Dappa Dan

Yep... I get prickly when people write us off as a club. This happens all the time, and has happened worse to clubs like the Roos. And they have had small disasters with their list too... like Hay, Rawlings, that ex swan KPP who's name escapes me (Powell) etc etc... And look at them now? A figurehead leading the club off the field, and a top 4 finish (likely)... The demons are in some trouble, but it is from low like this that the great highs come... I ay this not to sugarcoat the situation, but to pont out we are a long, LONG way from disappearing from the AFL.

Unfortunately our positivity is read by SOME as blind enthusiasm. Unlike other sites I enjoy demonland BECAUSE fans are positive. Yes there are a few people that are a bit silly when it comes to backing players, but the respect our 40+ guys get here is closer to being deserved... Yze and White are great demons players. They were part of a core group I've watched since my late teens, that took us to a grand final and MANY finals series. They have ALWAYS deserved better than what they have gotten from their fans (particularly White), despite the fact they couldn't bring us the big one in their time. I'm pleased to see they both understand why they're being let go, and respect the reasons. Good luck, and thankyou to both... and I hope to see them wandering around at the club in the future.

Why not? Plenty of aged ruckmen get traded late in their careers. Why not White? I suspect the word is the only reason he was in and out of the side this year is the youth policy. White CAN play better footy and is only 30... He's just done at the dees. Nothing wrong with that. As for Jamar... I was the first at the start of the year to say he'd be gone. He's had an improved 2008, no doubt about it, but I'm utterly unenthused about him being at the demons long into the future. He'll only ever be an average footballer. So if he's traded or delisted I won't be upset. But my feeling is he'll still be there next year. We already have so many mandatory retirings. Neitz, Yze, Holland, White... Weetra, maybe Bode... (was Bode re-signed earlier this season?) I also had CJ in there, but he's well and truly lifted himself off the canvas and is now just about in our best 22. I'd given up hope that he'd start showing his class. Given those 6 guys above, I can only imagine we'll need to offload another 2 or so to make way for Warnock and 6 new draft picks, plus a trade just in case... And assuming we don't trade Bell for a third rounder or something... The only guy really that's in the gun is Jamar. Bartram is too young, Robbo will probably stay, Meesen (I think) has to do a second year of his contract, Newton was re-signed... There's really no-one else I can see us losing.

Do we though? With the new GC team I can't figure out if we still even qualify. Though I doubt we'll win less than five next season. We're bad, but enough is enough... Agree with the Bulldogs part. And ultimately, any one of the five wins was the heart-breaker. And those picks look nice... And that's only assuming we don't get another within the first 25 with a bit of crafty dealing...

One of MFC fans' sore points this year has been the fact we could have gotten two of Watts, Naitanui and Rich had we lost to the blues last year... Something that only just occurred to me is that what's important is that we get as many picks inside the first 20 or so as possible. The beauty here is that instead of 1,2 and 17, we get 1, 17 and 19. Either way we still get an extra player within the first 20... I'm not naive enough to think that whoever we get at 19 will be better than who goes at pick 2.... but what's important here as that we get the quality cattle. We're not in need of one or two problem solving players, but about 12 good -> really good players... And history is littered with picks in the teens that outplay guys taken in their own drafts at 1-5... We lost out big in our recent drafts by winning five games last year. But the GREATER loss is the priority pick we would have gotten last year (in the teens somewhere)... NOT the fact that we missed out on pick 1 and 2 this year... And even the 2007 priority would have been in a weaker draft. Having said that, if pick 2 goes on to be an out and out star, I'll be forced to retract this. My point is that the damage, IMO, is not as bad as first thought.... at this stage, anyway...

I was picking rucks for my Aurion dream team finals hoodger the other day, and I noticed that I didn't want to pick ANY of the ruckmen in the 10 remaining sides that can make finals. The better ruckmen are playing for sides in the bottom of the league (except for Ottens)... For that reason, I'd be [censored] of we gave up a pick ten in THIS draft for a ruckman who is, so far, only showing potential. Have some respect... Both are great champions of the club and deserve better than to be abused by their so-called fans. I bet you were one of those tools that dug into Neitz in his last season...

I gave him five after the Brisbane win, and his hands were about double the size of mine... Buckets Buckley...

:D I like it... As for Dutchy... I hope they give him a swansong... and assuming we don't win this weekend, how good would it be to see he and our other older guys say goodbye on a good note?

BIGPOND.... Who called you back?

Really? I'm thinking that it'll take another 2-3 years before we play finals again. At that time Green will be 29 or 30... and given his outstanding professionalism, and training excellence I would have thought he could contribute (certainly as a leader) up to 32... The first part.... do you include Brad in the 80%? That would surprise me. He's a really good player who has led like no other this year. I would think that next to recruiting youth, the most important thing would be having coaches that can develop and players that can educate... Green is one that I would be at pains to retain for thins reason. It's very attractive to have a list full of 18-22 year olds, but what good is it if they don't have any help from their PEERS..

Not obsessed with the rising star are we?

