PaulRB

Rookies get paid additional for each seniors game they play, don't they. So Magner would have earnt quite a bit extra given he played 17 games in 2012.

Club has got to respect it's history, and by giving the great Number 31 to one of our Captains they are doing this. I like it. Go Grimes.

Mighty MORTON won it for the Swannies. We should get us one of them.

I like the way JT receives the ball in motion and delivers long into the forward line, to his forwards advantage. We need a couple of these types and the better skilled and hard they are the better. Fingers crossed. Viney to Jones to Toumpas ... kick long ... MITCH! Sweet, sooo sweet...

Like his agility and run but he looks like a solid hip from Wojo might split him in half. Would hate to see him try an run down and tackle Nik Nat on a burst in a final..? Mind you I have the same concerns about Barry. Hoping to be proven wrong.

The Barry deal was the sliding of pick 13 to pick 20 (which we then used to trade for Dawes), assuming you accept pick 3 for Hogan. Not a bad deal, and hard to break into parts as was bundled with Hogan for pick 3...

Perhaps the footy gods have finally decided to let us have the wind at our backs for a while... be a change after the year that was 2012.

Aaron Davey's cousin won it in 1993 from down back.

Maric was a good kick, but his decision making was very average.

It's equivalent to what GWS's haul will be with their picks 1, 2, 3... A great result.

Jim Stynes

Integrity and consistency have not been a strong suit of the AFL since they got a sniff of the riches to be derived from a national competition, TV rights, etc.... In management terms their style of governance sits somewhere between the Mafia and Chinese Communist Party. At best inscrutable, at worst corrupt, while always disguised as "doing the best for footy".

Just hope the AFL make their move before the end of the year, so we can either hit 2013 with a clear runway, or beating the drums of legal action to clear said runway. Either way we need clear air come Round 1 to give our boys the best chance to be successful, and for any success to be translated into memberships, sponsors, dollars etc...

Even you Ben?

I think if we had been applying the 4 pillars that Viney talks about, when drafting Morton, Gysberts, etc... we'd have gone down a different path. I like that we are aligning the team to deliver along these four criteria, and think it more likely to find and develope the right talent than we have done previously. Agree that it may take longer to click than we think/hope.

TS was just an elaborate ruse, thought up in the vault, to get Toumpas, Hogan and Barry. I'd say our recruitment department don't get the plaudits on that pickup that they deserve. ;-)

As in ditched the project players? and those that don't conform to Viney's assessment of "talent"?

From Todd Viney about what the MFC are looking for in players: "When I talk talent, it’s not just about who can kick it the best, who can mark it the best or who can handball the best. We’ve got four key pillars that we try and identify. When we talk about talent, we talk about all four. The first pillar is competitiveness - they’ve got to be highly competitive - no matter what role they play. The second one is their football talent. There are football attributes that they have to exhibit in their role - that’s how you kick it, catch it, win contested ball or how you win handball receives - depending on how you play. The third pillar is the physical attributes that you need to play the game of AFL, and they keep becoming more and more demanding. If the rules change again in the future with two [interchange] and two [substitute] players - then they must have the attributes that need to be ticked off. And the fourth one is character - they need to be able to handle being in an elite environment, and strive to be the best. They need to be a self-starter and be resilient. It’s a tough environment, and it’s not for everyone. So when we talk talent, it’s those four things rolled up into one. We just won’t take someone because he can kick it better than the next guy. I think there have been way too many mistakes over a long period of time, where people talk about how talent is about how they can kick it or catch it. All four of those pillars are rolled into one, and that’s what we’re saying talent is." Dees clear about draft targets: Viney Edit: added bold to Viney's quote.

I too like the improvements and deletions to the list this off season. All the older players coming in are either proven finals players (Dawes, Byrnes, Rodan) or hungry bigger bodied types desperate to crack the AFL (Pedersen, Gilles). Many of these experienced players have something to prove and reputations to restore ( Dawes, Rodan). They well cover the players leaving. I.e. Dawes/Pedersen > Morton/Martin, Rodan/Byrnes > Gysberts/Bennell, for the simple reason that most of these new experienced player are more suited to what Neeld wants and have volumes of AFL experience to apply. The younger players coming in (to date) consist of 3 top 5 talents (Viney, Hogan, Pick 4) and a wildcards (Barry) with several to come. Understandable optimism given it appears to be a bigger improvement in the quality of our list than we've seen in many years. Moving on several perennial teases who have taken too long to convert their talent into results represents the club shifting the focus of their footy efforts back to the present, rather than endlessly investing in future footy glories that never seem to arrive. Agree, that 2013 should be a cracker.

Think developing Jack as an attacking rebounding defender is perfect for this stage of his development. Would like to see him play stints on wing and to sneak forward when the matchups suit. Ablett (Snr), Fraser Geric both played some of their early footy on the wing while their (already bigger than Jack) bodies developed sufficiently to hold a key forward spot. With confidence in his physicality and his natural atheticism he should evolve into a player we use to exploit the weakest opposition attacker (to rebound in defence) or the weakest backman when shifted forward. As mentioned having Clark, Dawes, Howe, and Pedersen up forward and Frawley, MacDonald, Sellar down back means he can be played to his best position.

Will we have won a flag by 2030? Please!

A 13 year cycle, how auspicious.

It would be prudent of the club to have a plan in case Clark's foot is slow to recover.

I like that under Neeld we are focusing on players who have a hunger for the work required to be successful in the AFL, rather than simply rating their natural talents and assuming they'll have the drive to do the work if selected.

Key difference between our player's leg speed and our teams ball speed. I think our ball speed will improve with an improved structure and understanding of the game plan, i.e. we'll be more decisive in our ball movement, players will know where to run to, etc... Leg speed is great to break lines but as the Hawks have shown recently so are great kickers. The value of a Blease (leg speed) or a Watts (great kick) is in their ability to break a line and deliver it to the advantage of our structure. This results in rapid ball speed.