Earl Hood

I hope the compensation formula has nothing to do with the player's club performance or we are building in AFL sanctioned inequality. Perish the thought that Vlad would be into that, unless it suits him at the time, depending what mood he is in when he is questioned, if you know what I mean. I have since done some research and find the formula for compensation is vague but does look at the FAgents new contract. So the Age's Gleeson is well off the mark. On the basis of a supposedly $12M, six year contract for Buddy, the Hawks would pull a number 1 pick. Won't happen I know but if it was number 2, our pick, I will lead the charge on AFL headquarters myself. It is an interesting formula. The top sides will by definition have the better players, who will only walk for over the top contracts. But this is then rewarded by the AFL. Where were we on equalisation policies?

It was a question based on Micheal Gleesons article in today's Age. He is saying the Hawks would get pick 18 for Buddy while the Pies would get pick 11 for Daisy. Both were early first round picks, the compensation for both is a pick one spot after each club's existing draft pick. I know another variable is the players contract amount in relation to the rest of the team. I don't think raw talent is in the FA compensation equation but it is the AFL I could be wrong there.

Gee BBB stop beating about the bush tell us what you really think of the Bombers! If we lose Col to the Bombers and we don't bring any Free Agents into our list do we then get Pick 3 as compensation?

I thought he looked like a player in a couple of games this year but he is one of about 10 other MFC players that we cannot keep on the park to give them game time, to build their confidence and to really get a good idea of whether they have what it takes. Evans, Taggert, Fitzy, Bail, Jetta, Gawn, Clisby, Blease as well as Clark and Dawes.

I feel your pain having missed those two flag just. All I think is if we have finally got rid of the overpaid clowns running the place and we have professional people in charge we will go forward,drafting will still have its problems, there will be wins and losses but if the decision making is right, if there is a coherent strategy to get ahead, we will. For so long we have been lead by part time, narrow thinking near do wells on the Board.

You are being too cryptic for me. What is the meaning of your hieroglyphics?

To be optimistic the Hawks list is awesome but the Dockers went very close to knocking them over despite attrocious kicking and first time jitters. That may not be an excuse but it shows the value of a simple, defensive, disciplined game plan that players can buy into and execute. Secondly you need at least 2or 3 A grade inside mids backed up by 2 or 3 outsiders to put pressure on the opposition. This is where we don't measure up. However I would say we match the Dockers in key forwards and backline so that leaves us looking for 2 to 3 elite mids to bridge the difference, in theory. How hard can that be? Well the problem is we have been searching for a dominant midfield for as long as I can remember. Is 20 years close to the mark?

And sounds like really big rubbish!

RTG don't stir me up! According to Vlad we have an ample seam of young kids on our list, a big kid who has not played an AFL game, a father son and Jimmy T. Gee that look out Hawks! We need help, a second round priority was a minimum I thought. But no it's GWS that gets it all. They have already passed us for heaven sacks but still they get more. Scully on a squill ion and now it looks like Buddy on two squillion. Is there anything more we can do for them?

The KAOS assassin, master of disguise with a fondness for bourbon? Didn't realise he ever played AFL!

Let us look at the facts, hawks finished on top with 3 losses, they are playing at their home ground, they were runner up last year. It all points to a Dorks win if you work off the odds! But then both sides are physically equal for the challenge. But for me if you have been there you might just get a jump start to set you up for a win.

Given how bad our mid field is I am not sure why we haven't used Dunne more in the mid field in the past 2 seasons. He has had some success in the past as a run with tagger but we haven't persisted. He did tag Judd this year with some success but then failed to hold Ablett, not surprisingly. He has some attributes as a forward and as a half back but why didn't we keep him as a bigger bodied tagger? Just because we had Jordie? At the moment I think he would be a keeper because Roos just might work out a very simple role for him to play that suits his mature body, size and experience, here is hoping.

Yes this the key question, who is funding the Academy, this little advantage for the Swans? If it is funded by the AFL well Colless is a hypocrite who no doubt had his say about Draft assistance for MFC and has his opinions about equalisation as long as he keeps his bloated salary cap. I mean you can imagine the cost of living problems Kurt Tipping is having to deal with as I write this guff.

