bing181

Same here ... have never got it to work, no matter what I download/install. Typical AFL, still in the dark ages re technology/net.

You don't know that. Nor do I. For us, yes, a suprise. But for the club? As for this trade talk, Cam was pretty well at the end of his contract. The chances of getting a (decent) trade would have been pretty slim given he could always do what he's just done. Walk.

I'm sorry but posts like this are just starting to do my head in. Aaaaaaaggggggghhhhhhhhhh. There, that feels a bit better. Hawthorn are desperate for a(nother) flag while they still have the Buddies etc. Our flag is some years down the track. Different situations so ... different needs and, suprise suprise, different approaches to contracts and list management. In other words, just because Cam can get a contract with a second year trigger at another club, it doesn't mean that we handled the negotiations badly. Phew.

Lots of comments ... but I can't agree with some of the posts: - Plenty of clubs have the same policy as Melbourne. Crawford and his one year deals has been mentioned. Brett Harvey is another who has been on one year deals for quite some time. - McDonald is a different case to Bruce. He had played for 4 years longer - and the last year on a one-year deal. - None of the Melbourne players who have been supposedly "pushed out" were picked up by other clubs. They really were passed their use-by date. - Bruce obviously feels/felt that he would be dumped at the end of 2011. Who knows. It's a shame he didn't have the gumption to play the year, on a good salary, and let his football do the talking. It's hard to blame the FD for not having confidence in him, when he clearly doesn't have much confidence in himself. Personally, I think it's unfortunate, but very hard to point the finger at the FD in this, and it sends an important message to the players: Earn your place. Meanwhile, I think it's a great opportunity for the likes of Maric, Jetta, Strauss and perhaps McNamara if he's re-rookied. Unfortunately, could also have been a great chance for Cheney - who might now find himself kept out of the Hawthorn team by one of the players who kept him out at Melbourne.

Ha, out with the trash! Sad to see. Though not half as sad as the John Ralph article. Talk about sloppy, emotive, sensationalist journalism. What the hell does the Miller situation have with the Bruce one - plenty of clubs have been dumping older players who can't hold down a regular place in the side. And by older, I don't mean 30+ either! And if McDonald is really "in the form of his life", where are the clubs all over him to sign? Not to mention, McDonald played 4 years past 30 - as Cam could have done if he'd wanted and been able to.

... and not to be confused with 32 year old Brent Harvey who "has signed one-year contracts for the last four or five years." Meanwhile .... Hun article. Good summation of the different POV's. Just because the outcome is less than desirable, it doesn't mean the process should have been different.

You beat me to it, was just about to post something similar. Great read, the boy has done his homework. Though Lycett at 12 ... ??

Bruce was out of contract - which is why all this came up in the first place. Thus, he couldn't have been traded. We haven't lost anything by this "late" announcement.

It wasn't a rumour, he actually trained with us. But there were questions about a long-term injury he was hiding (stress fracture?) and he was given his marching orders. Don't quote me though ...

Not sure about the "he won't be in a team that plays for a flag, so get rid of him now" logic. There's a place in the team for good, solid players, no matter what their age. He's consistenly in our top 10, if not our top 5, and his presence on the field brings something to the kids around him. He seems to be holding up pretty well, so what's to say he can't continue to play decent footy and have a place for another 3-5 years? In which case, presumably, he would start to have a chance of being in a GF team - on a yearly contract of course. Look at the role Junior played this year at what, 4 years older than Bruce?

Interest, yes. Influence ...Hmm. Hard to imagine Connolly and co sitting round and making decisions based on what people might/might not say on Demonland. Great to have a place like this to exchange views, but let's not get above ourselves. Anyway, Brian Royal. Good appointment - but I would defer to the FD's wisdom, even if I thought it was a dud appointment.

Re Bailey's quote: could equally just be a smokescreen. There's clearly interest in Thorp from other clubs it would seem, and he's being discussed on other boards as well. Also re Bailey, same goes for his line about "taking a forward at 12". Maybe they're just trying to push some other possibles down the list. Look at last year. Did anyone, anywhere, guess that we'd be taking the Gyzz? We'll know soon enough, and not before.

Absolutely, but also, Green and Frawley get to work under a premiership-winning coach for a while, see different systems, train and work alongside players like Swan and Goodes etc. etc. I can't dig it up now, but I noticed somewhere one of the players remarking that it had helped his defensive game by giving him different insights. All useful I would have thought. On another note, wouldn't have hurt Green's credentials re the captaincy either. A champ just coming into full flower (OK .. lame pun I know!!)

It's the same person as Knightwheelrqr ... changed his login. Good drafts both.

Fair enough, but why not start next Monday (for example) if they wanted to keep the same or similar schedule?

This is around a month later than what they did last year, when they started mid-October (Monday 13th). Wonder why ...

and meanwhile, back in the real world ... "It is understood Melbourne has expressed some interest in Sanderson as the Demons are looking for a back-line coach to replace Sean Wellman, who has joined Essendon." From the HUN.

Meesen has retired.

If anyone could put a Youtube vid up of Jurrah's couple of screamers, would be much appreciated I'm sure.

How great is this ... and how incompetent is the AFL not to have managed to put a stream up somewhere. Hopeless, just hopeless. They're still back in the dark ages when it comes to media/internet etc. No TV, no problem with that, but hell, what a missed opportunity.

Don't understand some of these posts. In any commercial transaction, it takes two parties to agree on a price, and if North want a second round pick, then that's their price, end of discussion. Of course, we don't have to accept it, but then we walk away from the deal. No point talking about third rounders etc. etc., it's not going to happen. Not to mention, the various "Mitch Clark" posts ... if he even does move (unlikely it seems), it won't be to Melbourne.

Strange then that neither he nor the club have said anything. Does seem to be getting there though.

Yep. And St Kilda really have some soul-searching to do, there are a few names there, including some big names, that have been found wanting on the biggest of stages. Could be some interesting trades around. Apart from getting the most out of an only-OK list, Collingw&%$ have also done some decent trading ... e.g. Jolly and Ball today. Always good to look at succesful teams to see what they're doing right, some good lessons there for the Dees. Hard to stomach though, and as another one who's OS, glad to be out of Melbourne this weekend.

+2

His post was pretty clear on all fronts, and unless you have some solid information that would question his sources, why bother? Curmudgeon.