poita

Note to Gil & fellow nuffies: if I didn't have any interest in watching my own team play (and win) AFLX last year, why would I have any more interest in watching this ugly, red-headed bastard stepson of a concept? Wow, even more publicity for the already dangerously over-exposed Dangerfield and Betts! Broadly speaking I understand the idea behind having a version of the game that requires less space, less players and less physicality, but the execution of the idea has been so bad it has no chance of ever gaining acceptance. And only the AFL (and perhaps Cricket Australia) would cannibalise their own product by running it at the same time as they are trying to get publicity and sponsors for AFLW.

Good old MFC, schedule the first weekend training session for yonks at the same time as the club's AFLW clinic in Cranbourne.

It is the lack of communication from the club that is the problem, not the delay. I have received my card before Christmas every year but this one. Don't send me a text on 19 December saying my pack is with Australia Post and will be received imminently, and then come up with some sh!te about printing issues in the second week of January. It doesn't matter whether it arrives in December or January or on the 22nd of March (although I would like to hang the calendar before then), just let us know what to expect. I have received no communication from the club since 19 December and have not received my pack. Is it with the printers, with Australia Post, or has it fallen down the back of Gary Pert's desk?

The lack of communication from the club on this issue is disgraceful. I received a text on 19 December saying that my pack was on its way, and I still haven't received anything. I have been a member for 35 years and have never had to wait this long for my card to arrive. I note that the January instalment has not been deducted yet - that at least is sensible, as I would absolutely lose my [censored] if they took more money from me for nothing.

Has anyone received the end-of-season magazine yet? I hope the club is not struggling to service the increased number of members it has on board.

Bump. I took my family to the Melbourne Stars family day at Casey Fields yesterday. It was a significantly bigger and better event than our own family day, and I hope the MFC took notice. There were probably around 40 activities around the oval, plus the WBBL game next door, compared to perhaps 10-15 at the MFC day. Local sporting clubs and other groups were represented, and there was cross-promotion with other codes (eg Melbourne Stars memberships bought on the day came with free MFC memberships, although this was not promoted other than via email a couple of days earlier). The crowd was smaller than I expected (not necessarily a bad thing for the attendees) but still decent, and perhaps the weather forecast played a part. With the number of activities and stalls everyone was well spread out and lines were never overly long. Although there were some AFL activities, MFC was not promoted at all on the day which I thought was a big oversight. The Rebels, Victory and Vixens all had a presence to some extent. After the players were presented on stage they were available for an hour for autographs and photographs in the inside of a roped off square. My son picked up 30+ signatures in just over half an hour without moving an inch, plus some photos with his favourites. I assume there would be resistance to moving our family day to Casey (I am midway between the two so am not fussed either way), but getting that level of support from the City of Casey would be attractive. Thoughts?

Just wait until we announce a new AFLW captain in the coming weeks.

If we are going to have one captain, surely it should be Jones. Viney is fantastic when fit, but he is no good to anyone when he is playing ten games a year. At least Jones plays and trains with his teammates each week.

There is some disturbing stuff in that article. Good on him for having a goal and doing everything he can to achieve it, but you wonder how he will cope if footy is taken away from him for some reason (injury, illness, not good enough, etc). That kind of behaviour only comes from over bearing parents, and rarely ends well.

I'd be happy if all 11 eleven of our home games were Saturday afternoon at the MCG. I have no issues at all with that fixture - weather should be good, winnable game, no excuses for the fairweather fans not to turn up. Who is to say we don't have big games to come later in the season - why does it have to be round 1?

I heard on the news this morning that an unnamed former footballer had died near Mildura and Colin was immediately the player that came to mind. So sad to hear this confirmed - 32 is way too young for anyone to die.

Best two midfielders available at 23 and 28 please, unless there is a genuine key forward prospect available. History shows that very few speculative key forwards end up being decent players, so we need to be sure if we go down that path. I would much prefer to find the replacements for Jones and Lewis if possible.

We could do worse. I think he is a better option than Tim Smith if either McDonald or Weideman is out of action.

Our best 22 is strong enough to make us a premiership contender if everyone is fit and firing. We desperately need the charmed run with injuries that Richmond have had over the past two years, although it is clear that their better players are far more durable than our equivalents. Our depth in the midfield and in the key forward posts is basically non-existent. The thought of having to call on the likes of Maynard, Kennedy-Harris, Wagner or Tim Smith in a big game terrifies me. Hopefully we can find a few players in the draft who can step in and play a role next year, as Spargo and Fritsch did this year. Drafting a couple of longer term project players is fine, but no more than that.

The first few google links refer to hip dysplasia and stress fractures in his foot. Sounds promising.

Pick 6 for a (soon to be) 27 year old who has never played 20 games in a season. Heaven help us. How on earth does May have greater value than Lobb?

You are the biggest suck job, sycophant on this board. You're not Glen Bartlett are you, backing in his employees? Please enlighten me as to why we included pick 65 in the deal, and how pick 6 has any value to us if it is going straight to GC. We would have been better having 11 and 19, and sending 11 to GC.

Hogan is gone. We will get May and Kolodjashnij in return and that is it. Mahoney has the backbone of a sea gooseberry when it comes to trade week. If they are sensible they will try to get something for Frost to at get us another pick in the 30-40 range.

A bunch of middle aged white blokes trying to pretend that what they are doing is more important than curing cancer and ending world wars, whilst displaying their non-existent personalities.

My first and only contribution to this ridiculous thread: I want Hogan to stay, not interested in May. If Freo are truly out, then I'm ecstatic. Hopefully no bridges between player and club have been burnt in this debacle.

The conduct of Beams and (Tim) Kelly has been disgraceful. In other cases (eg Shiel & Hogan) it is a combination of the players seemingly wanting out, and the clubs wanting to maximise compensation before players become eligible for free agency. I agree that the players will only have themselves to blame if the rules are tightened, but I can't see this happening. The AFL love anything that puts the game on the front page of the papers over the off season.

Beams seems like exactly the sort of person that good sides are trying to avoid like the plague. Good player obviously, but comes with a huge amount of baggage.

Gold Coast will have to replace half of their list by the end of trade week, so are looking for a heap of picks in the middle of the draft. As said above, Brisbane need points for academy kids, but there is also a thought that they need another decent pick for Lachie Neale.

Seriously good young player. I much prefer to see him playing half forward / wing rather than in defence, but there is no harm in developing his defensive game as well. I still think there are issues with he and Hannan in the same forward line, and he is a long way ahead of Hannan at present.

The issue is that we didn't make enough list changes at the end of 2016 and 2017, which has culminated in a mass cull this year. To not take any rookies last year was inexcusable, as was having just two draft picks in 2016. I said at the start of this year that we would probably have ten list changes, and at this stage there could be another eight next year (Lewis, Kennedy-Harris, Maynard, T.Smith, Keilty, and Garlett plus any trades).