Based on today's news you can hang on to that hope for a little while longer.

I agree with the "bullets dodged" sentiment. The basic justification for sacking Ratts was that the list was already quite good. Three oldies out, three young kids in plus a large return of the injury list. I'd be happy with that.

'Quite' being the operative word. It will depend on what transpires. If most of those three kids turn into depth players only, I don't think that will cut it. That is what having a draft presence does, it give you options in case a few don't make it. What we are doing is simply accumulating depth players and a good sample of them are not even really up to that.

People say, for instance, that we don't 'need' any more developing talls but what happens now if our players are not 'developing'? Apparently, we are damned if we do and damned if we don't.

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Just because I'm offended, doesn't mean I'm wrong.

Spoiler

The deals have to make sense. How do you know we can get a top 25 pick for Warnock or a 30s pick for Garlett or a reasonable player trade for either? You might consider Gibbs but there isn't much else we have to offer.

Carlton FC ‏@Carlton_FC
22-year-old midfielder Rhys O’Keeffe has agreed to terms as a rookie for 2013. More info: http://goo.gl/nN9ru

New recruit is my boy RoK!

Article mentions that he was the final re-signing of required players. Does this mean that players such as Watson, Mitchell, McInnes, McCarthy, Duigan have been re-signed and if so why doesnt the club announce them. Same thing happened last year.

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A Blues Supporter - not a Blues Bagger.

Any word on Carter?

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Essendon-Only team to have ever been found guilty of salary cap breaches in a premiership year!

The club must really rate O'Keeffe. 2013 will be his fifth year on the list without having played many games at all, yet we keep re-signing him.

This time or year you say more and more and I understand it less and less.

Regards Cazzesman

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Ricky Gervais - “Everyone has the right to hold whatever beliefs they want. And everyone else has the right to find those beliefs f***ing ridiculous.”

I know MM has said he is happy with our list and in a lot of ways I am as well. However, unless something happens in the next week I believe we have missed a golden opportunity. With FA now and a longer trade period some clubs have taken advantage and got in much needed players and/or draft picks.

No matter how good you are you can improve and good clubs will always looking to improve. Look at Sydney. Look at Geelong who have always gone with the "develop from within" ethos but as soon as the guidelines change they bring in Caddy, Rivers, McIntosh etc. Very smart.

We have Pick 11 which will be a very good player. We tried to get Lynch cheap.


I just wonder if we could of done more?

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#NewBlues beginning 25th August 2015

When did the Cats get Rivers and McIntosh?

They haven't yet

I think the age profile of their list and the number of retirements over the last 2 years has a lot more to do with this than the introduction of Free Agency (of which they've only got 3 days left to sign players).

So do I, but I think that once the Cloke deal fell over, there just wasn't that much else for us.
We were well into Caddy but then also decided that we're better served going to the draft.

All of a sudden Warnock now looks really handy and unlikely to be dealt with, so that may well be it for us.

We've covered the ground of a couple players being contracted, that probably should not have been but other than that.......?

Yep. Let's just say for example we trade:

Warnock for First round pick
Jamison for First round pick
Garlett for Second round pick
Duigan to PA for Jacobs
Trade second round pick for Jesse White

Delist Curnow, Kerr, Russell, Thornton, Bower & Joseph.

The players we trade are easily covered by our list and gone at the height of their value. We then have 3 picks in the first round and add a good young on baller in Jacobs and a forward/ruck back up in White.

We still have Casboult, Watson, Buckley, Dale, Lucas, Bootsma, Gibbs, White, Yarran, McCarthy, Mitchell, McInnes, OKeefe which I expect most to step up in 2013 plus some more exciting young "A" grade talent (eg. Stringer, Membrey & Colquhoun).

Our core best 22-25 is still there.

Is that list improvement?

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#NewBlues beginning 25th August 2015

No wonder you got fired from Brisbane.

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The only way for some people to understand is for them to be on the receiving end

Left wing moralists
In self serving denial
They shit me no end

Look at Collingwood.

Have brought in Lynch, Young, Pick 17 & 19.

All they have lost is Wellingham & Dawes who are easily replaced and sold at the height of their value.

More opportunity will be given to Paine, Seedsman, Elliot, Witt, Mooney, William & Yagamoor.

Their core best 22-25 is still there, they have improved their list, bought in some more A grade talent (vital) and have not hurt their opportunity at a premiership in 2013. If anything they have improved their "window".

The Swans have turned over more than 30 players in the last 3 years. Has only improved them and not affected their Premiership opportunities.

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#NewBlues beginning 25th August 2015

No. No it is not.

Explain why?

Warnock can easily be replaced in side by Kruezer, Hampson, Casboult or White

Jamison can easily be replaced in line up by Henderson, White, or Watson.

Garlett can easily be replaced by Yarran, Ellard, Collins, Dale, Robinson, Armfield, Lucas and the mids rotating through forward line.

Plus we add 3 young guns and give more opportunity and game time to the kids already on our list.

How is that not improvement?

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#NewBlues beginning 25th August 2015