timD

Gee, this is like the adult version of wondering what you are going to get for Christmas and your parents have given you jsut a few vague hints to go on. Jack, I'm similarly sympathetic, but that sympathy has serious limitations. I heard Brendan Schwab speaking on SEN some weeks ago and he put forward that argument that footy is the only workplace where you cannot choose your employer. As a result, AFL players are restricted more than any other workplace and this injustice needs to be corrected. I almost ran off the road. I hope to hell that there are better arguments than that because if there are not, then the bloody overpaid and overvalued lot of them can continue in the system as it stands.

What rot. A star is a star - not a thrill, not a showpony, not attractive. 'Star quality' can be brief and unfulfilled. As for vague definitions, well let me tell you that a star in footy is not a friggin attraction - unlike a circus freak or prima donna. A star plays at the highest level and wins games. If you really want to get all excited about a handful of games and a good story, well great. Knock yourself out. But it is quietly still the case that LJ is no star of the MFC. Not yet. Next the campaign will begin to make him captain. God save us.

You are easy to satisfy and don't get the subtlety of the argument. Liam Jurrah has shown a lot but that just makes him a potential. Remember how we thought about Brock Mclean at the endof '06? Or Ball at the end of '05? Robbo has done more for longer than Jurrah. He has proved himself in good teams and in bad - it will be one of Robbo's greatest achievements that he did so well when we were terrible and won games off his own boot. Jurrah has done a tiny fraction of that to date. As for stats, what are you talking about - I haven't used any? And combining movements, well so can I but I'm a star only in my own living room. And dominating a stage - well so what! It is repeated performances at the highest level that prove the point and he's not done it (nor has he had the time yet). I do not care about anything but perfomance. Jurrah may be a star, could be, should be BUT he isn't yet. Perform at a high level for several years, win games off his own boot and beat opponents that are bigger, faster, older and then he's getting close.

Christ, some of you are easy to satisfy. BY the same token, Robbo would be a 'superstar'.

Jurrah is not a star. He is a long way from it. 'Star' is not just talent and a few good games. Star means a lot more. Does he have (oh no oh no ohno ) 'potential'? Bloody obvious, BUT taking that step to be a star is a big one and very very few players take it and hold it. Luke Ball is a nice example. Right now LJ is a great story and wonderful for the club and us supporters. That's all we have now and we get to enjoy how the story unfolds.

Sorry for the lack of response! Rhino's answered the question but really I don't know. I may well be judging him far too early as well. He's struck me as in between - not tall and physically dominant and not with super skills for his height. Is he big/quick enough for a forwardline? Is he smart enough - truly I see so little of him that I could not possibly judge it. Picking talls is hard.

Funny, I'd take cotchin but not the other two. I think Cyril is cream not cake and Kruezer has not convinced me about whether he is a ruckman or a KPF. He is neither yet, but that said he was always going to take time to grow into physically demanding positions.

Hazy, I don't think that 'we' have an overhyped view of Aussie. I've not read that he is better than jeff Farmer or a ready made replacement for Robbo or clearly superior to Leon Davis/Amob Buchannon/ Milne (no means no, twit)/Schneider (i'm not really a ferret, but my face is just a little pinched)... He was exciting in his first year and was a glimmer of joy is a shocking season. I saw the frist 15 mins of his preseason against Hawthorn and he looked sharp and presented well...then he did his hammy. He looks unlikely but plays with a sense of place and timing...with no preseason and as a rookie. That gives me a lot of hope that, as one of those players ranked 16-22 in your team of the day, he could be a very 'likely', the 'lil turtle. That and the Freo win remains my favourite footy memory from the last three years.

