I think the only reason Kane's name comes up is the rumours of him being homesick and that West Coast are in to him in a big way.

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"They're [REDACTED]'

Huh? Have I missed some rather terse irony, or something?

Watson for Dawes? Now that's ironic! We do have good trade bait this year, so good that there should be no need to blow most of it in one destructive moment of blustering desperation.

I would hate to think we'd sell out on our strengths just so we can become more like last year's model. As CM himself says, the game changes. We want to be able to build on and compliment our strengths not simply try and become something that more closely resembles a premiership side in a conventional sense.

Good sides are constantly developing, not making a desperate bid to fix something that they think is broken.

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

Ahhhh ..........

Kane Lucas for Josh Kennedy. And to be serious throw in Paul Bower.

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"Get ready, Teddy - you're on": Ron Barassi half time 1970 Grand Final

As Cazzesman rightly pointed out it's all about opinions; clearly with Matthew they vary in a big way which is usually not the case with early selections. Once again, let's hope we got it right!

one thing about the game changing is its not getting slower its getting faster .

yes and others said Maxwell and o'brien were terrible gets.
also Riley dunne was going to be a star.
or Eddie was too short
it is all about opinions I guess, one thing is for sure. watson has to find pace a turning circle some stamina mobility both lateral and below his knees and some desperation and if proves a lot of people wrong.

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Due to recent budget cuts and the rising cost of electricity, gas, and oil....... the Light at the End of the Tunnel has been turned off. We apologize for the inconvenience.

We cannot afford to lose Lucas.

Hey fellers, I've thanks: been a long time reader but I was compelled to finally write in and share some of my thoughts after all the recent comments after the lose to WC.
I personly beleive we have the talent to go close to the mark for the few or so year. the club shouldn't over react with the so called piece of the puzzel to give players/draft picks away for a so called big forward/inside mid, I believe we have what we need, all we need is for our coach's to fast track development of our big guys (Watson, Mcartney, Casboult ). I think they all have great attributes and some will obviously take more time than another but if you lose them/trade or delist you won't get them back. Don't forget our big guys (Waite, Kruz and Hammer) were out for a big chunck of the final part of the season. Imagine what it would be like for our smalls crumbing with these big men, all they would have to do is compete and at the very least get the ball to ground.
The next issue is an in and under mid, we have afew who could do this job rotating (Thouy, Curnow, Ellard, Robinson, even maybe Russell )
Our backline was great this year, great job Ratt's (credit were its due )this was without a big chunk of the year with Jamo, Russell, Bower which I am a great fan of all.
What i honestly beleive is more important is to keep our list intact (Hampson, Bower, Russell and Lucas (who I see has great potential from the first time I saw him play ).
This is how you instill pride and belonging to our already great football club.

Nice entry Redback!

Travis Cloke used to be a plodder who couldn't kick. Bower used to burn off Cloke in 2009, but would be smashed if they lined up on each other next week. Cloke is now an AA player and the best pack mark in the game.

Petrie couldn't beat Henderson for pace, but the former is still a first time AA player.

Leigh Brown was on the scrap heap three years ago.

Matthew Richardson and Carlton supporters wrote off Henderson as a forward and a player in spite of hip surgery destroying hispre-season.

In 2009, Ben Reid had to go back to the VFL before he had a break out season as a defender in 2010.

AA.

Love how talls are written off early.

Watson doesn't look too bad below his knees for someone who is 196 cms...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oG4JgzpZ ... age#t=648s

Showed OK speed in the pre-season against the Pies, but has tired due to his fitness base needing work.

Yarran couldn't run out of sight in his first two seasons.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/m ... 6143984302

Warnock's brother any good?
If he can't make melbourne team he can't be too good.

Synbad bagging a first year player...I know you like to bag our own, but even this is a new low for you. Lay off the kid!!!

I'm not that keen on Ex-Melbourne.

I don't understand. Apparently we need talls. Apparently a very good one left us last year due lack of opportunity (Sam Jacobs). Apparently we have a ruckman who was in our best 22 for the frist half of the season kicking 6 at a time in the Ants. Apparently we have a queue of quality talls competing to be the marking forward. What's the rush????

Surely Watson can spend 2 years getting physically ready while Hampson/Waite/Warnock/Kreuzer/Henderson/Jamison look after our spine, with Thornton/Setanta/Austin as perfect stand-bys in case of injury?

I don't get the desire to trade for talls - as far as I can see we're flush.

BTW.. Anyone failing to tip us as top 4 2012 is on drugs.

Watson needs to be reprogrammed as a footballer. He likes to play loose and deliver the ball with big clearing kicks whenever he gets the chance. The problem is he's never going to play that role with any success at AFL or even VFL level. The good news is he has genuine size, excellent skills, a good level of poise and he reads the play well - which are indications that when he develops a new role and some fitness he could be of use in the AFL.

History shows that with experience players will learn to impose themselves on the contest with more physicallity.

Watson will be fine. Will be a good AFL player once he's finished developing and has got some experience.

The development of Hawkins, Lonergan and Taylor in the last three seasons shows that you shouldn't write off talls too early. Lonergan and Taylor have developed into quality tall defenders since the 2008 GF. Taylor and Lonergan had poor games in that loss. Lonergan used to be a forward, yet smashed one of the game's in form forwards Cloke after Taylor was moved off the Magpie. Watson ticks more boxes than Lonergan.

Watson lacks a bit of attitude and intensity IMO.......Hurley has always had some agro, Darling is another who has some attitude and confidence in himself. Think Watson need some red meat and a bit od SAS training to get the blood and mind flowing and give him a hard edge.

Tom Hawkins was similar when he first arrived in footy...big kid who didnt really work hard because he thought his size and strength would do it for him like in under age footy...didnt work that way but the Cats persisted with him and now have a got a return, hope Watson is similar.

re: Waite...big call to trade a father and son pick but I an understand where Synbad is coming from...very frustrating player who really hasnt changed his method of operation or output....spasmodic brilliance mixed with dumb decision making and injuries. I think he is a 3rd tall forward rather than a KP player and doesnt play the KP spots with much authority or know how as he has been thrown there out of desperation.

Bit late to trade him and I think we have to make better use of his talents by finding some KP talent so he can work with the structure rather than be relied upon to be a main part of the structure.

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"When you have the attitude of a champion, you see adversity as your
training partner."
- Conor Gillen

If we can shake out one of GWS's first round picks with Waite I would be inclined to take it, or perhaps engineer a trade with GC for someone like Charlie Dixon (that one unlikely I know).

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"Hence you will not say that Greeks fight like heroes but that heroes fight like Greeks"?

Winston Churchill

Trading Waite would be the last thing one would do. Not sure what some think. Maybe in the case one we'll never understand...lol!

He continues to play good football and when one needs a KP player then giving one up is, well, not a smart move. Actually the amount of roles he plays here makes him one of our more important players on the list.

Window's open, we don't need to be trading for early picks for the future.

It's going to be a long off season with crap like this being thrown around.

There is no way we are going to trade Waite. We are pretty close to matching it with the big boys right now. Getting a draft pick for one of our best is not taking us any closer to 17.

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I support the Navy Blues whatever happens!