B@te-man

I am gutted that we did not defeat collingwood, however, i could not be more happy. The overall performance from the side today was AFL level, passing, intensity, tackling, this is the standard at which we now have to measure ourselves. We have come within a point of a top 4 side, and this performance today, repeated week in week out, is enough to beat most sides in the league. The only critcism is that we need to convert dominant patches into scoreboard numbers. But this will come with confidence

Of that list, only davey, monfries, zaharakis and winderlich are decent players If you think pears is on the verge of stardom, as previously said in another post, you are dreaming. He still has a long way to go

Please tell me your kidding

If i was an essendon supporter, id be most happy at getting a chance to see what gumbleton is made of, high draft pick, very talented. Will be interesting

Fair enough but you have to keep in mind a few things Your prefered forward 6 Winderlich-Handy at best Gumbleton-Has basically been injured since being drafted, so do not expect big things from him Monfries-Has turned into a great livewire forward, and is a reliable contributer Davey-Will be a great player like his namesake at the dees, but is a ways off yet Hurley-Will be your best player in 2 years time along with ryder already, and will straighten you up somewhat, but will not kick 4 or 5 a game to win games for you Williams- Will lead your goalkicking this year, and his experience will help vastly As for your defense, fletchers a rock, has been for years, and age does not weary him, fantastic player and defender. Im not sold on pears at all. Sorry thats just my opinion. your midfield has some good young kids in it, but isnt good enough to beat most other teams midfields So to conclude, monfries and williams will carry the forward line this year for the dons, hurley will help somewhat( i still think hes better suited at chb) and davey will provide some excitment, but expect a big fall from grace my friend. This is juat my opinion anyway, its a forum, its what its for. I hope for your sake im wrong, i dont hate essendon, but i think by seasons end ill be proven right

I may get scoffed at with my ladder but ill explain Geelong-reigning premiers so obvious Western Bulldogs- IMO will win this years premiership Stkilda- Still very potent, but will not get to the big one Brisbane- Vast improvement due to big trades and will be a very dangerous side Colllingwood-They have an annoying ability to win games when their side is deficiet in so many areas Hawthorn- Will improve on a disapointing 08 Adelaide- Not sold. Solid team, but dont have enough depth IMO to be a real shaker just yet Sydney- Will suprise alot of you. With the addition of bradshaw, a fit and firing goodes, and a mister lewis jetta, may sneak a brief finals stint _________________ Port- Wont struggle as much as people believe, they have some outstanding young talent and have shown enough in the NAB cup, for me to suggest they will be far more competative this season, their ferocity at the ball was a standout feature of their pre-season campaign-the field they were most deficient in last year West Coast- I hate the WCE with every fibre of my being, but unfortunately they will improve vastly on last year, good group of young players, will suprise a few good teams, and will pick up some shock wins Carlton- Have been the most one dimensional team of the last decade. You cant unlearn that in one pre-season. Will struggle going forward this year, their midfield will keep them out of the bottom 3 Freo- I think freo are 1-2 years ahead of us in their development, and we will start to see this come to fruition this year with a bit more consistancy and probably 7 or 8 wins North- Much like freo, but their forward stocks are a big worry, their 'never say die' attitude will see them net 2-3 more wins this year Melbourne- As much as i would like to see the dees just outside or just inside the 8 this year, i just have to be realistic. We will see a much more competative demons side, and we will be around the 6-8 win mark, with a couple of shock wins, that will make the footy world stand up and take notice of things to come at the mfc Essendon- will be the biggest crashers this year. You have to be realistic with essendon. Same boat as carlton, but with a developing midfield and shaky defense. Mark williams just will not be able to cover the loss of lloyd and lucas, and he along with monfries, will have to carry their forward line. Expect a big year from patty ryder though Richmond-the worst team in the comp, and show no desire at any level of that club that they want to go places

Yes iv seen a couple on other threads, thought id try and get a one stop thread for trade rumors The only one iv heard from alot of people is seaby from wce to collingwood, havnt heard what for though

Hey all, its getting to that time of the year so i thought it time to start the trade rumor topic. I for one love hearing all the rumors that go around, most turn out to be false but its still a great read and good topic for discussion Anyone heard any yet?

zing!

all these injuries tisk tisk..... thats what you get for holding up 15 other clubs all year

No idea but it was a major brain fade, most average mfc player iv seen since chris heffernan. Plays like he doesnt care

Very harsh, think he has shown enough this year to indicate he will be a good player for the MFC, should be groomed as a clinton jones-type tagger. Still has much to offer. Bit stiff on buckley also, hasnt had the opportunity to back up a promising 08 season Rest are valid

great start, i would have thought it might have been 3 years but to know that hes commited to the club is a great sign going forward

I'd have to say im against us taking a key foward with pick 2, if butcher sliped to 18, i would be happy to take him then but we must increase our midfield with polished players. If you have a great midfield supplying quality ball to the fowards, then it would make even the most average foward line look like gold, just look at west coast of 05, 06