David Rodan joins Melbourne

[Demon_131]

Haha well clearly im in the wrong place to be bagging out the decisions of Neeld and the recruitment team at Melbourne. Time will tell but dont say I didnt tell ya so

Rodan: Have you watched GWS recently? they need mature players to help the kids in an attempt to lower the defeats and the scorelines. We have far too many young players and this will balance out the squad, no matter what the skill level of these players are. I re-call Richmond doing a similar thing with Miller and Maric, and even Knights this season.

This part is just completley wrong though. You cant compare yourself with GWS. They have been around 1 year and are all 18 year olds bar the handful of players they need so they dont loose by 200 points every week.
Your comparisons with Richmond are completely off the mark.
Miller was recruited to give the forward line more experience yes. But even he only played if someone was injured or out of form. He wasn't a walk up start.
Maric was recruited because our #1 ruckman was Graham (a spud) it had nothing to do with experience its just a guy that could be our ruckman.
Knights was gained because we didn't have a medium sized forward and Chaplin because we needed a CHB. We had stated the positions we needed to fill before trade period and grabbed them. Melbourne just went after whoever popped up at the time. They needed a forward yes, but that forward they wanted was Cloke. One of the best when in form. Dawes is hardly a close 2nd to that.Hopefully he proves me wrong though.
As for Byrnes and Rodan, they were just knee jerk reactions by a coach trying to save his job. Nothing players that are of little use to Melbourne and wont be there when Melbourne play finals next.

Hold on, this is what I am gathering from what you just said

Maric was recruited because you needed a ruckman. So instead of being able to lure a top player for that position (eg. Cloke if we were talking about forwards) you went and got a player who had been a complete spud at the time. How is that any different from us getting Dawes, we needed a KPF badly, at least our guy had a decent season before we got him so we know what his best is like.

Miller you say was recruited for experience but wasn't a walk up start, who is to say Rodan is a walk up start?

You got Chaplin and Knights to fill roles. Incase you didn't realize let me explain, when one of your better defenders/swingmen leaves (Rivers) you actually have to replace them, that is why we got Pedersen as he can play this swing man role very well. I don't know about you but I don't see any quality smaller/medium forwards at Melbourne with Green retired, Davey failing, Sylvia now a permanent mid but wait what role does Byrnes play.... Oh yeah as a small forward. Now Byrnes has been a fringe player at the team that has been playing finals regularly, hmm.. Fringe player who does that remind me of? Oh yeah Chris Knights.

How on earth can you say what you have about what Melbourne and Neeld have been doing when Hardwick and Richmond did the exact same thing when he got there.

[Purple 77]

Haha well clearly im in the wrong place to be bagging out the decisions of Neeld and the recruitment team at Melbourne. Time will tell but dont say I didnt tell ya so

Rodan: Have you watched GWS recently? they need mature players to help the kids in an attempt to lower the defeats and the scorelines. We have far too many young players and this will balance out the squad, no matter what the skill level of these players are. I re-call Richmond doing a similar thing with Miller and Maric, and even Knights this season.

This part is just completley wrong though. You cant compare yourself with GWS. They have been around 1 year and are all 18 year olds bar the handful of players they need so they dont loose by 200 points every week.
Your comparisons with Richmond are completely off the mark.
Miller was recruited to give the forward line more experience yes. But even he only played if someone was injured or out of form. He wasn't a walk up start.
Maric was recruited because our #1 ruckman was Graham (a spud) it had nothing to do with experience its just a guy that could be our ruckman.
Knights was gained because we didn't have a medium sized forward and Chaplin because we needed a CHB. We had stated the positions we needed to fill before trade period and grabbed them. Melbourne just went after whoever popped up at the time. They needed a forward yes, but that forward they wanted was Cloke. One of the best when in form. Dawes is hardly a close 2nd to that.Hopefully he proves me wrong though.
As for Byrnes and Rodan, they were just knee jerk reactions by a coach trying to save his job. Nothing players that are of little use to Melbourne and wont be there when Melbourne play finals next.

Hold on, this is what I am gathering from what you just said

Maric was recruited because you needed a ruckman. So instead of being able to lure a top player for that position (eg. Cloke if we were talking about forwards) you went and got a player who had been a complete spud at the time. How is that any different from us getting Dawes, we needed a KPF badly, at least our guy had a decent season before we got him so we know what his best is like.

Miller you say was recruited for experience but wasn't a walk up start, who is to say Rodan is a walk up start?

You got Chaplin and Knights to fill roles. Incase you didn't realize let me explain, when one of your better defenders/swingmen leaves (Rivers) you actually have to replace them, that is why we got Pedersen as he can play this swing man role very well. I don't know about you but I don't see any quality smaller/medium forwards at Melbourne with Green retired, Davey failing, Sylvia now a permanent mid but wait what role does Byrnes play.... Oh yeah as a small forward. Now Byrnes has been a fringe player at the team that has been playing finals regularly, hmm.. Fringe player who does that remind me of? Oh yeah Chris Knights.

