Little Goffy

Agreed. It's an if for sure on the fitness, but the HF line is basically where he's been put because he has been perpetually coming back from injury and underdone. He should be a mdifielder. The forward line is very crowded, but with the plus that a lot of the players up there can contribute further up the ground, especially on the wing. Neitz, Robertson, and if all goes to plan Miller - stay at home forwards. Newton, Bate, Morton, Green - running around from HF line. Yze, Davey and presumably Maric - crumbers/small forwards, with at least two of them able to rove further. Maybe Bode as well, we'll see how he's going next year. Bruce, Sylvia and Dunn are all good options for rotating forward from a wing/midfield role. Sporadic options would be Petterd and Wheatley (the supergoal specialist!) and we may see Moloney doing some forward line hunting while we continue to ease him back after the OP. After, it's gonna be after at last, I insist.

I have a bad feeling the 17th team option would only be temporary... in the worst possible way for North. They may actually feel lucky if, in a few years, they get to merge with the Southport Sharks ala Brisbane and Fitzroy. I'd like to take moment to say how disgusted I am by the AFL's amateur-hour botched every step of the way rubbish 'I am not smarter than a fifth grader' management of the whole process. Idiotic bastardry at every turn. Anyway, for some reason I like the righ of 'The Gold Coast Tigers' - has a certain 19th century colonial charm to it. Now, the question becomes, who, really, will north end up merging with? (ever the pessimist)

Y_M, I think you just resolved all our PSD debates. Meldrum, definately the forward pocket we're looking for. Just be glad St Kilda doesn't have a pick ahead of us.

IT professionals. By the spadeload. Because a country that can't cheat at online games will face a very bleak future in the 21st century which is to come whether we are ready for it or not down the track since we can't run the flag up the pole and see who salutes if we're caught with our pants down changing horses in midstream.

Bingo. It's visible on his face, the edgyness and desperation to pass off to the first player he can find, it's always been clear that he was given specific instructions to fit with a set play - the lead up forward takes the mark, handballs to a teammate running forward so that the movement into the forward line is as fast as possible. I really think there's a coached habit there, and part of why I think he should play close to goal is that it would avoid what I think is a bad habit, and maybe once he's mentally renewed he can begin working his way out again. Others have mentioned Sylvia in the same boat as Miller. It's tangible. There's a little raft floating around with Miller, Sylvia & CJ sitting in it, and they need to start paddling like crazy. Actually, there's a lot of people who will find 08 a crossroads, for varying reasons, whether injury, failure to establish a spot, persistent underperforming, or staving off retirement. Whelan, Moloney, Jamar, CJ, PJ, Warnock, Sylvia, Miller, Yze, Holland, Robertson, White and... horror of horrors to contemplate (except for occo) Neitz. This isn't about identifying players who've performed badly or anything, it's just about who's got extra pressure on them facing the 08 season.

Too late! We'll have to settle for all the other unsubstantiated rubbish around here. It's not like we'll starve!

I really don't think he stuffed up his chances. Of course, I'm accepting the official version, so call me naive but it didn't seem to be that big a deal. As soon as he is awarded the capataincy it would be washed away - a vote of confidence in him - unless he gets himself into more problems in the future.

Might be something in that - having an award for the player who fell short of expectations the most - particularly compared to their share of the salary cap. Nominees to come to mind lately include Pickett, Woey, Johnstone and (please don't let this turn into another thread about) Yze.

That's very gracious of you. Now we can once again be united by our common bond - Hating Matthew Lloyd. The dirty cheat.

Exactly. That he got some publicity in the off-season despite his '07 performance has riled some people, and was always going to mean he copped a spray given his poor recent record. Yze will cop it fair at the end of '08, based on the contribution he makes. If he steps up. GOOD. If he doesn't, GOODBYE. What we're all arguing about here is just how much his well-known weaknesses give us the ^#$%.

The single concern with Miller is whether he can bring himself back up to be a regular shot at the best 22. There is competition for his spot. Across HF we have Bate, Newton, Dunn, and now Morton who could all fill his usual role. At FF we obviously would only need him as a replacement for an injured Neitz. As a tall defender he would be competing with Holland most directly, but also Frawley and Carroll. Put simply, we are in a situation where it's no great problem if he misses a couple of games - there are kids who can get a game and do ok. But if he doesn't step up then it gets even simpler; there are kids who are probably ahead of him on the pecking order already. So bring on Miller the Hammer. A side note, I'm of the opinion that Miller has been at his best when close to goal, which has only been a few games so far but he has stood up ok. I don't think he's been an effective backman consistently enough to warrant the shift, and I don't think he's creative enough to hold down CHF. I like the prospect of Miller being an ultra-fit run-defenders-ragged tall forward who makes defenders feel it when they try to be too cute getting it back out.

I shouldn't have named anyone, because the flare-off after a garbage game is a habit of all, and it's particularly wrong to suggest any one person indulges more than others. With apologies, I'll delete the post. For the record, the appropriately deleted post I made earleir today truly was both unsubstantiated and rubbish. Anyway, while occassionally brutal, I actually don't think I've heard you write a player off outright - just make some harsh calls about sub-par performances.

Wouldn't talking down a player actually increase their chances of being drafted by Richmond? They still have two months to go before they get CAC.