I guess it also depends on how Ball actually thinks. If we hypothesis that he is not a robot or a tool and can appreciate shades of grey (rather than 'they are great' or 'they are crap'), he may well express a preference to go somewhere else. If it is a fairly loosely held preference, then I'd happily pick him up, even if we were not his preferred club. If he refuses to come to us - has a tanti and behaves like a primadonna - or his manager is a total halfwit (which is highly unlikely), then you'd leave him alone and wish him all the best at ninthmond. So, my bet is that we'll see him in the red and blue - our position will be that we want him and we are going to take him wherever he is in whatever draft he is in. He'll see that playing footy for us and getting paid well is really not that bad. WE'll persuade him to go PSD and everyone will be more or less happy.

Hazy, 24 goals from 18 games in a shocking side with a terrible forwardline as a rookie forward pocket is a 'bunch' - in fact it is a 'healthy bunch'. Not a 'heap'...but then small fowards very rarely get that size of picking anyway. Otherwise, you're agreeing with me. That's good.

He kicked a bunch of goals as a rookie with bugger all preseason in a shocking team. He can play, but the question is how high for how long? I've no idea, but will look forward to seeing the turtle front and centre next year.

Wow - on a footy gossip site, someone puts a speculative trade post - its gets comments - wow. That's hysterical. Really. No truly. takes brains - forethought, insight, intelligence. If this livens up anyones life, then there is an assumption in that statement that is not being satisfied.

I've a funny feeling that grimes will just slowly get better over the next several years - we won't see a breakout year. All of a sudden, he'll be in our to 5 players and have gotten there without a fuss. That said, he is not a gun now - he is quite a ways from it really. I'm awfully sick of players with 'potential' not really kicking on - that's where Grimes is now. The big concern is whether his body will be up to it.

Thank christ for you, Nasher!

Troll. Does your parole officer know that you have computer access? How did you afford MCC membership on the disability pension? Do you realise that the MCG does not have a centrelink officer? Back in your box - the one with the bars on the window. P.S All the best for next week.

Good on you, KC. I've enjoyed your reports and it has been good fun keeping up with CFC develop through some genuinely challenging periods. I've enjoyed coming down to Casey and am rapt that the Dees have an alignment that should benefit both groups. I hope that this can continue to improve over the next few years to become as strong and successful as our rel'ship with Sandy appeared to be.

I'm unconvinced about Mclean. He showed a fair bit of 'potential' in '06 but has not produced consistently since then. Part of that has been down to injuries and long recoveries. Maybe part is down to poor preseasons due to injuries. At times he has been our only clearance player. BUT I'd have Moloney ahead of him on current form and Jones/Junior are more use in different positions around the ground. If we get burgoyne and two more mids in this years' draft coupled with the improvement in grimes and one of strauss/blease developing well, then where does mclean play? On current form he will struggle to be best 22 by the end of next year. I would not be unhappy if we traded him but I doubt it will happen as so few trades really do.

Nice stuff jack - as always.

We get the pain, Why you little. I was 11, standing behind the goals with my father and spent a minute trying to tell him that Buckenara had missed...he didn't say much for a while, except "No, mate...he didn't" very softly. We went home from that sink-hole of a ground and I have never felt more totally empty before or since. I've been angry, embarrassed or just depressed, but never gutted. Cannot watch it - much like the semi in '02.

I thought beep tests demonstrated at least a bit of both - the emphasis on endurance but endurance at pace.

Dee-luded, I'm trying to remember where I heard it, but I'm pretty sure that Bate was rated as fairly quick during training. That or I'm totally mistaken.

Are you mo64 in disguise?

He is good in a straight line and he has quite reasonable pace - his acceleration is not great but once up to speed he is enough to be a handful. His bodysize is nice now too and he will draw defenders b/c he's a good kick at goal from set shot or on the run.

One of the problems Bater has had is that he's played at a time where delivery to forwards has been disgraceful - it just helps nothing. He also appears to just cruise around. I think that this year's been his most consistent and his performances have been improving. I think many of melbourne's players are pretty decent, but that without stars around them they don't compare as well to players in other teams who have those stars.