Diamond_Jim

The grand final guarantee is a bit of a con given the number of times it actually pays out for the MFC. At the reported price of $220 odd that would mean an unadjusted cost of $5k per GF appearance based upon our historical performance. I assume one also has to pay the actual $150 odd for the ticket itself. At an extra $50- $100 one can think of it as a simple donation but it is now becoming serious money. Would be interested to hear what other clubs charge for their GF lottery.

as did round 22 in 2016. I did not expect finals in 2016 but the way we gave up against Carlton left a sour taste in then mouth of many supporters. To see it repeated in even worse form in 2017 was heart breaking.

The hype begins... http://www.afl.com.au/news/2017-10-29/vfl-star-attracting-interest-from-a-dozen-clubs "The same kid with the raking left boot now has a dozen AFL clubs clamouring for his services. West Coast, which has five picks in the top 40 of the NAB AFL Draft, is arguably the keenest." Mid to late second round is my guess........ mmmm Watts for Fritsch anyone? Can't see it myself given how desperate we are for outside mids.

Gotta love the Guardian critics ... a fantastic line: "The updated Snatch is not so much a diamond in the rough as a turd in the punchbowl, contaminating all who touch it." https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2017/oct/28/snatch-gangster-tale-old-pony-guy-ritchie

Interesting Macca those two English races are not on the classics list ... the English Classic (King George VI) is 2400 metres so I assume she likes it a little shorter. Surprised that she is missing the Dubai Cup at US$10M which is 2000 metres. Oh to have such choices !

Thanks for the link Maca. I see the Laurel is no longer run being overtaken by the Breeders Cup. Interesting to see what is the next race Winx is set for assuming she wins today.

So what is considered the best WFA race in the world these days for the classic mile and a half. Is it the Arc de Triomphe, the Laurel international or the Dubai race (forget the name) or the Cox Plate. Cannot really see the Cox plate ever being at the top because of the flight times to Australia and our quarantine rules. Seems that Winx is on a hiding to nothing today. The field is weak according to the pundits. Hope she wins. Cheers

29 is mid second round ... this would be a high draft pick for Fritsch. I think he is more likely to go late second round or first half of the third. To use 29 will be a hard decision as it is apparent that we need once again to start looking at topping up our mid fielders given our midfield age profile and the lack of obvious starter talent at Casey. Not sure that he will bulk up much more. Undoubted contested marking skills. If we had not drafted Lever you could argue that he may develop into an intercept player capable of playing back and forward. Watched him play about five times this year. Cannot recall much in the way of outstanding ground skills but I may well have missed that attribute in the scrum that is often VFL football. Hard choice for the recruitment team.

I can see a whole off season challenge here ... picking teams with players whose surname begins with the same letter followed by a virtual play off. Wonder how the Z's would perform and has there ever been an X'er?

I like the one year but it does confirm that the FD think he is a long shot. Good luck.

Agree ... just a hypothetical that I am putting out there... let's say the pick is 46 (or whatever we have around that number). Personally I think Fritsch will go late second round but others think he could be top half of the third which is not too far from 46

If you have to chose between Balic and Fritsch which player would people favour?

That is my concern as well. Next years first rounder could be used to trade for another player or go into the draft. Now we will have to rely upon picking up an unrestricted free agent (hard with salary cap restraints), trade a decent player (we don;t exactly have a surplus) or do nothing. Of course the pessimist in me says we will have a few first rounders next year when our full forward heads home !

Impey goes to Hawthorn for pick 33 and Freo are asking pick 27 for Balic !! Tell'em I know where to get a good deal on some jousting sticks !!

and what coin do we have to trade with next year as Lewis Jones etc etc come to the end of their playing careers. Not as though we have a wealth of players we can offer up for trades

Way overs and when combined with the high salary it is much too high for a medium level performer. (By medium I mean this is the price that one pays for an elite performer and he is not that.) Oh well let's hope he delivers .... MFC does not have a great history with high priced trades

Interesting comment by the US coach: "I would love to see one of these hotshot teams from Europe come here and play in our CONCACAF qualifying and really get a taste of this and see what that's about," Arena said. "This is very challenging, it's like survival of the fittest. They could do one of those TV shows on this. Who will survive in the end, that's basically what this is."

The return leg is in Sydney .. why I don't know More importantly there are reports that Ange will resign in November .. win or lose https://www.foxsports.com.au/football/socceroos/stunned-reaction-to-socceroos-coachs-plan-to-quit/news-story/6840e7416865f28294488a53e364a13e Just saw that Chile failed to qualify ... wow

Another high humidity game (relative humidity for November.. 77%) ... temperature just a little lower than Melaka at average high of 26 degrees. Will be a very tough first leg. Any word on where the Australian leg will be played. Got back to Melbourne just in time to watch the extra time .... painful stuff..... seems to be no flow to their game. Desperately need another class striker.

Hope this young man makes it. At the very least it will be great to have another player to keep an eye on at Casey.

Second disappointing start in a row from Daniel. Seems not to want to push Max .... Perhaps he just expects Max' car to fail as it has so many times this year. Other than the last few laps it was a bit of a yawn fest but at least there was minor excitement for a few minutes. Love F1 but it does seem to be slowly dying as a race even if the spectacle and hype are still there on occasions. Will be interesting what the new owners do.

cutting but so true fn dee. On Fritsch .. I have seen him about five times and while I have seen his marking impact I have not noticed him breaking away etc into space. Not to say he cannot (does not) do it but at VFL level the game seems to me to be a lot scrappier and less open than AFL games. I am no expert but I liken him in my mind to Gunston. A good goal kicker who knows how to position himself. His repeated pack marks are very "un Watts" like of course.

let's bump this thread in say another year.......... I have no idea and I expect neither does most of the football world. Worth a chance... I hope so... will his nickname be the Hog? Good Luck Harley !!

Well. In the end perhaps lucky to get away with a one all draw. Back to the hotel now. Syrian fans rightly proud of their team

Penalty goal to Syria. Aussies playing themselves out of it in the last 15 minutes 2 minutes to go