Dappa Dan

What happened to Whelan?

Yeah, this is great news but more than a bit weird... Unless I'm mistaken, He has until one of Grimes or Neitz get back. They are both due back within the next 4-6 weeks... So that means the club paid the $15,000 odd dollars just to get him in the side ONLY for the next few weeks... Now, I'm all for getting Valenti some game time while we still can... it shows that the club are serious about him playing games in the red and blue in the coming years... But it's the outley of money I'm worried about. There have been situations in the past where players were promoted and NOT played immediately. If they don't play him every second they can, before Neitz or Grimes (or both) come back... Then what's the point?

PJ came onto the list at roughly the same age (maybe a year younger) and took a few years to get to the stage he's at now, where the fans are getting excited about him... Apart from the fact he was pretty badly injured, we should probably allow for Meesen to take a similar amount of time. He's a ruckman. I'd only start calling for his head if he's not showing anything by age 24/25...

Oh wow... That makes sense then...

He'd give us HALF a CHF for 8-9 years... If he's traded, it'll be for a reason. A guy in his early twenties that can't get a gig in THAT forward line? No thanks. I'd rather stick with the mythical Juice...

Only Stanton... MAYBE Monfries but only if it was for a low draft pick, which it wouldn't be.

I think that's sensible... except for the hit ya part. He's given good service, and we'll trade him if it SUITS US. If he also WANTS to go then that's an advantage. But if the club sees him as a required player, and he still wants out, I'm confident we'll get what we want. Green is no Judd...

Thanks Peter... Good on you.

Yeah, and you're so hard... Coming on a fan website and hiding behind your callsign, taking pot-shots at a player and his club that knows it has inherent problems... Bruce has done more for MFC than you ever will mate, so I'll continue to give him the benefit of the doubt. I make no apologies for Cam. I know what he is as a player, and if you had the forethought to do some research you'd see I've been fair and firm in both my positive and negative comments about him. What I object to is people coming on and claiming personal conversations took place, in which players disrespected other players. What good does it do? Does it make you feel better to string Cameron up? Does it help to unite a club that is struggling on every level, including attracting supporters and developing a culture? Is becoming like Richmond, and turning on your own players at every opportunity the right path? You want to see soft? Look in the mirror. And if you think Bailey alone will weed out the problems we have, then thank god YOU'RE not on the current board. Maybe... Just maybe the "self-propogating" issues we have as a club happen DESPITE Cameron's best efforts to improve our footy, not because of them... Sometimes, I wonder why anyone on here bothers to follow this club when all-knowing posters like you inform us of how to feel about MFC. Thank God you're here to show us the way, eh?

Whelan... Maybe being kept in cotton wool for next week? Probably off too early for that though... and we were losing, so doubtful. Agree with this. In the games I've seen him at Sandy last year, and there were a few, I thought he had a little bit of pace. What made him great wasn't whether or not he was quick, it was his head in traffic... I reckon Mitchell is slower, but is similar in the sense that he knows what to do once he's got it. I went to the All-Star game on Saturday, and had the best seats and view of my life, and I had a close look at a number of players. This was a game played almost completely with players' minds on the ball, not the man. The pace of the game AND the individual players was stunning... Mitchell still got a bit of it and did ok, setting up plays... but this is where I think people worry about players like him and Valenti. If we assume that those 50-odd players are the biggest, fastest and best players going around... then THAT'S where Valenti would struggle. I hnk in dour in-and-under games where we need a hard-nut to get us first use, he would break even, may even excel... but when the games open up, he won't be able to keep up. So, long story short, I don't think Valenti is as slow as people say... but by the same token, I think he'll get found out against the top players in the league... but then, isn't everyone?!

Ummm.... No and no. Can't you see how it only hurts MFC to have people gasbagging about their own players in this way? True or not, you're not helping anyone, or offering any more understanding on behalf of the club or its supporters. Or Cam and Greeny.

:D :D :D

I went... was sitting in the best seats I've ever sat in, just in front of the AFL members section, with Eddie, Buckley, Demetriou, etc etc... And I was let down by the whole event. It was weird. SO many good players who inspire such vocal responses from the crowd usually... but this time they didn't want it, no-one cared... the game was still up for grabs when the waves started... So I won't be going again, unless they change the format somehow... maybe bringing back the crow-eaters. I can honestly say, the atmosphere and volume of just under 20,000 dees fans less than a week before was better and louder in every way. Says it all.

Birthday is 6-12-81... Which makes him 28 at the end of this year. With that in mind I'd say no to a trade... But I just reckon in the PSD we'll have bugger all on offer. Though I think maybe you're right, pick 1 would be a bit of a gamble to drop on a guy with suspect injury history. If Cousins and this guy are there we should look at both seriously. We could use some maturity in our list. That said, another Martin with our PSD pick wouldn't go astray either. We'll revisit this later in the year obviously.

