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I also heard similar comments to those suggested by 'Grimes is Great' over the weekend during a dinner I had with a current senior coach and one his best mates (who is an employee of the AFL very high up the tree). Whilst there was no mention of specific penalties, it doesn't sound good. Found it interesting that both of them acknowledged the AFL system is to blame and that clubs (such as the MFC) will inherently take advantage of the rules and systems in place.

Comparing Chris Scott and Neeld is like comparing a plane and a boat. Whilst they both get you to a destination, their methods and purpose are entirely different. Having seen Chris' preparation first hand before numerous games, it's clear his 'rating' is seriously inflated. With the list Chris 'inherited' he was always going to enjoy success as a coach. Chris is an excellent delegator and personnel manager, however he clearly lacks the skills to develop and nurture a young group (such as the one at Melbourne). The rating given to both Mark and Chris by this junior coach highlighs the difference in the 2 lists, not their coaching ability. Geelong has more likely 9 quality, experienced leaders on the park, where as well Melbourne.... haven't got any. Thus the reason for drafting Clark and most recently Byrnes, Rodan, Peterson and to a lesser extent Dawes. I'm rapt the club managed to pick up Rodan and Byrnes, because they share a great work ethic and determination to improve their skills and that of their teammates that is sure to rub off on their midfield colleages. Seeing many observers slam the clubs drafting during the recent trade period, with comments about Rodan and Byrnes' age and inability to play a large number of games last year, just shows they are missing the reason we drafted them. It's not to win more games in the next 2 years (whilst it will have that effect), it's to allow the young leaders of the MFC to develop and mature and ensure their is enough on-field support to assist with their development. For the last couple of years, the club has been led without any real experience or quality leadership. Green might have been a good player, but wasn't no leader. Whilst I (and for that matter Chris Scott also) belive that Grimes and Trengove are quality young men who will take Melbourne places, we must be patient.

Denham has a fair bit of history of making stories up. Case in point, he wrote a lengthy article early last year during the pre-season that a player (from another melbourne based club) had suffered a serious knee reco and was unlikely to play again. Seeing the coach leave an early breakfast with us to absolutely blast Denham over the fabrication of the story was hilarious. It was pure gold to hear him destroy Denham. Even funnier was hearing him invite Denham to come and see the player play the following day in a practice match.

Yes he does attend Scotch. Best mates with Luke McDonald (Donald's son). Unfortunately he won't be eligible for this years 'mini' draft as still to young, although likely to got in the top half a dozen in next years draft. Has foot skills that are elite in AFL terms. I think he would be exactly the kind of player we should be targetting in next years draft. Reminds me a lot of Luke Hodge, a classy midfielder with elite skills who can push forward and back and is not afraid of a contest (for someone with a similar size to Hodge as a teenager). Being a family friend, it's quite amazing to see a 16yr old kid with the level of professionalism to training and recovery (who's often doing late night recovery swim sessions) that he has.

I tend to agree that BJ will end up staying at the saints, with him getting a far better contract than the current offer. This is likely to be a result of a current A grader telling the saints that he's leaving under free-agency to join another melbourne based club.

Very happy with the appointment of the two Jack's (as Co-Captain) and the Leadership Group. I think that of the MFC listed players, Trengove, Grimes, Frawley, Bartram, Garland and Jones (apologies to McKenzie and Bail) best represent my belief of which MFC players would follow the 'coaches instructions' to the letter of the law. These 6 members of the leadership group seem to best represent the team 'ethos' and the ones most likely to contribute (via the 1%ers) for the greater good. The leadership group to me as individuals represent those with the most obvious ability to 'teach' or 'instruct' their team mates out on the field, offering advice and guidance to improve their teammates performances. We've seen evidence of this in Frawley and Garland giving advice to some of the younger defenders during the past 12-18 mths, we've seen Jamar grow as an individual to someone who now feels comfortable 'advising' the midfielders of where to position themselves. The notion of having a leadership group is designed to improve the teams performance and it's individuals, it is not meant to represent the best players at the club. For those suggesting that Moloney should have been captain (or even a part of the leadership group), there's a big difference between being a leader and being the B&F at a club. Knowing Brent via similiar social circles, I would have been amazed to see him as Captain of the MFC. Sure he's a decent player and passionate for the MFC, however he is servely lacking in leadership skills. Some players lead by example with their actions, others by words. Unfortunately for me as an observer Brent doesn't seem to inspire players around him to lift their game or intensity for the team.

It also helped that Geelong had inside knowledge on Malthouse and Collingwoods structures (particularly their midfield).

I think we're short of a gun tagger. Someone who would make the other midfielder's jobs that much easier. I'd also agree that we need a prime mover through the midfield, someone who can free up the attention on the other midfielders and assist in the development of the younger inexperienced midfielders.

