montasaurus

Well said WJ, Something definately smells here. If there was another sponser that for example jimmy was bringing to the club at that stage but fell through his claims could carry a bit more weight but this was at a stage where as far as we the public were aware they were doing everything possible to: A/ Find a new sponser B/ Reduce Debt C/ Grow member ship base. Correct me if I am wrong but these are the 3 basic fundermentals of any club off the field. It just doesn't sound consistant with the likely reality of the situation that had been reported around that time, but if PM can deliver documentation to support his claims there could well be hell to pay. My feeling is that this is just another example of why the club is better off without him.

I think its closer to the XXXX factor these days!

How good would we be if all our picks 50-64 could claim these types of honors! I have a strange feeling this could be a good year for bruce if the rest of the core group stays fit and allows him/coaching staff a bit more freedom.

here's my starting point prior to NAB comp(s) Interesting Rivers price being that he has not played in 2years, also cousins above 400k is a joke he is effectively a rookie player. http://img22.imageshack.us/img22/1951/supercoachos4.jpg

And the guys who have been below their best for a while, will need to rekindle some of their prev form/potential. I take your point about watts and yes on paper he is probably in the top 3-4 without playing a game. But for 09 his impact on the game will likely be measured thus we need to look at others for 09. Moloney, Rivers, Brock, sylvia etc are the others. If these 4 all play 20+ games and stay fit we will be a lot more competative then what people think.

Post 09 I agree with you, but I think for the 09 season due to external issues (school, school footy, age, development etc) I would be suprised if he plays more then 10 games, great if he does. Based on this, his importance this season would have to equal his ranking of 22-23 at this point. Only if he delivers beyond 10 games will his importance (on the field) improve. I would suggest grimes, strauss, bennell, Jurrah & co will be just as important, potentially more at this point in time for 09 as they have the potential to be 20 game players for us in 09. blease and watts unlikely. Past 09 all this changes.

Roostit, as a best list i will have to pull you up on a couple but I would have some of these guys on a most important list. Rivers - has not really played in 3yrs. I rate this guy as high as anyone but the fact is he is about to start a new career with us and there is no way he is currently in our top 10 players. If he has a good 6-10 games before mid season then he would have earned his spot on this list. Moloney - Ditto as above Watts - assuming we are talking 09 (which is all we can with the 09 list) I would say there are 20 players ahead of him now as it is unlikely he will do anymore then have a taste this year. Untried = impossible to be in the top 16. He needs runs on the board. Robertson - Following the logic you have rivers and moloney on prev glory and ability should be top 10, also if its importance he should be top 5. With neitz gone and only miller standing up last year we need him more then anybody to stand up and kick goals. I would have had PJ also a bit higher on both best and most important lists. Otherwise not a bad effort.

Or is it the spirit when we are floggin everybody but when it gets hard we will do anything to try and get a win? Who does the buck stop with here: Captain? Coach? Selectors? Players? I suspect one or both of the 1st 2.

Big Red I do see your point re commercial interests in the nab game, however i know that I'm not alone in saying personally would watch the all stars game. ratings I do agree re filth v west coast but I have 0 interest in this game. Its interesting to note that the game is apparently being shown live in darwin. contray to this however from the ABC2 guide that night which will be a ratings bonanza for the ABC: 7:20pm Rex The Runt 7:30pm Classic Albums 8:35pm The Academy Season: On The Waterfront Movies, M 10:25pm The Informer Your right why would they give up quality programing like this........... I'm sure the ABC2 would be shattered loosing the 10 people watching these shows for a game of live afl "ALL STARS" football. It just doesn't make sense to me. Ditto foxtel. Fox 1 - 7pm Adrenalin Rush, followed by Le-mans - this is after a morning of adrenalin TV Fox 2 - 9:30 pm - 11:00 (Following the A league) ANZ Ladies Masters Round 3 - I'll set the IQ for this one! Fox 3 - 7pm-9pm ODI Australia v NZ 2nd ODI (Replay) - Im sure everybody is hanging to watch a replay of this game! Also there is a push for this game to be shown live.... http://forum.sportal.com.au/viewthread.aspx?t=46146 (Hopefully nationally) Telecast of this event has changed once already so to make it live should be simple: http://www.bigfooty.com/forum/showthread.php?t=535882 Anyone who wants to watch an alternative to the collingwood rubbish should state their feelings. With enough voices you never know! Also I would be willing to bet if we were playing west coast and the collingwood were playing the all stars it would be a different outcome!

Easy Bartram in 06 as he had a better midfield around him. But left to their own devices in 100pt thrasings who knows? He had enough time in the forward line to develop. He just wasnt good enough. - in 06/07 I thought he really showed a bit up forward. Then in 08 he was thrust into an injury riddled midfield to do a job in a position I suspect he would have never played. We need to give the kid a break he is only 21 and will get a lot better. Has to play forward in my book. Bartram with a full pre-season under his belt has to be the #1 stopper this year. Our midfield stocks are better then this time last year but our forward line is weaker therefore Dunn has to go forward IMO.

it is an abosolute discrace that this game is not live on TV. Surely between the few channels the ABC, 7, 10 and foxtel have somebody would have the brains to show this live. Lets face it, its the first taste we have all had in a while. Prime time on one of the main channels no, but the 2nd, 3rd or even 4th channels all of them have surely. Lets hope somebody sees the light before saturday.

In Dunns current role in the middle i agree, however I still hold hope for him as a forward. If he can fire as a forward his place at 14 is warrented, keep in mind he is still very young and could yet develop. he has been a proven goal kicker at times (yes patchy and not enough) but can find the ball forward and makes a target. I have mentioned before that I hope his role in the middle is purely development and a result of injury holes in the list over the last couple of years rather then where he is at as a player.

