1858

Yep, the cap's a winner. That emblem is going to sell a heck load of gear. Everything from pewter mugs to beach towels will look awesome. I still hold out hopes that the actual emblem itself will be available to buy as a coat of arms to hang up on the wall - I'm talking good quality.

Adelaide definitely have long term plans for Davis but he didn't feature in their estimations this year as best 22. They'll groom him over the next couple of years and I doubt they would consider Warnock. Carlton IMO are still a likely option but I reckon if they've learnt anything from last year it is to not go too hard too soon.

No point getting upset I suppose although it is disapointing given he was looking at staying on. Gave us good service, time for us to move on. Just a pie in the sky thought atm but sometimes you have to sew the seeds early. Jimmy should get in the ear of Tadhg Kennelly about coming to MFC after he retires (he turns 30 next year). Could be a good defensive coach for us down the track and would obviously emphasise our profile. Oh the shenanigans...

hmmm, I guess if there is any truth to this then I'll have to wait until I see it but it does sound a little American to me. I'm curious none the less.

As it stands it is pick 32 but more importantly it is our 2nd pick so the next pick we have in the ND (notwithstanding other trades) would be hit and miss (probably miss) not to mention the fact that we may not even have room to use it - big factor here. Personally I like your 2nd option. If we trade our 2nd pick we are looking at bringing in just 1 likely future prospect at a time when we still have a fair few question marks and this years draft is apparently not too bad for depth which is probably significant to perhaps the 30's at least (guessing a little here I admit). Yep, for sure.

Is our 2nd pick the right price?

You should trust your initial instinct on this one. In my view, PJ's standard of rucking, marking and general aerial ability is so shocking that some of us have been spooked into the idea of taking on any old replacement. I get the feeling that the club's mindset is that incremental improvement (which is what Hale is at best) is good enough and personally I fear that our 2nd pick is on the table here. The poster you quoted states that Hale only played ruck as a 21/22 yr old (and for some reason had to mention twice that he was still developing). That should ring alarm bells because at 26 (if the cliche stands) Hale should be coming into it as ruckmen apparently take time yet he's been over taken by a 22 yr old (who by the poster's logic is still developing). Hale is slow, an ordinary tap ruckman for his height, extra weight doesn't seem to be a biproduct of extra strength and I see other comments about his ability that are none too complimentary regarding defensive pressure and agility. He's had quite some time to prove and improve on his rucking ability and as you put it so eloquently earlier he is a spud. If we had both Hale and PJ on our list yes I would play Hale before PJ but there isn't much in it and what Hale may offer up forward (which IMO isn't that much) PJ at least makes up for in run and chase - both are spuds at the stopages or in the packs so if we give away our 2nd pick for him then North have done very well.

I agree, it is almost inevitable that we will come to such a point regardless of list management but that is life I suppose. We are definitely going to have to get creative down the track. I'm thinking Jack Watts as environmental ambassador for Hankook not enough tyres are recycled in this country. This is the latest article I could find from a half-assed search. The cap as well as ASA amounts go up next year but after that it is in limbo by the looks. Free agency and the format of player contracts (if they change) will put a spin on things too. Either way I think TH's strategy isn't too susceptible to cap changes on its own it is just a matter of how liberal they can be down the track.

I agree, in real terms there probably hasn't been a significant increase in TPP over previous years. I still think we are poised for that to increase though despite the delistings and retirements and I get the feeling that this expectation is a driving force behind TH's strategy.

With front loading we paid 100% this year I believe. Going by TH's WW presentation we shouldn't have any trouble keeping above the salary floor until about 2012/13 when the club plans to use that saved cap space for taking in some experienced players at a flag tilt. They seem to have a projection of how they want our cap to behave. You know more about this than I do but surely our list managers have a grasp of things without having to overpay experienced players simply to avoid the pitfall of over playing younger players down the track. It seems by the "apparent" negotiations that the club doesn't want to fork out too much for Bruce and tbh I think this is a better signal to send to the group if we actually want to avoid over paying players down the track.

Can't see Baker playing but geez it would make things interesting.

