Macca

Well, by the time we get there we'll have a lot more more than 70,000 members and amongst those numbers, there are any number of horse racing enthusiasts and keen punters. Or people who like a flutter now and again And there are many like you but you only represent a percentage, not all Yes, problem gambling exists but those types often have personality disorders (I've known a few) and if wasn't the horses it would be some other form of gambling. Or the grog or drugs or whatever And as I've said to you before rjay, being a passionate supporter of a footy club is a gamble. We put our whole emotional energy into it and when we lose, we often act like problem gamblers. Blaming everything in sight (umpires = jockeys) And it's a financial investment as well being a keen footy fan, let's not forget that. And we don't like doing our money *Sack the coach* *Get rid of that player, he's useless* etc etc

Yeah I knew that but I can't see how things haven't progressed this far unless we were dealing with a club (MRC) that has opened up their arms to us Put it this way, if there was any hostility involved, why would our club & Pert be so excited about the venture? In my opinion, the MRC want us to come in, it's not necessarily us being desperate to get there. Could be that we found each other and there is a terrific opportunity for both clubs

Yeah I know that story but I don't particularly believe it. There's a lot of spin in footy and money talks

Might be a while before we see any of the details dp (unless they get leaked haha) But what stands out to me is how much space there is inside the racecourse itself. I've been to the Caulfield races a stack of times but to be honest, never looked inside the actual course very often as I was too busy trying to back a winner! And it's important to know the MRC's stance with all this too. They are sitting on a goldmine at Sandown as they own that course outright and the land is worth a fortune I read recently that selling part of Sandown is a bit costly so it's all or nothing. And it won't be nothing So if or when they sell it completely they'll be cashed up to improve the Caulfield & Mornington courses (but mainly Caulfield initially) Further to that they want to build a proper 2nd course inside the existing course and that might be an all-weather course Why? So as to pick up the slack for all the Sandown midweek racing that Sandown holds now. Lights could be constructed as well so they can hold a host of night meetings So they've got some plans of their own There are now a lot of unused buildings and stables now that Caulfield is no longer a training facility so I suppose that's where we come into the picture (in that previously posted image, the area from the 2000m mark to the 1600m mark) So it could be a nice, cosy relationship where both clubs win The MRC does need bigger crowds and a larger membership as Flemington is still ultra popular and Moonee Valley will be hot competition once they finish the do-over there If we end up there I've got no doubt the MRC will be eyeing off our 70,000 members (might be 90,000 or more by the time we take up residence!)

That's a good idea If we're confident that he's going to be good-to-go, tack on the extra dollars pertaining to the existing contract with the proviso that he extends Of course, our salary cap might be close to being full for 2023 so the breakdown of the extra $$$'s for the 2 years could be added to the 2025 component of his existing contract As you said, there will be freed up salary cap space at the end of 2024 So Harrison gets the unexpected extra $$$'s and we get to keep our man, long term It's just reconstructing a contract which will probably become common-practice as the years go on He's worth it, in my view But it looks to me like Adelaide might have offered him a very big contract and that might include a big component in the first year of a deal (effectively, a signing on bonus similar to what T$ got) And as long as we keep strengthening our talent, year by year, we're going to be in this type of situation again & again. Comes with the territory

I don't buy into the go home factor, I believe in the money But I'm with you, if he becomes a game-changer on a regular basis, pay him the big bucks* and match the Crows offer (unless that offer is astronomical and it becomes a murky situation) Ultimately, I see him as a replacement for May at full back as Petty is only 24 and has another 9-10 years of footy ahead *That could happen as early as half way through 2024 if he fully recovers from his injury and starts firing again

I'd like to see Kozzie play (on average) a third of his game time as a midfielder (from memory, his game against the Crows used as a midfielder for half the game was outstanding) And he's looked good at other times in the middle but more so the centre bounces where he can use his elusiveness and speed But not too much as we obviously need him up forward as well Swapping with Petracca as what used to happen back in the day (ruck rover/ rover type swapping roles to the half forward flank or pocket) So Petracca to play a 3rd of the games up forward used in conjunction with Kozzie A 65/35 split but their roles up forward to be slightly different. It should be remembered that in 2019, Petracca was our best forward who averaged 19 possessions as a high half forward (albeit in a disastrous season in terms of wins) Where as Kozzie is a dangerous small forward who can kick 2 or 3 goals in a hurry I also believe that lots of early touches does wonders for Kozzie's confidence. So we need to get the ball in his hands early

