Hannabal

Naturally I'm interested after they're selected you silly man. Perhaps I didn't explain myself clearly enough. I'm interested post draft in who we've drafted, but pre draft I was very ambivalent (this year). Especially after I went off Darling.

Withdraw.

Someone said on another forum that BP will go down as a friggin genius after this draft, or a friggin idiot - with not much in between. It's a sentiment with which I have some sympathy. As I'm a glass half full kind of guy I'll back him in.

Perhaps your thread title should have read "Recruits Videos ?". Then it would have saved me opening it. Thanks.

To be honest, unlike some, I don't really give a rat's fat clacker who we've drafted. Time will tell if they're the right picks, or not. But when footy publications, such as Inside Footy, don't even have one of the four in their 100+ listed hopefuls and two of the other three are in the "best of the rest" section you'll perhaps understand why the "best available" theory holds little weight with me. We've chosen for need and picked accordingly. They obviously like what they see, but it's hard to convince me that all 4 were best available at their respective picks. But as I said, I couldn't give a toss. It was funny though when Terry Wallace said on radio last night that he was across 150 draft prospects this year, but he hadn't even heard of 3 of our 4 picks. Well, I found it funny.

Gee some people by spin. It wouldn't matter what the club said they'd back the club's version of events with no questions asked. It's obvious that our selections were more needs based. We also obviously rated who we picked. We'll know if we got it right in 3-5 years.

When will supporters realise that a footy club owes its players absolutely nothing ? The quest to win a flag is paramount and every decision made by the club has to have this sole ambition as its driving force. And yes, that includes how decisions may impact the playing group as a whole. Mistakes may be made, but that's a by-product of a game where the stakes are huge. Cameron Bruce forged a quality career at the MFC. He isn't a great of our club, but he had a better career than most. I've always thought him to be a tad soft and the decision he's made only reinforces my thinking. When it came to the crunch he took an option that probably shouldn't surprise many.

It's quite humourous reading the different emotions on this thread. 1) Was Bruce going to play in a Melbourne premiership team ? I very much doubt it. 2) Was Bruce going to be pivotal in helping us reach a Grand Final ? I very much doubt it. 3) Would Bruce even 'stand up' in the hurly burly of a Grand Final ? I very much doubt it. Therefore, it's no biggy. I doubt we would have received much compensation for him anyway. It frees up some cap space. I'll be emotional about premiership players, but not the Cam Bruce's of this world.

Ah Cam - Cameron Bruce. If ever a player epitomised his name it was you. A talented player who was best in shut down roles. An excellent endurance runner who had the ability to push forward and hit the scoreboard. A clever player, who despite a lack of leg speed was usually able to extricate himself from tight situations. Well liked around the club and smart enough to read the writing on the wall. I'll miss abusing you at the 'G, and throwing the remote every time you avoided body contact; not to mention the hospital handpasses to unsuspecting teammates. Hopefully, your exit continues to eradicate the culture of softness that has permeated this club for too long. There's a few softees on the list, but the standards of Scully, Trengove, Grimes, et al, as opposed to your goodself and the likes of "one arm Adem", or "toe poke Yze", will be plain for all to see. Today is going to be a good day.

I suspect you're right. I'm pretty much done and dusted. I can't even be bothered arguing with a peanut like you.

You're improving.

Even his good mates such as Lyon lament that we never got the stellar Carlton version. It needed the kick up the backside to produce his best, which was at Carlton. I'm very close to someone that famously said, "we'll never win a flag with Spalding at CHF". And no, it wasn't me, but I knew what they meant at the time. His best year was Carlton's premiership year. He had more marks, disposals and goals than he'd ever had before. It really was a year that was head and shoulders ahead of any other. Needless to say, I didn't enjoy it.

There won't be many. Not in my eyes anyway. There's hardly been a Melbourne player in my time that hasn't disappointed me.

A bit like "just one goat", eh ?

Too late. Already nominated.

Players are like cattle to me. I like the best quality meat.

It's about one's favourite player, not best players, most important players, etc. I can't fathom how Trengove and Scully aren't in every list, but that's Melbourne supporters for you.

Michael Young - Carlton Premiership player Michael Seddon Xavier Tanner - North Premiership player Peter Johnston Michael Reynolds Michael O'Sullivan Earl Spalding Craig Turley - West Coast Premiership player Troy Longmuir Brent Heaver - 5 goals on debut against Carlton Chris Heffernan - Essendon Premiership player Craig Ellis Tony Campbell I've probably strayed from the OP's "potential star" category, but nearly all of the above at one point had quite high expectations, either through recruitment to the club as a senior player from another club, or as youngsters that showed a lot. You could add Chris Connolly who was severely curtailed by injury. Many others have already been mentioned.

Scully Trengove Grimes Frawley Watts I'm interested in those that have the potential to win a flag. It's all that matters.

There's a continual reference to his pin being removed, but he stated that the "screws in his ankle were removed". Is it one and the same thing ? I am only cautiously optimistic when it comes to Blease. He's had a shocking injury, so I'll wait until there's some exposed form at a reasonable level. He's got pace, smarts and he's a good kick, but he needs to show that he can find the footy more often. I like the way he takes the game on given an opportunity.

Made your blood boil ? You're an excitable kind of guy. And yes, it probably wasn't carefully considered.

You just happened to be on the AFL website and thought you'd start a thread to get something off your chest ? It seems more carefully considered than you're making out. Especially as you had the link to that designer site in tow.

I might have been a tad harsh, Grimesy. I've no doubt that his shoulder injury contributed to his nervousness. He has a natural predisposition to protect his body, so coming back from injury was only going to enhance these self-preservation instincts. Also, let me say that all AFL players are brave men. Players have never hit harder than they do today. When one considers the type of footy that Liam was exposed to as a kid in the NT it's little wonder he's a tad soft. He didn't get to go through the junior programmes, or get the coaching that best prepares you for AFL footy. He will improve with a bigger body and the confidence he gains through experience. His confidence was up by the end of the season and it started to show. I'll reserve judgment on his ability to stand up in big games until I see it happen. I don't tend to bother making too many excuses for footballers, even if I'm well aware of any mitigating circumstances. There are enough supporters out there making excuses for their idols without me lending a helping hand.

I don't usually answer stupid questions, hence the lack of a response. Jurrah has been overtly soft in AFL and VFL matches, hence the query, and hence the concern that he may be found out in a final. Morton has been soft too, so the same query exists. Watts hasn't been soft in the sense of the other two. He isn't hard, but he doesn't lack courage. Watts will stand under a pack knowing what's coming. He does need to lift his intensity and learn how to better contest, but if he is soft he's soft with a small 's'. There are degrees of everything. I've seen Jurrah at Casey where his avoidance of contests has been cringeworthy. I have zero concerns about Grimes, Scully and Trengove when it comes to committing their body; and they don't need to show me that they'll be able to step up in the red hot cauldron of a final. I know they will. If a player has a flaw in the commitment stakes it's exacerbated in finals. They don't have that flaw. Others do. Jurrah is the most exciting talent in the AFL. With an increased confidence in himself and his body I expect him to improve the areas where he's currently deficient. But unlike others that pretend they don't see what they see, or aren't able to adequately decipher what they see, I have no compunction in expressing areas of concern in a player's makeup.

You're exceedingly childish.