Pates

I've always been a bit concerned about the idea of drafting a 17 year old that can't play for a year. Draft positions change dramatically in 12 months, Butcher was rated as one of our top contenders for no 1 but he fell much later and KPP take even longer to develop. That said, I must admit I am not up with how Hogan is tracking and I have heard that his body size is completely different to what Watts was at the same time. As long as he thrives on body contact and contested marking, he could well be worth it.

Dawes for me, it's overs but I believe we'll be getting similar benefits as we got from Clark. A ready to go forward to compliment Mitch will help the team more.

Possibly 22? That or give him a high number and make him earn a promotion in number. Too often recently we've gift low numbers with history to kids, I'd be happier with them having to earn the right to the numbers with clout. That said JV appears to be a gun with a great attitude so we may be ok with him! [EDIT] Also, welcome to the Dees! Excited for 2013!

Sink or swim for him for 2013. He's been so bloody injury prone for the last 3 years so anytime he's looked like putting something together he gets injured. I hope we get to see a bit of the vintage Flash, much like Green got to go out in a bit of form. Realistically though, I can't see him getting many games.

Likewise, 13/14 for Wellingham and Martin for Dawes. 13/14 for Wellingham is overs but Stef for Dawes is about right. Would make big Q their FF and Stef their back up ruck, which if I was I Pies fan I'd prefer. Lynch doesn't have the mobility to be their back up ruck and would be much more useful to them on the lead. I'll take that deal.

It's a fairly accurate perspective actually, and the very simple answer is no.

I will be furious if we use pick 4 on both of them, I'd do pick 13/14 for Wellingham, our Rivers compo pick and Petterd or just Martin for Dawes. Pick 4 needs to be used on a gun future star.

I'd be comfortable with that, we may well be paying overs but he'd come in as a second tall and be very helpful to Mitch. Essentially straight swap Rivers for Dawes.

Won't help those alleged threats to him (pathetic thing to do), but watching the Swans you can't blame him for wanting to go there. They seem to have something special, and getting him will be a massive boost to Sydney's chances next year. Is there anyone from the Swans we could look at in order to assist their trade?

He was much better when feeding the ball out of congestion, as a defensive forward he looked lost IMO.

Byrnes won the Tom Harley Award, which is given to the player who best demonstrates the values of the team and the club on and off the field. Sounds like exactly what we need.

This isn't a dig at Jamar, but I can understand Riv wanting 3-years if Russian got it.

It's a good pick up for us just purely as an experienced body who's been at a club choc full of recent success. He's not going to win the B&F, he's not going to be the difference between us finishing top 4 of bottom 4, but he's here to do a specific role and I believe he'll be good for a player like Bleese. Welcome to the MFC.

"Dawes is studying in Melbourne and is not interested in a shift interstate." From the article on The Age, my gut feel is it'll be Melbourne or staying at the Pies. I'm fairly pleased with the idea of getting him, will be very handy to Mitch and he'll be played as a permanent forward unlike this year at the Pies where he was a forward/ruck. Then the idea of Byrnes being at their feet waiting for the crums tops it.

I guess the annoying point is that other clubs end up wearing the recruiting costs for Essendon getting Goddard. I agree that older players should be given every opportunity to get to their club of choice, but for the Bombers to get him for nothing but salary cap costs seems like BS. Might also [censored] me off that its the Bombers!

The real shame of this is that Denham can say he was right. Ah well let's keep that stash of money for someone else I guess.

Richmond will not let him go, period. He has been excellent for them this year and will be a gun for them. Should be keeping an eye on the younger ones though, good footballing pedigree! Did they all follow the Dees? (Oh yes I'm opening that can of worms!)

TBH I think that was a slip from The Age, he isn't a former yet because he hasn't announced anything to us and the club hasn't said anything unlike what happened with Beamer.

Definitely mixed messages coming through, I must say if it were me I'd go to the Pies with them being in the window despite the lesser money. But I guess all will be revealed shortly.

A good pick up if true, short term but good. Will help Mitch a lot, and our amount of foward entries were improving towards the end if the year so having another marking forward will only help us. Also frees up Garland to back to defense.

If true I can't say I'm happy with us losing him, I'm not really upset with Riv himself, but what I really feel we'll be missing from him is the experience. Watts was good in defense in patches, but long term it's not where he belongs, so when he does move out who's going to take his spot? I really hope Neeld and Co will take a very aggressive trade and FA strategy.

Howe is definitely being groomed as a goal-kicking midfielder, he has a natural attacking frame of mind and his other attributes are well known. Col should be kicking more goals, and when he played as a mid for the second half of the year he was clearly better. As you stated Jones had quite a good year (goals wise) and as we get better he'll be given more opportunities to kick more, we all know he loves a goal!

I hope the lure of possibly being a one club player, and the direction we are going in will be enough to convince him to stay. I honestly feel he is, and has been one of the most underrated players at the club, is courageous, good mark, decent skills, and has a bit of mongrel about him. That coupled with his experience would make him a pretty big loss, not devastating, but big enough.

I'd definitely be open to the idea of getting Ayres in as our midfield coach, and if he really does have ambition to get a big gig again then he fits the driven mould that Neeld said he wanted, that is assistants that aspire to be senior coaches. Also would be a wealth of knowlege, the only thing i'd wonder is if there'd be any bitterness to towards Craig as he replaced him at the Cows. Most senior coaches get emotional when things get tough or competitive, in an interview he spoke about how the networks compile together all the emotional responses from coaches and how it gives a wrong impression. For the big games, or big clubs, they always have the coaches camera pointed on them and it's constantly recording with someone looking for reactions. Some coaches i've noticed are sitting in spots that the camera aren't able to see very well, possibly in response to this. I guess my point is that they (Seven) choose to air a compilation of their reactions, be they good or bad, and it can give an impression that they're always on edge. [EDIT] Also wanted to add that assistants don't feel the pressure like senior coaches, so while he might get carried away as a senior coach, I don't think he would as an assistant. On a side note, I was very interested to hear Craig talking about how they got someone from the military to sit in the box with them and analyse how the hierarchy works, and whether it's an organised system. Very good outside the box thinking from the Dees.

I agree mostly but the difference is that nrl players aren't taught to tackle the arms to prevent the ball coming out (to get holding the ball) they're taught more to hit hard to dislodge the ball and then other players gang tackle them down to finish the tackle. Or at least that's what I've observed. Certainly I think there is a lot we could learn from them with tackle techniques, I think we were ranked as one if the worst sides for effective tackles. We should definitely be picking some brains there, while we're at it get their players to describe what it's like playing for the big one.