timD

Rhino, the report of "a captain tooka player aside" was spoken about on SEN by Ricky Nixon about a month ago. Whether it is true is a whole different issue. But MY source for hearing the same idea was that interview.

I cannot understand the inconsistency of some people. If you want the club to recognise its talent and root out fringe, then people like CJ MUST go - you cannot say that you want the club to bottom out without losing people (this is not you, H). For god's sake, it is annoying to see people who argue for change and then get upset and worried when change starts to happen and the costs are obvious.

Nice piece cheech. Exactly bloody right! WE're getting rogered senseless and I think this is probably not very new. In fact i wonder if the new board ismore vulnerable because they don't 'know' (or have been 'known by) Vlad.

ALL good ideas Distance dee.

Thank christ someone wrote something other than defeatist [censored]. Great stuff. Now we just need a lot of smart actions, a bloody inspired plan and some luck.

Titan, why? Not one person has given one reason why not to target Murphy. People have written reason why we cannot succeed, or why they don't think we should bother, but none of them are reasons not to - they are just reason why our chances are poor. Targetting Murphy (IF we have some bucks to play with - it is a fairly big 'if') forces Carlton to pay him, and/or makes him doubt carlton's ability to continue to pay him. IF we can lure him, it is a huge win. IF we cannot, we lose nothing and may help hurt carlton and maybe they'll get caught. Not having a go is, in my opinion, just another example of supporters having a defeatist, poor-me mentality.

Pants, I did exactly that because I was given opportunities that were superior to the other 'banks' I'd seen. So I travelled 50 min to and from work every day for 3.5 years and it barely bothered me. I eventually left the job but the decision to do that had nothing to do with tie taken driving my car to work.

List clogging is a good point. Growing our own is also reasonable. Just that we have no track record of doing so. I'm conservative by nature too; neither of us like putting faith in deals where the evidence for success is sucky. On Murphy, we're about to stop paying our most expensive players aren't we? Doesn't that mean that even when we drop our player payments to 92.5% we'll still have some room to move? And as I thought it, 92.5 was what the AFL wanted - if we were able to lure a potential A grade player to Melbourne, then the AFL would be quite understanding and supportive, I'd think. So, your argument comes down to money. If we had it (or found it is a brown visy cardboard box), would you agree with chasing murphy?

H, surely that (your post) is kinda not relevant...we cannot control his behaviour; we can try to get him. Would you prefer that we give up because no-one wants to play with us and go and sulk? You speak stubbornly and passionately about the club getting f!cking nasty and clever and ruthless (like a ferret!)- isn't this an opportunity to throw a bucket of cash at a young man and try to get him - just like our opponents have and you've been so envious of? Just because it is unlikely, who cares. This is a chance to (a) lure a young man who can kick and (B) push up carlton's salary cap pressures. I think in a different frame of mind, I'd see you driving up to MM's place with a dump-truck full of money grinning like the joker.

I'm not sure about the initial premise: if there is a player who really has been done for third time, then surely the media would be all over it! God, little Dylan Howard (last year?) for example was all over medical records...if someone tested positive for the third time, then someone, somewhere would release that info. Imagine the Hun :"X's SHAME: How being UP lost the CUP". that said, it was interesting that KB on SEN raised the issue of players using drugs and losing the GF as a result AFTER the GF was won... Nah, my conspiracy theory brain is going too far!

Diablo I think you're being a bit harsh on wonna. I think he has good goal sense and can read the play pretty well. His pace is good, his disposal is good and we have no other poachers. However, Valenti is our fourth mid in his role - mclean, jones, moloney and junior are all better. So both in terms of his role for the team and his skills I think he is worth promoting. I would not promote Valenti.

was it 6 trades that got done in all? Clearly clubs are reluctant to trade, despite all the rumour-mongering. To sheet home the entire blame to the MFC is just bizarre. We have three picks in the top 20 in what is being talked about as a pretty good draft. No-one swapped a 1st round pick - not even for o'keefe! Puts trading and expectations in perspective.

Mo64 I hope to god that the club is more sophisticated that the false 'needs' vs 'best' argument. It makes no sense. Scoop, I agree about mids. We need some desparately and having two picks this draft adds to the three we used last draft. Here's hoping that 2-3 of the 5 selected are at least 'very good'.

Being the 'good club' is bloody hard in current circumstances. It's like that kipling line: "keeping your head when all around are losing theirs and blaming it on you". We might be doing that things a good club should do, but given where we are starting at it cannot be clearly seen yet. I hope we are.

Like sylvia, rivers, mclean, whelan and bruce and davey and all those guys who got injured and have never recaptured their pre-injury form for more than about 10 seconds. WE;re not even talking about 426! Yep, us supporters sure are dumb.

i wonder if hawthorn are going to develop into collingwood - want the world but pay peanuts. THey used a different strategy earlier with good effect.

I think that Aussie performed above anyone's expectations of him this year. I remember Hannabal pulling out comparisons with cyrol rioli through the year and aussie was doing as well or better IN THE WORST TEAM IN THE COMP! Let's hope that the little nugget can get fitter and find a few more tricks and continue his progress. On the evidence so far he looks far more promising than anyone had hoped.

Garland kept franklin quiet (once) and made massive progress last year. He is a tall who is quick and can play tall or small. He is gutsy, flexible and young. Pick 5 is a twinkle in the football gods eyes at this point. A player that has developed as well and shows as much is much more important to keep, I'd reckon.

H, is aaron more likely to be effective when he's the second small bloke tagged rather than the first...OR would he be useful to drag a defender out to the midfield leaving wonna or maric with a lesser defender and more space?

Redleg, I've been wondering about something just like this: melbourne get pick three, mundy and warnock. Freo get pick 1 and one of Bell/CJ/Dunn/Newton. They get a lot more than they would from hawthorn or carlton. Does the option I've listed give up too much? I don't think so, but I'm a bit cavalier at this time of year.

Ditto Titan, ditto. Although, after every saints goal I saw, I said something about collingwood...it might have been directions regarding where they might go and what they might do when they reached their destination.

Also worth remembering is that he started his AFL career in a side that plumbed the depths of pathetic at times this year. Given his age, development level, size etc there is a good reason to expect improvement and added impact as the side also improves.

It is interesting about the Australian...has prevously reported suppossed facts that have had stuff all basis about melbourne...I think Denham is a blowhard

THanks Barry for all the work put in over the years. I've really enjoyed the ride with the Zebs and it will be with some sadness next year when I retire that nifty black and yellow stubbie holder.

I think that would be really good to get prismall. Would really benefit us. Don't know how we're gunna make that happen...but I hope we find a way.