Jaded No More

Absolutely. The AFL never listens to fans, particularly Melbourne fans. So don't shoot ourselves in the foot by admitting that we're tanking. Love them or hate them, these priority picks might just be our ticket out of this premiership drought, so sit down, shut up and enjoy them.

For the sake of 'list management': Brent Moloney (groin) – 1 week Brock McLean (knee) – season Jordie McKenize (calf) – in for Davey (flu) Liam Jurrah (ankle) – 1 week Jack Grimes (hip) – 1 week Stefan Martin (calf) – 1 week (Juice in the ruck?)

Why did we select him with pick 1 and why did Rich drop so much on draft day then? Obviously two is better than one, but this year, pick one is very important because there is one standout guy who is clearly above the rest. He may not end up being the best of the lot, but he represents the least amount of risk and the most amount of star quality, which is what you want with your first pick. That is why tanking is so crucial to us this year, because it's not just about getting two very very good players to our club, it's also about getting THE top rated kid, of which there is only one this year. I'm sure the draft is not as shallow as what everyone would have you believe, but it's been a while since one kid was the absolute certain choice at pick one since the start of the year, until (presumably) draft day.

Pretty serious stuff, but do police really waste their resources and time raiding homes for the sake of one ecstasy tablet? They must have been tipped off about drug activity or trafficking of a larger magnitude.

So let me get this straight, Watts won't be a dominant player in the future (you saying the brilliant recruiting team of last year made a mistake? ) and we shouldn't believe the hype surrounding Scully even though you concede he'll go at 1, ahead of those other stars you're thinking of at pick 2,3,4,5 or 6?

But because there is one standout player this year, who is ahead by an absolute mile from the rest of the pack, having pick one is equally as important as having two early picks, because it's possible that Tom Scully alone will end up a better player than picks 2 & 3 combined. Having said that, it is also about getting two of the best kids to the club, not just one, and because there is no clear pick at number two, whether we have pick 2 or 3 or even 4 doesn't really matter a whole lot. Of course having the first two picks gives us the luxury of getting exactly who we want. If we have picks 1 & 3, we might miss out on the guy we really wanted with pick 2, particularly if we want Morabito. However we'll end up with very good players regardless of whether we have pick 2 or 3.

So I'm one up on you then...

What, I don't understand? The discussion was the same one we've heard all year. Players don't tank, clubs tank, there is too much incentive to lose, Melbourne should lose, Melbourne should win, etc etc etc The only interesting bit of info to come out of tonight was that apparently some of our players weren't happy with what happened yesterday (according to Caro), and that Melbourne's recruiters rate Scully "as highly as you could rate a player". The words Chris and Judd were also mentioned. On a side note, I did not listen to SEN's game coverage (seeing the same live was painful enough), but they showed a snippet from the commentary yesterday where they were laughing when Rivers dropped that ball which resulted in a Richmond goal, insinuating that perhaps Rivers did that on purpose. Gary Lyon said that any accusation like that is extremely dangerous, and I have to agree. Rivers played well yesterday and worked his butt off. He has never ever been anything but 100% committed or dedicated and anyone who suggests otherwise is an idiot. It's because our players didn't tank and refused to lose, that we nearly won.

Don't blow it now. I think the issue is that we can't do again what we did yesterday. If you believe Caro on Footy Classifieds, some of the players were not happy with what happened yesterday (they'll be laughing their arse off if they win a premiership with Tom Scully though, won't they? ), and the media is all over us like a cheap hooker, so we have got to be extremely weary of what we do next. The four guys who ended up on the bench in the last, need to take the week off and rest. Sylvia has to play, unless he miraculously gets sick during the week or breaks a nail. Same goes for Morton. We need to go tall in the backline to try and bring North's small forwards into the game, and of course the midfield should be on high rotation. Experimentation there is easily done and can be nicely disguised. Newton on the wing an absolute must, and maybe get PJ on the other wing. Sylvia into defense and Morton to FF perhaps. No idea how we get Grimes to get the hell away from the football though. Coach for the day? We have to hold on for one more week, then we can go all out against Freo and force the idiots in the media to come up with something else to talk about.

I'm sorry, but his first name is Jack, and therefore he must be added to our list. Trengove it is.

I was getting really bored listening to SEN on the way home today, until some Melbourne supporter came on to say that he's furious that we nearly won the game, and that we should tank harder, and then Ox said that Jordan McMahon should be given life membership at Melbourne. The fact that everyone is annoyed makes this whole thing even better. We're getting talked about, people are starting to care that we're collecting ourselves a nice pool of talent (jealous even!), while we go about our daily business and deny everything. It's beautiful! :D I also laughed at Voss scoffing at tanking. I bet your club enjoys those fat salary caps and concessions, so back in your box!

