fair enough - I don't agree, but fair enough

interesting post, Maverick.... a lot of validity in that.

i thought the focus on the bottom 6 was fair enough, but what you say makes a lot of sense - the stars need to play like stars in finals for us to go further.

how about a left testicle for a high second round draft pick?

I thought Corey Jones would have slotted in nicely, and at a decent price

Plugger, you're right about that, but I think the use of the term 'premiership player' is shorthand for 'type of player likely to contribute to bringing the club a premiership/good enough to be selected in a side good enough to win a premiership'

Damian Monkhorst was a premiership player

agreed

this business of 'he's a required player' is for the media, the fans, the players involved. Kozi was available at the right price - as are ALL players. STK spent two days gathering offers for Kozi. Carlton approached STK with a piss-poor offer (because they know too how disappointing he's been), STK...

that's true... but they obviously weren't offering anything decent for him - or we'd have traded him

I'll guarantee you this: if WCE approached STK offering Kerr for Kozi in a straight swap he'd have been out the door in a heartbeat

Kozi hasn't performed to potential or anywhere near it - agreed. BUT DON'T YOU THINK THE REST OF THE LEAGUE KNOWS THAT TOO? What are we gonna trade him for? 'For sale: one overpaid, underperforming, half-ruck, half-forward, slow lumbering footballer with a history of injuries. Any takers?' So, if we...

Fiora might find him a bit 'intellectual'

Subtlety and nuance passes some of us by, doesn't it...

You'll clearly see, if you look more closely:

- Eddy clearly not premiership player YET

- Steven OR M Gardiner OR X

I thought RL did relatively poorly in this trade week, simply because St Kilda are Baker, Ball, 2 onballers and a half-forward away from being a serious threat. (Assuming to replace Eddy, Fiora, McQual, Harvey, and assuming continued improvement in Gwilt and Raph, and assuming X doesn't get right, b...

FB: R.Clarke M.Hudghton S.Gilbert
HB: S.Fisher J.Blake B.Goddard
C: J.Gram L.Ball L.Montagna
HF: J.Gwilt N.Riewoldt N.Dal Santo
FF: A.Schneider J.Koschitzke S.Milne
R: L.King L.Hayes S.Baker
I/C: F.Ray M.Gardiner B.Cousins X.Clarke

'bottom 6 need to go out' issue. I see it like this: McQual, Fiora, Jones, Eddy clearly not premiership players, at least not yet for the latter two, not ever for the former. Gwilt and Raph could be good - faith in those blokes. I'd replace the former 4 plus Harvs with Ray, Ball, Baker, Cousins, Ste...

Harvs went to Carlton to get experience so as to provide better value to the Saints when he returns in a couple of years. Move to Carlton perfectly loyal

They won't bring in 6 kids. They won't use their later picks. they'll probably get 4, plus Cousins plus Ray is 6 in.

Harvey
Gehrig
Rix
L Fisher
McQual
Ferguson

McEvoy is not likely ready for a full year.
Gardiner or Rix are required to back up if King is injured - not unlikely, and if McEvoy still needs development time.

Gardiner clearly better than Rix. Rix will be delisted

Couldn't agree more - Swalllow should be real high on our list.

If we add Swallow, Corey Jones, and Ben Cousins to our list we go very close next year, i reckon

I can't see Laidley tolerating the idea of Fiora, but I'll tell you one thing - I'd LOVE to see it... Fiora coached by someone like Laidley. they'll put him in the middle of a circle and take turns boxing him

Hardness is not courage, Spinner.

I questioned X's hardness, not courage. they're different.
get a dictionary

Jordan Lewis is hard.
X Clarke is courageous, but he's not hard - he doesn't hurt when he hits.

buy low, sell high draft picks are at a premium this year, so we should sell them. we can top up and go very close with a Hamill replacement, a good ruck would help, and two quick mids - it's all we need. Hamill - C jones, O Keefe Mids: Harris, Kerr wouldda been nice, Cousins, Swallow, Prismall Ruck...

Macintosh, Swallow and Corey Jones for our first pick.

it's a commemorative coin - my grandfather had tonnes of them (he saw the 66 premiership, but not sure if he got them at the ground)

We should be pursuing A Swallow before Harris - Swallow has pace and is a few years younger. Harris too slow - doesn't work from Saints

even if X gets himself fit, I'm not convinced he's good enough - all the skills, none of the head, instinct or hardness

Raph, on the other hand, is an emerging superstar - and I've been saying it for years when everyone else was writing him off.

good points. I thought we should have gone for Kerr, and THEN Cousins if we got Kerr. If we go for Cousins, we should make a play for Robert Harvey coming back. We need two high quality mids to add to the Ball, Hayes, Monty, NDS, Gram, Goddard rotation. Cousins and one other - Harvey - would get us ...