Demon Disciple

as good as it would be, there's no chance. There would be some sort of unspoken rule between clubs to prevent half decent f/s talent getting through to the respective teams 2nd round pick. But hey, happy to take Viney with our 1st pick in 2012, we've still got 2 compo picks.

lets not forget that we have still got Gary Burleigh and the rest of the recruiting team (those based in Tassie, WA, QLD, etc). Sure BP was #1, but he hasn't done an exceptional job afaic. The likes of Burleigh would still have a very good idea of who's gonna be in the top end of the draft come years end. Poor time to lose him, but not the end of the world. If Todd drafts 3 absolute superstars, what does it say for recruiting managers then? We already know we've committed to Jack, so the CP's will be our only real concern, even then we might trade them.

Just in time too, with this years draft being really good (apparently). Will no doubt also increase the value in trade situations.

There is still another 8 months until trade week and 9 months until the next draft. Now, of course we'll nominate both compo picks for this years draft. We have still got another 8 months to figure out if we trade these picks for players, or the draft, or even the mini-draft. With Neeld at the helm, i don't think we will go all out for the mini-draft, as it is another year wasted before we see the results. As Neeld has previously stated, he only gets one shot at this, he'll want to see returned dividends straight away. fwiw, Gaff is definitely not worth 2 cp's in this years bumper draft. All high draft picks lose their value as the #1 pick come the following year. Patton will not be worth the #1 pick this year and this years' #1 pick won't be worth next years #1 pick. If we were able to bring in the likes of Gaff, Caddy and Viney with our picks (absolute pipe dream) then sure, otherwise, i'd just use them in the draft, enabling us to get the players that Neeld needs.

Well when a player starts in the centre square, i naturally assume that this is part of his forte. You don't put a player into the guts, if he cannot extract the thing in the first place.

no doubting Gaff's ability and what he will probably become, but i think what we lack in the middle is real pace and class. Gaff in a lot of ways is similar to Scully, good engine (slightly less) and decent disposal (slightly better), but pace isn't 'fast' and disposal isn't 'outstanding'. Of course a player coupled with this would go close to being a #1 draft pick. In Viney you've got a player who will be an absolute bulldozer. We need to couple that with a player that has explosive pace and great disposal with both hand and foot. I know we have got Sam Blease, but is he able to play right in the guts, or is he more of a sweeper off a wing/flank? I reckon it's the latter.

we have to nominate both picks this year, imo. Purely because of the talent that will be available at this years draft. We have 3 options available to us this year. - Pick up JV along with another 2 quality kids - Trade one or both picks away and bring in some quality players - Trade picks into the mini draft for quality kids in the next years crop We cannot lose with any option we choose. The only way we do lose is if we hold onto the picks, as we must surely commit to a group of players and then have a tilt at trying to win premierships (not be in constant re-build mode). This years draft is a bumper crop, we must take advantage. Also, given it is the first year without the draft being totally pillaged, other clubs might place even more value on high draft picks, possibly giving us a chance at quality players to further plug holes in our list.

Well if we haven't announced one by then, it will be one of the first questions asked. We'll have an answer either way come the AGM.

I'm sorry but how do you so easily dismiss Trengove, whilst giving a small vote to Grimes??? Trengove has played more games than Grimes has

i reckon it's gonna take a bit to top this one, the primary school classic - 'i know you are, but what am i?'

Grimes needs to get his body right. Moloney would be seen as a temporary suitor (not what i want). Trengove was born to lead, pure and simple. is he too young? Only one way to find out! I'd let Greeny retain the captaincy for one more year, with Trenners to step up in a years time, when he has a bit more experience, but more importantly, has had a year of Neeld's coaching style under his belt.

Excuse my ignorance, but how can we pick him up in the PSD, given we have filled our playing list? The only option there is would be on the rookie list, am i correct?

at his press conference yesterday, it felt like it was the first time that he admitted to the media that he truly thought he was on his last legs and that he was lost to this bloody monster. Sure, everyone is thinking the same thing and no doubt so is his family, that it's probably more likely than not that he will eventually succumb to it, but he refuses to lay down. Resilience personified. Big Jim has enough heart to fill the MCG 10-times over. Everything that is right at the MFC, is because of Jim Stynes. Jim Stynes means more to the MFC and its supporters, than any other individual in the AFL currently, or for a long long time, perhaps even ever. Jim Stynes is the MFC. He was, is and always will be. Keep fighting Jim, you continue to, and always will inspire.

Agree with you on that WA. He is massively overrated, given that he rarely puts 2 good games together. Most, in fact are just ordinary games (neither good nor bad). In the games in which he doesn't "dominate", he has very little influence on the game. He really needs to work on his consistency, imo. Would give up one compo pick, but he is nowhere near worth 2.

Yes, this is starting to concern me too. It has now been months since the announcement of Energywatch, and whilst Schwab said there were a few other possibiilities, nothing has happened since. Worrying to say the least. The only explanation i can think of, besides not having one in the works, is that they might announce it at the AGM. If not, i'd hope that this is brought up at the AGM and i'd want a bloody good reason why achieving a second major sponsor had not already been achieved.