I would love it to happen but would there be the commitment from Liam? And is his body up to it? He spent a lot of time injured in 2012 that led to the problems. Modern footy is unforgiving and tends to push out the freakish types like Liam and could I add one Alan Jackovich. I dream but if only the Gods were on our side I would have witnessed Liam and Wonna in 100 games, the Ox reinventing the centre half forward role and Jackovich kick a 1000 goals over 12 seasons. But then I wake up.

And call me biased but as a long time half back, back pocket type later in my second rate suburban football career, after being an old style centre man, when you are getting pumped week after week, there is no worse place to be than in the back line. It is just relentless pressure and every failure is pillioried by the crowd. But gee I am talking about an era when it was largely pick it up and kick it stuff, running in numbers, hand balling had just started. I would hate to be a half back these days in a poor side. You can't win, you are a sitting duck as the midfielders stream down the ground and all the forwards just take off in all directions. No place for the faint hearted. I have a lot of time for Col and Chip for what they have had to endure these past 5 years.

OK just give me a fit list and a team that plays as a team should. Can I ask that much?

In my more optimistic, delusional moments I dream of a coach thinking outside the box and having a full and fit list that has grown and improved. We suddenly have a 195 cm mobile Watts playing midfield and rotating forward with a fit, mobile, angry 200 cm mobile forward in Mitch Clarke playing as a big bodied mid to help out our insiders that may include a mature FA plus Cross. If the mid field is competitive then our back line has a chance and our forward line of Dawes, Clarke, Howe, hogan, etc, suddenly has 60 plus inside 50s to work with. The missing pieces are a rebounding half back one option is Grimes; a smart,tough back pocket, Jetta? (Oh for another M Whelan). A crumbling forward, Dom Barry? A young Aaron Davey would fill the post of defensive forward and offensive forward but they are a rare bread. The other missing parts are a team that actually plays as a team, that makes a big difference to everybody's playing ability.

Let us hope he gets through the AOD cream issue and that there aren't more players involved. But can we get to the bottom of his lack of speed and acceleration? We have never heard anything from the club apart from his foot problem which should not impact your acceleration. How do you loose speed at his age? If he gets that back we have a player.

I wish to apologise for my ridiculous prediction yesterday. It turns out we only had the lowest number of club votes since 1931! It sums up exactly where our list is at in my opinion but Vlad is pinning a lot of hope on a big kid who hasn't played a senior game yet, a father son and Jimmy T to drag us out of the deepest morass any side has been in since 1931 for God sake.

16 votes total in the Brownlow. Is that a record? Less than GWS who have draft assistance, bloated salary caps and exclusive zones, extra player numbers still in operation but that is OK. They apparently need all the help they can get whereas for us it is zip! We have a huge vain of young talent just waiting to be unleashed on the comp next year according to AD's submission today. By AD's logic all extra assistance to GWS and the Suns should cease now. Both teams have passed us and they do have immense pools of talent ready to show their stuff! But curiously the other 16 teams who are not GWS or the Suns are not livid or violently opposed to yet further assistance. Only according to the Hun if assistance involves us!

Is 16 votes a record low? I watched the vision. Did MFC even have a table at the event? Or were we on a table outside in an annex?

Add their Academy and some exclusive NSW zones but gee that's nothing compared to the idea of draft assistance to us. You can't reward failure.

Record low number of votes for a club since 1924, that's my prediction. Lucky the Commission did not get to look at that stat.

Is there any way I can blame Brock McLean for this decision? I am just wanting to up date my hate file that's all.

Just as well the decision was finalised today prior to the Brownlow count when MFC will no doubt set a record for the lowest number of club votes ever recorded since 1924. That wouldn't be a good stat for AD to put up for PP discussion. the Commission whoever they are, spineless, drones everyone of them are a waste of space. However I am stoked that we have all this talent lined up it is just a matter of getting games into the kids and it will just happen. Oh hold on haven't we been here before circa 2009/10 when many people thought it would just happen. It doesn't necessarily as we know. Haven't we been pilloried for our inability to develop kids and haven't we burnt so many first round picks that we don't deserve help. We can't reward failure of course. But then what do you reward with draft assistance? According to AD Hogan, Toumpas and co are going to be superstars I can't wait. Lets not make decisions based on empirical data that we have but rather let us look into the crystal ball of what might happen. Lets hope AD is right.