Big call. What about PSD?

I like your thinking... I just think Minson has a far greater engine. Off the ball I've never seen Jamar play a game like he did on Sunday, where Minson has big running games more often than not. Leading to space, getting out of the way of the other forwards. Playing up the ground. It makes a difference. I've seen Jamar look an out-and-out liability... and not just for 10 minutes here and there, but for 4 quarters.

Brown - too old to trade for number 1 pick, and too injury prone. Cornes - too old. Pavlich - Possibly. But probably too old to fit into our plan. Griffin - wouldn't demand pick one if Judd wouldn't. Glass - High first rounder for a defender? Hell no. Riewoldt - Can't kick straight. First rounder, but not high first rounder. Black - You're kidding aren't you? Rutten - First rounder. Not a high pick though. Suits us down to the ground. O'Keefe - Yep. Late first rounder. Minson - HA! The dogs would be thrilled to get a first rounder for him. I'd rather stick with PJ. Fev - Not a chance in hell. I wouldn't even trade a second rounder. He'll be gone by his second year, and won't last 4 years even if he works hard. He won't kick goals with our midfield. Completely backward trading. MFC is not a retirement home. Hodge - The only player the Hawks would be keener to keep would be Buddy who is a one-man membership campaign. Hodge is vital to that team. He's not going anywhere. But again, even if he was, if Judd can't command pick one, Hodge can't. Hasleby - For a second-rounder... maybe. He's disenfranchised, would like a fresh start, has always struck me as a player that would lie to play at a club with history... A footballer's footballer. The truth is we don't have ANYTHING ANYONE would want for any of these guys, except McLean/Jones and a pick. Trading pick 1 is a completely backward step. Trading one of our second rounders or PP I think would be an idea.... I'd lie to see us trade maybe Green/Bruce and pick 17 or 19 for something around a pick 6. We certainly need to be hungry. And trade aggressively. But trades for this club usually turn out badly. The bigger clubs seem to always have the upper hand. Collingwood trading Tarrant being an obvious example...

Actually, I think they do. At least once or twice. I certainly don't mean on a regular basis. When you think back to some of our dour, hard-working defenders that had glaring faults, like Brownie and Ward, (both bad kicks) both could dominate areas of the game. Brownie would regularly get huge possessions, and Ward could damage the opposition on the rebound if left unchecked... he even kicked 4 goals one weekend. Bell's best match to date was the one he played on Welsh against the crows last year. But that's one match out of 50. At that rate he'll play 4 blinders in his career if he plays 200 games. He's deep into his best years as a player of his size and designation. Having played so many games last year and held down a spot, he should be getting better, not declining like his older counterparts.

Not a bad thought. Has the kick, and the straight-line pace. I would say no, but I don't think they've tried him there. Certainly not in recent years. He certainly needs a shake up. Should be on the way to dominating by now at his age.

Yeah... Poor old Belly eh? I'm certainly nowhere near writing him off, but I'm finding it harder to defend him. The handball to Farmer where he goaled was a good example of why. I thought he was past a lot of his big clangers. But he's gone slightly backwards, instead of dramatically forwards, which he's going to need to do to stay both in the side and in the state. I don't like talk of trading players, but I also know that its no good talking about trading fringe players unless your depth goes beyond the 22. You've gotta trade something to get something... And we DO need to trade like nutcases. If Dan doesn't start to show his upside soon we should look to trade possibly, for the right price. Nope. It wasn't either of those things... Though I'm impressed you found all that info! The more I think about it the more I think he was runner-up in the Liston. But I looked and looked and found nothing. maybe one day we'll see something pop up on this... But for now I'm going to accept the simple fact.... I'm a fool.

PJ IN!!! I didn' even see that. Its a good sign even if he doesn't play. At least he's close.

Well jeez... don't I feel like a pill... I wish someone would come on and tell me where I went wrong. Did he come runner up? Did he win a B&F? I'm not getting him confused with PJ. I KNEW Pj won one, I'm just certain Mark had some highly-regarded award or something that made him look like a player back when he was in his early twenties. Oh well. So that's the last time anyone takes me seriously on this site. I'm off to Bigfooty.

There are people who call for his retirement, yes. Which I think is absurd given he's not even thirty yet, and the quality of his football. Hence the fact that I defend him. I know PJ won one... or shared it with someone else based on only 8 games or something like that... But I'm CERTAIN Jamar won one too. Or he won something... And yes RR, A Liston doesn't mean all that much in terms of the AFL. There are players that are average at VFL level that go on to star in teh AFL, and then there are players that look a million bucks at VFL level and can't crack it... It's a weird thing...

But it's SO fast there. And free everywhere you go. They actually have half a dozen footy clubs over there. You should look them up and go and have a kick!

No worries.