hoopla

Happy with this. Vastly experienced football person who has come from a professional organisation that would have some synergy with the 'role oriented' vision Neeld appears to have for Melbourne. He is massively respected across the industry, as shown by the number of clubs reputedly chasing him.

The other good thing is that he has the gravitas to command respect from the moment he walks in the door, and offers a buffer between the the board/administration and the football department. He knows how a professional football department is run and he can use his influence to make sure that things are done the right way.

We certainly seem to have a vision for the footy department and we've been pretty swift in setting it up so far. A good start, which can hopefully continue.

Really looking forward to trade week and the draft,

.... and Viney who was his midfield coach for 2 years and knows his style , his approach etc - must reckon he'll fit in with the people , the philosophies etc

All good ... b- good!!

As well Robbie I have a gut feeling that Neeld will not make wholesale changes to our list this year.

May want to find out for himself how good the list is.

But look out at the end 2012 if you have not provided the goods.

Also its supposed to be a very thin draft this year - I wouldn't expect many delistings - a few trades if we can do it - but not many delistings

Rawlings hardly has the 'successful' background that Neeld was talking about for his FD...

I noted this as well .... presumably success will be written all over the backgrounds of the appointments to come

I'm tipping Leigh Brown for forward coach, no info basis at all.

Same ....also for no reason ( except that straight out of a premiership ( hopefully runner up !!) team - he meets the successful background criteria)

Question - are we sure that Kelly O'Donnell's position isn't one of the 8? If not - the substantial uplift in numbers is evidence of significant under-resourcing during Bailey's time

Didn't seem to worry Sam Mitchell that he lost the captaincy

Not a comparable situation.

Mitchell stepped down as a highly successful captain to honour his "Kirribilli Agreement" with Hodge. He had a young family - and wanted a bit more freedom to concentrate on his own game.

Even if Greeny resigns - without pressure to stand down - , the perception will be that he didn't measure up.

As captain he did have to cope with serious off-field tensions. Would the divisions have been wider - and would the players have been even more inconsistent - with someone else in the captain's chair? Without answers to these questions we need to be careful not to bag him outright. It would say something for his resilience if he threw his hat into the ring for a leadership position again.next year.....egocentric perhaps, unrealistic maybe - but tough nontheless

To me it is very important that he remains at the club ... and that we as a group encourage him to play on.

With Brian Royal in charge,our midfield is going backwards next season.

How can you possibly say that?

Highly respected in the industry .... midfield coach at St Kilda in 2010.....

Why at this stage of our development do we need to target any player from any club?

If the recruiters have done their job we should have a young player able to take over any spot as they develop. I always thought it was only when you were approaching your window that you needed to trade to fill spots.

Not entirely true because an experienced player can add impetus to the climb up the ladder ... and inject the right sort of attitude into a developing group.However I agree that any target should be mid age at most

Sounds like we are a fair chance to get Dawes if we offer him 2 mill over 4 years- it may be less than what Syd and GWS are offering but with us he doesn't have to move. I like that we have a good hand at this draft table. Thank you snotty nosed young man who will go unnamed!

Latest from AFL website is that Dawes expects to re-sign with Collingwood shortly.

Realistically there mightn't be anyone of quality on the trade table

If it were a choice I would get Goddard.

If it were a choice, I'd get Swan! ..... Seriously there is no way we could get Goddard ... and why people keep mentioning Gaff just because he was a Melbourne Supporter ( like Judd) is beyond me - get real!!

Because of Collingwood's salary cap pressures Dawes might just be a chance ..... but Collingwood would drive a hard bargain. He is the sort of player we need.

The handling of Junior was a mistake, but that doesn't mean the decision was.

I'd like Green to sign a straight up 1 year contract on good money and then go out there and earn it in 2012.

Agree

As I recall, Junior was playing very average football when he got a "sore hamstring" in Round 11. He was out for 7 weeks - during which people like Gysberts really showed something. There was a big question mark over his ability to get another year out of his ageing legs. I reckon that was when they decided to cut him. They should have kept an open mind until Round 22 ... but even then he was a risk. As it happens, he is probably better remembered now than he would have been if he'd limped his way through another season . A tough decision for both club and player. The way it was handled - apparently led by Connolly - was the disaster.

It is obviously a tough time for Greeny ... especially given his relationship with Bailey. It will hurt him to lose the captaincy after such an awful year ... and it will take guts for him to front up again - a real measure of "toughness".But I hope a one year contract can be worked out - because he still has something to offer - and a good year in 2012 would see him out as a great servant of the club.

We apologise for not knowing your track record of predicting good positions for players...

Batram can be a defensive forward.

But he will not be dangerous in the slightest when he has the footy.

He can play that role, but others can play it better.

Good luck to him.

Agree. There is probably a role for Bartram in a struggling team ..... but not in a team seriously challenging for a place in the top four.

Every player at Collingwood is a penetrating kick ... same with Geelong and Hawthorn - and West Coast ( even Priddis gets a bit of distance). If Bartram is in our best 22 in 2013-14, then we won't be as far up the ladder as we want to be

This topic is headed "Who would you target from other clubs?" Why then is every second post about last year's draft - Darling v Cook etc ... blah blah blah. What's done is done - we have Cook - let him develop and move on!!

On topic , I have noted four names

- Dawes .... is that realistic?

- Stewart ... agree he shows something on occasions ... is he up to it?

- Jordan Russell ... beautiful kick but seems to lack something

- Ed Curnow ... two clubs seem to have found something missing

Any other suggestions?

- Jesse White .... Gerard Healy regularly bags him as "lazy"

- Tyson Goldsack .... must be frustrated to be dropped for Tarrant and Davis

- Michael Duffield... is he the type we need?

Others?

