monoccular

The previous FD, the one who took Cook over Darling (nice to be able to turn the clock back - cant remember who were the dozens of players that we and every other club took ahead of Hird by the way) have largely moved on so it is time for us to move on over that error. The new FD, and Neeld and Viney in particular have no doubt had far greater opportunity than anyone here to asses the very obvious pros and the very obvious cons of this guy. I know that whatever decision they make there will be hoardes of keyboard freaks here deriding them, but they have been chosen to make their own hard decisions (and they have done a hell of a lot of that this off season) so I wish them well and will support and respect their considered decisions even if they are not those that I would make. I hope others will too. Seriously, none of us here know whether the kid will become a superstar or a catastrophe - TV & MN are in a far better position than any of us to make that educated guess. They have far more than this one player to consider. Amen.

Also by the second half of the season hopefully some of Missen's work wil start to show and we may be able (certainly more so than in recent years anyway) to play games out. May pick up a few unexpected late wins as a result.

?????? All good points - Jamar doesn't offer much around the ground and needs to up the ante. Gawn looked the goods in his few appearances before injury. Spencer has yet to convince me though by training reports he sounds as if he is learning a bit about football. Hannath looks a good investment, as a rookie.

One of my favourites, not actually a mis spelling but a pronunciation one, was Jack Dyer who used to describe Big Strawbs, #1, as "Odour Wire".

And what is wrong with a little pedantacism?

Ahhhh......now I know why Marc Kneeled and that guy who wore #22 fell out.And had we drafted a Smith, he would no doubt get Smyth or Smythe. That will always happen, libby :-)

Begeeuz....just the final bit of "evidence" that Ms Wilson will need to complete her next update on our entrenched tanking cultureAnd how dare they even smile when they haven't won a flag for nigh half a century - shame!

''I still can't believe that anyone would be able to say that the training session you just saw was affected by some investigation into something which allegedly happened four years ago.'' Neeld said. But he just turns a blind eye to the photo shown on another thread where Viney and Brown are obviously embroiled in the deep inner conflicts within the divided club without any shadow of doubt the result of years and years of tanking. "This is the most obvious and undeniable piece of hard evidence that tanking has occurred and the AFL must act immediately", Wilson wrote.

FN great thanks FNQ. I guess the naysayers will come out and say that you are viewing through rose coloured glasses....but hell, if you can't be positive and optimistic in November, when can you. Well done to you, and all the others who have reported to us mugs who can't get there.

Barassi or Smith?

I I was trying to find your original plan when you summarised here.I must say there is some appeal - sure there is a big risk, but could it also be a big test for Neeld's iron fist approach: can he convert what appears to be a massive richard-head to a footballer? IF it turned out well, it would be a big feather (maybe a whole ostrich, or probably emu I guess) in his cap. Coming around to your way of thinking. Couldn't be any worse than many of our recent far higher selections. But it would have to be as strict as you suggest: ONE false move, or any slackness in training for whatever reasons - OUT.

Was Brian Keneally a club champion? A good winger who later became a rebounding HBF I think in the 64 flag side.More interesting though is "promoting" a rookie to #22 - seems to show intent on keeping him beyond this year.

Of course after acknowledging the original occupants of the MCG, the Melbourne Demons.

FACTS PLEASE - have the draftees been allocated numbers yet? And any FACTS re Magner and Tynan 22 and 23 or just more rumors? Barry?

Are you suggesting that they have "other things" on their mind...like Gestapo or Starzi type "investigations"?But seriously, even when the season is up and running, the sites are pretty ordinary in informing supporters and members about who is where doing what.

"Not sure what Utah involves" - well, Jordie, firstly they will knock on you door, introduce themselves and then sell you the book. After that they will ask you to join them in saving the world and start taking 10 percent of your income....then a bit more.

You missed Cale Morton hiding behind Toumpas.

I would have thought that the vindictive miserable sod would use the photo of Viney and Brown with a caption "Massive dissent at the much troubled moribund MFC with star recruit preparing to walk out in protest at being bullied".

A very fitting "obituary" for one who excited us for quite a while but who time seems to have passed by. Very true re his "invention" of the defensive forward role: I still vividly remember him hovering 10-15 meters out from the Eagles kick-in and running down I don't remember who but nobody tried to play on from a kick in for quite a while after that if flash was hovering like a tow truck driver vulture. I hope we are both wrong and he comes up fit and fast and kills the opposition defences - he says wishfully, but without much confidence.

Testing his wojnki jaw?

Good news but far too great an asset to rush in any way at all. Take your time Mitch.

and last over twice as long :-)

May have been suggesting that the guy drove a Porsche or Masturbati.

Ah...that period of a few years, I can recall that Lyon, Prymke, Glenn Lovett, Tingay, Ox, Charles (other 'cultural' issues too), Allen Jakovich, even James Cook and probably others were cut down in their prime. What a line up we could have had but didn't.

A few comments.Yes - I must say I am amazed to hear (for me the first time) that he hadn't looked at any of our replays, and the 186 in particular. Had he done so he may have Zeroed out a few of the weeds a year earlier. But as for the Rivers comment QB2011 - it was incompetence on the part of the match committee and game day coaches that allowed that mis-match to go on for so long. Not Rivers' fault per se: it was an impossible match up that should never have been allowed to persist. *I don't remember the line that day, but maybe even extended back as far as the selection table.