Inner Demon

I'm yet to hear a good argument against the idea of breaking up into 3 conferences after 17 rounds where the Top 6 play off to make Top 4 and the Middle 6 play off for the last 2 finals spots.

It's a terrific idea.

Very exciting stuff.

Still on target for the Essendon game in Rnd 15.

Great to have him back.

We may bring out a 7ft or taller Chinese in a year or two whom has been a basketballer for whom we ask the AFL for a subsidy.

Huh??

Your obsession with China knows no bounds. Are you Steve Harris??

Do you think China is some kind of land of giants where Yao Ming is just an everyday guy of regular height??? We have 7ft tall people here too you know.

It's not change for the sake of change, it's change for the sake of keeping your list churning. Keeping the talent flowing in is absolutely critical, and if you confine yourself to one pick and rookies then you're not doing enough.

In last year's draft 11 clubs promoted at least one rookie (5 of those promoted two rookies). Of those 11 clubs, every single one used at least three picks before hand. Geelong, by far the best team in the competition both then and now, delisted five senior listed players and introduced four new faces to the squad. St Kilda did exactly the same thing - delisted five seniors, drafted one in the draft, promoted one rookie. Given that Geelong and St. Kilda both managed to find space for four fresh faces in to their elite squads, I think it would be pretty poor if we can't find three. If we can only find one then that is an absolutely diabolical result in my eyes.

How is "keeping your list churning" different from just "change"?? You've just substituted some words. This draft is a very different situation to previous years. The pool is frightfully shallow with all of the concessions to GC & GWS. The best 11 players in the draft are gone before the wooden spooner gets a look in. Then another 4 of the next best 8.

Why is it you value a 'fresh face' over an existing young player?? I can understand moving on 'older' guys like PJ & Bell in favour of an 18 year old, but do we really advance our list by moving on a 20 year old who's just getting going like McNamara or Strauss to start all over again with a new one just because it seems like the thing to do??

Besides, if we made one or even two draft picks along with turning over our entire rookie list, that injects 8 'fresh faces' into the squad.

Are you sure Cheney, McNamara and Bartram all resigned for 2 years? When resigned last year their length of contract was not specified so I believed at least 1 of them would only get a 1 year deal.

Also why the hell is Dunn contracted to 2011, when was that done.

What about retirements, Bruce could easily go, he doesn't offer a heap more than the guys in the VFL. McDonald must only be a couple of injuries away from giving it up.

This is just going from the list that someone here put together, assumedly from researching news releases over time. I had a quick look myself and found an article confirming Cheney is 2011, but couldn't find anything concrete on Bartram or McNamara. It's possible they are on deals that have criteria which activate a 2nd year, hence the non-disclosure.

Bruce & Junior retiring wouldn't open up list spots as they are on the Veteran's List and we have nobody old enough to replace them next year. Having them off the list would just mean we can elevate 2 of our 6 new rookies at the start of the season.

On an earlier question, it is my understanding that we cannot retain Spencer for a 4th year on the rookie list.

Probably agree 5 delistings. That allows McKenzie and Spenser to be upgraded and 3 draft picks. Seems reasonable.

If we keep taking the hardline on players we have the last few seasons, then if players aren't in our long term plans, then they will be delisted even if they still have something to offer at afl level (See Robbo, Wheatley and even Buckley last year).

I would have thought that the ones in trouble are

- PJ- ....

- Miller- ....

- Bell- ....

- McNamara- ....

- Martin- ....

- Maric- ....

- Cheney- ....

I think Dunn and Bartram are safe for at least one more season. They have big strong mature bodies and have proven that they can impact games consistently while also providing a bit of strength around the younger bodies.

Wonaeamirri, Bail, Jetta and Strauss will definitely get another season to prove themselves.

I would delist all of our 4 remaining rookies (Meesan, Newton, Hughes, Healy), leaving us with 6 rookies to select, enabling us to take a couple of risks on ruckman, or mature age vfl players.

From the players you mention there.

PJ & Bell are probably in trouble.

