's a load of [censored]. We all revel in being critical of Freo's recruiting, and Richmond's. Recruiting is another department of MFC, and they should only be free from criticism early in their careers. And there's NOTHING wrong with thinking we took guys early. Likewise, it's fair enough to not be as excited about our recruiting this year as others. There were a number of smokies in there. Lighten up. It's a forum. You should know this better than most.

Not allowed to be critical of recruiters/players suddenly? but when it's a 220 game veteran we got for basically nothing, it's ok?

Yeah, you never lose on draft day, but sometimes you get bad luck and the ones you want are the pick before. Lynch I reckon would have been good to get, and then some say O'Shea is the reason we paused so long for the last pick... but then had we REALLY wanted him, we'd have taken him 3 picks before. So I'm not too sure I can get overly excited by this one. I like that we have talls finally, but want to see more before I get up and about. Don't ask me why, but McDonald... just makes me think of Miller. (something about commitment/travelling from the north). Please don't hate me.

ANOTHER ONE!! All talls?!!! His writeup says he is "committed." Nothing on skills...

Taking their sweet time...

Lightning quick defensive tall? 90 kgs, not too bad.

Another one!!!

They're talking about Howe being a bolter. Could we have taken him later? We decided not to go for Talia or Black last year, but went for these two? Interesting. This feels a lot like Gysberts' recruiting last year, and look how THAT turned out.

Howe exciting!!! 2 big forwards! Let's hope our KP forward drafting goes better than the last time (Bate, Dunn, Newton)

Darling to WC...

Jeez Lynch going at 11 hurt I reckon.

Atley or Lynch! Or a random Gysberts-like smokey.

Yep, but of those, only 3 walked or were traded. Buckley was let go and was given a lifeline. Of those three, one was a blessing, as he's now been delisted by the Blues. Leaving two. Of those two, one got us pick #11 and Gysberts, who looks a player. And Brock's not set the world on fire (still could though). Which leaves only Bruce, who has at most 2 years left. My point being, if you're going to lose players, this is the way to do it. For a little taste of something different here. I just watched Mike Vick (yes, the dog killer) have an absolutely massive game for the Eagles against bitter rivals the Redskins in the NFL. The year before, the Eagles traded the best QB they'd ever had away (Donovan McNabb), more-or-less in his prime, for a second round pick. McNabb was traded to the Redskins, and had just a day ago signed for a 40-75 million dollar contract for five years, indicating he's still got a LOT of great footy to play. It was a risky choice as the two players they had left were his backups. Vick has come on to be one of the top 5 QBs in the game, and one of its most entertaining and damaging, while their trade has gone on to frustrate and was just yesterday humiliated by his old side, despite throwing for nearly 300 yards. It's great when a club holds on to its champions til they retire.... but the simple fact is, trading a good player who is still ok, but is on a slow decline, is the most beneficial way to do things. Always turning over your list... There's a strong indication that the club, under Bailey and its board, has taken a far more "professional" route. I hope they'll follow the fortunes of Philly, who went from being a basket case to what is now one of the powerhouses of the NFL.

If people pull out of MCC membership and opt for MFC membership, then that only helps the club.

45 points in a half?!!!! DO WHAT YOU DO MIKE VICK!!!!!!!!

Interesting OP. Certainly. The club, I imgaine, looks at every big call like the JMac and Bruce ones and considers the ramifications. They want to advertise themselves as a loyal club to any player that wishes to come here, which is a good reason to keep players who are a bit long in the tooth. But by the same tokenm they don't want to seem like a retirement home. Also... they set a theme with those big names you mention. The club makes a call and won't negotiate beyond the price they decide. It's a sound strategy. But it'll be interesting to see whether or not the end result will make us more desirable in the future... or perhaps less desirable in 5-10 years when we decline again.

Will they ever... I think last year, around the time we were playing either one of the Roos or Tiges, they did the whole "who has the youngest list" thing. I think we were second, Richmond first, and the Roos just behind us.