CBDees

i AM GETTING CONFUSED BETWEEN W [DOUBLE U] AND VV [DOUBLE V]?

Gary Lyons was a classic example of this! I hope that we don't have to endure another season of Lyons selecting against Melbourne every week in his footy tipping (serving to drive our player's morale lower than it deserved)!

The Punt Road Oval seems a good spot. Perhaps Richmond mightn't mind if we built our own Red & Blue Social Club opposite their stand, after all we have let them play games on our Ground (the MCG) for the last few decades, even if both grounds are in the City of Melbourne? If they don't want to share, maybe they can relocate in their Richmond heartland at Kevin Barker Oval and leave the Punt Road facility to us, it would look much more attractive with a decent coat of Red & Blue paint!

As much as Collingwood want Bontempelli, they are said to want Freeman with their other pick. I don't trust them!

Are we going for Bontempelli to pay Collingwood back for taking Freeman or do we genuinely think that he is better suited to our needs compared with (say) Salem?

There have been some pretty sound looking teams appearing on this post (one of which might even coincide with Roos' own selections). Listening to his latest press conference today, i am sure that he will pick us a winning team for Round 1 and I cannot recall looking forward to a match with as much confidence.

The advantage of taking a twin is that we could always ensure that one would be available each week compared with some particular players (e.g. Clark & Dawes) who perpetually break down.

The AFL would never do away with the Melbourne brand as it is too important, particularly when the MCG is the spiritual home of football (and we started off as the MCC Football Club). If we realy are expected to embrace Darwin, i would be prepared to see us become the Melbourne Salties (salt-water crocodiles) as a team that nobody tangles with!

I agree with Beezlebub that we will surpise a few this year (including our own supporters)! Hopefully this will happen in our early games (e.g. St Kilda) so that it translates into a surge in membership.

The latest "Phantom Draft" has him going at pick 15 to Sydney. Why would we pick him up ahead of Freeman and/ot any of the other fourteen guys suggested ahead of him. The reasons advanced by Paige in each case sound pretty sound to me! http://www.scpaige.com.au/phantom-draft-october-edition/

I think anyone watching the interview with Roos cannot but help but feel supremely optimistic as regards the remainder of the draft period and the forthcoming year. Bring it on!

the latest phantom draft indeed has Hawthrorn picking him up with their pick before ours making this thread very hypothetical indeed. The idea of leaving him to pick #57 certainly would not be feasible.

T^he Paige Cardona phanton draft has us picking up Cain at 40 (with Hawthorn having swooped on Gartlett two picks earlier). The also have us picking up Fraser Fort at #57. (Nathan Freeman is a lock at #9) http://www.scpaige.com.au/phantom-draft-october-edition/

Are you suggestimg Alwyn or Aaron?

Is he eligible to be selected in the next week pre-draft (though on second thoughts he has never been on a list so is not de-listed) or can we make him an offer for the PRD [when we have second pick]?

I agree that Hannath would be unlikely to get a game at Melbourne in 2014 as part of our best 22 given the current targetted re-build. Hannath was only an example at the time. Next time it may be a gem that we miss out on merely through flawed (or no) strategy. Maybe, as you point out, free-agency has changed the dynamics this year and so far, most 'Landers would have to be happy with our draft strategy so far!

That point came out in the daily reports. I think that it would be a great exercise to repeat, particularly when their is a new coaching regime and a dozen new players to get to know each other and bond as a unit. The big thing that came out in the daily reports was how they backed each other and supported each other to get the training sessions as a team. It is an ideal way to build team spirit before the season proper!

The Hannath one got up a lot of people's noses. It was plain stupid (strategically) of the Club to not leave a single spot on the Pre-Season Draft list, when we were guaranteed one of the first picks (as we are again this year). Extremely naiive and arrogant to assume that nobody would pounce on good players listed in the PSD and to assume we could merely stroll in during the Rookie Draft and grab him.

I am not sure that we still have a fourth-round poick now that we have signed up Cross. At present we have picks 9, 40 & 57 unless we do another round of de-listings.

Back on the NT trip, my recollection froom watching the daily videos they posted during the last trip and listening to the various players' comments was that the trip was a very effective bonding exercise, moreso than staying back in Melbourne might have been. When there are together 24/7 there can be no greater bonding scenario particularly when they were all pushed to test themselves out of their comfort zones. Personally i think that its a shame if we don't repeat it this year, particularly when we are enmeshed with the NT Government and committed to playing three matches there next year (one NAB Cup and two during the Season-proper).

As a supplementary question: Can he be picked up as a rookie by agreement?

The encouraging thing is that Cross comes to us after originally being picked up by the Dogs for pick #56. Be great if we drafted a player of similar calibre this year with our pick #57!

I suspect you are in the US, otherwise you would be saying marginalised and politicised!

Rookie Alwyn Davey!

What has Dylan Shiel got to do with MFC?