Davis definitely has some size about him. A fair bit bigger (bulk-wise) than Tom McDonald. Whilst he may have had a set-back with a broken leg, James Strauss has definitely put on some serious muscle, without getting fat either. Said he was aiming for a return in round 2 of the NAB cup. As for those who say Max Gawn is a man-mountain, please.........Sure he is tall, but he has got a long way to go to get anywhere near Stef Martin's muscle size. Still gangly and previous training reports, imo, have been very generous in size gained. Funniest thing i saw from today was Jack Fitzpatrick's running style. When running, he moves his neck like a racehorse does at full speed (stretches it out). Of the front-runners, Bate was very willing to continue with the 200/300m repetitive runs, and was starting to really show his endurance and easily outpaced Couch in the last few runs. Nicho was always ahead of Jones, but he wasn't too far behind, pacing off the back of him. The repeat runs are definitely not one of Jared Rivers' strong suits. Morton, Jordie and Bartram really earned their money today, walking about 8 laps before going back indoors early.

Beat me to it Greeny. As tweeted on the MFC website, so should be a good session (weather-wise)

That's all well and good, but then we're gonna possibly have our own problems with the cap in a few years time when our kids develop more. Throw in Viney plus another 2 quality kids from next years' draft (better talent compared to the one just passed) and we're gonna have to be careful with our own backyard before we start poaching. If it came down to raiding another clubs kids or keeping our own (hopefully all of Viney + 2x compo pick players become great MFC players), i'd take the latter, as they would have come from a stronger draft. Let other clubs tear GWS and to a certain extent GC a new one, whilst we just sit back and enjoy it all, keeping all our talent and cap in tact.

Of the players right around our picks, going on the AFL's phantom draft, it wouldn't be unrealistic if we had the choice of either Frost/Grigg at pick 36, Manson at pick 52, and Waldhuter at pick 54. If we were to walk away with these kids at those picks, we would have done very well, imo.

Yeah, but the chances of that happening with picks around the early-late teens is very slim. Thank christ character never came into the calculation of compensation, as we would've been lucky to get a pick within the top 100.

There is no way that this won't get very personal for Melbourne fans now. Proof that T$ had made up his mind even before the end of his first year at the club. Mods should allow for some leniency in this thread, as no post will get anywhere close to the offensive behaviour towards the MFC of that riff-raff family. The whole family wreaks of corruption (talk about $ullying the family name). Tom for happily being the puppet and b/sing everyone (especially Jim), Jabber the hut (for pressuring and influencing T$), the mum (who would have sat back happily knowing full well what her 2 'men' (anything but) were plotting and the sister (who seems to want to spray the caucasian off of her). Clearly this whole family places possessions and money as the be-all-end-all. Thank f&%k that such people are no longer associated with the MFC. I'd suggest something along the lines of his waistline being bigger than Scully's contract. They're all to blame, they all corrupted the system, AFL will do jack, as it would prove that they get things wrong from time-to-time. Don't think the ego's of Demetriou, Anderson and Fitzpatrick could accomodate for that. Would stand and applaud JT if he decided to risk half his season and sling tackle T$ and his knee into the car-park below the MCG turf. Shatter the sh!t out of it. T$ was a deceptive bugger, i knew that, didn't like it, but moved on. The blatant and apparent contempt he had for my club is downright insulting. Seriously, who the f%$k does he think he is? It just disgusts me. Shits about to get personal come round 13. Build up will be huge, as we have a bye before that game.

yeah, that was the one.

Not quite, we're not even the oldest football club in the world. Sheffield United was founded in 1857. And the reason the MFC was formed was to keep cricket players fit during the winter months, so one would naturally assume that there were cricket clubs around before us too.

i was talking from a general KPF sense, not saying that Watts had a problem with it, more-so, that he simply cannot fall into this category, seeing that he will be a major piece of our puzzle when we start to seriously challenge. He can go one of 2-ways IMO, the soft path or the ruthless and unforgiving path, Neeld is doing anything and everything he can to make him the latter (as quickly as possible). Morton is well and truly down the former path, but Neeld is trying (in vain IMO) to drag him over to the other side. Apologies for the confusion, it wasn't as clear as i intended it to be.

When one thinks of Morton, Watts or Davey, they don't think of fierceness. Who has he challenged? 3 guys who don't seem to have a "well screw you, i'm gonna show you up" demeanour. Maybe he is trying to develop a little more mongrel in all 3 or poke the bear and not stop until her gets a response. Of course, you could say the same thing about Trengove, but he is a true competitor who loves it rough and physical, who wants to lead. The other 3, i'm not so sure. Particularly with Watts, as you can't have a KPF who worries if his opponent is a little hurt. He needs to develop a killer instinct (within the rules of course, let's not go Barry Hall style), one i think Neeld is trying to accelerate.