Theo

Touche. Your right. I wish there were more like him that gave 100%.. .

I think Jon Anderson on 3AW got it right this morning. "What is happening at the moment is by-product of poor recruiting. Too many light bodied, weak minded players and a poorly balanced list" It's been highlighted many times on this board how poor our recruiting has been over the last 10 years or more. Apart from Frawley no other 1-25 draft pick has cemented a place in this team. That's about 20 early picks wasted. If even a third of these picks, particularly under the Craig Cameron era were A or B Graders we wouldn't be having this conversation now and Neeld probably would't be Coach..

Your right about arses and thighs. I've had that same thought for years. They seem to make for good solid tough players. A big arse seems to help in contested footy.

What befuddles me is the rhetoric the Club gives its members and supporters, I did the "Walk to the G" in 2010 before our first game against the Swans. The powers that be, i.e. CC and CS spruiked to all and sundry about our "Window of Opportunity" or to be more precise our "Bifold" of Opportunity" in having a premiership tilt from 2013 onwards. In that same year CC talks on TAC Cup Future Stars how J. Fitzpatrick will be a great Melbourne fooballer. Let's hope his "super powers" in identifying great talent is better than mine. Last year at a function in Darwin before the Port game this bifold of opportunity was also spruiked. Sadly it is plain to me that the Club is having us on, or more likely has no idea about running a football club and identifying real talent on the field. We put our faith in the recruiters and the development of players at the Club. It is just another carbon dioxide tax con. We are not stupid supporters, we can tell a good player when we see him. How often have you gone to training or looked at games and had this inkling straight away that this recruit just isn't that good. Yet we generally ignore our instincts and put faith in the club that they know what they are doing. Let's face facts, our recruiting has been below par over the last decade or more. Identifying talent and having a balanced list both in size, structure and age has been a big problem. Because most of our top 20 -30 picks have not been successful we have relied on late picks and rookies to field an average team at best with little leadership qualities. If I was Mark Neeld I would take a big role in recruiting and make everyone accountable. Unless we recruit well in the next 2 years he is DOOMED to fail. At the moment I don't think the players are fully supportive of Mark and his game plan. Unless this is turned aroung quickly Mark will be just another failed MFC coach.

Very good post. Well thought out and does make sense. There is certainly confusion amongst our players there is no cohesion and willingness to run, carry and spread. Too many players seem afraid to make the play and instead turn it over with errant handballs. to players that are already covered. In regard to Blease I attended pre-season training every week leading up to the NAB Cup and have heard similar things about him. Unless his attitude improves he could well be trade bait. Let's hope he matures and puts the work in.

That's what we said about last years draft and the one before that. It looks like the 2008 draft with Strauss, Blease, Bennell, Jetta and Bail was a real disaster. Thanks BP.

And to think we could have drafted Rockliff in 2008 as he trained pre-season with us. He has said that MFC were only going to offer him a rookie spot. I know we picked Jurrah in the pre-season draft but don't you think we could have drafted him in the national draft instead of Bennell or Jetta or Bail or even Blease and Strauss. Our recruiting has sucked for over 10 years. Since Brad Green in 1999 our early picks (1st or 2nd picks) are either no longer at the club (Scott Thompson, Molan, Armstrong, Aaron Rogers, Bell, Nick Smith, McLean or are treading water (Sylvia,Bate,Dunn, Morton). Neeld has inherited a basket case. You can't turn a sows ear into a silk purse. Too may of our players just aren't good enough The recruiting, particularly under Craig Cameron was well below par considering we had many early picks. It's going to take years to turn this club into a force if at all.

I've spoken to him a few times at training. Jordie has a sore achilles. He is running well now but still in the rehab group. These things sometimes take a long time to go away. I doubt that he will be playing NAB Cup. I have not seen him do any ball work either before and after Xmas. Just laps laps laps.

No, I think Neeld recruited Jai Sheahan just in case Cook doesn't measure up.

I reckon one of the reasons we have been a bottom on of the ladder club for so many years is because we don't make bold decisions and step out of the shadows of other clubs. I asked Cam S last year why we didn't draft Rockliff in 2008 (as he was training with us). I know we picked Jurrah in the PSD but I asked him why we didn't pick him as a late pick in the ND. His answer "well no other club picked him". I for one am sick of this excuse. Lucas Cook may become a good player in a few years time but Darling will probably have 50 games up before Lucas has one. Pick 12 was such an important pick and I wonder whether Barry P would still be at the club if we had picked Darling or even Billy Smedts.