Mark Williams & Kelly O'Donell seem like a handy base, as development coaches, for contributing to the recruiting process. I don't think either should be made the List Manager, though, and I don't know the details of who was in our recruiting team under CAC. It'll be an interesting search, lets see who responds to the ad in the paper! Meanwhile, on the subject of poaching, I can't help myself - I have to put in another plug for getting Viney back from the Hawks and into our midfield coaching position.

I still think Mclean has greater capacity to break games open. I also think he has an intensity on the field which can shift the mental state of other players, friend and foe. A fierce presence which could be priceless in a grand final, or in a tight game any time. For me the defining feature of Jones is relentless effort. Not every game has been great, not every clearance has been effective, but he is always in there - you can see so clearly that he never thinks 'that can be someone elses job'. I'd speculate that he will become a magnificently consistent performer hovering among the 'bests' list in almost every game. Looking into the rose-coloured crystal ball, I see a Norm Smith Medal for Mclean, and five podium finishes in the Brownlow for Jones (Scott West style - though the shiny head might get him the extra 5%). If I had to pick one to have the flu for a single must-win game, Jones would go out. But I'd be miserable about it.

It's practiacally a Melbourne tradition, having one long-serving Captain followed by a two-year stint, followed by another long serving captain. Been that way for thirty years! Alves 5 years Ditterich 2 years Flower 7 years Healy 2 years Lyon 7 years Viney 2 years Neitz ongoing ... ... ... ... ... Green/Bruce? 2 years Mclean 11 years

Excuse me? I'm pretty comfortable thinking 'outside the square'. It's 'inside the toilet' that I don't want to go. And "settle down newbie"? Next time you post, do a quick proof read and remove anything that is totally pointless %^%-measuring, ok?

Seems like an unneccesarily negative and pessimistic original post there. And I'm completely unconvinced that something as insubstantial as a name change, particularly when the new name has no particular significance to, well, anyone, is going to change things around. It's the hard work day in day out, the thousands of small decisions which grow the club. That has to be where all the emphasis is and any grand solutions will only waste time and money, and create confusion.

QUOTE(Chelly @ Nov 25 2007, 07:06 AM) We're not over with Phantom Drafts yet. Here's mine for the PSD (based on teams passing and the fact that WCE will delist Cousins by November 30): 1. Richmond - David Gourdis 2. Carlton - Ryley Dunn 3. Melbourne - Tom Bellchambers 4. Bulldogs - Scott Welsh 5. Essendon - Andrew Renton 6. Fremantle - Clayton Collard 7. West Coast - Patrick McGinnity Looks perfect. I'd be very happy to pick up Bellchambers, the two above are credible, the remainder seem to fit club needs too. And even if Sampi looks ok (he's not going to reach 'impressive' in two weeks from his current performance) I'd rather select for a particular need at this stage, and get the young ruckman. Ballsy. Tipping the top five players AND the bottom four of the ladder in one go, a year out. I don't know about the players, but the ladder bottom actually looks good, except for West Coast, they still have 'Subiaco Oval' playing for them so would really have to bum out to hit bottom four.

Yeah, and taking Petterd at 12 would have been a disaster. Come on, the kid is gold!

Frankly, I don't think he had the impact that a player given that much on-field protection (players shepherding, feeding it to him etc..) should have. Believe it or not, according to the AFL 2007 prospectus he was also the worst player in the comp when it comes to turning the ball over from a kick-in. Yet was still routinely handed the kick-ins despite others having a much better record over extended periods. Similarly, despite his much-vaunted kicking skills, he actually recorded a below-average kicking efficiency (delivery to teammates) His risky decisions we're sometimes exciting, but just as often disasterous - he would produce turnovers in the corridor, the sort of thing which just kills morale and maddens defenders. The gains from when his decisions came off were never as great as the problems caused by his, in effect, clangers. This is symbolic of his role on field - doesn't necessarily deliver the best results over 100 instances, but does still hold the place as the 'go-to' guy as soon as the ball is won. I don't think his arrogant attitude and infantile behaviour exactly encouraged a professional attitude around the club, either. Particularly when you're supposed to be a star. Throw in the salary cap relief, the extra place on the list, and the extra space in the best 22, and I really think we came out ahead even before we picked up the number 14 draft pick, who will, of course, be an absolute gun

It makes no sense at all, but for some reason it feels right to nickname Maric 'Squid'. Beats me why. One of those moment like when Brown started calling Brock Mclean 'Chooka'.

It's a shame you can't say that around here without having monkeys throw their $%^$ at you. To restate my point in the simplest way possible - 1. Yze was an effective player for many years. 2. Yze has had a downturn in form characterised by frayed nerves on field, and a lack of intensity. 3. Yze would once again be a valuable contributor if he could control that key problem. 4. If he doesn't deal with it, he'll be delisted at the end of the year without much second thought. Now, Hannabal, feel free to tell me what the frickin problem is there, and why it means you get to say that 99% of the people here think soft players win premierships.

I just looked back on our pre-CAC draft record. ... ... I will never look again. But I won't forget what I saw, either. Craig Cameron

Well duh. Guess that's something to do with why I highlighted it as the key problem with Yze. Which, if controlled, could transform his game. Obviously I don't think it's a big deal, hey? Who the hell are these 'most people' you're trying to patronise, anyway?