State of Affairs

[MrReims 322]

Sorry first up for the length of my rant, its just with my poor internet connection, the constant dropouts means answering each thread is quite difficult and frustrating. So I had the idea of pre writing a complete summation of my ideas and opinions and posting it in one go.

Lets start with the team as a whole, later focusing on the coach and captain, then individual players. It gives me incredible joy to see the team starting to really gel together and DB's game plan start to really show itself. Both Jnr and DB have their part to play in this. But more importantly I don't see the 'Carlton' effect, meaning a overly cocky self implosion. Our guys seem pretty decent blokes for footballers and i think we've recruited accordingly and led from the front with amazingly humble men in Jimmy, Dean and Jnr.

Coach Dean Bailey and his Game Plan

Tight rebounding defence using overlapping handballs through the corridor or switch of play spread finding a loose man on the wing to get it to a marking half forward asap. Gut running from the mids to rush forward as the forwards lead out resulting in either a low bullet pass to a chest mark of a forward or the 3-5 second wait for a longer pass to the overlapping mid or returning forward running back towards goal. (Obviously a very elementary summation of our standard play from my perspective only).

This free flowing, quick handball, play on at all costs style we use is perhaps more clever than we give it credit for. I'm only now starting to see the logic in our specific recruitment over the last couple of years and it is going to pay dividends. This was not simply 'best available' in reality, this was 'best suited to the game plan available' which sounds quite obvious in hindsight. I'm more than happy however to be a little naive to that when I'm seeing the rewards now. I'll go more into specific players and perhaps why they were recruited in terms of the game style later on. However suffice it to say I think this game plan is going to be effective for many years to come purely because it will suit the up and coming players perhaps even more than the ones currently using it to great effect. Exciting I tells ya!

Jnr - Captain Fantastic

Anyone who underestimates this mans affect on this club beware. I was utterly amazed at the amount of people calling for his retirement. I'll talk about his game in the players section but its all the other things that make him the best captain in the league IMHO. For starters who else would you want to teach young players about tackling, intensity, humility, grace under fire or passion than Jnr himself. One need only look at the next gen of teachers he has already created in Aaron and Jonesy to name but a few to see the kind of impact he makes on the training track. Every time I read about any of our young guns they mention their mentor and I think thats really great.

The Defence

I am now confident that the 4 talls in Warnock, Frawley, Rivers and Garland can and should play together whenever possible. The other 3 (including bench) spots can be alternated due to conditions, match ups or form. I know Rivers is a moot point with some, but I see the match ups against almost all other teams still finding space for a tall floater who reads the play as well as he does. Furthermore, what a luxury to have MacDonald, McNamara and Cheney waiting in the wings to fill the Top 4's shoes should injury or bad form strike! The only truly damaging disaster I can see is if heaven forbid both Warnock AND Frawley go down. But even then.... damn thats tasty. Garland and Frawley play both big and small and provide enough run to eliminate the need for a designated small defender. Not that we don't have some if needed. Life is indeed grand in the back line.

The Offence

It has been ravaged by injury and our lack of consistency is only due to lack of game time together, also putting pressure on the midfield. We are not lacking in talent or depth in reality, just form. This will change in time, fear not, but may be the last piece of the puzzle to drop.

The Midfield

All rosy here. Depth, talent, aggression and at last a quality ruckman. But lets not forget that a few of the older heads are used to not having a quality ruckman and have been competitive at times at retrieving the ball rather than having first use. No complaints at all here. Time is on our side.

Onto the players;

Matthew Warnock; wow, where to start? The rock, the platform, arguably the most consistent player in recent times team wide. All teams require a true defenders defender. One who is always, ALWAYS defending first, clever rebound second. He is perhaps the least accomplished 'all round' footballer and I for one want it to stay that way. Less temptation to be more flashy. Strong, starting to be feared and ever reliable.

