CBDees

If we are playing an intraclub game, do we combine this with Casey Scorpions, since we don't have 44 players on the track to form two teams? How does it work?

All this focus on Barry because he weighed 70kg (at time of drafting). We also recruited Nathan Stark at 70kg and nobody has started a thread critical of that choice, depite the fact that he is older and taller by 4cm or 2 inches (i.e. more lightly framed). I am sure that Barry will end up a Superstar ahead of Stark.

Nothing wrong with either Anthony or Hughes competing with Jesse Hogan on the forward line, nor with Fitzy, Sellar etc also in the mix. If he is good as we suspect then he will hold his place, especially against a player who has been discarded from another Club.

If Jetta can become another Matty Whelan then we have a full-house!

If Frawley is not happy, why accept a re-appointment to the Leadership team or head of with your teammates to the cricket?

The reason that we managed to trade involving both Hogan and Barry is because we had two compensation first round picks for Scully, the latter one being used in the complext deal which brought us Dawes. The manouvering involving Viney and Toupas I am sure was also integral to the final outcome.

We didn't use the Scully compensation on Toumpas, we used it on Hogan, Barry and Dawes. Toupas being available was an absolute bonus (as a result of our poor performance last year).

Only just returned a few days ago and listened to the Neil Craig interview for the first time. BB59's assessment of the interview is spot on and our gain is Adelaide's loss! (Also with Neeld and Misson respectively, it is Collingwood and St Kilda's loss!). I am really looking forward to 2013 with these guys on board and the playing list.

Personally i would rather see Fitzy than Garland standing in for Clark as he can also help out in the ruck (at 200cm). I don't like the idea of players who have been training with the backline group moved forward to cover for Clark (as we did with Garland and Rivers last year). We have much more depth at both ends this year and (touch wood) less injuries. If anybody is to move, I would rather see a considered long-term strategy as we did (successfully) last year in moving Watts from the forward structure to the backline.

It is a wonderful thing statistics and comparisons. In 2009 (the year we are alleged to have tanked) we won four games and we were ahead in five at the final siren, whereas, last year we only won one game when playing against the same teams (as GWS and the Suns were not there in 2009). This is the stat that we should be quoting in our 'tanking' inquiry and our yardstick when assessing this year's performance against last year's. Frankly I cannot see us having a worse year than last which statistically is possibly our worst ever!

Does anybody know a link to Casey's player list and/or player profiles? With so many MFC players available (including Hogan) then the coaching job at Casey is looming to be the Melbourne Reserves!

My view, relating to the NAB Cup when Trengrove and Clark will not be available, is to play all the new players and all those who we need to put under the microscope rather then our best available. It is more important to see how these guys play with their teammates and how much they get the Neeld plan. If we lose in the process of setting ourselves up for Round 1 of the 2013 season then we are surely following a similar strategy to that employed in the latter half of 2009 when we tried to set oursleves up for the 2010 season after we knew that we mathematically could not make the finals. It is the AFL who created 'tanking' through their introduction of priority draft picks!

I got a bit lost with the figures at first but I subscribe to the logic and agree that it is doeable with our re-vamped list!

Great Job!

I don't mind this team however I suspect that Dunn will feature ahead of Taggert.

I cannot beleive that every single person has put Collingwood high up in the top eight. Back in my day, no self-respecting Demon supporter would dream of admitting to predicting that!

Freo Sydney Geelong West Coast Adelaide Hawthorn North Melbourne Melbourne Carlton Collingwood Richmond Brisbane Essendon St Kilda Bulldogs Port Adelaide Gold Coast GWS Collingwood, Essendon and Carlton to finish out of the top 8, Hawthorn to slide (Main rationale is because I hate them all!) Melbourne to make the eight (because I predict this every year), Freo to improve.

Why can't we get the AFL to play the second verse of our song after we win matches? Other teams are not so restricted!

Dunn is also our MFC player representativer in the AFL players association so the others must think highly enough of him to have him as their representative.

With Toumpas and Viney, we have focussed on getting some good inside midfielders in the draft. I am perplexed as to why everybody is discounting Grimes as part of our backline set-up and insisting that he be inserted into the midfield. in my view, if it ain't broke, don't fix it!

Actually it gets worse competing for a spot if you happen to be a listed Casey player as Neeld I am sure would be anxious to see the listed Melbourne players given preference. Even allowing for six Melbourne players fronting up for Casey, Strauss, Davis and Clisby would also be keen for a game, though I suppose some could be included as interchange. The other player not listed in the fifteen is our co-captain Grimes or are his days running off the half-back flank now over? Melbourne Demons Casey Scorpions Garland, Frawley, Nicholson Terlich, Sellar, Gillies, Dunn, McDonald, Watts Tynan, MacDonald, Jetta,

With all this competition for the starting 22 and so many players looking to be fit and available for round 1, does anybody know the link to the Casey Scorpions playing list as not many of them might get a game with all the MFC guys seemingly available?

The Hun article talks of a 1000 page dossier (c.f. 800). This will be a big case indeeed particularly if it expands to include all the other Clubs which have manipulated their final ladder position since 1999.

you ommitted to mention Collingwood and Freo in 1999 when it all started!

I too saw the Channel 7 News and I am flabbergasted if the AFL legal advisers are basing accusations on the featured items. This is becoming a joke that we can have a 44 page post (and growing) on the flimsiest of charges. All I can say that Carlton must be operating their shredder over the Xmas break as there is a lot more that they should be worried about!