Nasher

I'm shocked! Again.

Thank Dog it's some other club feeling the heat with player departures this year.

One of them is negated by the loss of Green, so only one of them will contribute an extra spot on the list.

Fortunately we haven't got 30 spuds, then.

I don't know about saving them, just bought themselves another year. Even then I think it's debatable - a quick head count based on what we need to get done in the off season says to me at least one of them will probably need to go.

More defenders? What about adding someone who actually plugs a gaping hole?

Absolutely agree. The faux toughness has always given me the somethings. I also think now that he'll probably stay, though it's such a shift in my position that it's almost painful.

Oh God. I don't know any more.

I saw the title of this thread and instantly thought, Round 22 2011, Adelaide Oval.

I expect there are more sadists from 17 other clubs than there are Essendon supporters in that 5000

Didn't see to a detailed enough level to give votes, but thought Howe was a class above for the whole match and Dunn was probably the best of the rest.

Who is rewriting history? Nothing has been said so far that even stretched the truth. old dee might've used the wrong word but I fully agree with his sentiment; learn a bit about context and when it's appropriate to spill your guts and when it's appropriate to be quiet and respectful.

Goes down as a 150 game player and that's on the back of true dedication. Well done Brad, it's an exceptional effort. Also interesting that his career score was 120 goals 77 behinds, that's not a bad conversion rate for someone that I remember being an unreliable shot for goal.

That's garbage, adc. He isn't leaving any decisions to his manager; who would do that? "Mr Manager sir, I'll play for whatever club you tell me to next year". Please. He clearly meant that he was leaving the contract negotiation to his manager. That's a long way from leaving the decision to his manager.

Jones didn't come from anywhere near as low a base as Bail though. Jones had too many rushed "kick and hope" type kicks; his issues were more around decisions and timing. Bail just misses the target. I haven't thought about it very hard at all, but off the top of my head I can't think of any players in recent times who have managed to transform their kicking to such a degree that Bail needs to. I only draw examples like Ward, Godfrey et al who started out terrible and weren't any better by the end.

When I read the contents of the interview I thought I'd post something like "definitely gone" for a laugh, but it seems demonoid and jumbo already beat me to the joke.

Can you just "demote" someone to the rookie list? Presumably it means delisting him and re-drafting him on to the rookie list, which also presumably means going through all the drafts in the process. I don't know that there's a massive risk in someone else pinching him, nonetheless putting him through the drafts doesn't seem to me to send a good message to the player. I guess another option is to just wait and see - how good an idea will we have on the success of the surgery by the last list lodgement in October? With all that said, I think the most sensible and logical answer is a one year contract.

I'll put my hand up as saying I don't think depth or competition for positions are very important. I'll also say that those things are independent of Rivers; I believe he's still best 22. Rivers hasn't exactly missed much footy on the back of McDonald being in the side this year, so I don't see why next year would be any different.

I don't know about an absolute "can't afford it", old dee. That's for the bean counters to decide. It's more about the cost justifying the problem it solves - I don't see there as being much of a problem to solve so I doubt it will.

The bye issue is one that needs to be worked through, but it's not terminal. Other than that, I can't see what's wrong with the current arrangement, I think it works pretty well. We've got a pretty big influence over what's happening at Casey and by the looks of it, their club is benefiting from it as well. They have access to our army of coaches for a start. If we're only one of several (or the only) team with a VFL alignment then it also might become easier for the VFL to schedule byes and breaks that line up with the AFL byes and breaks. LIke rpfc and diesel, I don't think we need to be sheep on this issue. Do what's best for the MFC; and I wouldn't be surprised if retaining the Casey/VFL alignment didn't prove to be the most cost effective solution for us, even if it's not the case for all the other Vic sides.

Rounds out what could only be considered an absolute disaster of a season for that particular player. RR, 30 isn't what I'd call a high draft pick.

Same here. Last three rounds can't come quick enough. Don't know that I can bring myself to watch the finals this year either, though I've become a pseudo-Sydney supporter in the last month or two.

Exactly. The Collingwood "rivalry" has reduced in relevance to the point where I reckon it's almost embarrassing. A one way rivalry isn't a rivalry.

Yep. It was everyone. Everyone except for, well... everyone. Seriously, who wanted that other than a handful of nitwits?

Exactly, the wording implies he left us high and dry, when in all likelihood it was an amicable parting.