jnrmac

I think you are wrong. Cook was an under 18 AA CHF. Has all the skills but clearly not the work rate or work ethic. He was on every recruiters list. Disappointing that he was a dud but at least we have cut him quickly.

Thats' the key word right there. Those without the team mindset are gone. The pies are a good team. They have some stars but half their list are good ordinary footy players. But they play like a real team. If thats where we are headed I am happy.

halleluah brother. Infuriating how they mollycoddled our young players instead of saying 'you're in the big time now boy, get cracking'.

Both Cook and Gys had one common trait. They don't have the bodies to play AFL. Neeld signalled early with Magner that he wanted players who had a body to play AFL. Watch out beanpoles.....

Sounds like the 'reality bus' has run over a few players. Toot toot. Makes you wonder with Rivers out of contract.......

Wow. Lucas Cook really hurts. At least Luke Molan at pick 9 was cruelled by injury. I know Cook has had some injuries but to see Cook languishing in the Casey 2's is a real indictment. Boy it makes Darling look like a howler (and yes I know EVERY club overlooked him).

You left out 'who can also defend'. Something Brent was unable to do unless you call finger pointing at his team mates defending.

Sorry but NikNat is not an AA. Nor is Milne, Lonergan or Betts

Unbelievable that Melbourne does not have ONE player in the league's best 40. Well not really.

That's where your post went off the rails. Good players?? Which ones are you referring to?? Moloney?? PLayed OK offensively against weak opposition. Winning a B& F at the 16th club doesn't make you a good player. Who else?? Davey? Sylvia? Morton? Some players havegone backwards this year. Frawley, Jamar and Garland are three that spring to mind. But the reality is we don't have many good players. Haven't for a long time.

Thanks Beemer.

Ben Holland was a very serviceable player at Melbourne. Had tremendous hands and took a gorilla opponent. Ungainly kicking style but was super competitive. Filled a real role for us and I for one wish Sellar was as good. You can't have a team of Wayne Carey's.

Daniher was even better mates with Whitey Ooze & Robbo.

Not me Bring it on.

One of the problems with Bailey is that he gave a lot of games to players that didn't deserve them. His mantra strangely enough is similar to Neelds re average games played. Under Bailey it always came across as 'we have to get 100 games into these young players and then we can compete'. Like somehow it was automatic that they would be good footy players if they played 100 games. Miller would demonstrate the fact that it simply isn't true. It always infuriated me because players like Morton, Sylvia and Watts were never under pressure to compete hard for the footy and could swan around knowing that they would be given games. Its part of the malaise that Neeld is trying to eradicate. I want players who bust a gut to play. Not players who are inconsistent and refuse to buy in to a game plan. The dog wags the tail. Soon players will realise (like Moloney has) that if you aren't part of the solution you are art of the problem.

That's an unfair interpretation. He has been at a successful club and knows what it takes to be successful. When Nate Jones says 'what does Scott Pendlebury do' Neeld can tell him because he knows. It may well be that the delivery is not good but his message should be accepted by all. If we want to be successful then there are no short cuts and the hard work required will be embraced by some and rejected by others. Thats' fine with me. I think we are all happy to accept some short term pain for long term gain. Unfortunately what we have got in the past 6 years is long term pain for no gain - we have gone backwards. Its hard to see light at the end of the tunnel.

You are part of the solution or part of the problem. Brent has nominated his choice.

Wow that's a patronising post. And wrong too. If he 'failed' at being a westerner moving to Melbourne, moving to Adelaide will be OK will it?? Think you're trying to be too clever by half.

Great! I can see a few broken legs, some spiked drinks and a few drunken brawls headlining the off-season.

Bring on 2015.

Its self evident. He has walked. The club gets nothing. A bit too obvious for you?? Oh and from the Club website: “The Club met with Liam Jurrah tonight at which time he advised that he was not in a position to commit to AFL football at any level until after completion of his court case, set down for March 2013. He advised that it is his priority to be with his family until this time. “This discussion followed his arraignment earlier today at which time a trial date was confirmed for 12 March 2013. Sounds like a protracted discussion about Liam's future. Been going on for months. The club was shocked to be told. And the fact that Port had a press release out about 11 minutes after the story broke is a little suspicious don't you think????

Its not his body but his heart I question.

Caro came out last night and said "when are the AFL going to finish their inquiry into Melbourne tanking". I guess she is saying that because it was McLean who raised it but seriously the inquiry needs to cover everything that has been done in the last decade from Carlton, Freo etc if it is to be relevant. The media are pathetic yet again with this stuff. If you're gonna raise it then raise it all.

I'll mention that to my Fitzroy buddies...

Really?? So we help a guy from a remote community fulfill a dream to play AFL. We support him endlessly and go out of our way to accommodate his cultural needs. We support him through injury and a major court trial AND THEN the guy spits in our face and drops a bombshell on us without a consideration that we might get a trade for him or a draft pick somewhere. And you don't understand why people are upset?? Sean Charles, Wonna, Lawrence and now Jurrah have all walked out on the club. You can't understand why people don't connect the dots?? You're not really trying very hard are you.