GOLF

Relying on Roos to sort Martin out has one big drawback: Roos is here for 2 or at most 3 years. He will then be replaced by someone as yet unidentified. Will 2 (or 3) years under Roos be enough to remove all the traces of DH from Dusty? Or will the timebomb start ticking again the day Roos lays the clipboard aside?

OK then, what action can we take? Proposal: Don't renew membership. When called by the club (maybe even by D2D) tell them you won't renew untill the club has clarified the association between the club and the [censored]. Then stick to it. Alternative: state you don't give a damn and stop clogging up these threads.

The most amazing aspect to me is that the AFL have something called an "integrity department". 1984 (the book, not the season) anybody?

If our coach had tanked in that R22 game we could well have had the priority pick instead of Carltom, and may even have got Kruezer ourselves. Remind me, who was our coach? And where was he for the 2008 season?

Maybe make that any first round pick we have in the first 6. If we get a later 1st rounder than that we are obviously not tanking. And it would actually create incentive for us to finish 12th or higher and retain our 1st rounder.

I'm generally supportive of our trading/recruiting so far, although it is too early to really judge the outcome. Only one thing roooollly rankles. Remember when we got pick 11 from Carlton for an apparently clapped out Brock, and used it to draft the Gysmeister? We were so sure that this was the greatest trading win in a decade, or maybe more. And now we have come to admit that we were right royally screwed.

Starting this because: a) Can't see any other mention of him B) He is a FA c) There is still an hour and a quarter to go d) I believe in equal opportunity Don't have any particular comment to make, but.

They may be strong if ..... Macintosh can stay on the park Caddy lives up to potential Rivers still has a couple of good years left. None of these are guaranteed.

Whatever else has happened, MN has had a win here. A player who did not want to be at the club has been moved on.

No sweat. Even if we trade #20, we will use 4, 26 (Viney) and at least one 3rd rounder. Or instead of the third rounder, maybe something more tasty given to us for FA/RFA compensation.

Now tell us what the rest of the midfield did. And whet the backline did in 2011.

GRUNDYGRUNDYGRUNDYGRUNDYGRUNDYGRUNDYGRUNDYGRUNDYGRUNDY! You don't get elite 202cm types as often as you get elite mids. Going for anything other than Grundy is avoiding the best player to fill a perceived need. It is a great pity that GWS will certainly take him with one of their first 3 picks.

Do we really expect much development of Gysberts (or any other mid) with Royal as midfield coach?

We need another forward now. Clarke, Dawes and Howe sounds credible. Clarke, Howe and Watts or Cook does not. The only considerations here are: a) does Neeld realize that Dawes is not capable of being a back up ruck as well as a forward? B) will Dawes return tohis earlier form as a forward if played only as a forward? c) how much would Dawes cost us? No one has put up a better get-a-forward scenario. Gumbleton is perpetually injured, Butcher has off-field and on-field issues and we just ain't looking like getting Tippett. But pick 13 is too much and pick 26 probably too little. How about pick 13 for Dawes and the filth's first rounder?

Going back to basics, however, we must understand that Cloke is the key to all these houses of cards. If Cloke stays at the filth, he will take up a lot of their cap. Some other very good players may be squeezed out (Wellingham, Goldsack, ...?). In this scenario, we have lots of money (Moloney, Green, Jurrah gone, lots of salaries already paid front loaded) and we should be very active in FA/RFA offers and trading. If Cloke leaves the filth, he will either come to us or go to some other club. If he goes to some other club then they will have a salary cap issue and may even have one or two players squeezed out. Much like the "stay at the filth" scenario, but different players available. If he comes to us he will take up a lot of our spare cap money. We will have a 2nd top tall forward, but won't be able to be so active in FA/RFA or trade. Will need to rely on drafting and fringe trades. So we should be looking at all three scenarions - different players, available by different mechanisms, under each scenario.