TheVoice

Tends to fade out of games?? Seen any grand finals lately?? Will conceed he has had a poor year but is a genuine star. Beams would be great but couldn't impact a game like goddard can when in form. We would also have to giveup something big to get Boak, Caddy or Beams in the form of picks or players, whereas Goddard can simply walk to us. He is 27yo, plays middle, back and forward, a respected on field general who will add much needed class to our mid field and will show our boys how to get the job done.. We have money to burn and need to pay someone big bucks over the next couple to make the minimum TPP. rather give it to someone who has earnt that coin and that certainly isn't Cloke or any of the above. Big yes for me on Goddard.

Ok I'll bite. Split second my arse! The guy ran 40m to a marking contest and still didn't get his hands anywhere near the pill. Instead this gutless wonder tucked his arm in and launched into the air breaking a truly brave ball player going back with the flight. Tough sport? Well it still is. Just wonder if Kade Simpson was your son would you still have the same opinion on that being just part of the game. I've played footy too. I'm sure many on here have. Have been on the receiving end of plenty and done a few things I'm not proud of but I still know that Wellingham's act was against all tough football is about. Be interested to see if he has what it takes to go back with the flight next time against Carlton.

Completely agree. Our incompetence with our disposal was matched only by the attrocious standard of umpiring on the day. Hate losing to Richmond.

Quietly confident about today but have to agree. Someone needs to step up in the forward line both on the scoreboard and with forward 50 pressure.

Hopefully a bit of a wake up call for Beamer. He needs to start performing soon. Don't know how much impact he will have on the game when he is introduced though.

Goddard???

The Brisbane side today was hardly what you would call tall. Having only Hudson as their main ruck with Merrett assisting I was surprised to see us go in with Martin and Spencer. Martin & anyone of Sellar or Dunn could have done the job and left us with other options. What was the great need to play spencer? GSOAG is spot on when he says Spencer offered us nothing around the ground. He was a true liability and waste of a bench spot against a small, fast and mobile Brisbane outfit. I'm sure he was destined to be the SUB when the time called however the cards never fell this way. Sure he has had a knee reco and not up to his previous best footy so why then throw him to the wolves today before he is ready and when better options were available? Spencer may very well develop into a serviceable ruckman at some stage and hopefully develop another element to his game (eg. Forward option) but to play him today was a big mistake.

Add to this that he is also on The Footy Show tonight possibly for the big announcement.

2-10 you cold, wet blanket.

Thanks Indeed. Great in depth read. Gotta love the big guy and what he brings to the MFC on and off the field. Give em hell Mitch!

Caddy went at pick 7 and has hardly set the world on fire. Wouldn't be offering anything higher than what he went for but if he was keen to home I'm sure a suitable pick and perhaps player could be organized.

If ever there was a time the stats DO lie! Mrs Morton must have been taking the stats cause i saw none of it. Don't want him to bear the brunt of a pretty overall poor team performance but this guy has everything this team does not need. Soft, poor decision making, poor skills and absolutely no physical presence makes him a complete liability out there. His goal was the only thing he seriously contributed all night. I maybe thought getting games into him was the answer but we can't afford any passengers like Cale. Not having a crack B.R.F.E., Im sure your stats are accurate, but to read those crap stats after what i saw Just made me angry. I probably shouldnt be posting anything right now.

I think most people realized at the time we were paying overs for Clarke when we got him. The reality was however that we had plenty of spare cash, a desperate need for a big body down forward and a very limited choice of KPP's available (Thank God we did not fall for the Dawes option). Whilst no Jonathan Brown I was quite happy with the recruitment of Clarke simply to help out Watts and Jurrah down forward. Someone of Leigh Mathews experience and intelligence should be able to join the dots and see this trade for what is was. A team with the means, filling a need in a limited market. The Fact that he chooses to pot the Clarke deal after a round 1 defeat, in a game where the forward 50 delivery from our boys would have seen Pugger struggling to get a touch does little for his media credibility.

Am I expecting too much? Watching the Hawthorn & Collingwood, Geelong & Fremantle and hell even some of the Carlton & Richmond game and I find myself entertained by some exciting, high quality football that we have come to expect from AFL standard footballers. Sitting down to watch my beloved Demons against the Lions today and i find my satisfaction with the quality of football on display diminishing by the quarter. Long stagnate bombs into the forward line to awaiting Lion defenders, Token forward line pressure acts performed merely to give the impression of intent to chase or smother and inability to man up on awaiting Brisbane outside runners peppering our backline with instinctive and varied inside 50 entries. Granted my level of bias towards Melbourne and my passion to see them do well may taint the impartial view I have when watching other games but what if I didnt barrack for Melbourne? Would I find this game entertaining? Would I see the quality of football produced by Melbourne acceptable compared to the AFL standard? There are a number of players on our list that simply need to watch the quality of football produced by probably 80% of the competition and ask themselves if they are doing the same. Do their skills, intensity, footy smarts and intent measure up? And if not why not? This is not a round 1 beat up or an over reaction to a single loss, simply a passionate, concerned and somewhat strained patient Melbourne supporter who longs to proudly boast of his teams performances to his so called mates and hated work colleagues. Is that too much to ask?

Loved Valenti when he was on our list and was disappointed not to see him play more. His application and ball smarts were fantastic. Was sad to see him get cut especially when others on the list possessed but a fraction of his heart. Unfortunately heart only gets you so far on an AFL list and his lack of size and whatever else they thought he lacked made the decision for them. Congratulations on your second Liston and good luck with your future footy endeavours shane. Would love to see you get picked up by another club. All the best.

