Little Goffy

I could've just 'liked' this but I feel it is important enough to quote it and underline it. Would be a tragedy to delist honest but sub-AFL workers like Bail and McKenzie just to replace them with some other club's clanger-ridden list clogger.

Honestly, we can make six delistings without affecting the pool we are drawing our match-day 22 from. It's a comforting though that our list is surely not going to go backwards in the off-season! I'm of the 'Howe looks gone' opinion and would be happy if we were able to package him either with our second round pick (23ish) to gain an extra pick in about the middle of the first round, or even with our third round pick to get an extra one at the start of round 2. E.g. Howe and 3rd rounder to the Gold Coast (one rumoured destination) for their start of 2nd round pick. Giving us something like 5, 20 and 25. Then a big gap to late in the draft where we can speculate wildly, which is fine because all the phantom drafts and commentary seem to be saying 'throw a blanket over everything after pick 40, anyone's guess'. I'd love for us to get Francis (5) and Hibberd (20/25) and in the process seal up our defensive stocks alongside McDonald (The Mcdonalds?) for a decade. Particularly as they are both rated for their composure and skill by foot. I'm sure that will horrify the many who (for clearly good reasons) want us to urgently prioritise midfielders. I have two reasons - First, we have so many prospective midfielders who for youth or injury reasons couldn't be expected to be big contributors this year. Trengove and Petracca most obviously. Then each of Salem, Vandenberg, Neal-Bullen, Stetch, Harmes, Newton and Kent. That's serious scope for improvement from 9 young midfielder, discounting any expectations of growth from Brayshaw or a return to form from Tyson. Second, 2016 Free agency! Rich, Sidebottom, Pendlebury, Ziebell, Hartlett, and Hannebery all come into Free Agency, as well as a handful of worthy veterans. I for one would not blink at offering 5-year, 750k/year contracts to both Sidebtoom and Hannebery, for a start. But when it comes to mobile tall defenders capable of really defending and then rebounding with poise, we're pretty shot at the moment. The adequate-at-best options we've got are getting old, and there's little future prospect to be found already on on our list.

Honestly, for all that I have a lot of respect for that group of players, I don't think any of them are suited to the 'end-of-career consulting contract' we'd be taking them for. Cross clearly had time left in the game and the Dogs made a bad mistake dumping him, almost as bad as our own club's decision to toss James McDonald. We got lucky, got him cheap, and he has been everything we hoped for. We should be looking to add players at the free agency age or approaching it, who match our deficiencies. My own thinking is that players like Isaac Smith, Stephen Hill, even the currently out of form but 100% [unknown substance] free Zaharakis, are all at the right age and would each be a valuable addition of speed and 'threat' to our midfield.

Bwa ha ha. Depending on how hung up you are about draft decisions from years ago, this will either upset you or pass with barely a smirk. If Melbourne had recruited Ollie Wines, and Port had Toumpas, we would probably be ahead of them on the ladder right now. Which to me means "we are getting more right than we are getting wrong, and I wont cry over the misses". But maybe I'm just taking it easy because I'm still convinced that the Toump will be a credible and enduring AFL player.

Yeah, on consideration, looking back on his 2014 rather than thinking too much on his unlucky 2015, absolutely. A young small forward who managed to kick a decent stream of goals, despite being in the second lowest scoring team in the history of the 22-game format, that's a keeper.

I'm not sure of the contract status of most of our players, but the list changes end of year look to me like - Retirements; Mark Jamar Delistings; Rohan Bail Aiden Riley Viv Michie Jordie Mckenzie Dean Terlich Question Marks; Dean Kent Matt Jones Jack Fitzpatrick The unfortunate fact for these guys is that you can cut this entire group without affecting our match-day performance. Some still have a chance to prove themselves, and in what is rumoured to be a weak draft the club might persevere rather than start fresh with draftees. A 5 or 6 player 'churn' is pretty appropriate for a club still looking to develop their list.

That's the trouble with playing in Canberra, as soon as you're ahead for 51%, you think you're set for the next three years.