Posted the following on the training thread but this thread is more appropriate I reckon the MRC will welcome us with open arms. We'll be seen as a partner in a win/win situation Just an opinion mind you and a gut feeling but I reckon the MRC will see us coming in as a way of growing their own membership and a chance to make $$$'s on non race days For the MFC, we'll get exactly what we want in terms of training grounds & indoor facilities for the players. As well as buildings for the admin The supporters would get a great view of training and/or practice games from the existing stands and any new stands (Western end of the course?) *See image below* So the building near the winning post (white roof) is the main grandstand. If you were at the races, the back straight is a fair way away but the 2 training grounds would be a lot closer than that As for the 2 ovals, one might run alongside the home straight (n.b. the home straight isn't pointed directly West (so no Sun issues) The other oval more towards the back straight (?) A lot of the existing buildings and stables from about the 2000m mark to the 1400m mark were formerly used for training horse but Caulfield is no longer a training facility. The horses are brought in on race days and there are heaps of stables behind the main grandstand for use on racedays So our building requirements could be put up anywhere from the 2000m mark to the 1400m mark ... incorporating a grandstand (?) The oval at the top (Glen Huntly Park) will give you an idea of the space available elsewhere (specifically inside the actual racecourse) ... you could fit 3 or 4 ovals inside the actual racecourse Again, the above is just a personal opinion not based on any data or info. I certainly don't have any inside knowledge. Others may see things way differently Here's the image of the course ...

But was it a fiasco? We needed a 2nd ruckman and Grundy was that ruckman. So, in the end he moved on but we got back what we spent on him terms of the trade Sydney gave us pick 46 which we used to get Fullarton (another ruckman who might actually be able to play as a forward/ruck, something that Grundy couldn't do) We're probably better off in terms of a means to an end Plus, we also received Sydney's 2024 2nd round pick which we used to pick up McAdam So nothing ventured, nothing gained and Grundy was not the reason we did not win the flag So in terms of being cost effective, I reckon we broke even and if McAdam and/or Fullarton turn up trumps, we'll win out on the deal Time will tell As for the salary cap cost, that's for the bean-counters and Fullarton & McAdam combined would probably cost around about the same amount as Grundy The media made a big deal of it but who cares what they think

*See image below* So the building near the winning post (white roof) is the main grandstand. If you were at the races, the back straight is a fair way away but the 2 training grounds would be a lot closer than that As for the 2 ovals, one might run alongside the home straight (n.b. the home straight isn't pointed directly West (so no Sun issues) The other oval more towards the back straight (?) A lot of the existing buildings and stables from about the 2000m mark to the 1400m mark were formerly used for training horse but Caulfield is no longer a training facility. The horses are brought in on race days and there are heaps of stables behind the main grandstand for use on racedays So our building requirements could be put up anywhere from the 2000m mark to the 1400m mark ... incorporating a grandstand (?) The oval at the top (Glen Huntly Park) will give you an idea of the space available elsewhere (specifically inside the actual racecourse) ... you could fit 3 or 4 ovals inside the actual racecourse Again, the above is just a personal opinion not based on any data or info. I certainly don't have any inside knowledge. Others may see things way differently Here's the image of the course Further down is a video of a horse well worth following (gamble responsibly)

I reckon the MRC will welcome us with open arms. We'll be seen as a partner in a win/win situation Just an opinion mind you and a gut feeling but I reckon the MRC will see us coming in as a way of growing their own membership and a chance to make $$$$'s on non race days For the MFC, we'll get exactly what we want in terms of training grounds & indoor facilities for the players. As well as buildings for the admin The supporters would get a great view of training and/or practice games from the existing stands and any new stands (Western end of the course?) I'll post up an image of the course directly as to how I see the configuration