Very good call, but. . . I feel exactly the same. No deal from me.

Pretty sure a contracted player has to agree to the trade before it can take place. An example of this was when Bradshaw and Riscitelli (Brisbane) rejected their proposed trade to Carlton for Fev, also Josh Kennedy (Carlton) had to agree to go to the Eagles in the Judd deal to get that over the line also. So if Goddard didnt want to come to us because he wanted to stay at the saints, didnt rate us or thought he could get a better deal when GWS comes a knocking then he has every right to say NO from what I can gather. And obviously likewise if StKilda dont think the trade is adequate, despite the fact that Goddard might be happy with the deal, then they too can say NO. StKilda not getting something of equal value for Goddard at the 2011 trade table is something they might just have to live with. The simple fact is that if GWS get Goddard at the end of next year then the saints will get no more than two first round draft picks, ala Ablett deal with Gold Coast. If they can get something better than this compensation in a trade this year then maybe it is a real possibility for them. Thats not to say they wont play some serious hardball to get the best deal done.

Would most definitely trade for goddard! He is the midfield grunt and class we are chasing, not to mention his ability to go forward and back when required. Add to this the fact that the man oozes leadership qualities that we so desperately need. At 26 years of age he still has over 5 good years in him in which time he will have helped shield and develop our young midfield group into the potential A graders we all feel they are ala Judd with Murphy. Unfortunately I couldnt see us getting anywhere near getting him though. The saints probably would want more than the 3 first round (12 and both compensation picks) draft picks we should offer and Goddard would know that there would be alot more coin available from GWS should he wait out the year.

Was thinking the exact same thing. I like Gary but rarely does he come down from the 3 metre high fence he has made his home and when he does it is only after looking both ways. Tonight needed a hard nosed, take no prisoners response from the supposed flagship of our club. Instead we were treated to something only describeable as disappointing and weak. Gary's account of the Tom Scully phone call this morning showed exactly why Scully felt completely at ease with resigning from his work place by phone. No angst or demanding of answers on behalf of the MFC, simply acceptance and understanding. Even the MFC presser today gave nothing more than a whimper. When asked by a journalist about how the club felt about Scully informing the club by phone of his decision, the question was not even answered. Despite what the headlines will say tommorrow, Swabb or McClardy demanded nothing in the way of compensation. They simply stated politely what they think we are entitled to until the AFL tell us otherwise. For the love of God is there not a prized and [censored] off bull amongst our lot. Where is our Jeff Kennett or Eddy? While we react in these ways to injustices like today we will forever be seen as a weak pushover of the competition.

Im not a massive fan of the saints game style but they are an honest team that punch above their weight more often than not. Lyon is an 'A grade' coach who gets his team playing unselfish football with each man playing his role and following the team rules. These are qualities severely lacking in our team. We may currently lack the star presence of a Goddard, Fisher and yes Rievolt & Milne, but im sure that a Ross Lyon is capable of developing our best to their own potential. I agree that an assistant coach could possibly have the same impact as appointing a Lyon ala Clarkson, etc, but I think it is a matter of 'better the devil you know'. We know what Lyon demands of his players and what a team under his control is capable of. Appointing an assistant like we did with Bailey has a greater element of risk associated with it and one we can ill afford to take.

He is an excellent advertisement for good players can come from outside the first round of the national draft. Whilst he has only played a handfull of games, he shows remarkable promise and many of the qualities we demand from our players. Very glad to see him back today, unfortunately much too late in the year for anyone's liking.

Some woeful kicking at goal early cost us the opportunity to take control of the match and subdue Port. The Power were always going to be a chance with a crowd like that and we kept them in it with our kicking. Don't like putting the umpires in the frame but they were horrendous today. Counted at least 4 occasions where poor decisions on their behalf directly led to a Port goal. Extremely poor umpiring decisions in critical areas of the ground, coupled with our goal kicking cost us. Was generally pleased with most of our groups performances today based on their intensity at the contest and their general 'in play' skills. Even Morton showed some good signs early, however mentally subbed himself off again in usual fashion later. I think I speak for everyone when I say it was a year to forget. I currently hold little to no expectations for next year, as I don't wish to have my hopes and dreams shattered like they were this year. I am just glad the footy season is now over for me and them. I'm sure by the beginning of the 2012 my excitement will again reappear albeit in a more tempered state. There are events in the coming weeks however that will definitely go a long way in shaping this clubs fortunes for next year and probably every Melbourne supporters sanity.

A strong, mature bodied, elite mid must be our priority. Our developing mids need someone to take the pressure off them and learn off. Our forward line, although short of a big bodied forward, is still capable of scoring if our mids can get it down there. Our midfield also needs to improve on their clearance percentage as well as learn to stop an opposition run on when required. These problems can be rectified with a quality mid added to our mix. A large forward is available to us for a steal with Fevola. As stated, he can be put on the primary list on a minimum wage with match payments or rookied. This may provide our developing KPFs with some cover for a couple of years, but if our midfield can't get it down to him then what's the point? We don't need to trade hard for a big forward with this scenario, instead a mid should be our primary focus. Our back line is bombarded week in, week out from constant opposition centre clearances and our inability to clear the ball. A quality mid go a long way to helping here also.

Head says Beamer, Heart says Trengove. I went with the heart. We need to be daring.

Great thread Cowboy All of the above for mine and add to this the camaraderie shown by our boys when given some stick by one of the opposition at the quarter break. From memory Ricky, Chip, Howe and a couple others didn't take a backward step in putting this idiot back in his place and letting WC know our young group won't be walked over. Good to see the boys backing one another up.