The truth of it all is, we MUST get pick 7. Aish, Wines, Haynes, Caddy, Rich, Sheppard, Palmer, Selwood, Ryder, Lewis, You have to go back to Kane Tenace to find a player who hasn't made it to a full career, and almost all of those selected have become or look like becoming A-graders.

Darling, Shuey, Martin, hell, some fool even suggested we dudded ourselves with the Tyson trade because 'we could have drafted Lewis Taylor'. Some people will always sink into the second guessing and ever so superior hindsight. I really hope this thread works and keeps that sludge out of the main threads.

Thinking about Brayshaw, would North be interested in packaging something/someone with their first pick to get our first pick, thus ensuring they collect him? Would be a nice combination of sentiment and suitability. Adding to that, North must be one of several clubs who would be very interested in using an early pick to collect one the the multiple tall forward targets that are hovering in the top-5 range. We may have several suitors for that first pick, and I agree with a few others that it if Petracca will be gone by our choice then the value of that pick goes down for us. One the other hand, there look to be multiple good prospects - midfielders and effective rebounders - that would suit our needs around the 10-20 mark. Ellis, De Goey, Marchbank, Duggan, Laverde, Blakely, - a lot of these profiles suit, and we'd only need one to slip. Even the previously much-touted Hugh Goddard is floating in predicted position.

Pretty sure we already have a massive wines thread.

Top observation Mr Bizkit. A very specific problem that needs to be ironed out. Disproportionate impact compared to the relatively small amount of regular work needed to build a better habit

Hmm... putting some thoughts together. Cale Morton has improved his confidence and involvement quite a bit this year, and I get theimpression it has been through a lot of positive and supportive talk around him. However, he still makes horrendous super-clangers which can cripple our momentum and turn the rythm of a game. Clearly, those clangers are emerging from total brain-farts which are still confidence based. Confidence in that particular moment just implodes I get this quiet feeling like his confidence has been taken a far as it can by 'support'. Now the coaches need to challenge him, really confront his failings, hope that he now has the strength to face them and the bristling frustration it causes, and by 'practicing' dealing with that, get to that next point of confidence. If the occasional blast works, it could be the making on Cale Morton. If not... well, it isn't going to break him, it will just mean we have found his limit as a football player. But if there is one thing that is completely obvious, it is that Cale's problems are pretty much all born from a lack of confidence and belief.

I hear the 2012 draft is a ripper. 30+ 'sure hit' players. I'm so excited that the Demons will be well placed to mine that draft with numerous end-of-first-round picks. Poor GWS gets a frayed dishrag of a draft to work with. Bwa HA HA HA HA HAAAAA

Ok, a moment to clarify two things; 1) I've seen the media get this wrong a couple of times, so here goes - the $5million debt quoted is actually for the end of this year, including, this is important; including, the projected $2m loss from this year. The million dollars from tonight knocks it down to four million. The other million I'm sure we'll raise by the end of the year (including the 100k from foxtel) will get it back down to three million. 2) There was no 'payout' to MacNamee. The money paid to him was ordinary salary for his time while at the club. The board learnt from the lesson of Steve Harris' payout and set the contract terms specifically to manage that issue. Mr. Peter Spargo, the board member/acting CEO, is currently filling the role without payment. Send him a card - thanks to him the club is actually saving about a grand a day for sacking MacNamee. To be henceforth known as the 'Spargonator', 'Spargonaut', 'Spargman' or simply 'Spargsy'.Banner of 'Spargos a legend' or 'all hail the Sparg' would be appropriate. Peter Spargo - currently second in awesomeness only to Jim Stynes himself. His profile - Peter is the Managing Director and owner of family companies associated in the oil industry, and now involved property development. He currently employs over 200 staff. Peter holds a Bachelor of Economics and all his working life been associated with retail businesses. He is well versed in all aspects of business and is well placed to identify revenue opportunities for the club. He is a life long Melbourne supporter and has a strong family connection with the Melbourne Cricket Club. Peter currently is an MCC member. Peter is also involved with community football associated with the Prahran Junior FC. He has coached for many years and his family is a major sponsor. Peter and his family are commercial sponsors of our club and have been the Elite Sponsor of David Neitz for many years. Peter is married with four sons, all Demons.