How on earth can you say what you have about what Melbourne and Neeld have been doing when Hardwick and Richmond did the exact same thing when he got there.

+1

That is exactly right

[quinny88]

Maric wasnt a complete spud, he wasnt getting a game because Jacobs was rated higher..
Dawes actually was out there making a nob of himself week in week out this year. Or did you miss the season? Funny how all of you want to remember is how Dawes was in 2010. He will never be that again playing for Melbourne. Mick Malthouse knew how to get the best out of average players. Neeld does not.

You picked up Rodan after he was knocked back by every other club he tried to go to.. He tried to come back to Richmond. We did not have a role for him. Melbourne never mentioned anything about needing an injury prone Port Adelaide reject pushing 30. He has no place in Melbourne's side. Nor does Byrnes.

We stated that we were going after Chaplin and Knights before the season was over and got the deals done immediatley. Melbourne grabbed whoever popped up at the time. There was no plan or thought in any of it.

Getting Pedersen isnt the issue. The issue is giving up a #11 draft pick player to get him.
The issue is giving Collingwood a first round pick for Dawes and paying the bloke over half a million dollars a year..
Theissue is giving away Stefan Martin and Morton (#4 pick) for late draft picks that will probably not be used. Whoever did those deals should be sacked on the spot.

And your comparing Knights with Byrnes? Knights just turned 26, Byrnes will be 29 early next season.
Knights had injury trouble the past couple of years, he's hardly a fringe player. Byrnes fair enough played in a great era at Geelong so couldnt get a regular spot but he is not needed at Melbourne and will not make a scrap of difference.

Im not just making this up. Its mostly Melbourne supporters that im hearing this off along with most of the so called experts in the media.
Have a listen to the bathing Melbournes recruiting strategy gets in this video
http://bigpondvideo.com/AFL/499833/Trade%20wrap-up/

This is a view by many, not just me. Except the Melbourne supporters that refuse to think Neeld could do anything wrong.

[AFEV]

Maric wasnt a complete spud, he wasnt getting a game because Jacobs was rated higher..
Dawes actually was out there making a nob of himself week in week out this year. Or did you miss the season? Funny how all of you want to remember is how Dawes was in 2010. He will never be that again playing for Melbourne. Mick Malthouse knew how to get the best out of average players. Neeld does not.

FWIW, despite him being the defence coach at the time Chris did spend some time with Neeld. Know them both and they get along.

Dawes was miserable at Collingwood, the only reason he stayed beyond his first contract was because he wanted to be a one club player/loyal to his club. The culture at the club didn't suit him, and with the exception of Pendles & Ball he didn't get along with much of the playing list.
He was also hit pretty hard be the GF loss, he does over-think certain things and moving away from the Pies and getting a fresh start should definitely help him move past the demons (:P) he had to face in the past.

The 'old boys' culture at Melbourne will definitely suit him better. He was happy to be heading off there and reuniting with Neeld will do him the world of good.

Mark my words his season in 2010 was not a one off, have watched him for a long time and if utilised correctly i have faith that he'll be a valuable asset for Melbourne.

I know that people like to kick the shower out of him, and seemingly (with the exception of Melb fans) everyone has a remarkably short memory.

I'm not going to make any comments about Rodan/Byrnes/anyone else but just sick of hearing people kick the shower out of Chris.

[quinny88]

Your all being a bit precious I think lol.
No one can say anything bad about Melbourne, everything they do is right.
Lets not forget 12 months ago you were a finals fancy for 2012.

Purple, when I say Neeld I mean everyone involved. This new coaching crew has taken the club backwards. Theres no arguing that. And these trades are patch ups. If someone said to you on the eve of the 2012 season that you were going to finish bottom 3 and then pick up Dawes, Rodan and Byrnes in the off season and loose Rivers, Moloney and Martin you all would have spit chips.

[PowerBug]

Purple, when I say Neeld I mean everyone involved. This new coaching crew has taken the club backwards. Theres no arguing that. And these trades are patch ups. If someone said to you on the eve of the 2012 season that you were going to finish bottom 3 and then pick up Dawes, Rodan and Byrnes in the off season and loose Rivers, Moloney and Martin you all would have spit chips.

Well, that was the history, the 2012 season is over and if Neeld is still thinking about it then he should leave. It is no longer the eve of the 2012 season, it is (was) the trade period after the 2012, and Neeld is trying to fix up the club. :)


SS, over and out on this thread. :)

[quinny88]

Purple, when I say Neeld I mean everyone involved. This new coaching crew has taken the club backwards. Theres no arguing that. And these trades are patch ups. If someone said to you on the eve of the 2012 season that you were going to finish bottom 3 and then pick up Dawes, Rodan and Byrnes in the off season and loose Rivers, Moloney and Martin you all would have spit chips.

