How is Balme feeling today? AND Chocko you are a GOOSE!!!

[Buckethead]

Magpie Greg, if Judkins is a goose, and the club are idiots for not offering more to get Stevens, go support another F**ken team, cause ure cynicism is f**king annoying. None of the players Port wanted were willing togo to Port, so what were they supposed to do? Simon Black was a 30 something draft pick, as was alot of the Brisbane players, so you never know. As for the window of opportunity passing, I don't think so. With Scotland leaving and Nick Stevens not coming I think it could be a blessing in disguise. Tarkyn Lockyer to me looked ready to really come on in this years pre-season and he'll obviously be even more hungrier in 2004. I also think Didak can now be pushed up into the midfield, Whilst if Stevens was there he'd obviously have to spend the majority of his time in the foward line.

[Lazza]

Could people please grow up? Telling such loyal & passionate supporters like Magpie Greg to go support another team is so immature, juvenile and bloody stupid in the extreme. By all means disagree with us long suffering fans about our experienced opinions but try not to be silly about it. We care for and love the pies as much as anyone else but if you guys think that the current team with a few draft picks will win us the flag next year, (while ALL the other teams improve), you know much better than us. For Collingwood's & your sake, I can only hope and pray that you are right. In my opinion, they just missed out on a golden opportunity to really strengthen the team. And if you think Rocca would have made a 9 goal difference in our GF loss, geez, that's a huge call.
Lets celebrate different opinions here instead of saying go support someone else like a pack of kindy kids.

Lazza

[Newelly]

Lazza, I said "could well of" made the difference. Its all just pure speculation as we`ll never be able to prove or disprove that theory beyond any doubt. Considering he(Rocca) played the qualifying final and we did win is a point in its favour. Though the two games were played in contrasting styles (an understatement). There is the cummulative effect factor but its only a theory, by all means shoot it down with some hard facts and stats. I accept denial and I`m interested in apathy. Anyway the main point was to stop the constant finger pointing shite and get over the fact Stevens wont be playing at this club this coming season and look towards some of the positives for the club. Hell, watch the rugby, cricket, international rules, paint the fence, restump the house. Whatever gets you through the next 4 months till the Escort Ansett Wizard Cup starts.
(appaling grammer and speling misteaks corected)

[Buckethead]

Okay, Magpie Greg, im sorry. You are a long suffering Collingwood fan which is probably why you are so negative. My statement saying you should support another team was crossing the line. However, in terms of taking a shot about me over my spelling of an expletive, this is the internet, the home of text spelling short-cuts.
Anyway the main thrust of my argument with you is.
a) Cole did not wanto go, he's young and has guardians in Melbourne, that was never going to happen. Hence, what could Collingwood have done other than offer picks 17 and 35?
b) Judkins thinks outside the square, with that sort of character you are going to win some and lose some, so get over the Roach fiasco.
c) If you look closely at what he's recruited it is quite similar to the 2000 Essendon side. He has aimed at 190cm+ players who can run and hard nuts.
d) Stevens wasn't the answer anyway in my opinion. The icing on the cake would have been Nathan Brown and a ruckman, which wasn't to be, so we'll just see how it all goes next year.

[dilly5]

Lazza, my point is that it's all very well and good for you to sit back and say "well, if only Collingwood had been as smart as us and traded Cole and pick 17 for Stevens, it all seems pretty bloody obvious; Collingwood NOT doing the most obvious thing must mean that they're moving backwards and don't have the club's best interests at heart as much as we do".
But it's this sort of arraogance I'm talking about- the assumption that they didn't work this out for themselves and didn't do everything they could within their power to get what they could, when you don't know any of the circumstances. We ALL wanted Stevens, (may I be so bold as to suggest that perhaps the club wanted him even more than we did?? Seeing as it is actually their career and reputation on the line...)

And like you and Greg, we ALL want to be a part of a successful club- but unfortunately it don't come as easy as sitting around the breakfast table discussing what we should and shouldn't have done, and complaining about the apparent downfalls of the club after a couple of grand final losses (losses mean appearances), and wanting to make changes around the club and start from scratch because we haven't got what we want yet. This is the closest we've been in quite a while- we must be doing something right. We're just not perfect yet.

[Blanch]

We've never quit and we won't.

[Joel]

[Newelly]

thats the spirit Joel. Carn the Wallabies.
Be careful though, to admit you like another code of football in Melbourne (even though not as much as Aussie Rules) may lead you to being accused of heresy and/or witchcraft.

[piedys]

[Newelly]

Sir Scott?

[piedys]

Yes, Dr.Nick if i'm not mistaken, Joel had "Sir Scott" text above his avatar picture of the Burns Unit.
I'm sure he will confirm this once he gets his head out of his books studying and gets back to reality here at Nicks.

[labrooy]

[Joel]

LOL!

Yep Newelly, I thought I would get in the spirit, and barrack for the Aussies. It's sport and Australia is involved, enough said really, I will support them all the way. If I'm guilty of supporting the Aussies, then I'm the Wicked Witch from the South East.


piedys- Don't worry mate, it'll go back to the 'Sir Scott' avatar (or similar) after the RWC has finished. I'm just getting in the spirit while the World Cup is on.

[labrooy]

Collingwood has a tradition of not forcing players to go to clubs they don't want to go to. Similarly they let players go to the club of their choice, even if they don't get a market value trade in return.

Whilst this is not necessarily good business sense it does tend to foster an environment of trust and harmony. I would much rather that than having players wonder if their good, gut-busting season will result in being bundled off to another club as a trade.

[Harvey]

magpie greg, i suppose that u've already written the pies off in 2004. do we have to sign a big name player every year to have a chance? premierships are not won or lost in the trade period, they are won on the field. nick stevens would not have made a difference if we played the way we did.

And as for Judkins, i'd like to c u pick the players that we should get with our draft picks this year. my guess is that you havent heard of half the players in the national draft.