Jack Trengove told me last Friday that they will be doing a time trial this Friday at Princess Park. Training will also move to Casey when the tennis gets underway.

I love the OX, spent some time with him on the China trip. However, I have to agree that he does not have the football knowledge that you would expect he should have considering it is his paid profession. He tries to "wing -it" too often and comes up short. In comparison, Nathan Thompson, Mark Fine, Nigel Carmody and like him or loathe him Terry Wallace have a much better understanding of the current agendas and of players at other clubs. They do their homework, whereas David seems to spend more time concentating on his golf and fishing. It would be an interesting reponse if you asked David who were the latest additions to the MFC list through the draft. I bet he would struggle to come up with most if not all of them except for Mitch Clark. All is not lost if he prepared himself better and modelled himself on a lesser version of Clinton Grybus. Sadly, I don't think he has the passion for football that we all would like and if he is not careful he could be have a limited media career. Even though I am a big fan of his, I to can see that his limitations are starting to stand out and he is an idiot if he doesn't do something about it.

I only brought it up because the senior player concerned mentioned to a group of us that although the training was enjoyable the the rehab group was growing to an unacceptable level. He mentioned the number 20 not me. Of course some of these are surgery related but he was concerned the the number was growing which would impede players pre-season and thus negate the more intense training.

Speaking to players last night they all said that they are enjoying the training this year and are a lot fitter. A comment was made that they ran out of legs toward the end of games last season. A negative aspect of the training this is year was a comment from a very senior player who said that there are now about 20 players in rehab which is far too many and will need to be addressed. Jetta's shoulder means he cannot do any ball work until February. Jurrah cracked a bone in his hand in one of the games toward the end of the season. This did not heal properly so has just had some screws inserted. Jordie has an achillies problem that is not that bad but keeps persisting.and keeps him in the rehab group. Cook is still in rehab with his hip injury. He does not come across as a confident young man. Davey was not there and a comment was made to me by people close to the club that he has not embraced the new fitness program and the coaching staff are concerned. I have been to training 7 times this pe-season and he is by far the worst trainer and is very introverted. The new boys were great. Jai Sheahan is living with the Viney's and has an air of confidence about him. Leigh Williams will be a favourite with supporters. Has a great build, competes well and in my opinion a standout at training since he has been there. James Magner is bigger than Tapscott and Maloney and would be scary in the midfield. Tapscott said that he is training with the midfield group. Seller has impressed a training and said he hopes to play CHB. He may be a surprise packet. Howe is a nice guy and was surprised that fellow Tasmanian Julian Dobosz was not picked in the draft. Julian Dobosz (North Hobart / 192 / 83 / 92) By Snoop Dog( Big Footy) Another whose testing cast real doubt over whether talent vs testing would win out and ultimately is was testing. Whilst he is a fair way away from having an AFL ready body he has undoubted talent and may be the kid from Tassie who ends up being the best of this draft in my view. There is a fair bit of Jack Riewoldt about him, he plays enthusiastically, jumps around, is good on the ground and just has a knack for kicking goals. Just needs a pre-season or two and the Dogs would be a good home for him.

I think Jai was selected because the new coaching staff have concerns over Cook. He (Cook) is a nice kid with good skills but lacks that hard-nosed aggression that seems to be a common element in players these days. Even when fit he struggled this year at Casey. I believe Cook was a very conservative selection by Prendergast at pick 12. I would have much preferred Billy Smedts, Jack Darling or Issac Smith. I do wonder who the recruiting team would have selected this year if Neeld and Co had not been there. Prendergast did make the comment that the Rookie draft selections were coach driven. If left to the recruiting team I suggest we would have ended up with more skinny 18 year-old nice family boys.

Mick Turner said on the radio last night that they would prefer kids that are extroverted and have confidence in their ability.. He said that it is hard to turn an introverted kid into an extrovert.

Chris Connolly said on TAC Future Stars last year that Jack Fitzpatrick will be a great Melbourne player. End of discussion

Tim Mohr - Casey Scorps Age 22 195cm 98kgs Tall KP Defender. On the radar for GWS? and other Clubs. Very strong and had a very good year. Gotch rates him as the most improved player on the list.

Rocket has probably brought it forward because on the rumour file this morning it said that G. Lyon has been in contact with him.