Well, that was the history, the 2012 season is over and if Neeld is still thinking about it then he should leave. It is no longer the eve of the 2012 season, it is (was) the trade period after the 2012, and Neeld is trying to fix up the club. save his job*


SS, over and out on this thread. :)

[Mailman the 2nd]

Of course he's fixing the club, how can you not see that.

You can't argue this

Fact: Melbourne have a decent base of young players to base the club around with Trengove, Grimes, Howe, Tapscott etc.

Fact: They had a showerhouse bunch of veterans at the club.

What would be the better fix? Seems pretty obvious to me. Rivers and Moloney were always going to go, you can't say Neeld should of kept them.

He's effectively attempting to change the older guys who were stagnating the club. If Neeld was trying to save his job, he would of tried to get Tippett.

[quinny88]

Of course he's fixing the club, how can you not see that.

You can't argue this

Fact: Melbourne have a decent base of young players to base the club around with Trengove, Grimes, Howe, Tapscott etc.

Fact: They had a showerhouse bunch of veterans at the club.

What would be the better fix? Seems pretty obvious to me. Rivers and Moloney were always going to go, you can't say Neeld should of kept them.

He's effectively attempting to change the older guys who were stagnating the club. If Neeld was trying to save his job, he would of tried to get Tippett.

Where do Byrnes and Rodan fit into that? They are just another couple of washed up has beens.
Melbourne dont have a sufficient base of young players to build the club around at all.. They recruited badly which will hurt them for years to come as it did with Richmond up until recently. They have some decent kids but they also used 2 #1 picks on Scully and Watts, a #4 pick on Morton. Thats only 3 but that should be 3 extra guns in the side.

A better fix would be using their picks to get kids or young and upcoming players. Biting their tongue and putting up with another year or 2 down the bottom and then building their way up.
They have traded like they are in a premiership window, simple as that. It will give them a few extra wins in 2013 but will be of minimal help in the long run

[Mailman the 2nd]

Again. Melbourne are trading like GWS did, not like GC did

[TeeJay]

Quinny88 is actually right with a lot of this. I am good mates with jonesy I went to school with him and played juniour footy with him and he said to me this morning that there is a split feeling amongst the boys hes spoken with about the trades they have done. A lot of them mostly annoyed about martin being traded for next to nothing apparently.
He also said that all of the midfield group were frustrated with the way moloney was dealt with through last season so hes right about that.
I hope it doesnt affect them to much because I like the dees nna nd sick of em being crap!

[quinny88]

Again. Melbourne are trading like GWS did, not like GC did

What do you even mean? were not talking about a team that just started in the league. Were talking about a team that were meant to be on the incline and playing finals in 2012/13..
Melbourne are not comparable with GWS or GC in any way

[Capper]

Of course he's fixing the club, how can you not see that.

You can't argue this

Fact: Melbourne have a decent base of young players to base the club around with Trengove, Grimes, Howe, Tapscott etc.

Fact: They had a showerhouse bunch of veterans at the club.

What would be the better fix? Seems pretty obvious to me. Rivers and Moloney were always going to go, you can't say Neeld should of kept them.

He's effectively attempting to change the older guys who were stagnating the club. If Neeld was trying to save his job, he would of tried to get Tippett.

it was almost like the older players had given up and the youngsters were out there doing what they do (Howe taking screeemers) as the older guys were just going through the paces to get paid.

I expect a much better team from the Dees next year

[Mailman the 2nd]

Again. Melbourne are trading like GWS did, not like GC did

What do you even mean? were not talking about a team that just started in the league. Were talking about a team that were meant to be on the incline and playing finals in 2012/13..
Melbourne are not comparable with GWS or GC in any way

And why didn't they make finals in 2012?

Because their older players were terrible. They lost all of Robertson, Neitz, Yze and had shower all to replace them.

At least these guys can set a basis for which the younger guys can improve

Once again, its like GWS. Instead of bringing in 25-26 year olds they got the older and more experienced guys.

[quinny88]

Again. Melbourne are trading like GWS did, not like GC did

What do you even mean? were not talking about a team that just started in the league. Were talking about a team that were meant to be on the incline and playing finals in 2012/13..
Melbourne are not comparable with GWS or GC in any way

And why didn't they make finals in 2012?

Because their older players were terrible. They lost all of Robertson, Neitz, Yze and had shower all to replace them.

At least these guys can set a basis for which the younger guys can improve

Once again, its like GWS. Instead of bringing in 25-26 year olds they got the older and more experienced guys.

No, they didnt play finals because Neeld completley changed the game plan which caused everyone to play poorly, not just the old guys. Theres about 3 blokes that could hold their head high after Melbournes 2012 season.
Who will be setting a basis exactly? Rodan? he was given the ass by port adelaide!
Byrnes might teach a thing or 2 but he's not exctly the inspirational type player. He's an outside goal sneak.