Dr. Gonzo

North Melbourne is too stubborn to die and will partially relocate to Hobart, Bulldogs have too much scope for growth in the western subrubs and are the only team that really represents that area so yeah, I'd say we are probably a pretty soft target. Hell if we don't find some new members soon before the older generation of supporters keel over I'd say we're going to be pretty stuffed and I don't have any faith whatsoever that Casey is going to be the solution to our problems - it is a good idea on the surface but not sure it's going to work in practice.

I'm pretty sure you're not going to see us lose games on purpose any time soon. The 2009 farce was a once off, it's not an ingrained practice. We had an alliance with the MCC for 90 years yielding 12 premierships. However other than 1939-1964 (when we won 10 of our 12 flags) our history is littered with failure, whether that is due to our relationship or not is up for debate but I think our alliance with the MCC is one of the things that keeps us from being a real & inclusive club. I will never be, and have no desire to be, an MCC member so where does that leave me if we become just an arm of the MCC? The MCC is an elitist "old boys club" that represents everything I hate and by the MFC aligning themselves solely with the MCC it will restrict the opportunity we have to grow and to relate to our membership base. I actually think aligning with the MCC is a step backwards but if all that comes of it is we get some extra cash out of them then no big deal.

Yep - why do we always get brought up in the tanking discussions yet Carlton escapes scrutiny (even after Libba comes out and says they were tanking)? Because while their motto is "We are Carlton - f*** the rest!" ours seems to be "every rat for himself on the sinking ship."

We got two compo picks, the same as Geelong got for Ablett and more then the Dogs got for Ward. I'd say we're ahead.

The reason the split happened in the first place was because the MCC controlling our finances restricted our ability to function properly. When we needed to make decisions regarding spending, recruitment etc we would generally have to wait for the MCC to approve and this could take months meaning that we missed opportunities that other clubs were able to jump on straight away (particularly with regards to recruiting players before the days of the salary cap). This was before my time so others may have a better understanding but these are the reasons I thought the split occurred in the first place.

As rpfc has indicated above, the lottery system does not prevent tanking in the US, although their lottery system is only one type where the lower you finish the mroe chances you get for the number 1 pick which creates an incentive to tank. The AFL could implement a lottery where every team outside the 8 gets an equal chance at each pick instead of the NBA model where the team who fnishes last gets more balls in the lottery. This of course could result in a very good team plagued by injuries for one season finishing 9th or 10th and ending up with the number 1 pick but I think it is a better way to address tanking with the AFL having the discretion to award mid 1st round or after 1st round PP's for teams who consistently struggle. HT - yes the AFL has already assessed the landscape and said no PP's will be awarded this year, much to GC's chagrine I can only guess.

AFL has already said no PP's this year.

Yeah I laughed at that as well, nothing like a bit of journalistic license hey!

Put spaces between your "favourite players" so it doesn't overflow into the thread.

This comment "hardest team to play against" did people really think he meant that would be the case from Round 1, 2012? He needs time to develop the team into that. FFS some people.

See that's the thing though - clubs have been doing that as far back as I have been watching and even before the draft came alonge. Once the season is shot clubs would play the kids, try players in different positions, send senior players off for early surgery etc. That doesn't mean they were tanking. Tanking is when the players who go out on to the field deliberately try to throw the game. As far as I know that hasn't happened since the early 20th Century when Carlton I think under Jack Worrall threw the premiership against Collingwood after being paid off. Were we tanking in 2010 when Sylvia and Dunn both had to play in the ruck? Were we tanking against Essendon this year when Garland played forward? The reason why the AFL will never be able to do anything is because unless they have players come out saying they took the field and deliberately tried to lose there is nothing against the rules with what any "tanking" club has done. It is not against the rules to rest players, to try players in different positions, to play the kids etc. Look at Hawthorn v Freo in Tassie last year (or the year before) when Freo rested half their team - is that not considered tanking just because Freo was not playing for draft picks? It was clever list management to give themselves the best chance at a premiership just like we did in 2009 and what Hawthorn, Carlton & Collingwood did before us. All the hand-wringing on here, seriously you sound like a pack of old women. The club managed the list as it had to in 2009 and pretty much every supporter backed them to do that. I'll go so far as to say I hope we do it again this year because landing picks 1, 2, 13 & Viney is much better than Viney, 4, 13 & 26. The club is not immune from criticism and there are other things I'm not happy with Schwab in particular about but this is not one of them. Anyone who wants to have a whinge about this instead of backing the club can go jump as far as I'm concerned and that goes for any players who have their panties in a twist over this as well. Harden the f*** up and do what you're paid to do or nick off.

