Keyser Söze

Not necessarily MFC-related, but as a football purist I found this article interesting. I'm dying to attend next year's conference. Among a host of others, Dean Bailey gave a presentation that received special praise: The Stynes influence is palpable. http://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/208/newsid/107164/default.aspx

I think it's a great title, because it makes the OP so ironic.

Yeah, you're right. I remember now, Ricky had it on twitter or something. I think he may have been one of the first to call Howe. Pretty sure his cousin played with JH.

Both from tassie. Not sure if you mean beyond that...

Do we? Geelong launched a media campaign for alteration to the compensation rules when it became clear Ablett might go. The AFL made changes to the guidelines midway through the season. Theoretically we could try to affect a similar change.

Collingwood is never backward in coming forward. Richmond think they'll have something like 2 premierships and 70K members in 5 years. I don't think we're exactly making waves with our arrogance.

Bear in mind, in James Hird's autobiography, he says Paul Salmon explained to him why he made the final decision to leave Essendon for Hawthorn. There were a multitude of reasons that made him consider it, but fans began to believe that he'd go before a decision had been made. Salmon played poorly in a final for Essendon (when he was injured and shouldn't have been playing) but was booed by their supporters. That is what convinced him to leave, and it turned out to be his last game as a bomber (until he went back years later, for a final season). Tread carefully when trying to be so cutthroat about loyalty.

Maybe Bailey realises, rather astutely, that we need to set our sights higher? If we honestly think we have a side capable of winning multiple flags, and we set the bar at just winning one, what happens after that..? The goal you have been striving for has been achieved, and it is natural to relax a little after that. We don't want to be like Hawthorn in 08. I think their biggest problem since was that they felt like they'd achieved what they set out to do. New goals are set, but I think some individuals set different goals and the team wasn't on the same page.

Don't want to turn this thread into being about St Kilda, but I find it hard to believe their AGM wasn't full of irate supporters demanding better from the club. There was actually a good article in the HeraldSun about the adverse affect their "siege mentality" is having on the playing group. Rather than taking responsibility for their actions and setting about fixing evident problems, Riewoldt's speech was demonstrative of a playing group that is desperately passing the buck - "they're all out to get us..."Bubble trouble for scandal-hit Saints Anyway, changing topic - great article WJ, thanks again. Have to disagree on Bartram; he looked good defensively, but him bringing the ball out of defense was still fraught with danger. Sells himself into trouble far too often. And I thought Maric deserved a mention, for getting a lot of the footy even if he didn't use it well every possession.

I don't like this idea.

There's a Hun article today about James Hird's strategy for Esendon, and it sounds very similar to what we've seen with our club over the past few years. Even the way he personaly intends to spend a lot of time ttoring players one-on-one, as we have often seen from Bailey. I know we're not alone in a lot of the things we do, but it did come across to me that we are being used as a benchmark.

Not many direct quotes used in that article. A lot of artistic license users by Pierik. Even the direct quote from Bailey includes some twisting of words using parenthesis. Non-issue.

I see it as exactly the opposite: for a kid the money is nice, but one of the lower priorities. And it keeps being presented as if it is a choice between $6 million and nothing. In the end it might be a difference of a couple of million. When you're already earning a couple of million over a few years, the extra money isn't that great a pull when put up against long-term success with a bunch of your mates at the mecca of AFL. I know that if I was presented with those options, which choice I'd make, and it's not the money. Quality of life is so much more important.

Tapscott looked great last year playing for Casey. Maybe some of you missed it. Grimes took a while but was well worth the wait. LT will be the same.

Gysberts played with them all in 08 as well. Same with Fitzpatrick. Look it up.

Lucas Cook & Tom McDonald played together at North Ballarat Rebels. James Frawley played there also. Tom Scully, Sam Blease, Jack Watts, Jordan Gysberts, James Strauss and Jack Fitzpatrick were all Vic Metro teammates. Blease and Gysberts were mates at YV Grammar and both played at Eastern Ranges. Jack Watts and Max Gawn both played for Sandringham Dragons. Tom Scully and Nathan Jones both played at Dandenong Stingrays. Brent Moloney and Cam Johnston both played for Geelong Falcons as did Jordie McKenzie, Clint Bartram and Troy Davis (with Johnston). Morton is about 3 years older than Evans, so maybe same junior club? Not sure how he could be in the same "class".

To be honest, I think we are using the faulty jumpers. I did notice in the huddle at the main break, that the stars on the back of jumpers were the same orange that is on my "faulty" jumper.

You're aware that colour combinations affect the way you will perceive certain colours, right..? This is the thing - there are so many variables.

Anyway, in this case the medium also is having a major impact on the colour. I don't think we'll be able to get it "right" without changing the material used for the jumpers.

But its darker! Didn't supporters want a darker red? That's the problem with listening to what people say they want, when they don't really know what they want. Darker red usually ends up looking more fuchsia or maroon, rather than what people perceive in their mind as being red. So you want to make it lighter now..?

Watts didn't play like a star, but was still impressive in pieces. He'll never be the same as the players you listed; he doesn't play the game like them and likely never will. But it is a different game today and this is a tired argument. It's a bit unfair to the kid to be demanding he play like a star at his age and stage of development. And he's not 21 yet. I'm all for setting the bar high, but I couldn't say he has been disappointing.

Of course. Definitely. If we keep Scully, the aim is to make us keep him for over the odds, so it is is even harder to match what they offer Wasts or Morton, or Trengove in 2012. Not sure it really has anything to do with revenge though. Surely Sheedy has better things to worry about than being bitter at MFC to that extent.

They! You know... People! Look, red is notorious for being a colour where people get this idea in their head what they think they want, but it is not achievable. When presented with the options, eventually they all ask where is the darker intense red. Which doesn't really exist. At least not in the form they envisage. Sometimes it's like being asked to design a round square.

I've said this many times before on this forum, but people just have no idea how hard it is to get a good red. That coupled with the fact they don't really know what they want... Pleasing some people is a nightmare.

Early in the match he was pushed up forward on the wing, and it was fairly congested. This seemed to be by design (not the congested part) I don't think his purple patch was entirely due to his opposition. The quality of delivery was better and he was able to find space much closer to goal. He was impressive.