Not a help question ... but a request .... even a plea

I have just read a well-intentioned update on Jim's health. You have locked it - for all the right reasons

In deference to JIm - and to his right to communicate his prognosis as he sees fit - please delete it altogether as soon as possible

True, doesn't mean the guy can't coach... With leatherface bringing in the likes of Kent Kingsley, and Greg Miller picking the likes of Tambling over Buddy, what hope did he have? I don't think even Norm Smith as an assistant at that club would've been able to do much.

His insights in the media this year have been fantastic, head and shoulders above anyone else I've heard exit coaching and enter the media... He's tasted success from his playing d faays at North, If he's in a coaching department that's well run and heading in the right direction, I think he'd be a fantastic asset to the club.

Let's not forget that Mark Neeld emphasised that he wanted people who knew ( and expected success). Kingy's success as a player might be a be a bit too far in the past now. But he shows a great understanding of the game

He coached Carey Grammar between media commitments this season .... and got rave reviews. If word goes from Jack to Todd .... and then to CS ... he could be in the mix?

I know his surgeon. Absolutely delighted with his progress to date.... couldn't be doing better.

Last you say you don't see from the outside that he contributes anything vital and is a cause of instability. Your basis for saying he is a cause for instability is......?

I am not saying Chris is the best thing sliced bread, I just don't like the way some people attack people doing their job without any knowledge of the factual situation.

Well I think we do know that it was his approach to the sacking of McDonald and Bruce that started the rot.....

I also agree that its time for Chris Connolly to move on.

Definitely.... the classic square peg in a round hole!

Sorry Chris ... but we need a fresh start ... and there is no place for you

So Lyon chose Fremantle over us?

Fair decision?

Amazing coup by Freo.

I thought they were mad sacking their coach 2 weeks after season's end .... and all the time they have been negotiating with a hot property behind the media's back. Really dirty treatment of Mark Harvey ... but an amazing coup nonetheless

2 Questions

- Why did Lyon pick them and not us?

- Have we any interest in Harvey?

To me the answers

- Freo more decisive - more professional(??)

- Not really

I wonder what relationship they had at MFC and furthermore to what extent does Jr's signing have to do with $cully.

More the point ..... to what extent did Scully's signing have to do with Jr?

Did he play anywhere this year?

Half way through the year he started playing with Old Xavs in the VAFA. He didn't set the world on fire. Word has it that the standard of VAFA A Grade is somewhere between VFL 1st and VFL 2nds

We must not look back. We move on.

Good call WJ.

Having seen his club sack his first captain and his first coach , Tom was never going to turn his back on several million dollars out of a sense of loyalty. I'm prepared to take him at his word - that he has only just now made his final decision. Anything to help put it behind us

A new coaching team , some salary cap space .. and a couple of early draft picks in the offing: All Good - Positive exciting stuff ahead.. Go Dees

Casey isn't the 'Tail' .

Casey is our partner & our development arm.

At the start of the year Casey made it perfectly clear that they do not see themselves as our development arm.

Casey and Melbourne are not working together to achieve a common goal - they are separate entities trying to use each other to meet disparate goals.

It is not surprising that the "combine" lacks the passion of pure VFL sides like Port and 75% VFL sides like Werribee

couldn't agree more! i understand it's a tough decision but he has had all year to think about it!

i cannot believe there was no announcement/decision this week, its become a massive joke now.

.... and having delayed all this time - how can he credibly make a decision without knowing who Melbourne's coach is going to be?

This massive joke might just become a farce.........

Anyone else see this?

Dead-rubber Dees still delight

I know they're hardly going to be negative, but what game were they watching? We were terrible.

Or am I jumping at shadows?

Well if they are only shadows they're pretty dark ones..........

Extraordinary headline

Obviously we've been a lot worse ... but "delight" at a loss to a team that had the wooden spoon sewn up !! Help....

I was at the game yesterday. It was interesting to compare the atmosphere there to the atmosphere at a Melb v. Port game on the MCG. Hoopla,have you, too, had this experience? If so,you must understand the difference in home ground advantage for the Adelaide/Perth sides compared to Melbourne.

The parochialism of the Adelaide crowd was exemplified so perfectly yesterday when they actually booed the umpires off the ground!!!!

No Jack ... I confess I haven't had that pleasure ... but is the contrast a comment on the difference between Melbourne supporters and Port Adelaide supporters rather than a comment on all SA/WA clubs and all Vic clubs. You've never seen Collingwood supporters boo the umpires off the ground?

I have thought for some years that the home ground advantage for South Australian and Western Australian clubs is around the 4 goal margin against Victorian teams, before the ball is even bounced. This can be put down to varying levels of ground knowledge, crowd support to the players(psychological), and crowd influence on the umpiring,....

This is not the case for Victorian teams at home, and somewhere between for Geelong, Sydney, and Brisbane.

I find it difficult to watch interstate games for any club, because of this clear effect. The AFL of course are aware of it, but I guess feel it's in the 'too hard' bin to do anything meaningful about, and probably see it as a fair price to pay for the Victorian numbers dominance in the game. Nevertheless it is hugely disappointing, and sadly diminishes the spectacle of our great game.

I can't let this sad case of Victorian parochialism pass without comment.

To somehow suggest that the home ground advantage enjoyed by the SA and WA teams diminishes the spectacle of our great game - and that there is no such thing as a home ground advantage for Victorian teams - is ridiculous.

How can you possibly say that Fremantle has a "spectacle-destroying" home ground advantage when it plays Collingwood at Subiaco - while Collingwood does not have a home ground advantage at all when it plays Freo at the G?

There were some shocking decisions yesterday - but the fact is that we are the only interstate team to lose to Port in Adelaide all season. Their only other wins were against Richmond in Darwin- and the Crows!!