He is struggling at the moment (whether that's due to the captaincy, fitness, game plan or a combination) but mark my words he will be an absolute gun a couple of years time with some maturity and more miles in his legs. He is great overhead, can kick a goal, has strength through the hips/core, does the 1%ers and even while struggling can still get the footy etc I see him as a Bartel type player and think he can get to that level with a few more years experience.

How would you strengthen ties with MCC? How would you get them to let you use the ground as a training base considering they are so tight they barely even let the GF teams on the day before? Whi premiership coach would you aggressively target? What would you do when Roos, Malthouse, Sheedy & Williams all knock you back? Maybe go after Tommy Hafey?

Haha please. Green I have all the respect in the world for and I would give him another year if he wants it. Davey was a very good player but has had probably 2 decent seasons in the last 5. He is contracted for next year but I'd be surprised if he's still around after that - let's not also forget that he (and Green to a lesser extent) held us over a barrel the last time his contract was up for renewal so I don't see why supporters/the club shouldn't have the same pragmatic view as they did back then. Moloney is one of the most over-rated players I have seen at this club in a long time. He does nothing that damages the opposition and his game yesterday exemplified this. Being pushed off the ball by Matt Campbell (170cm, 72kg) and blindly bombing the ball into a vacant forward line on 3 occasions instead of hitting up a shorter target (Rivers and Green in the first quarter) or looking in-board for a pass off (Grimes in the second) was some of the stupidest play I have seen from a MFC player in a long time. Seriously what is his value besides "bleeding red & blue"? He is slow, he can't handle a tag, he doesn't kick enough goals, he doesn't play defensively, if he gets the ball at a stoppage he just bangs it onto his boot under 10's style. If he wants to take a significant pay-cut I would consider keeping him on as depth for next year but I don't think the club owes him anything as you seem to.

The pathetic tackle attempt, if you could even call it that, by Joel MacDonald that gave the Kangas their second goal set the tone of the day for me. I could understand that happening to a skinny kid but a senior player has no excuses. Second in patheticness only to Moloney being pushed off the contest by the midget Matt Campbell (#33). This in addition to his 3 wild bombs into the vacant forward line instead of looking at shorter options sealed the deal for me that Moloney should be dropped at the end of the year or retained on a serious pay-cut as a depth player.

Would love to see how he might flourish in a midfield where he had a couple of others to take the heat off him.I genuinely believe he can be as good a player as Dane Swan just through sheer hard work and willpower. Has definitely taken his game to another level over the last couple of years.

Just on the pre-season trip to Darwin, what is the point/benefit in this? Going to the top end at the hottest time of the year surely is going to have a detrimental effect on the players, especially those trying to bulk up like Watts, Gysberts, Cook etc. Seems like another cost-cutting exercise (compared to a high-altitude trip) which the admin of this club told us would not happen anymore.

Slow and/or lazy.

Merge with the other hundred "who should go" threads.

Gysberts has been injured all year - did you want Neeld to play him with a broken jaw? You say the Hawks looked brilliant - go and have a look at their messageboards in 2005-06. It might give you some perspective.

We have no chance of snagging any of those coaches so what is your plan B?

You honestly think if we could have got Roos or Malthouse we would have passed them up for Neeld? Honestly? And you have the gall to ask me if I'M serious?? Your option is no option at all because your alternative is no possibility of ever happening.

See this is where your argument self-destructs in a nuclear holocaust of stupidity. What were the signs like when we lost by 186 to Geelong? What were the signs like when we played bruise-free against Carlton on Friday Night Football? What were the signs like when WCE strangled the life out of us at Subiaco? What were the signs like where Hawthorn decimated us in the 3rd quarter after some smiling and backslapping heading into the rooms at half-time? If you thought the signs were good last year you were watching a different team to me, Surely I don't need to go dredging up all those old Game Day/Post Match threads from 2011 to prove my point, I assume you were around here at the time and didn't just sign up when Neeld was appointed to push your agenda.

Ah yeah, of course I'm serious. I want a premiership, constantly being a side on the fringe of the 8 and being smashed by real sides doesn't do anything for me. I'd love to make the finals as well but only if it were a stepping stone to get to consistent top 4 finishes and multiple shots at a flag. Daniher couldn't do that, Bailey definitely would never have been able to do that with the front-running bruise free football he was implementing. Look at Essendon this year, same as us last year look good when everythign's going their way but when a side applies real pressure on them they go completely missing and get smashed by 10+ goals. That is the same pressure that is applied in finals which is why they've been belted the last couple of times they've made it and why the same would happen to us if we made it playing Bailey's game. You'd be stoked to make finals, were you stoked when we got belted by Geelong in the 2005 EF? Because that is the same fate we would have met sneaking into 8th under Bailey.