Now there's a rage-blinded lash out if I've seen one.

I don't agree with either of you.

The dees don't look like they're going to slide because while they may have some aging stars, they have others sliding up the ranks in different positions. They need to be clear with their draft strategies though.

As for comparing Sylvia, McLean and Walker, they're all top 5 draft picks supposedly. Brock and Walker have shown more than an ability to extend their hand for a handball receive so far, so they're ahead of Sylvia.

Walker has the greatest upside of the three still but McLean has the runs on the board at the moment.

As for the other comparisons, Murphy was, is and doesn't look like being anything other than the standout. You are dreaming.

Bate and Russell? I'd say Russell at this stage, he doesn't look too far away at all.

_________________
29 different attributes,
And only 7 that you like;
20 ways to see the world,
Or 20 ways to start a fight.

Look I understand you had to take him at #1 after conviincing him not to go F/S but that doesn't mean he's the best player in the 2005 draft. He will have every opportunity to be a standout in Carlton's midfield.

Cmon Mick I think they have enough ability to make the eight....Byron Pickett will stiffen them up a bit and Robertson abilities hide a few weak players up forward....dont disagree a below par season would see the end of Daniher....

re: Matthew Bate....was impressed with Bate in the NAB cup. wins the ball and uses it equally well..slight query on leg speed...

Old55...Mclean is a good blue collar ball getter......brave and honest and we have similar in Adam Bentick..Bentick had 30+ possies in a game last season but wouldnt get the cred as he wasnt taken at No 5. and is a no name..
Walker is a class above either of them and is capable of brilliance...you only have to look at his first game where he had the pill 26 times or his game vs Akermanis...Aker was in a purple patch and Walker kept him to a reasonable night only and earned praise from the Brisbane champ....Aker would have destroyed Mclean and kicked a bag on him...
I have not been a fan of the Carlton Football clubs recruiting but Andrew Walker was the right chocie and its only been the clubs poor list and Walker having to be used in negative roles to cover for less talented players that has hindered his development...he will be a star player for the club providing we dont bugger him up with too many trouble shooting roles....if he was free to run around like in his first game he would in our best every week....

Sylvia has hardly lived up to his Riccuito tag and has had a easier time of it than Walker with less challenging roles..I would be dissapointed in Sylvia if I was a Melb Supporter...although he has had the pubes which is a fair excuse...

Marc Murphy vs Nathan Jones....Jones as good?....what have you based that on?

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

We shall see re Walker, McLean and Sylvia. Sylvia has had bad OP, even this pre-season, and will be Riccuito-class. The difference between McLean and other "blue-collars" is that McLean is a beautiful kick, that will set him apart. Jones is also a ball magnet and very good kick - it's a rare combo.

Sources say Jake Edwards is a great pick-up and you should be very happy there.

Never seen Edwards play at any level but appears to have his fathers marking skills and has something his old man never had and that was good leg speed....lot of good talent kicking around most of the clubs with every club embracing the draft and U18 kids.

Judd, Hodge and Ball set a high standard....Cooney, Deledio, Griffen seem to be getting there but its a high bar thanks to the first three I mentioned and young kids are getting marked harder because of the high standard and expected to deliver the goods much earlier in their apprenticeship....I think Walker, Mclean and Sylvia are victims of the Judd rating factor...

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

Good observation. Those 6 are certainly mouth-watering.

Robbie Flower has been the only star we've had in 40 years while the Blues have had 10 or more. We are hoping there's one in there now and we cling to that hope, like Blues fans do now too with Murphy.

Sylvia is the most likely prospect although McLean could be every bit as good as Ratten and while just short of star - satisfying nevertheless.

The sexual tension in this thread is nigh on UNBEARABLE

_________________
Richard Pratt - A Carlton legend.

Looks like you're getting some release in that avatar pic Deano altho surely a man of your capability can do better than a cardboard Sticks.

