TGR

Agree wholeheartedly. But I would say most have overrated the Swans ND output in their golden era.

The consensus is that the Paul Roos midas-touch filters to all areas of recruiting. When we associate the name Paul Roos with identifying/recruiting talent, we feel cozy inside. But this doesn't stack up with all forms. Reviewing the history of all player inputs to the club in his time with Sydney reveals a skewed pattern. So lets look at Sydney under Roos. Against the consensus, his National Draft association isn't great. You could argue that his latter days with Sydney were better with Rohan/Jetta/Reid in 09, and DanHan at pick 30 in 08. Jesse White is unfulfilled talent at pick 79. But there are are many duds in the National Drafting of the Paul Roos Sydney era. I have always maintained that a coach should be entirely responsible for chasing an established AFL player (eg. Neeld - Pederson). Equally, I have always put the responsibility of recruiting players that have never played a senior AFL game (eg. Salem) in the basket of the recruiter. So my chronic respect of Paul Roos doesn't diminish one iota; it just provides a reality check that all isn't gold after he touches it. Credit where it is due, Paul Roos was quoted during the Jolly get, that "the draft is a lottery above pick 15". His rookie gets have been pretty good with Pyke, Jack, Nick Smith, Terlich, Simpkin, Sam Rowe etc. His trade targeting of established AFL players (Kennedy, Richards, Shaw, Jolly, Ball, etc..) is second-to-none, so Dom Tyson should be a bonefide pretty soon. One counter-argument could be that he has spent more time in junior development in the past 2-3 years, in contrast with his days before/during the Roos-Sydney era. Source - Footywire

Fan, you never thought I had it in the first place.

As this thread proves, many are quick to suggest it was a mistake, without actually saying who should have got the gig. And remember this, Jones' form was better post-decision rather than pre-decision. Dawes is a paradox. He is the smart hard-working solid character the MFC will benefit from, but unfortunately can't clunk it. I think with the Dawes pick, Collingwood got a gem in Grundy. Its not what we gave up that will kill us; it is who they got with what we gave up.

Paul Roos is the teflon man. Nothing sticks to the guy. He can even rise above the pack to praise Neeld for some of the elite aspirations he had. The positivity that flows from the man has permeated the maze of the office at the club. Players are even getting to training earlier than necessary. The dinner at Roos' place recently with assistants was the culmination of togetherness and love and positivity. In the past I'd puke, but Roos gives it substance. Neeld cops a lot, and he copped more from me than anybody...and that is for most of his tenure. What irks me though is standing next to supporters who lazily criticise his decision to go with Trengove and Grimes as captain. You can be a monkey and state that "Grimes and Trenners" were too young and should not have been given the gig. Fact is, they were the best 2 of a very average lot. I'd say the only choices. Nathan Jones gets tossed up, because prospectively, he was the best player in one of the worst outfits in memory. That is great, but nowhere near excellence. Jones is an introvert and should never be captain material in my book. He is favorite for the job in 2014 I would guess, but I reckon Roos is a better judge than that. That left the wild boys Moloney and Sylvia. Gee wiz, enough said. Mitch Clark had just arrived from Brisbane, and your Barry Davis - Chris Judd decisions are 2 in 50 years; and they were captains of their clubs pre-trade. Clark was not. My 5c for 2014 is that Jack Viney will be in the leadership group. Too young many say. Well, no player had his intensity and repeat efforts per his tank at Melbourne in 2013. Dawes might be our Nick Maxwell too. Captain because of his brain rather than his footy ability.

Clayton Collard (which ever league he is playing in...) so H can finally stick it to Sleeve. MFC wise, Tappy for me. I want Tarzan to play like Tarzan, not Cheetah.

Officially, the unofficial aim or expectation is 4-8 wins in 2014.

In one corner, you have the Malthouse assistants who were basically his sycophants, who were doomed to failure. These guys got great references from the great man. I heard the Neeldy wanted 350k at Carlton in 2014 and the board laughed. Also, heard that many in the club asked "what have we done (appointing him)" a few days in to his tenure. Also heard that several staff approached Connolly before round 6 in Neeld's first year seeking his removal. Connolly's reply was "finances will keep him here". Whether the word "unfortunately" was used at the end of his reply, I cannot rule in or out. As I have said long ago, the "Brett Lovett No Lollies No Coaches Box entry" story will be legendary for years to come" as will the "Mitch Clark wearing the wrong color shoe laces to training so go home" story. In the other corner, you have Alan Richardson. Have a look at what Malthouse has said about his one time assistant publicly. Something tells me that someone who had the guts to stand up to Malthouse (Richardson, Buckley) is the type of guy a club wants in its corner.

No, today was the easiest of sessions. They might have done a bit after I left; but at Gosch's in the first hour, it was a trundle.

Didn't Collingwood pick Brodie Grundy with the Dawes pick? That looks like being a bloody good get for them. Having said that, this club probably needed the Dawes leadership/mindset; but Buckley is already convinced with Grundy.

What start time?

When is next training session in town? Assuming tomorrow?

If we didn't land Vince/Tyson etc., I would have been for Shane Tuck. Neeld might have considered Michael, the way he was recruiting old rejects.