Bill Belichick sacked! Well, a parting of the ways with Bill being paid out but from all reports, Belichick didn't want to leave Apparently he was to be paid $24Million for next season. Who walks away from that sort of money? The question is will he land somewhere else at the age of 71? I'd say yes as there will be at least one team that will want him

Ok, I'll kick things off Cleveland (1-6) @ Houston Miami @ KC (1-6) Pittsburgh @ Buffalo (7-12) Green Bay @ Dallas (7-12) LA Rams (1-6) @ Detroit Philadelphia (1-6) @ Tampa Bay

Premiership windows can be measured if we can calculate how many top players a club has and if that club is stable and has good coaching (us, right now) I put the number at 14-16 top players as a minimum An example of being nowhere near a premiership window is the Demons of 2012/13. We had no more than 3 or 4 top players back then Another example are the Eagles of today - how many top players? So who are our top players? Gawn, May, Lever, Rivers, Salem, Viney, Fritsch, Kozzie, Petracca, Oliver, Brayshaw, Langdon, McVee, Petty, Melksham (although injured) That's 15 Those on the cusp or with the potential ... Sparrow, Tholstrup, Windsor, JVR, Chandler, Bowey, ANB, Hunter and a few others So how many teams that are in the window have that many good players? Maybe 4 or 5 teams? The key is to keep recruiting well to maintain the numbers of top players. Much like what Geelong have done It's a basic, simple exercise but it rings true

I reckon you're on the money. Certainly as the release player charging forward I don't think we should be too concerned with our midfield depth as Sparrow is on the improve, Rivers is a real candidate and I can't get Kozzie's first half against Adelaide out of my head. He lit it up that night. And watch out for Tholstrup. He'll be pushing for selection Clarrie will be back soon enough to join up with Petracca, Viney & Brayshaw but in the meantime, we can cover for him McVee is a ripper and we got him out of good judgement again (Taylor)

The dasher! This bloke could be anything if used the right way. My vision of him in the future is hitting up forwards, lace-out And he'll be able to do that as he creates separation in a nanosecond, has excellent pace and good disposal Lowering his eyes as a default move is a sign of real class A bargain buy picked as a rookie

We added Hunter for the 2023 season (and Grundy) Jed Adams & Jefferson were also drafted and it's way too early to judge either draftee Verrell & Sestan were added as rookies and again, it's too early to judge those 2 players Kade Chandler was elevated from rookie status for 2023 and played nearly every game The Grundy experiment was worth the risk as we needed another ruckman anyway and he didn't cost us much. No risk, no reward Hunter had a solid year despite what his chief naysayer (here) has to say And let's not forget the unearthing of JVR & McVee (both debuted in 2023) We might look back at the players added for the 2023 season as a success Right now, it's too early to tell

We're not a one-man team and it should be remembered that we won 7 from 10 when Clarrie was out last season Besides which, he'll be back and will in effect, strengthen our line-up from an overall season point of view If we lose Smith, we're not losing a star. With our depth, we can easily cover his absence. But I believe he'll be back this year as well (at some stage) So, I'm confident he won't serve anything close to 2 years The Petty question remains. Again, with a full list of forwards to choose from (and that includes Brown & T-Mac) we should be able to cover for him. But we need him fit and firing when he returns. So there's no rush The bonus might be Melksham returning later in the year. Billings & McAdam add goalkicking capabilities up forward as might Tholstrup I can see Kozzie & Petracca sharing a 60/40 role in the forward line (1 of them in for the centre bounces & out the back of stoppages) We need their dynamism forward and in the middle Fritsch is another player who missed 7 games in a stretch last season. And wasn't match-fit when he did come back. So there's a lot of upside despite what the doomsayers are predicting Last year was 2023, not 2013