Yeah, wondered about that too.

That's an interesting one. You'd think they'd have to jettison some players in order to make space.

Pass

Yep. The term "stay at home forward" cops a bit of criticism in the modern footy vernacular but that is exactly what we need. Doesn't need to be an out and out champion either, just a competent forward who has the required strength and agility to give our ball carrieris confidence in kicking to a 1 on 1 (if required) and compliment our mobile forwards. If it wasn't already the case, I think it is curtains for Newton given he mentioned the rucking side of things. I'd be surprised if they gave up a first rounder but a player and a 2nd could be on the radar.

On ustream Schwabby mentioned that they are looking at elevating him to the senior list. He said that they definitely aren't delisting him (which I think only gives them 1 option anyway as he can't stay on the RL I don't think.

Jurrah's best position for both him and the team is up forward. The beauty of Jurrah is that he can have purple patches and I'm hoping that for a very long time he'll be giving opposition coaches headaches. We want a situation where opposition coaches are spending time chopping and changing defenders in their match ups throughout the game as this may not only bring our other forwards into the game (if they've been quiet) but it distracts the opposition coach from other things.

Knights would be a massive pick up for any team. Has a nice blend of class and power. 70m player.

In theory.

As it stands our 2nd pick is pick 32. Under a non-compromised draft that is still a 2nd round pick. I understand your point that picks have been pushed down the order but we need to keep perspective of what a 2nd rounder actually constitutes. We've had it good over the years with early picks but this is the reality that teams at the other end of the ladder have had to deal with - a 2nd rounder in the 30's.

Smart footballer just starting to find his way in the game. Given the pressure our kids have been under and a rigorous gameplan you can forgive any single player for not "starring". I think once the intricacies of our gameplan start to flourish from the regemented level we have displayed this year he will become more prominent. One of many players who will benefit from another preseason and improved facilities. I actually prefer him midfield to forward due to his composure.

North have quite a few players who have been in the system for 2 or 3 years starting to take the next step - that is their luxury atm. I would put their midfield slightly ahead of ours. I think they have 1 or 2 more better users of the footy than us although what we will get out of Blease, Tapscott and Gysberts in the future is anyone's guess. As I said in another thread, if we could get a player like Salopek (who is good at getting the footy inside and using the footy on the run) without giving up our first pick it would be a coup for us - IMO he has McDonald like qualities from the team respect and leadership pov as well. North's forward line is an interesting one. They are all buzzing about Hansen's prospects now but it doesn't change the fact that their highest goal kicker for the year was Thomas (a small) with 29 goals and he is apparently on Adelaide's radar. I think their forwardline is too inconsistent and given two full strength forward lines ours is in front IMO although going forward we need to really iron out the wrinkles in our forward setup. Defence is even IMO. We have a good work ethic and link play on our day but still ball use is an issue and I think we tend to focus too much on the exploits of 1 or 2 of our defenders (Frawley and Garland) when evaluating the whole setup. When our system breaks down we can get in trouble. North's defenders seem a little more confident (in general) with the footy but don't have any notable stars down back. One of the main differences I noticed yesterday was the amount of mistackles on moving players we made - way too many. We need to really improve on this area along with our disposal and core strength. North always show us up in the simple things.

I think Jurrah is definite leadership material in the next few years. His body language is superb and his confidence to play instinctive football will hopefully grow on the others. What shouldn't be underrated about him is that he has a very good head on his shoulders - he isn't a smartass or a lairiser even though he does the maraculous and I don't think any of this has gone to his head - he'll be the same Liam Jurrah the day he finishes footy. As another poster put it, he sees the world from a different view and his perspective is a valuable one IMO.

Going forward I have my worries about both players. A good pre-season and the benefit of new facilities will give all our players the best opportunity to develop and perform but I just don't like the body mechanics of either player in the modern game - both very inhibited players who severely rely on space and time to be effective. Size is not the issue with Morton it's power. If he can strengthen his legs and his core significantly then he'll have more confidence to do what he wants to do on the footy field.

Yeah, definitely the most likely scenario.