YES! There is a massive difference between getting one great player, and getting two great players. The guys we get this year could potentially complete our premiership-winning team. With no early picks up for grab for a long while, this year is about getting the best you can as many times as you can. One more victory or one more gun player? Buddy and Roughead or just Roughead? Watts and Rich or just Watts? It's such an easy decision it's laughable!!!

As if we wasted pick 14 on this dud. He is hopeless, seriously, his kicking action is so flawed he nearly bloody won us the game yesterday and made us lose Scully. Get rid of him!

I assume he feels vindicated. After what happened yesterday, there is little doubt that our current administration is about one thing, and one thing only, premierships.

Agreed. Not many, if any other club in the competition, has to overcome as many obstacles as we do to win a premiership. The priority picks that we will receive at the end of the year will be the result of us being genuinely poor for three years, and what happened yesterday was done within the rules of the game. We have done absolutely nothing wrong. When we win a flag, it will not be tainted in any way shape or form, it will be an f'ing miracle and well deserved for a club that has had to overcome everything from debt to death to get to the top.

He'd miss 9 out of 10 times from 20m out too! I'm a big believer in fate, and Scully is definitely destined to become a Demon. There is simply no logical explanation for what happened today or how the game ended. The more I think about it, the more I think it is one of the most remarkable games of football I have ever been to.

We have not cheated in any way shape or form. There is nothing illegal about making positional changes, or not playing guys who aren't 100%. We didn't play extra men, we didn't beat, scrag or hit any players, in fact the guys out there gave their all and lost. How is that cheating? Where does it say that your defenders can't play as forwards? The system is set up to help struggling clubs. We are a struggling club simply getting what is rightfully ours. My god some of our supporters are naive. There isn't a single club in our position who wouldn't be doing exactly the same thing. We did not invent the system, but we sure as hell are going to take full advantage of it.

I love Dean Bailey and I love this club. Finally we are not just bending over and taking whatever rubbish is dished out to us. Taking full advantage of the system and being ruthless is the only way we'll win a premiership. Good job Melbourne!

North cannot possibly play as poorly as Richmond did today, especially at Etihad. We're obviously in full tanking mode and we are not letting anyone get in our way. Not a chance that we're throwing away those picks now, given how desperate we were to lose today.

They'll try their best to tank, but it's going to be hard given how many top players Essendon are missing. Still, after watching Richmond today, there is no way they are losing to them at home in Round 22. Tanking or no tanking. If we nearly beat Richmond on a neutral ground while pulling the biggest tank tactics of all time, West Coast will surely beat them. Surely!

I loved the positional moves. Every time I turned around to Dad to say something stupid like "put PJ on Brown" or "Newton to the wing", it happened! :D My favourite was Frawley and Warnock running the boundary, and me thinking that it's great how we are never letting those two and Rivers play together. Next thing I know both are up forward. Gold!!! Dean Bailey is a genius. The media can cry foul, but we were in front at the final siren, and can therefore claim that everything we tried today was done with the purpose of winning. They can't touch us!

Please show me when I said that players tank... go on Players NEVER tank, and if they do, they should be shown the door. But the clubs, the coaches, administration etc... tank. Do you think Bailey would have a job tomorrow morning if our administration wasn't on board with this 'list development' process? Bailey would never ever play Warnock and Frawley up forward, Miller in the ruck (when PJ was at CHB), Newton on the wing and PJ on Brown if he didn't have full backing from those above him. The club is tanking, and as a support of this club I am very happy and proud that we are choosing to play the system to its full advantage. I bet you'll be the first to praise Scully when he dominates games of football for us.

That's the one. Although Jack and Ricky were really starting to [censored] me off with their skills and goal-kicking abilities! :angry: I walked away from today very positive about our future for so many reasons.

Post of the year!

Everyone can get on their high horse and blame the AFL for a system that encourages teams to lose, and supporters to barrack against their team, but the fact remains that priority picks have helped many many clubs turn their fortunes around. Have a look at St.Kilda. So yeah, it's a [censored] system but it's there for a reason, and we would have no chance in hell of ever winning a premiership if that system was not in place because putting it simply, we have no resources, no cash flow and no power to manufacture a premiership in any other way. It's the only system in the AFL that rewards everyone equally, without prejudice. Yes, you are going to the footy hoping your team loses, yes that sucks, but you get to walk away with hope that things will get better, the team will get better. Had we won today, it would have done nothing for our future, absolutely nothing. I don't want to beat a rubbish team, I want a premiership, and getting the best players to your club is still the only proven method of winning a flag.