Rogue

It's sad that this is even news. He'd just sit them externally. Not quite. First, people leave school without completing VCE and survive. Second, he'd be 100K* better off than anyone else who leaves school without finishing VCE. *guesstimate based on a two-year deal + match payments

It's a little deceptive - of the 12 gone, almost half were rookies.

If you think our problem is that we're not fit enough or well prepared enough you're kidding yourself. As the author suggests, we don't have the talent at the moment. If I wanted to be condescending I'd say 'Geelong and St. Kilda etc say 'Hi''. Talk about reading into that line what you want! It's an opinion. Clearly you disagree, but it doesn't follow that the author is ill-informed.

I'd play him as we played Morton in his early games - wing/forward flank.

I like most of what I see with Martin, and have from the start. I hope he can improve his kicking though, or he may get overtaken in a couple of years.

I was talking about Cheney. In comparison, Bartram's quicker and can play as a tagger.

Indeed. Nice

More likely a powerpoint presentation

I've never seen him play live, but that's the impression I have too. He'd go into the draft and we'd hope he got through to the rookie list before being snatched up by someone else. I doubt it.

What's 'ill informed' about the Sportal argument? I don't agree with his opinion but I don't see where he has his facts wrong. Let alone the Herald Sun.

...and to think that the last thread I read before this one had you telling someone else to get a room!

Top ten, probably top five, but not as good as 1 or 2 Yes, the difference between 1 and 10 seems quite pronounced.

I think it's quite clear that Debt Demolition will continue until the debt is demolished. I imagine this will take at least two years, perhaps three. I think any 'profits' will be reinvested into our under-resourced organisation. A more accurate depiction of the generosity of supporters would be to look at the donations as a % of discretionary spending. I think this would give a more charitable view - no pun intended - of the generosity of our supporters. We're certainly reliant on the well-off to contribute a bulk of the funds though.

I'm disputing your assertion that he's got the best out of himself recently. For whatever reason, he hasn't got the best out of himself when it comes to his kicking. I'm not saying he could kick better, I'm saying he has kicked better.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder. It may also mean you overlook some of his shortcomings more easily - to call upon another old chestnut, 'out of sight, out of mind'.

I expect at least another player will be cut from our primary list. You could make a case for Buckley being better than one or two uncontracted players, and perhaps a couple more listed players in total, but it still puts him in the bottom 10%.

It was a shame 2009 was a write-off. Hopefully he can get fit and bring a little more speed to the table than he did in 2008.

What's this about McNamara? If it's true that we're not particularly interested in giving him money or years to a contract, it might be a bit of the old 'you can't fire me...I quit'! He might be, but I don't think he's particularly good at it. I agree. Both are likely to go, though. What's his role? He's not tall enough to play on talls, he's not quick enough to play on the smalls, and he doesn't use it well enough to play as an offensive/rebounding defender.

Would we have got more than pick 11 for Jones? PS. Demonland should go the way of the AFL and effectively outlaw the bump.

It's not new - he's performed that role before.

Workrate, possessions, etc. I don't think he's been getting the best ouf of himself when it comes to his disposal in recent times.

I think Casey was a good move but I'm surprised we're training there in-season. Summer? Sure.

After more of a free reign in 2008, this season was certainly a disappointing way for Wheatley to finish his career. However, I guess that's footy - and life. The wheel turns... Agreed. I have no doubt he enjoyed those long kicks up the middle, and the way almost the entire team mobbed him after his 'signature' goal was nice.

They probably want to keep (or believe the Club wants to keep) one of Bartram, Buckley and Cheney.

You've answered your own question: Where is their talent? It's in their older players, and thus they should go all-out now. Guys like Brown and Black don't come along every year. Where is Melbourne's talent? It's in our youth. That's why we're not bringing in olds, and instead stocking up on more youth.