Slartibartfast

Assuming 40 players on our list and assuming all recruits were born on 1st September 1989 (not including rookies) at 1st April 2008 our average age will be 23.8 Our list last year had an average age of 24.4 years.

Nicely done H. I remember that game well. To be a complete footballer you need skill and the metal attitude and application to win and succeed. If you need examples look no further than Nathan Buckley and James Hird. Travis could have stood comfortably besides these players but for his inability to apply himself. But perhaps where I differ to many is I don't blame Travis for his failing. As skills are handed out on the one hand so too is an ability to apply it. Travis has half the package. As it wasn't Godders fault he didn't have skill it's not Trav's fault he didn't have application. Good luck Trav.

You won't understand this BA but in every deal there is the asset (the player) and the time you'll have them. Those two things set the price. Wood is young and Collingwood think he will play for 8 years +. Travis is old in a footy sense and Brisbane probably think they will have him for 3 or 4 years. Nobody is denying TJ can play. That is why we are getting pick 14. It's a matter of how long he can play for. Remember, Akermanis was traded for pick 34 last year. Pick 14 is a very good result.

That's got a lot more to do with your observation than any change in his approach to the ball.

I would have thought you have this about 100% wrong BB.

They won't be able to Redleg.

I very much doubt it Jerry.

Absolutely agree Pates. If Judd allowed this to be done he'd be the greatest [censored] of all time. I never believed the "nice boy" spin on Judd. I never thought he'd place on dot of weight on the fact he supported us as a kid when deciding where to go. He's making a commercial decision about money, future and working conditions and that's fair enough. But I didn't actually think that he'd be party to screwing WC. Would become my most hated player and Carlton my most hated club.

DD an appropriately immature response. Whatever you think of AD he was probably the one who allowed the Demons to survive in 2003/2004 when we were broke. He has been a huge supporter of the 16 team competition and has been in charge of the AFL while it has supported our recovery. You can look at the small issues and get your back up. I'll look at the big picture, I'll look at the deals he struck with the TV stations that have provided enough money for the whole league to survive and I'll be thankful. And next year when I look at our team on the park I'll recognize the contribution AD has made towards that. I expect to be part of a very small and select group.

Well said Redleg.

IMO high draft picks being off the table is stupid. And if we can trade it for a "win" I don't care who we trade it with. People overvalue early picks. Since 2000 the number 4 picks have been Livingstone, Polak, Walsh, Ray, Tambling, Kennedy and Leuenberger. Now we all know good players come from early picks, but pick 4 is just that; it's pick 4. It's speculative. You could end up with a champ, or you might end up with Luke Livingstone or Tim Walsh. If you can trade it for a top 10 player from the last couple of years who's doing well plus a second rounder aren't you better off? We should look to profit from trading. That's what tradings all about. What the other person gets is of no interest to me as long as I'm ahead.

Have a look at your avatar.

I think this rumour is rubbish because it doesn't stand up to logic on two counts. Firstly both players are worth more than pick 9. Frawley was pick 12 last year in a stronger draft than this year. He's had a year of development and shown that he deserves the high rating he got from a number of clubs last year. Ricky is a better player than David Armitage who was taken at 9 last year by the Saints. He's had a years development. Pick 9 is not high enough for either. Secondly WC have said they want youth to replace Judd. Either early draft picks or young players fit the bill. Why would we involve Saints when Petterd or Frawley would both be high on WC's agenda? Again given the lack of strength in this years draft, WC would prefer either player to pick 9.

Enjoy the journey H!

It's a nice story Courtney but Stephen Newport was traded in 1990 for draft pick 6 that we used to get Alan Jakovich. We traded pick 91 for Rod Owen in 1990. Stephen didn't want to go, but the right decision was made. Just to round out the story Owen was traded to Brisbane for pick 40 in 1991.

Maybe it's time to take his comments in context. Godders bleed for this club, got the most our of himself possible and played with a courage and application few others at the club possess. Let Wardy and Godders leave with dignity. This thread is locked.

Hodge, Sewell, Lewis, Mitchell and Crawford. Hmmm. If their's is crap, what is ours?