I'm not going to comment on Lyon and the behind closed doors discussions or even whether he is the right person for Freo or Melb. Rather, what is plain to see is how poorly regarded Mark Harvey is by Freo. To be given the chop with one year to go on a contract, at a club with so many injuries (15+) for the better part of the year suggests that they were aware of major flaws in his coaching ability. I am not surprised at all that Freo decided to get rid of him. I've had numerous discussions with a former assistant coach at Freo who worked with Harvey and said whilst he's certainly got the enthusiasm, the toughness and personality for coaching - there's way too many flaws in his character and his inability to adapt to the modern game. Anyway you look at it, Freo obviously knew something was wrong and decided to do something out of the media/spotlight. Whether Lyon is the man to help them succeed is another matter.

WJ - not sure about Jack Viney tearing it apart today. I thought he played a solid game (a fair bit quieter than his last 2 weeks), but think it was rather a good even team performance. Was good to see Lin Jong play well today.

Agree 100% with the above. The reason that Hawthorn were on top during the first quarter (and a large part of the 2nd) was the midfield. Specifically the clearances! Mitchell, Sewell, Hodge, etc had control. Brendan Sanderson summed up Geelong's gameplan and structure brilliantly at half time, win the clearances and 'bomb it' to about 30 out from goal. Geelong's win wasn't won off the boot of Podsiadly and Hawkins (although they both played well) it was the likes of Chapman, Ling, Bartel and Selwood who started to dominate the middle. Case in point was the last quater, Geelong had close to 20 inside 50's to 5. Personally I think both Podsiadly and Hawkins are 2 of the biggest duds going around in the AFL. However when you get the amount of inside 50's and the delivery from an A grade midfield, your duds turn into decent players. For my mind we need another couple of classy midfields in the draft, (at least 2 in the event Scully leaves). Whilst Moloney, Jones, Grimes, Gysberts, Trengove, McKenzie, and Sylvia are all capable of filling roles inside the square I still think we're still a couple short on depth. Particularly when you compare our list to the Pies, Cats and Hawks, and also to a lesser extend North and the Eagles. (Note that I have left Davey, Tapscott, Blease, Bail and Morton out, as to me they're more suited to playing off a 'winger/half back/half forward' although thats not to say that Bail and Tapscott can't develop and play more often 'in the guts'). In addition, I think we need a 'gun tagger' type. We've seen the likes of Dunn, Bartram and Jones used in shut down/tagger types, however I think we lack a key shutdown/tagger. Does anyone think a player on our list at present has the ability? - Is any of the following Bartram, Jones, McKenzie, Jetta or Dunn the person to do this job every week? I believe a 'gun tagger' recruit (or possibly a current player) would allow the development of our young midfield to progress at a much more rapid pace. Personally, I think we made a mistake letting Jr McDonald go 1 year early. Case in point, you only need to see how quickly North and the Eagles young midfield has come on, with Priddis and Rawlings allowing other players to develop without as much attention. If I was in charge of the MFC drafting criteria for the upcoming draft, I'd be looking at securing the best inside midfielder available and best 'tagger/shut down' type as the top priorities. Talk of another key forward is too premature. We haven't seen Dunn, Petterd or Bate have the years that we'd want or expect from them this year. Throw a couple of them forward with the likes of a much more developed Watts, Jurrah, and Howe, combined with a resting Jamar/Martin combination and I think we have a good necleus. Given another year of development and size into Gawn, Fitzpatrick and Cook (who are all capable of playing forward) and the future up forward looks an attractive prospect. If we can get more ball delivery into the foward line, more inside 50's, we'll kick more goals and have more W's on the board at the end of the day.

Just got back from watching Jack run around with Oakleigh in the TAC today. I thought he played an outstanding game today. For those who haven't seen Jack play as yet, think of Todd with a much better left foot. Of the players going around today, his playing style seems to remind me a lot of Sam Mitchell. If Tapscott is referred to as The Bull, I think young Jack will be known as The Tank is years to come. Not so much from his size (whilst he's still quite a solid teen), it is his attack on the footy and willingness to have a contest at every opportunity that is most pleasing to watch. Whilst Jack's not a quick player (like his old man), he never seems far away from the contest. He comes across as a very 'smart' footballer who reads the play incredibly well and seems to move to where the ball/contest will occur, rather than worrying about his opponent. I thought his attack on the footy today was top notch. A number of times today whilst he was 'resting' in the forward line he backed straight back into the contest with no second thought.

I'd disagree with Pagan being out of the game too long. Still heavily involved in the TAC and developing juniors coming through. Knows the structure and gameplans in todays game from his current role(s). I had a great chat with Dennis at a North Presidents lunch a while back, and whilst I believe that we should look elsewhere I wouldn't be unhappy if they signed him in a 'mentor' role for a senior coach. Don't know how anyone can argue with his record - 7 premierships whilst at North (2 senior, 5 as under 19 coach). Arguably the most successful coach in recent times for developing young players in champions.

