Salems Lot

Good draw for the team lousey draw for the club. The former outweighs the latter in my opinion as more wins and a better product will lead to a better draw.

A man on a mission (with a Misson)

thanks DD.

Nick48 on 'ology who is a bit of an authority regarding all things training reckons that there will be an open session later in the week

RD, you write as if we have delisted all of our team. What Neeld has done is get rid of the time wasting periphery. Go Dees

I wonder if Tippett was to nominate for the ND whether this fellow could slip to us at 4?

touche'

Not sure where Bater went wrong, I remember Neeld highlighting his improvement at the start of the year; put him in your Dreamteam was his quote. Like many others I really liked the Master but he is just no good in an ordinary team. Good luck for the future

Hey GNF, I am not sure that what you are saying is correct. We still have plenty of young talent on the list: Watts, Blease, Howe, McDonald, Tapscott, Grimes and Trengove are all in the "young" age group. What Neeld has done is recognise the issue that has been plagueing MFC for years and that is the lack of leadership and experience at the top end of the list. By bringing in experienced, successful players to replace the habitually unsuccessful incumbents at the top end of the age range will help inform the up and comers of the training and playing standards that are required to achieve real success. This lack of leadership stems back into the Daniher years where the effect of recruiting of players like Ellis and Holland is only now starting to be really felt. The club has gone through the youth policy and like all recruiting exercises has provided some booms and busts. Morton v McDonald, Gysberts v Howe. For mine, bringing in Rodan and Byrnes at virtually no cost to play this off field role is a smart move and lets face it Morton and Martin present no real loss. As has been said many times before the sins of previous recruiters are sins of the past and we have to move on. Add to the list 3 (at least) young players in Viney, Hogan and Barry and they are still topping up at the bottom age level. The addition of Dawes can be seen as a logical way of supporting Clark and Pedersen is nothing more than a bit of depth. Where I agree with you is the way we have sold off far too cheaply our experienced players such as Junior, Bruce and Green; we have seen the value that the former 2 are offering other clubs by way of experience to the younger part of the list. Hopefully Brad can be encouraged to do the same at Melbourne. In conclusion, cutting some deadwood (draft pick number withstanding) will hopefully make us a more streamlined unit into the future.

My Kangas mate reckons that we won the Pedersen deal..you never see yourself how others see you!

Umm, I think it implies it not infers...

I agree with you about the theory; I actually think that we have seen a fairly subtle bit of trading over the last few weeks.

Looks like I will be buying a record next year, the old "well played number 9!" will be the case at the start of the seaon with all the changes going on!

To be fair I think Martin was a rookie so in fact he probably gave better than expected

Or... http://demonland.com/forums/index.php?/topic/32014-adelaide-do-a-carlton/page__view__getnewpost

St Kilda recruiting manager on SEN just said that they have had no further contact from MFC since original approach.

Only 6 months to go!!!

I am really disappointed to lose JR to the Cats. I believe he has been a much maligned member of our team who has provided consistency and hardness on the field. I wish him all the very best for the future but think that his loss represents a rare minus in what has been a positive trade period.

Should have been for quite a while considering the pay rise he is getting. I would still be sighing if I was him!

Ah; it is that time of year again isn't it. Well I started following the Dees because that is what my family did - 3 generations or more! My Mother was rabid about them..She used to hang around with Dougie Heywood and Jackie Muller. It was entrenched and now there is no other option. My 8 year old is now hooked as well so I guess I have passed it on to the next generation. I tell him what I tell myself which is that one day we will be successful and to have stuck with them through the hard times will make the good times all the sweeter. (mind you, my Mother lived through 10 premierships!)

But of course it is not about "wielding the axe is it"; we need to be offering someone with market value otherwise I am happy to offer my rather paunchy 49 year old body up for trade instead of Ricky Bobby.

Nice work Jack; for some reason I could never see LJ hanging around for long..something about burning so very very brightly.

All part of our growth as a club. Clark and Dawes act as calling cards to other potential draftees over the next few years. The Dees are demonstrating ambition which appeals to competitive players. Rather than seeing it as an isolated recruiting decision; Dawes should be viewed as a further lure to other quality players. MFC are investing (some might say "over the market value")in their future by bringing players like this into our list. When finals aren't on offer it will require something else to get players to want to join our club. $$$ and the chance to be part of the leadership group are the attraction. If getting Dawes and Byrnes allows us to rise up the ladder by 8 positions it takes us away from the cellar dweller set and brings other even more highly fancied players into the frame by dint of our proximity to the finals window. As they say in the classics "youv'e got to give a bit to get a bit" Ge Dees

My Kangas supporting friend gave a huge fist pump when I mentioned that we were interested in Warren. VFL standard

Until very recently he lived over the road from my work mate in Eltham; still a top bloke by all accounts.