I like your work Rusty. In my opinion your comments are generally on the money. Some hard bodied accummulators and clearance specialists are required and a super quick outside midfielder. The goal to goal line is not strong enough therefore I like your comments about a key back and key forward. The Club has had 10 years or more to develop a strong goal to goal line and has failed to do so. I believe that is a major reason we are inconsistent and non-competitive at times. Big strong bodies down the spine would help the smaller bodied flankers and midfielders. I spoke to Dean Bailey just before Watts was recruited and he said midfielders win matches. The problem is the midfield types we selected are not as strong as those selected by clubs after us. I.e Strauss, Bennell, Jetta, v's Hannebury, Zaharakis, Shuey, Suban, Ballantine, Rockliff, Beams etc and many others. Recruiting has been our downfall. The senior players that should be the backbone of the side are either gone (Johnstone, McLean, Bell, Molan, Buckley, Bruce) or struggling to hold their place in the team (Bate, Dunn, Sylvia, Warnock,Morton,Bartram). This is aside from the many duds we have selected along the way as top 20-30 picks (Nick Smith, Molan, Rogers, Armstrong, Paul Johnson, Maric?). I know other clubs have poor selections and you can't get it right all the time, but they seem go get it right more often than we do. Over the years we have had to rely on late picks and rookie selections to form the backbone of the team. That should not be the case. Dean Bailey would still be the coach if the recruiting in the Daniher years had been more competent.

Predergast has done a reasonable job in the 3 years he has been there. In hindsight I'm not sold on Blease, Strauss, Bennell and Jetta selections when you consider what was available. I.e Shuey, Hannebury, Redden, McKernan, Trengove and others. Our problem is with the early selections under Craig Cameron. Molan, Bell, Nick Smith, McLean, Bate, Dunn, Buckley, Morton, Maric Many of these selections should now be our senior playing group. We continue to rely on late and rookie picks. In the last 10 years or more we have failed to secure a strong goal to goal line. Too many light bodied tall and mid-sized players with no grunt. All is not lost because I have high hopes for Troy Davis and Tom McDonald who could hold down KP down back or forward. Wer'e probably only short 4 or 5 quality players to be a very good side. A couple of hard nosed accululators that are good clearance players, a super quick clearance specialist, a strong bodied contested marking forward, a Heppell type, and a young Bock type down back to help Frawley. All is not lost but recruiting is everything and we have not been consistently good at it.k

I love your passion and we do have some talent but not enough considering then number of early draft picks we have had. We really do lack a strong core of senior players to show the kids the way. We lost an A grader in Scott Thompsom in 2004 for a C grade selection of Bate. Daniel Bell never made it, Nick Smith had one awful game and was gone. Dunn at pick 15 is a C grader. McLean is gone, Sylvia is a non-imposing B grader, Simon Buckley might be a premiership player, Morton and Maric are treading water, Davey is coasting and nearly past his best. Wona is only here because his mother told him to come back and earn some money for the clan. It's an early call but I don't see Blease, Strauss, Bennell and Jetta setting the world on fire. There were so many great picks in 2008 such as Shuey, Hannebury, Redden, Rockliff and many more that we could have got. We do have some good young kids but not enough. As can be seen we got it so wrong between 2001 and 2008 compare to other clubs. Just 2 or 3 elite or A graders from that group would have made all the difference. That I believe is the reason we are were we are. Recruitment and player development are keys to success.

We just have a quality well balanced list. Shuffling the deck chairs is a result of poor recruiting. We should have a lot more senior players than we have to help the kids. Can I remind you of these selections from 2001 to 2008. 2001 Molan, Armstrong 2002 Bell, Nick Smith - Both gone 2003 Sylvia - treading water, McLean - gone 2004 Bate, Dunn - C Graders 2005 Jones- tries hard but turns the ball over, Buckley - with premiers 2006 Frawley, Pettard - good selection, Garland - good 2007 Morton - really struggling, Grimes - good, Maric - not up to this level 2008 Watts - VG, (Blease, Strauss, Bennell, Jetta)- shown very little Sylvia, Frawley, Pettard, Garland, Watts and possibly jones are probably the only players that would get a game with a top 4 team. We have had to rely more on late selections like Bail and rookie Picks such as Aaron Davey in 2004 to offset so many poor early selections. Recruiting and player development is everything and we have not done it as well as many other clubs. We have a poor goal to goal line. Too many light utility types and not enough hardnosed accumulaters that love the contested ball. Where are our strong bodied contested marking players down back and up forward. Zilch It is not good enough considering the amount of early selection we have had in the last 10 years.

Warnock will also be gone at years end. I would like us to get Tim Mohr from the Scorpians as a later pick. He would add glue to the backline. We obviousy need hard nosed clearance players. When we get smashed the midflield goes missing. Our drafting was so poor from 2001 to 2008 that we have few senior players to help the kids.

Pick 26 Jack Darling anyone.