My selections are all in part based on players 'staging' and playing for free kicks, which goes against my view of how footy should be played. Stephen Milne Joel Selwood Angus Monfries 3 Most annoying commentators: Andrew Maher (by a country mile) Michael Christian Matthew Lloyd

Geelong have the pick they received from GC for Ablett. From what I've heard to date, Geelong are the favourites at this stage to snare Jager as one of the 4 underage draft picks in 2012 - and expect a 'significant' number of trades from clubs looking at positioning themselves for picks off the GWS during the next 2 drafts.

Speaking of trade week - If, and that's an if - Tom Scully decides to take the cash and head to the GWS, expect Melb to try and trade for the No 1 pick in the 2012 draft with GWS, with the selection of Jager O'Meara. After having dinner with a couple of current coaches last week, they both noted that whoever ends up with the biggest trade bait on offer to GWS will end up with Jager O'Meara. Such is the interest, they mentioned that most clubs have already been 'canvassing' who they could put forward as a viable trade option and that Port Adelaide and Geelong appear to have the front running. For what is worth - from last weeks discussions, I'm expecting an awfully hectic trading period.

One from left field - Denis Pagan? Has an impeccable record of coaching young teams (7 premierships for North (2 senior and 5 under 19s). Might be a little too old at 63, but has the experience and the tactical knowledge, coupled with the fact he's still involed in the TAC.

North didn't go to NZ - they went to Utah for altitude training. I can confirm they spent 3 weeks there (at a cost of a little over $500k). The cost of the trip was 'supported' by 2 major North supporters (namely a former foster's chief and elder's executive) who are both on the North board. It was sold to these 2 backers and others as an elite training camp, where supporters could come and watch an elite training program close up and potentially use in their own personal/business lives. I've been given the impression that North didn't see the immediate effects this year, but rather they expect the benefits to occur in 2+ years, as players learn how to push themselves that little bit harder and harder (due to the altitude).

There was big concerns with the 'results' at Nth after their recent altitude training in Utah. From within the FD, their was concerns that when the players got back to Aus their would be a 'let down' and the effects not fully realised. However the players have shown a signifcant improvement in the last week (particularly) with their first real time trials and big hitout since arriving back. Still is this improvement evident on the field or in the development of the individual. Was it worth the cost? Do you get the actual results on the field and in players development? Well thats still up in the air. At $20K per player, for over 60 individuals it sure is a large expense which was in the major part assisted by primarily 2 very generous board members/supporters.

From looking at his highlights there is a lot of resemblance with jumping Jack. Although rather than focusing on his grabs, its his attack on the footy that is most reministent of Jack Riewoldt. I can see Howe being used as a "pack crasher" who seems to have that same "desperation" as both Riewoldts, to contest the ball running into an oncoming pack or going back with the flight of the ball. Am liking the look of the Indian Chief.

Sportingbet never had Scott as favourite. He was the rank outsider of the last 3 candidates.

No surprise here. Contrary to the media reports, he was the favourite for the Cats job once Thompson quit. Massive increasing in his rappore and reputation following his application at Port and work at Freo. Murmurings I've heard from within other club coaching departments, was the Dons had a strong interest in Scott but that Evans couldn't overlook the marketing/return of "the golden child" to the Bombers.

I too would take Chris Scott in a second if he had any interest, however if he misses out the Head Coaching role at Geelong he will remain at Freo. Unfortuntely for Chris his best chance was Port, which contrary to the reports was not a 100% unanimous decision by the board to back Primus. It would take an enormous offer (not necessarily $$) to get Chris over to the east coast as another assistant coach role. Whilst Harvey may attract a large amount of recognition for Freo's improvement this year, according to inner reports from within Freo (and another club with family ties...) Scott is considered as critical for their future for their improvement both from a game plan and development perspective.

The word out of the Nth FD is that Hale doesn't fit well into their team structure or game plan for the future. This is primarily due to his lack of speed (as a forward) and others being preferred to develop in ruck roles. Whilst he's not quick nor does he have a great tank, he'd be well suited to providing a key target under Bailey's game plan with the bonus of giving Jamar ruck relief in bursts during the game.

Having spent a good part of the year watching most Nth Games (due to a personal association), I'm of the belief that Hale isn't a great fit for the Nth game style under Brad Scott (that's not to say he can't be at MFC). North's use of the football under Scott this year has mirrored Collingwood in many regards, taking the ball wide along the wings and then bringing the ball into the corridor from about 65-75m out to a leading target. Their game style suits the quick forwards, in particular the likes of Thomas, Sam Wright and Warren. Brad Scott seems to be mirroring many of the structures from Collingwood, even extending as far as taking the players to Utah for an altitude training camp. Melbourne on the other hand have a game plan that has a higher scoring efficiency (for inside 50 entries), due to the game plan of bringing the ball more often down the centre corridor. I see the MFC game plan involving a forward/ruck who can play deep out of the square, stretching the opposition with our height up forward and on the scoreboard. Whether Hale is the solution, or Gawn and Fitzpatrick may be better suited long term, either way Jamar needs support and it appears we're keen to fill such a void.