Miller is a line-ball call

McNamara, Maric, Martin, Cheney, Dunn, Wona & Bartram are all contracted to 2011.

Jetta is contracted to 2012

Bail & Strauss are coming out of contract.

So from your list of candidates, to obtain the 2nd & 3rd round picks we would have to be delisting Strauss & Bail. For this to be an appropriate decision we would have to feel we would get better players than these two. From my admittedly uneducated point of view in terms of the depth of this year's draft, I wouldn't think that would be the case.

Okay, but you'd still want three additional draft picks, because you need to keep your list turning over. If we only drafted one new face in the draft this year (again assuming the two rookie promotions) then Tim Harrington will get the sack for gross list mismanagement.

I'm very confident there won't be any less than 5 delistings.

So change for the sake of change??? Personally I would want to see Tim Harrington sacked for delisting players purely for the exercise of participating in the draft. A delisting to open a draft pick decision has to be made giving consideration to whether the draft pick could yield a player more valuable to the list than the one being delisted.

I wouldn't be at all surprised to see us take a first round pick this year and then stock up in the rookie draft. Remember that a 2nd or 3rd round pick in this draft isn't what we're used to. Firstly if we stay at 13th our 2nd & 3rd come in at picks 28 & 45, and then consider that the best 8 or so players in this draft already got scooped off the top last year by GC so it knocks them down to around 36 & 53 in real terms. Not terribly exciting.

And where does he fit onto our list???

As it is we're going to be struggling to drop the required 3 players.

The only ones whose papers I have stamped so far are Bell & Johnson. We still need to find a 3rd to move on and even then those 3 spots are filled by elevating McKenzie & Spencer and a Rnd 1 draft pick.

We've grown accustomed to big list turnover for the last few years, I think we'll be seeing extremely little this year outside of the rookie list. I'm expecting to see a full 6 player turnover there and to completely re-stock in this year's rookie draft.

Exactly right, Dappa.

While the AFL try to maintain an even comp with the sal cap and the draft, the fixturing is totally unfair, making it harder for clubs like Melbourne.

While Kardinia Park can only hold 25000 and Geelong has more than 35000 members, it's not fair for ANY Vic Club to play there.

So the difference in attendance isn't really great, while the difference in degree of difficulty to become a successful side is huge.

The AFL MUST avoid the EPL situation, where only 3 or 4 sides have a chance.

Meanwhile, it's no coincidence that Geelong have won 2 out of the last 3 (should be 3), and will probably win 3 out of 4. Their home ground advantage is too great, with only Geelong supporters present, on a uniquely shaped ground. Sure, their players are great, but it must be a big advantage having interstate sides playing there. In their defence, they never get to play Coll, Carl or Ess on their own ground, but their advantages far outweigh the cons, and the results are highly suggestive of this.

Hang on.

For starters we are nowhere near anything remotely resembling an EPL situation. In a single decade of 2000-2009 every single club played in a Preliminary Final. The evenness of our competition over a pretty small time sample is sensational.

As far as saying it's unfair for any VIC club to have to play at Skilled. How ridiculous. Geelong are not a Melbourne club, as their name should suggest. Geelong is where they are from, frankly they should get to play all of their home games there.

Do you apply the same reasoning that it's unfair for clubs to have to play Sydney at the SCG or WC/Fre at Subi?? Both of those grounds have unique dimensions and overwhelming crowd support differences.

3 Jamar

2.5 Moloney

2 Morton

1.5 Jones

1 Davey

0.5 Miller

In light of the abundance of reports over recent weeks about Liam looking good to go, I've hypothesised that he's been completing a "pre-season" before being considered for selection. Very, very sound management, particularly considering this would only be the 2nd he's ever done.

The most surprising thing about the GC is that we have absolutely no clue who has signed with them, either a lot of people are keeping their mouths shut (unlikely) or the AFL has threatened to black ball any journo who openly talks about who has signed. Despite this there have definitely been insinuations as to who has signed and who hasn't. call it hope but it seems that Pettard remains unsigned at this point (a couple of articles adamant he's not going to GC), I really don't think that he's going to GC - they'd have already dangled a carrot in front of him and perhaps it's not that much bigger than the mfc offer

GC are strictly forbidden by the AFL from announcing any current player signings. And thank God. Could think of nothing worse than the NRL situation of having players on the list who have announced they're moving on??