Gee, there must have been an imaginary white line in every final the guy played. He even made Steven King look like a champion. Players should be judged when it counted most. That's the way I've always judged them.....except Isaac Weetra's first game against the hawks.

Gee wiz, we want the club to change its culture; but what about us supporters? Didn't we blame the rules for the rapid demise of Jeff White? Now, it is groundhog day for Jamar. Both lucky to win an AA, ala Kellaway and Gaspar. Both flawed rucks. Both should have been traded with value. We have Roos, so the woulda, coulda, shoulda game will end, and these boards will have less to debate; and more to experience.

Is there a training log/diary for us that have work etc. Unlike most of you generation z's doing a degree online with less than 5 contact hours per week, it is a bit hard for us to leave the office and watch. Also, unlike you baby-boomers that witnessed 1964, who are sipping on pina-colada's reading the stockmarket and complaining about low-interest rates, the productive meat-in-the-sandwich needs a bit more notice. Can we have some indication earlier? pTGR X-Gen (Funding the pension for the crafty baby-boomers; paying for the education of our future leaders)

St.Kilda supporters are trying to swallow the McEvoy trade with the sauce-stat saying that he was 15th for tap-outs (or TOtoadv??) this year. Stats can tell us what we want; but my eyes tell me that the kid is about to enter his prime, with a huge tank, and a good clunk ability. He will be top-3 ruckman with Nic Nat in 14/15 I'd dare expect. If you want a stat for Jamar, get me the ice-rink stat of laying prostrate (is that how to say and spell it Ben-Hur?) after a centre-bounce. Brynne Edelsten is of more value in the centre-square after a ruck-contest.

I picked Trenners last time I'm going Dawes this time. Jones aint captain material period. Garland & Grimes in the mix. Jack Viney to make leadership group surely.

That is an insult to Gawn. FCS, Jamar's output has been VFL standard at best. Roosy for god-sake, don't worry about game plans with Jamar; I just want him to tap the ball and not end up lying on the ground leaving us with a 3 on 4. Our rucks will sneak forward more under Roos. If Jamar is our no.1 ruck come mid-winter, I'd be very surprised. As for Clark, over the past 2 years, per game played, he has been the best forward in the comp in relation to quality of delivery. But, I have felt that we were at our best when he pinch-hit in the ruck. He has a presence that Jamar does not have. He gives us a 4 on 4 after the tap. The other thing Roos will be dead against is "bomb entries" forward; and instead honour the hit-up. Clark isn't that much of a hit-up, if you get my drift.

I reckon Howe in the back half, will suddenly make opposition bomb-entries putty in our hands.

Scott Watters - Fail Mark Neeld - Gross Fail Brad Scott - underperformed thus far Guy McKenna (he is the best of the lot IMO) - Blight is waiting to weeld the axe The evidence is growing. The assistants of Mick Malthouse turn out to be dud-like. Where Garry Lyon salivated when Mick suggested that Neeld was 'right to go', I had my doubts. Mick Malthouse is a megalomaniac; a control-freak; who micro-manages his deputies to the hilt. Neeld, when appointed at Melbourne, was quoted as saying that "Mick's advice was to be on top of everything; even when your assistant has an interview with the broadcaster at 3/4 time". Any monkey can dance to Mick's tune; but what does it set them up for? Neeld, according to Eade, was Mick's yes-man. Neeld did exactly what Mick wanted him to. That is why the hand-over to Buckley was never going to work either. Buckley appeared to have some steel about him in an environment of oxidisation. Roos is the opposite of Mick, which is why the handover worked. He lets his underlings think creatively and back themselves.

Slow

We once had a few of these at Melbourne. Our midfield now has capablility (getting the bloody thing) but not speed. Vince, Trenners, Cross, Tyson???, Jones-boys aren't quick. Cross is a St.B's boy; and I think he went through with Swan. Obviously Cross is older than Swan. Thing with Cross is he hates kicking because he aint good at it. He dishes off like a ruckman. Why can't Blease be that handball-receive that we will need big time in 2014. Crazy if he goes, but I can't argue with PR.....so whatever the decision, the right one will be made I guess. Going back to Sydney under Roos, he never had speed on the outside. Sydney found speed when Jetta was drafted. Maybe we don't need speed at all, but with a slow capable midfield, I think we do. Don't forget, Jamar in the ruck would make the West Coast midfield of the mid-2000's look like treacle; if the often correct Matthews' theory that the pace of a ruckman has a huge impact on the relative speed of your midfield.

Buddy has gone from no.4 to greater-than-50 in Sheahan's top 50. That is apparently the greatest fastest drop for a non-injured player. That is big money for a guy on the decline, that hasn't clunked a one-grabber overhead for a while. I'm not feral at Sydney, they have spent a decade stockpiling rejects (Mumford, Richards, JKennedy) and low-paid in-house talent (Nick Smith, Bird etc..). They are allowed to open their wallet like we did the Clark & Dawes.

Let me preface this with the fact that I had a vested interest in Freo.... ...but the umpring here was the worst that I can remember on GF day. The Buddy "50 m" and the Roughhead free goal, just kill you in a low scoring granny. Also, the AFL were petrified about showcasing a stoppage-fest. So they put pressure on the umpires pre-game to get it flowing and pay frees etc. They rushed the Freo-boys especially when they took a mark....it was ridiculous.