On a different note, I have been told to watch out for cam bruce this year. Apparently he has been training the house down. Has anyone noticed the same? If he is fit and up + firing it will go a long way for us to have a good showing in the NAB comp(s)

Good call shaft, It will be interesting to see what role he will play. as KPD he is probably 4th in line behind rivers, garland, warnock and martin. Maybe he will become an attacking rebound defender of HB. Maybe become a small defender to play BP in a few years?

Good stuff rhino, I'm putting away my fishing rod!

interesting to see in the HUN today that katich and hodge should be rushed back into the Australian team.

LOL - Thats gold Rhino! Your blinkers to Buckleys performance and naive basis of asssessment more so - At a young age i was accused of having two coloured eyes- one blue and one red. So your assessment is most likely very accurate! and hence I'm not going to argue the point. You were spot on I was caught taking a cheap shot of one of the filths favorite sons and no facts are going to back up my assessment except I am interested to know..... It was always joked that he was eddy's love child, now I'm not so sure rhino!

Just my humble opinion. Yes it has been over 10yrs since my last AGS game, but I really doubt the game has gotten any tougher since then (and it was soft then!). I would suspect the opporsite is more likely much like ever other aussie rules comp during this time.

Pike - Never a leader of a club, complete the opporsite IMO. immediately taken off the elite short list. Carey I agree, my reasoning was he was towards the end when voss and hird made names for themselves so that is why I did not include him in that era, but certainly elite. My point was putting buckley into the same bracket as the other two (now 3). I just didn't rate the guy as highly as the others and not everybody can be labeled as elite only a couple and certainly from 1 era. I think we would have to agree on this. Cheap and uninformed shot - Cheap yes, guilty as charged (its one of the filth's fav sons were talking about), uninformed - now rhino I don't recall ever seeing anyone with a PHD of football hanging on the wall, then again I haven't been over to your house yet either so I better be careful making that call as well! He won the NSM in a losing side that day - yet failed to inspire the rest to get them over the line on any occasion. Pies Team of the Century and he still played on for another 5 years. - I'm sorry I must have missed this as a criteria of being an elite player. Better take hird, voss, carey, robbie off the list as they didn't make the pies team of the century. I'm glad you cleared that one up for us all!

Few points Best 22 - close but for positions no, maybe end of season but not now. 1/ Bruce- Reigning B+F, I believe in the best 5 at MFC is a walk up start. Like to see him on the wing or the middle this year. 2/ Garland is effectively untried as a forward yet he is named at FF. Unlikely, miller or newton at FF, green as a roughie. 3/ A lot of responses have Jnr not starting which I think is unlikely - the Cap will start more games on the ground then the bench. 4/ Steph martin is not be our best FB, he has only played a handful of games, garland is more likely here with martin to become a utility (back, ruck even forward) mostly likely off the bench if rivers stays fit. 5/ Simon Buckley has bulked up heaps, more likely to play in the mid then off half back, prob starting off the bench and changing with beamer. 6/ With miller at FF, bate is more likely as CHF. 7/ Wheatley has to be in the current best 22 and likely to play off HB 8/ PJ can't carry the rucks by himself so MJ has to be there at this stage 9/ see cale morton to go forward allowing a wing position to be opened for strauss/grimes 10/ flash - I can't decided where he fits best. IMO there is no room for him in the middle so we should see him deep in forward and thrown into the middle to get him into the game as required. Maybe changing with Maric. Buckley, grimes and struass are the 3 imo that could become critical to our side in 09. Frawley, Pettard, Newton, Bell as the "fringe" players a couple of who will no doubt take their opportunities in 09 and cement a place.

The issue is who goes to make room. It would have to be one of the 2 husseys in the middle order and ATM they both would be ahead of Mcdonald. Maybe DH could be the unluckey one. The issue is at the top of the order. Warner if left to the sharks could well become a one or two hit wonder. I think he needs to go back to state level and refine his craft a little further. I'm not convinced with marsh opening either. Maybe premote MH to open and bring in Ronnie that would work. I have to say yesterday I witnessed one of the best bowling performances I have seen in a while (From NZ). The pressure they put us under was incredable, resulting in 2 unfortunate run outs.

No issue for mine. He will play 5 games this year any more is a bonus. Playing APS as a tough comp - what a joke! What was the old saying we had?...... If you can't get a girl get a X______ Boy!!! Many years of AGS competition has not changed my mind about school boys footy its as soft as it comes. He will develop in his own time and needs to be supported accordingly.

Don't sell yourself short Al, there is some real logic to your earlier post.... I would not play Bruce, Green, Junior, Flash or Morton till round three regardless of the results. - Disagree if fit they will play, brock, rivers and robbo are the 3 that may miss IMO ATM I'm unsure of where Robbo is at, but if fit play him. - Will not be seen until early in the season proper Fringe players such as Bell, Frawley and Newton must be played early. This could be Bell's last year, the other two need to show something or could face similar fate. - I think all 3 will play NAB cup, the extended interchange will see if fit all 3 be included. Martin, Warnock, Garland and Rivers must all get equal time over four weeks, one will miss out come round one, then play the kids who have shown the most during pre season. Correct, probably see a bit of garland and or martin up forward as well. Jurrah will be an interesting one. - Can't wait. next sat night he is playing in the all stars game v adelaide at 11pm on ABC. Well worth a look i think.

Mo, Forgive my ignorence buy what does a loose cannon cricketer at the end of his career do with the leadership group at MFC. I hope your not trying to tar Brock with the same brush.

Ayce Cordy is another one to watch as he was the first player taken in the draft F/S selections are always interesting as they will always have attached to their name - where would have they gone in the draft otherwise.