Both played zero games of AFL football. With such foresight forget about the player comparisons, just tell me when Melbourne will win the premiership because I want to back, only if you tell me they can win it.

Melbourne won't achieve anything until they learn how to put their head over the ball. They are soft & teams will exploit that.

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Witty signature required.

Stand by my statement.Dees will slide.Daniher half way out the door already.The upper echelons have lost faith in him.Not saying he is a shit coach,just that he has had enough time at Dees and has not delivered enough.Hes gone full stop
Sylvia to my mind will be a gun.And will get better and live up to the Ricciuto tag.Agree with Elwood re McLean.Good blue collar type,but very handy all the same.
Murphy v Jones ? Having watched Murphy with us,i have upped my original estimation.He is taller,better built,and most importantly far quicker than i expected........reckon those that compared him to Cousins were spot on.He's a glider and can thread the heavy traffic.Class player of the future.............But that is not to deny Jones Old 55.Reckon Jones is a ripper myself and i reckon he will go on to be a beauty.Who's the best of the pair ? dont know,but i reckon the will both be fantastic for there respective clubs.Pleasing thing about both young fellas is they have there heads screwed on the right way.Will be amazed if either of these two run off the rails.

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All my dangerous friends

We must be hard at the footy, hard at the footy, & hard at the footy....

A team of hard nuts will always beat a team of athlete's with silky skilss..
Youy just have to look at the great teams of years gone by, they all had a team of hard nuts.

If Sylvia was playing in our team i think he might stand out more than he does at melbourne as there is less competition.

_________________
Circumstance has no value. It is how one relates to a situation that has value. All true meaning resides in the personal relationship to a phenomenon, what it means to you.

To go back to the start of this post, our coach is a Double All Ireland winner, one of his favourtite lines is, "you have to put your marker down, do not be thugs or stupid, but teams have to know they cant push you around and that they will find it tough here" If somoone clocks one of our boys, you know the ref will be watching for retaliation, so the next time somone else gets a chance, not they guys marker or tagger, they nail him, out through the boards, then after that, somone else does it and so on, so its not one guy at a time and if someone gets in trouble, get bodies around him straight away.

_________________
'Cause I'm J.U.D.D
I'm dynamite
J.U.D.D
And I'll win that fight
J.U.D.D
I'm a power load
J.U.D.D, Watch me explode

Then came the video cameras

_________________
29 different attributes,
And only 7 that you like;
20 ways to see the world,
Or 20 ways to start a fight.

Which "upper echelons"? There is absolutely no doubt Paul Gardner and the board are fully supportive of Daniher. If we finish top 6 he'll get a contract extension IMO. But of course you think we'll finish bottom 6, and if we do he will be in trouble.

Agree with your player comments, Murphy and Jones should both be rippers, and underestimate McLean at your peril - he has star quality.

McLean is quality but he's not a razzle dazzle player so you may see him become like Scott West - club raves about him but he always falls short on the votes.

Doesn't break the game in the traditional sense, but brings in the game-breakers and feeds the ball to them. Can be handy outside but I see his real strength is going to be in the clinches. Maybe Ratten can show him a thing or too.

As for Daniher, I have no idea. But I know someone who I can talk to who may work in athletics now (*cough*). Seems safe to me (season results pending). He wouldn't be sacked for being incompetent, but the administration may tire of not being a genuine finals contender.

_________________
29 different attributes,
And only 7 that you like;
20 ways to see the world,
Or 20 ways to start a fight.

His brother Terry.

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

Winston Churchill

Something tells me TD may have been laughing when you turned your back

_________________
29 different attributes,
And only 7 that you like;
20 ways to see the world,
Or 20 ways to start a fight.

Danny Corcoran, you mean.

Surely not Eddie McGuire who is now on the board of Athletics Australia.

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

Winston Churchill

Well TD knows plenty about being sacked anyway ... maybe MM and GT just didn't appreciate what he had to say.