I could probably name at least 10 clubs where their window has remained open a lot longer than 5 years (over a 60 year stretch) The Hawks from '71 through to '91 for starters. The Pies from '64 through to '81 (played in 7 GF's) There are numerous other examples How about the Demons from '54 to '64? All that mainly on the back of savvy recruiting So do the 5 year window types think that we're going to stop recruiting talent? Why would we do that? And free agency will eventually become much bigger than it is now so why wouldn't Taylor be all over that area of recruiting? There's no reason why our list can't get better. Somehow, after finishing in the top four, 3 years in a row, we ended up with picks 6 & 13 in the draft. That's better than a bottom club could usually hope for And smart trading to snare McAdam & Billings. Fullarton could surprise as well Jason Taylor comes across as being hungry for more talent. The man is the linchpin in my view. The best recruiter in the business Geelong's window remained open for 16 years and they are still thereabouts. Built on the back of another great recruiter, Stephen Wells

Yet against the thugs in the QF Gawn had 27 possessions & 31 hitouts It's just a pity that we didn't have class forwards to kick it to on the back of Max's dominance Gawn is actually quite a durable athlete that can cop a bit of battering. He's a ruckman, that has to be expected. It's more his legs that might be a concern But he's getting old anyway so eventually we'll need to replace him. The original plan was for Jackson to take over but he left for the $$$$'s (as many others have)

You're wrong Injuries aren't an excuse if they happen in one area of the list (in last years case, the forward line) You can't replace too many quality forwards and replace them with mediocre forwards and then expect success Sport doesn't work that way. Getting close to winning both finals was more of an indication that we tried our guts out to cover for all those lost forwards So instead of the team copping the wrath of the supporters, we should be proud of how close we got The strange thing is that many here will use the umpiring as an excuse (on a constant basis) Now that is a cop-out Also, there are a lot of bad loser types here with a hair-trigger attitude So brighten up, we'll be back better than ever

The window doesn't have to close ever It's just that if a certain amount of people say it enough times, it can become folklore (or another myth) For instance ... That the umpires are out to get us (they aren't, never were, never will be) That the drafting numbering system is entirely accurate (it isn't) Busts happen and always will and no one can predict them. Same rule for stars plucked out if the 2nd & 3rd round (sometimes the 4th & 5th round) That a whole club can have 'culture' issues on the back of a couple of indiscretions by a couple of players That a club drinks it's own bathwater if it isn't successful Excuses used as reasons and reasons labelled as excuses (many don't know the difference) Gossip that becomes folklore ... footy can be more of a soap opera as a result That our training facilities are substandard - more rubbish as Casey is an excellent facility and sharing AAMI is no big deal. Gosch's is a great surface too. We are not at a disadvantage The Junction oval was easily the best surface to train on as well (fact) As previously stated, myths abound

I really believe that we're set up well for the next 5 or 6 years So we're not falling off the perch if we don't win this years flag First of all, you have to get into contention, then, on the law of averages, you can't expect to win every time you're in contention So we've been in contention 3 times now unless we want to count 2018 as well I'll take 1 in 3 any day of the week as there are usually 4 or 5 teams that can win it most seasons And I don't believe in a cut-off 5 year window either although the 5 year plan makes sense (the 5 year plan that keeps getting revamped) So 6 more years of contending can deliver us 2 more flags (if we're being realistic) I'll take that in a heartbeat as for a long time I couldn't see us winning 1 flag anytime soon And we're going to need a good dose of luck as well (you always do in order to win big e.g. 2021 we had a virtual injury free season) The Cats won it all in 2011 and were then in contention at least 8 times in the next 11 years until they won again. And for the most part, they had very good teams and good coaching all the way through Flags are hard to win And if you get a run of injuries to key personnel at the wrong time of the year, your hopes can be dashed So you go again and look ahead

Exactly The replacement forward line stood up manfully and tried their utmost But if our forward line looked like this do we lose either of the finals? HF Petracca*/Kozzie** Petty Fritsch F Melksham JVR/Brown Chandler *Petracca not able to play forward due to the loss of Brayshaw **Kozzie not able to have stints on the ball as he was needed in the forward line Dark italics - not available So not only did we not have key personnel up forward but we lost all balance and flexibility (up forward) Despite all that we went down narrowly in both finals The above forward line would have helped us win the '23 flag, without such a forward line we had very little chance (of winning 3 finals)

Well, that time was now rjay, see above haha