And this from Socrates from Demonology: high praise of Josh Mahoney by Choco Williams.....as quoted on the the Port web site "Power coach Mark Williams said it was a career he would remember forever" “The Port Adelaide Football Club is very proud to have had Josh Mahoney represent it,” Williams said. “You wouldn’t meet someone more giving of his time, more considerate of others or more team-orientated. He is such a wonderful leader and has been a tremendous influence on our young group despite not being in the side himself for a lot of this year. “We drafted Josh very much as a back-up player. Just about straight away he improved out of sight, then he demanded his spot and played a significant role through the second half of 2004 including in the grand final. That says a lot about not only his ability as a player but his determination and belief. “I’m sure there’s plenty of footballers in their mid-20s who are battling away, dreaming of an opportunity, who have Josh’s poster on their wall. He is the ultimate example to all of us of what can be achieved if you want it enough and believe in it.”

Perhaps they were trounced by a far better team and no amount of "spirit" could overcome it.

I don't know about "Shinboner Spirit" but I do know that over the last few years the Kangas have consistently outperformed on (my) expectations. Yes, they've got a terrible finals record, but I had them finishing bottom 2 this year after they lost Thompson and Wells. Surely a seasons achievements count for something. I think they have terrific leadership at their club. Simpson and Archer particularly lead them well and pass down to the younger players an expectation of success. I often wonder what sort of player Yze would have been if he'd played for the Kanga's. When you couple the Kanga's list with the shoestring budget and terrible facilities their achievements are fantastic. Shinboner spirit? I don't care what you call it, but they have something.

Don't bother coming. They only let you in if you've seen a VFL game in the last 2 years! :angry:

Great stuff Krazy, very much appreciated.

Warren I think what Hannabal is saying is that the journey in itself is not worth it if you don't win a flag. To him the destination is not negotiable and the only reason to follow footy. I want to win games and I want to win a flag. Maybe we will, maybe we won't (in my lifetime). But the friendships, the excitement of unexpected wins and the interest football provides makes it a more than worthwhile interest regardless of premierships. I don't think this view makes me "accepting of mediocrity". It doesn't mean I like losing or don't want a flag. It just means I can appreciate a broader range of experiences in footy than just a premiership. Whilst Hannabal can't understand my point of view I can't understand his. I don't know why you'd bother. But it doesn't mean you can't have robust discussion and remain friends. Thanks the beauty of footy!!

I fully support the appointment of a younger applicant to the coaching position and when the final five candidates were announced I favoured Bailey or Hardwick. The arguments for Sheedy that have been presented were, to me, built on a false premise. As Whispering Jack states above a large part of the Sheedy package was based on the sponsorship and membership he could have brought to the club. But this is NOT the role of a cqach, revenue raising is the role of the CEO. The coaches role is to build a squad that can win games and while people point to Sheedy's experience they now have to go back to 2000 and 2001 for success. In my opinion coaches, like players, have a used by date. Whilst having a great deal of respect for Sheedy's achievements I think there are clear indication that Sheeds has reached his coaches used by date. He was not fully focused on his job at Essendon and involved himself in many activities outside coaching including media, sportsmans nights and corporate work. This is not indicative of someone who is fully committed to a coaching role. Contrary to opinion Essendon have not performed well over the last 4 or 5 years which is also indicative of a coach losing his focus. And remember, Sheedy has had all the football facilities he wants and all the support staff he wants. Those resources won't be available to him at Melbourne. And finally Essendon didn't want him. Who better to know whether he'd reached his used by date than his employer? Sheedy may have been a good coach of Melbourne but I thought there were some very worrying signs. And one thing is clear. The decision on who should coach our club should always have been based SOLELY on their coaching ability. Promotion, sponsorships and the like are not the role of the coach and should not have influenced the decision. And thankfully this seems to have been the case. But where Jack and I agree is that the onus is now fully on Steve Harris as our CEO and the team he chooses to produce results off the ground. We have had disappointing results on and off the field this year, it's time for the performance in both areas to improve.

Haydo I had no idea what was happening during the selection process beyond what was in the papers and the speculation on the various internet sites. However I've since had a chat to some people "in the know" and can assure you Sheedy was never "offered the job". Having said that I think he was a front runner early in the process and may well have got the gig had Bailey not done such a magnificent job during the interview process. Whilst the appointment of Bailey has caused dissatisfaction amongst some Demonland posters I think there is a huge dose of enthusiasm for him right throughout the club from the Board to the footy department. I for one fully support his appointment. I was keen to get someone young into the job and think that Bailey comes from a fantastic environment at Port Adeleaide where he has been part of a team to rebuild that club after their premiership in in 2004. The fact that our club put in such a professional selection process and the fact that Bailey beat such a good field should generate a lot of excitement for 2008.