DemonWA

Not a bad thing IMO, need to have some sort of stability in the club for the next couple of years, and more chopping and changing wouldnt help

yeah i thought you did, i'm just trying to pass time!

I still maintian that "titis on a bull" is what you say about some one who is useless, not stand out. ie. "geez, jimmy is about as usefull as [censored] on a bull" "standing out like dogs balls" is a different circumstance altogether ie. "did you see bobby at the work christmas party, he was wearing shorts at a black tie event" "yeah his bare legs stood out like dogs balls"

nothing is strange, but have you ever noticed a dog that hadnt had it's balls cut off? they "stand out like dogs balls"! [censored] on a bull should be used for useless things!

No they dont, but perhaps being impartial and not investing a great deal of emotion into the youth on the list allows people to form a more rounded opinion on the older fellas current output? Im happy to admit i rave about Grimes, Trengove, Blease etc based 3/4 on what im seeing right now and 1/4 on what im hoping i'll see in a few years time. Same goes with being harsher on the older guys IMO

i sit on the fence when it comes to both Sylvia and Beamer. IF Neeld and the other coaches can see light at the end of the tunnel for them, keep them both. But if their attitudes are as bad as people on Demonland might have you think then yeah, trade away. Its disapointing though, becasue we'd be trading some of our more accomplished and talented players and more than likley be replacing them with lesser lights. All my non demon mates rate Jamar, Moloney, Davey & Sylvia as our best players. I think its sad that the masses on Demonland are happy to say good riddence to the majority of them.

when i grow up i want to be a foundation hero!

great post AD, good to read an upbeat thread around here for a change! I was in the states a few years ago and was shooting some Pool at a bar in New York with a few locals. Most of them thought AFL was Rugby, but one of the guys followed AFL quite closely and supported the Magpies. I'm glad you have a better choice in Team!

IMO this isnt so much flagging the retirement of the older players, but younger guys being delisted too; At the Foundation Heroes dinner on Tuesday night McLardy made the club's approach very clear to its players. "The harsh reality of AFL football is that some of you won't be here next year and at times that will be difficult to manage and to comprehend, but for life you will always be connected to the Melbourne Football Club," McLardy said.

Well seeing Greeny's last game was the only upside to attending the round 23 clash at Subi! Now it'll be more of the same, get hammered to numb the pain of a 10 goal hiding!

Serious? i must admit i find that disapointing

I googled these 'words' to make sure they were typo's, not words which belzebub59 uses on a daily basis but dont exist in my lexicon!!

i'd keep Dunn & MacDonald before holding onto Sellar tbh, not really the same positions though. If the FD think Fitzy and Cook & Davis are going to make it James might be in trouble because we can only hold onto so many talls on our list for so long?

I tend to agree with nasher, but i'll have my piece anyway! Old dee - for his entertaining posts made up of 4 word sentences with zero sugar coating Pennant St Dee - Generally offers ballanced posts, doesnt get caught up in the media hysteria and his opinions arent an echo of the usual suspects Whispering Jack - quality posts in general KC from Casey - VFL match reports rpfc - for shear weight in numbers of posts and his live Contracts thread

great work Sammy Blease!

Instead of taking pot shots at everyone that you dont agree with on this subject why dont you go and read the book or even just watch the movie as a starting point?

Greta post, thanks for the info. Thats section the most hilarious paragraph ive ever read on Demonland

As has been covered off neumerous times, you're never going to get an exact Moneyball trade or recruit because AFL isnt similar enough to baseball to make a clear cut comparison. You can argue the toss each way. Money ball recruiting also had a bit to do with filling roles and needs in the squad. Clark could be considered a money ball signing becasue he was recruited with a exact role in mind due to his specific attributes. We went out an recruited the best available tall marking forward. IMO he wasnt recruited becasue he was mitch clark the top 10 draft pick, i think we went after him because he was tall, could take a grab, has good skills, and is a competitor, and was the best of this type of player that we could get

This game seems like a lifetime ago! Wonder who will have the more useful inside info in the coaches box? Although Bailey knows the boys well and so will Craig. Would make for an interesting sub plot if the result wasnt destined to be 60+ points

clasisic! Thats just a list of recruits that have done well over the last few years that werent picked straight from the under 18 carnival! I reckon the Sydney Swans are the closest to being the Oakland A's in the money ball era. They've been able to assemble a list with a lot of discarded AFL players who have increased their stature as players at their second home. They've also been able to keep a competative list throughout the years through recruiting well in the draft. Might not be a direct comparison to money ball, but they're the trend setters in all of this from an AFL perspective IMO

Not a bad scenario there RPFC. I'd like moloney to stay, but worry about his mindset and buy in to the new way of doing things. The coaches will know wheather this is even an issue or just speculation based on his poor form this year. The reality is that every year that Beamer has played for us and not been injured he's been one of our better players. I'm happy to put this year down as a poor one and move on if he is. I'd like to hold onto Gysberts. I think with another preseason and better luck with injuries he can be next years "howe or Blease" - younger players starting to step up. Bail i can live without, as aside from running hard doesnt offer allot. I actually think that if Evans can stay fit he will take Bail's spot in the 22.

I like the money ball tactic. My interpretation on the theory is to say that recruters should look at the cold hard stats and outcomes rather than put faith into intangables like how good a players kicking style is or how much upside a player has. I would have no issues with using picks 50ish in the draft on Players like Valenti and Blackwell - proven ball winners at WAFL / VFL level who have played at AFL level before.

Cant argue with any of those points mate Now back to dreaming - In 2013 we need our draft of 2008 to take the next step. Watts, Blease, Strauss and Jetta & Bennell if they stay on. These guys must continue to improve and must learn to impact games regularly. Watts and Blease especially.

I've got tickets to this game, and although im not expecting a win, the last thing i want to see is us show up with no effort at all!

i hate the Pies. and i actually hate the way they play. The Cats, now theres a team that were hard to hate at their prime. Tough, hard and skillfull .