Dunn's stocks are always highest when he isn't in our squad.

I know we have to be optimistic but I am doubtful of Dunn turning a corner years down the track like, for example, a big Russian has this year.

We are looking for solutions for our forward line but if the coaching staff can successfully address our inconsistent application to games than Bate, Wonna, Sylvia and co. will start kicking goals and we can stop the grass is greener [censored].

Glad someone made this point. There's an annoying habit when the team's struggling a bit for people to convince themselves that various players at Casey are going to be the answers to all our woes. Strauss is a favourite in this regard.

Just checking, incidentally, I hope you realise my quote you use in your signature was pure sarcasm.

And another late fine???

Hopefully this came from the Ox's mouth - he has a bit of decent habit for being wrong.

I can't understand how he could be so close last week and only pulled at the last minute (his family was down from Bungaree and they may have tried to get him across the line) and at this early stage be a certain non starter.

Doesn't make sense to me unless he is worse than reported.

No late fine. That only happened because we replaced him with someone not listed as an emergency. We don't have to finalise our squad until tomorrow afternoon. We can make whatever changes we wish until then.

The Collingwood player who is out is Shane O'Bree. He's been replaced in their squad by Brad Dick.

Quite frustrating considering he was very promising.

He still is very promising.

Yeah lets not get some experience to a young player. Lets persist will Miller & Johnson.

Which young player/s is Miller depriving of a spot??

Sigh...

1) He's 20. Has years up his sleeve. Patience.

2) Not every player turns into Stephen Tingay. Cale will never be physically imposing. For what it's worth I have no recollection whatsover of seeing him "ragdolled" in a game. I suspect that's been invented to try to prove a poor argument.

3) He got us back in the game last week. Was immense in the 3rd quarter.

Whilst it is not completely accurate to say that Petterd is likely to go home because of his home state, there are other factors that have people worried.

The fact that he has put contract talks on hold until the end of the year

Wait, what?? When did this happen???

Typical infantile response

Relevant though. The 'go home' factor is enormously over-hyped.

For every player you can name that went home, we could probably give you 20 who didn't.

I'm not sure there's really been that much Maric 'bashing' as such.

Moreso that when his name is put forward for selection it's pushed behind 3-4 players who are ahead of him.

Addam is a clever and talented player but to play his role in the team successfully he needs to be an ultra-hard worker on field. Plenty of equally and more talented players have tried and failed in this role due to a lack of work ethic. Guys like Paul Medhurst & Nick Davis. It appears Addam has the same issue and if he doesn't overcome it, he will not make it.

The AFL would tell you that our red strip clashes with Adelaide, Brisbane, Essendon & Sydney I would suggest. Recent events would suggest they've decided it clashes with Carlton too, which is pretty surprising I must say, but there it is.

No. They don't think that he is the only one at danger of going.

But if you look at where he is from enforcer. Where his family is from, his friends are from...

Then you may come to the conclusion that he may be one of the players we should worry most about.

No?

No, not really. I don't know how many times it has to be repeated that GC isn't running a QLD footballers repatriation service. Kurt Tippet & Nick Riewoldt are from QLD too, but they aren't rushing out of their clubs to get home.

No club announcement as yet.

They often like to announce the new signings in a batch.

Perhaps just waiting for another one or two to drop before making an announcement.

He's.

Played.

7.

Games.

That's not particularly relevant reasoning for why all of our tall forwards shouldn't have the benefit of a specialist or consultant type key forward coach.

But what you have said above is exactly the Problem. If we accept these Rubbish Jumper designs then on GF day when we make it, the chances of playing in our traditional strip will be very slim.

I want to see our Traditional Jumper in September.

Care to support that claim with some kind of reasoning?

I don't think any club would accept wearing a clash guernsey on GF Day. I have no idea how it will be resolved. Hopefully there's a test case of sorts that doesn't involve us.