Dr. Gonzo

Yeah fair enough, I guess I meant "letting him go without a fight" doesn't seem like we've done too much to persuade him to stay though admittedly I don't know what goes on behind closed doors. Would have thought playing him out of position for half a season would be a clear indication of where the FD sees his future.

Are people here seriously trying to say Watts is better than Franklin? Or did I just misread this whole thread? Think I'm going to have to give Demonland a wide berth for a few weeks so my brain doesn't turn stupid.

Says his source is trade radio with Wallace & Barrett don't know how reliable that is but disappointing if he knocked back extra coin to go elsewhere.

If we only got 2-3 years out of him as a stop-gap and drafted Hogan to replace him down the track I would be very happy. Do you think we're not going to go after midfielders as well and use our draft picks on them? Lynch will cost us nothing except a spot on the senior list.

First time I've seen it mentioned that he has actually gone. Think it's a mistake letting him go, always has a crack and is the backline general (even though he played time up forward this year). Thought he should've played our Maxwell/Gibson role would much rather him down back than Garland. The Age could be wrong and he is merely exploring options. Wouldn't be surprised if he's gone though.

Most players who make it to the AFL have the potential to be really good players what separates the ones that do from the ones that don't is above the shoulders. A player of Morton's build won't make it without fierce determination and hunger - suffice to say Cale doesn't have what it takes.

Considering the players are still on their end of season break I can almost guarantee this won't be happening.

It's about intent as well as build. You'd have to think the reason a highly touted junior cant crack a game in the VFL is because he's softer in the head than he is in the arms.

Yep someone should let channel 7 know that their great camera angles from behind the player taking a set shot are pointless if you can't actually see the footy because of their crappy SD broadcast.

Yep fair enough. Not sure losing him will ruin their flag chances though with Walker up there and don't forget they'll add Crouch to their already impressive young midfield next year.

This is a great point - he has the ability to play a role in a successful team but he has been allowed to get away with this rubbish for years now. Don't worry about trying to be "intimidating" or an "enforcer" it doesn't work in this day and age and is laughable when you can't back it up. Don't worry about playing for free kicks or intimidating the oppopsition, just worry about doing the team things, the one percenters and getting the footy. Look at yesterday - the Swans copped the rough end of the stick with the umpires but did they complain? Did they change their attitude to the contest? No they just worried about winning the next contest and doing the disciplined team things. Meanwhile Jordan Lewis and Luke Hodge were out there looking for free kicks, particularly in the first quarter, rather than worrying about just playing football.

My thoughts too. Paying $11 at TAB and have one of the best up and coming midfields with a young key forward (Walker) and key back (Talia) showing great form this year. They would be my tip at this stage. Can't believe Carlton & Collingwood both at $9 at TAB would've thought they'd be closer to $15-$20. That is a good point however they still have Walker and not too sure that Tippett added too much to the Crows this year although he did play very well last week (though in fairness I didn't see all that much of them this year). EDIT: Freo at $16 present good odds too, although Pavlich and Sandilands are getting on they have Zac Clarke coming through and some good young midfielders with Fyfe missing a good part of this year and Morabito not being seen for the last two seasons. Need Pavlich to have another standout year or find another key forward though.

I respect both the Hawks and the Swans for different reasons and in different ways. My respect for the Swans extends to hoping they achieve success after doing it hard for so many years and then creating from within a culture of hardness and uncompromising pursuit of the team above the individual. The Hawks I respect for being up for so long (they've been up for four decades with 10 flags - can you even begin to imagine what that must be like?) but hate them for the way they go about it - my hate is probably half blinded by jealousy wishing we could do what they do (as well as 1987-88) but also in the arrogance of their supporters and club as a whole. But when you achieve what they have and create a culture of excellence you can afford to be arrogant. I hope today that arrogance turns to hubris and they lose. Swans by 8 points.

Because he's a coach and few coaches last longer than Craig did at the Crows, even fewer when they haven't won a flag. Finished top 2 in 2005-06 though and was unlucky not to get a flag.

It's also about trying to build the best TEAM instead of just collecting the best group of individuals. Looking at Sydney, particularly last week, they just play as one cohesive unit with wave after wave of Swans players attacking the ball and the Collingwood players. It's like a giant net, one hole weakens the entire structure. Building a team comes down to development and having faith that you can take a raw product like Richards or Shaw and mould them into the player that you want them to be to fit into your team, not just letting them turn into the player they want to develop into. This is where roles are important as you suggest because it give a clear pathway for the player to follow instead of just letting a guy like Sylvia for instance just run out and play his own game.

Obviously the wins will come after the team starts to play better footy.

There's always a catch.

2013 to me is about respect, not necessarily wins or losses. Of course in the best of all possible worlds I want us to smash everyone and win the flag but from where we're coming from I just want us to be able to say we left nothing out on the field after each game and that every team we play knows they just played a game of professional football out there. There are other individual things I'd like to see from certain players and the team but overall I just want us to play a hard and competitive brand of footy every single contest every single time we step out on to the field.

This is a glaring weakness for us I believe and is one reason I wanted us to have a crack at Caddy. It should be a key component of assessing any mids we take in the draft.

This is what I have been doing with NFL & NBA as well. Unfortunately the team I follow in the NFL the New York Jets seem as cursed as the MFC! I can only take a passing interest in the Storm though because NRL just doesn't keep my interest.

Let it be known that today, the 24th day of September in this the 2012th year of our lord, the Curse of the Red Fox was lifted from the Melbourne Football Club!* *Well we hope so anyway.

When was the last truly reliable spearhead though? Lloyd? Even Franklin can be iffy in front of goal but I'm not going to turn my nose up at him or even Cloke or Riewoldt for that matter. No player is perfect and this guy can clearly hit the scoreboard even if he may have issues with accuracy at times. I want a big pack busting forward though who is ready to go from day one. They don't grow on trees so we have to strike while the irons hot. Otherwise we can sit here debating their merits while they to out and start kicking arse for another team. I will be extremely disappointed of the club doesn't make a play for this kid and decides to use the pick on Grundy. I would rather have Patton than Kreuzer.

Super-drafts are overrated. 2006 was supposedly a super-draft.

This would be true, but I watch a lot of neutral games and the umpiring isn't all that much better. Some of the umpires in the game when we played Richmond I think it was at the G looked like they were about 15. They had the holding the ball rule right about 5-10 years ago with the "prior opportunity" test. Don't know why they had to change it to now where it looks like rugby because a free kick isn't paid as long as the ball keeps moving (even if thrown out or the player had ages to get rid of it - see Hale being tackled yesterday). This is contrasted with a player being set upon by 3 players as soon as he gathers the ball and he is pinged because he made no attempt! How are you supposed to make an attempt when every limb has been wrapped up and the ball is being held in by the opposition? Not to mention the fact that the player making the play had no opportunity whatsoever to dispose of the ball. It's absolutely ridiculous and just infuriating.

He is miles behind Jolly, to suggest otherwise is ridiculous. For starters Jolly can kick, something which I would have thought is an integral part of being a footballer.