corowa

Freeman would be a 'good get' with pick 9, but there are a number of 'good gets' in what seems to be a very even first 10 or 12 picks.

Zac might well be worth recruiting. Do you remember the Cockatoo-Collins brothers? Didn't work out for us. Another selection nightmare!

I was surprised to see that Emma Quayle says we will take Lennon. She might well be right, I respect her articles and her detailed knowledge of the draftees. However, I would think that another tough, solid on-baller would be more the preferred target. Our forward line looks good, with the exception of a skilled 'small', and Lennon is not small. Freeman, Crouch, etc could still be available at pick 9 and would be a great get. They could also go at 2 or 3, of course.

Not only will pick 9 get us a good, tough on-baller, but I hope that we are still in the race for Cross. He'd be the 'icing on the cake' following what has happened this week.

Unless Sylvia improves his attitude and consistency I doubt that he will be an automatic member of Freo's best 22 each week.

The level of professionalism around the club has risen significantly since the 'coming' of Peter Jackson. The influence of 'master coach', Paul Roos, is clearly evident. I don't think I've seen MFC in better hands since the period of the great Jim Cardwell, and there's not many of us who'd remember Jim.

In a supposedly relatively even field of 'top 10 to 15' draftees, we are going to have the opportunity of selecting a kid with great potential with our pick 9. Freedman, Couch and Sheed should all be available for our choice at that pick. They have all been touted by posters as likely candidates for our original pick 2. If this is the case then our trade for Tyson and Pick 9 has been a most positive one.

I'm not sure who or what we were going to trade for Vince. If it was pick 20, then that's gone. There is also speculation that compensation for Sylvia might be pick 38 and not 22. Would 38 be enough to get Vince? Would we also need to trade a player? With his experience he would be good value for a couple of years and a great role model for the kids. So would Cross.

Spot on, 316! Tyson is a good player. There is no guarantee that the player we would select at number 2 would be as good or better than he is. History shows that our success rate with early draft choices leaves a lot to be desired. With pick 9 we're going to get one of the mid-fielders we would have looked at if we'd still had pick 2. It seems to be a pretty even field. Freeman, Salem, Couch, Hartung, Acres, Sheed, Dumont and Dunston are all midfielders who have been nominated in the 'top 20' draftees. Some of them have been spoken of as 'better prospects' or 'more suitable types' for our needs, than the likes of Aish and Billings who will go early in the draft. That many of them are Victorians is another bonus, as the 'go home' factor seems to be increasing in intensity.

Can you ever have too many players capable of playing mid-field? For years we have struggled in this area. It would be great if our mid-fielders had to compete for places in the 22 and not be grafted games because we have no one better.

A good on-ball player and a pick in the top 10 in exchange for our pick 2 would not be a bad choice for us. Reading the plethora of posts regarding numerous on-ball prospects and their 'rankings', it would seem that there is no agreement on who we should/would choose with pick 2. Opinions are varied and cover a range of youngsters. Who is to say that Aish, said by many to be the best of them, would give better value to us than a good player from another club and pick 9 or 10? Whatever their decision, I have full confidence in Paul Roos et al to do a good deal for us.

I hope it doesn't come to this. Trading your best players because you fear they might not re-sign and go elsewhere is worse than desperation. After Frawley would be Garland, then Jones. I suppose we'd also get rid of Hogan because he comes from WA. God help us, if MFC reaches these panic stations.

I doubt that the WAFL would be as strong as the VFL. So playing 'great' football there, but failing to get a game with Freo, is much like Magner and other regular VFL standard players on our list. I'd take it with a grain of sand. I can't get excited about Michie. Hope I'm wrong!

Before Sylvia advised he was leaving, there were numerous posters here who expressed mixed feelings regarding what decision he would make. He'll not be missed as Frawley, Garland or Jones would be missed. I would not expect we'd receive much in the way of compensation for him. In fact I wonder if he would be in the best 22 players at Freo.

Sydney get Buddy, Carlton get Thomas, we get all excited about possibly getting Viv Michie. He might come to us and he might even be a good player for us. The point that I find perplexing is that he has played 1 senior match in 3 years which, in MHO is not a lot to get excited about. Or am I missing something? I guess he's reported as saying that he wants to play for us (or Paul Roos), so that makes him rather unique.

Cameron Bruce played a lot of very good games for us, which I appreciate. Today's football is endemic of players playing at more than one club. Sometimes it is their choice - often it is the choice of their old club. Loyalty for the jumper is becoming more old fashioned and less common with the passing of each year.

Good Heavens, Monoccular, I've never claimed to know anything that's going on, let alone everything. I'm merely commenting on how past drafts have panned out, where very little happens for most of the time, then the 'big' wheeling and dealing occurs right at the end. Clubs keeping their 'powder dry'. But I think a few would agree with me that the first week or so of the trade period is generally as 'boring as bat poo'.

I trust that if Vince comes to us that 'gun player' doesn't mean that he's shot.

I didn't intend the humorous banter that has occurred as a result of my post. Funny how things develop. I was suggesting that Vince's girlfriend living in Melbourne was not all that significant given that she would not be playing for us. I understand, none the less, that it could help entice Vince to come to Melbourne (city) and hopefully play for MFC.

Don't bet on it, 94. Recent history would suggest that if administrators are not stupid when they come to Melbourne, then something at MFC soon changes that. As laughable as that rumour is, we have done crazier things than that in the past. God, I hope I'm just being a cynical old .art.

This trade period is about as exciting as watching paint dry. They could all take a week or two of annual leave and come back at 1pm on the last day of the trade period and still achieve as much. It reminds me of e-bay auctions - the real action only occurs at the '11th hour'. The earlier time is only jousting and posturing.

I'm certainly not Einstein, but I'm not totally stupid, either. Having said that I can't for the life of me see why people are getting excited about young Michie. Shuey, Rockliff, Shiel, on the other hand, would generate real excitement. Our list is clogged with young players with 'potential' who, for one reason or another, have not gone anywhere near realising that potential. If we can get Michie without paying 'overs', then go for it. He might be worth the risk - bad history of injuries plus only 1 previous AFL game. Dominant form in the WAFL is good, but it is not AFL by a long stretch. I would imagine that players of the Michie ilk could not be expected to lift us dramatically from near the bottom of the ladder into a consistently competitive side. In the meantime I'll wait until we land a 'bigger fish before I get too excited.

What position does she play? I hope she's an on-baller.

Carlton screamed when Sydney got Franklin, yet have benefited from Richard Pratt paying out money to Shylock Judd over the past years. Hypocrisy! How they can be currently linked to so many players from other clubs is beyond belief. Perhaps the benevolence of Pratt has spread much wider than the AFL claims. It wouldn't surprise. Nowadays links with clubs likely to play in the finals is still a drawcard, but is marginalised by the mega dollars handed out. Even Carlton would have a limit.