Back here again? ... joy... You make a sound point though. Green is one of our only players that has respect and is senior. All having a bunch of 22 year olds around is going to do is stunt their growth. Green may not be the best leader in the AFL, but he's the best leader (by example) in the side going round right now. I'm surprised (pleasantly of course) that I'm saying it, but he's worth more to us over the next few (critical) years in the side than another top 5 pick who might be a Sylvia-style-NQR... We have only a few guys who are old and experienced enough to know how to educate the young guys... Bruce, Whelan, Robbo, JMac... And we're losing Yze, Neitz, Holland maybe White... Trade Green, then they've got precious few guys to look to for advice who actually have respect from outside of MFC. Y_M. I would be VERY nervous trading him even for a top-5 pick.

I was only keen on a couple of them, and they were never going anywhere... Besides. For some of them they won't even be even potentially looked at for trading for another few years... like Thorp...

The question here is not would we take these, but what we would pay or accept for them... Pick #1 : Watts.... Awesome. Pre-Season pick #1 : Warnock... I think we'll have to trade to get him in the end. They'll get an offer from Carltank or Richmond etc etc that we'll have to beat. Sylvia for Davey. Not gonna happen, and we lose there as we have enough of that type of player. Maric, Davey and Wonna are all this type of player, and we have umpteen small running defenders too in CJ, Buckley, Whelan... the list goes on. If we trade Bell and get rid of Bode and do a few other little things in there, and we need a small rebounder, then yes, have a look at him. But not for Silly. The price is a fraction too high. Delist Bode and Weetra, but we know Meesen will be retained for another year. Ruckman rule = give him more time. Personally I can't see a PJ-like resurgence in him. Doesn't have PJ's heart. Carroll wouldn't get anything at trade table. Possible delist. Most likely he will keep his place as he's a big body, and we have none. Bell would only be worth trading for a pick in the 20s or better. We used Woey's pick 14 for him, and we would lose out here a bit, but a pick in the 20s in a deep draft (the last unaffected one) would be a solid return I reckon. Also, unlike Silly, it's not a trade that will come back to haunt us. No-one is afraid of Belly. Personally I'm more interested in aggressive trading of picks... In the sense that we could do something like give up picks 17 and 18 for pick 6 and 25 or something of that ilk. It's all about getting as CLOSE to 5 picks in the top 20 as possible. It worked for the Hawks, and it worked for Geelong with a few Father Sons thrown in.

The link on the voting page doesn't work for me. Does anyone know where I can see the goal itself online?

At the LEAST, that's what he needs to do. I love him and all, but he's a long way off being a dominant player, which is what he absolutely HAS to do... For him self as well as us.

The Newton CHF/FF thing is one I agreed with up until I saw him play in the flesh this year. If he could put it together he could play either spot... It's just a question of whether or not he has the stones...

Wow. That's a surprise. No shock about the other 5, but Juice? Perhaps it's just that we aren't swimming in quality KP forwards... And delisting him BEFORE he got the chance to rack up 30-50 games may have been perceived as a bit of a waste.

As far as the first 2/3rds of the season goes... he has an emphatic pass mark from most people... myself included... But one fact remains. He has 2 wins on the board. Clearly this is not his fault. But I will offer him more credence when he starts showing signs of breeding a team that strikes fear into the hearts of teams, and supporters alike... This will clearly take another year of bottoming out IF WE'RE LUCKY. So with a bit of luck, he'll be given the opportunity to stick around after the pain of 2008. The thing that gives me hope is how he's handled himself in one of the worst seasons by a single team in years... If he's this resolute and strong now, imagine him when we're a finals chance? Go you good thing DB.

Because of the defensive side of their games? That's the only things I can think of... This is the closest thing our side under Bailey has come to tanking.

Y_M thread... He's over at 'ology now carrying on like twice the tool he ever was here.

Got it in one... But only because if we keep him for one more year and he averages 25-30 possessions of a HBF for the whole season, he could command a very tasty pick, perhaps even one of the first 15 that GC17 have their hands on... And if we got pick 15-25 for him that would be a sensational return. We need players who can deliver the footy. But we need class more. In the end, anyone can get a kick in the back line...

Steak and chicken breast... with a side order of Egg whites and protein shakes to wash it all down with... 3 times a day, seven days a week. He'll put on ten kilos, then die of a heart attack by 23, just after he wins the Norm Smith in our first flag in 40 years. Problem solved.

How's the new screen name working out for ya Y_M? It's a corker by the way...

I reckon that's about as close as it gets. Bell is never going to be a star. But he'll be a good player (even a cult favourite) in a more well-rounded side. The problem is we're at least a couple of years away from being a well rounded side. I think he's ok, but like Bruce, I'm all for a trade. Our long-term future DEPENDS on our recruiting, and if he's only a so-so player who can attract a high draft pick, then that's what we should take. But if he gets any lower than a high third rounder.... forget about it. He's worth more to us now. His kicking skills are good. His decision making is among he worst I've seen. But you're wrong about the first part. Anyone with his work ethic and hardness could be part of a premiership side. As one of he 16th to 22nd best players, sure, but every side needs depth...