Nathan Jones; has improved in a few areas this year which he needed to to fend off the advances of the skilled youth brigade. Finally some of these attempts at busting tackles are paying off and his foot skills have improved for the most part. The wet conditions of the Bulldogs game saw some old habits come back, the spiraling inaccurate long bombs out of desperation. But more positives than negatives this season and required for his grunt. Purely a personal opinion, should be given more tagging roles as i think he does them well and could be his Ling style niche.

Clint Bartram; has saved himself this year. Improved his disposal, become more accountable but still gives me anxiety when he has the ball in traffic around the defensive 50m arc. If he could eliminate a few more turnovers I would be happy to see him in the best 22 but that may be purely up to him. Not the smartest footballer in the team perhaps

Jack Watts; only one game to go on isn't much, so I won't over critique. More than a few promising signs, not least of all him playing full stop. Time is the thing now, but his speed and eventually his engine are going to be critical to him being as good as we hope he can be.

Jordan Gysberts; whilst waiting with bated breath (sorry) for his debut i think he will be the last piece of the midfield puzzle. In fact, if he really stands up and soon, he will be the one forcing out a Moloney or a Jones seeing as one B grade hardnut mid is enough. IMHO, Moloney should be worried long term. Tall, athletic and a super clearance player based on here-say alone is enough to have me salivating.

Matthew Bate; is continuing his fantastic development. Oh for the day when we have a slightly more settled forward line to take the pressure of him. I have no doubt he will then tear the competition apart. All the jokers that knock his speed are kidding themselves. 3 or 4 examples were on display against the dogs were he left multiple opponents in his wake. Also one of the smartest kicks inside 50 we have. Soon to be equalled by Watts if all continues according to trend.

Brad Miller; I won't shirk allegiance, I have been one of his biggest champions. Has but one chance left now, no excuses left. Would actually suit our game style perfectly if not for his errant kicking. Surely the coaching staff over the years would also be disappointed they couldn't rectify that. But, deserves one last crack at the red and blue this year. If not to be then it is curtains for us. My hot tip to be targeted by the GC though. And play well for them.

James Frawley; thank god he signed. Will be as good as Scarlett, enough said. But who can resist? One of the better students on the field, he visibly learns from every challenge. Such an asset to have....

Jack Trengove; requires little critique from me. We can all see his future is golden, will simply improve with every game to an unforeseeable end. Needs resting soon though, only a week to freshen and perhaps one week in Casey on return for some humility. But his head is screwed on right and he won't require that much assistance.

Cale Morton; will be a bigger x factor than LJ in years to come. With this talented, high profile bunch of kids to worry about, he is going to slip further down the tagging list. Thats when he will strike. Tough to match up on as it is, he has a real game breaking feel to his play. Will outrun the talls and dominate the smalls. Has Norm Smith Medal written all over him.

Paul A. Johnson; is all but done. No longer required, no longer capable. Should have, could have, didn't. Too late for me, only he and Holland have ever made me swear loudly and vehemently at one of our players.

Colin Sylvia; is playing havoc with my stomach ulcers. I have such a crush on the guy but he just refuses to string any real kind of consecutive performances my way. Close to the most talented member of the team on potential and capable of single handedly tearing any team apart at the seams. I must be patient I suppose. Should be an inside 50 kicker as often as possible (unless he is anywhere near 60m on the run, then have a crack my son!)

Lynden Dunn; is a real tough one. I know lots of people don't like to talk about 'depth' players but having just one or two like him can be advantageous i think. His form has been fine this year without being spectacular which unfortunately sums him up i feel. However his jack of all trades style means that even in the past I saw him as being an adequate replacement for anyone. Literally anyone. Tell me thats a bad thing to have in a team? Possibly never a first 22 player though

Ricky Petterd; is so value packed. When the big guns start to fire together in our forward line, to have that Nathan Brown style unpredictable, very accountable kind of player is going to be some tasty icing on our cake. Should be very much a priority to keep and is in our top 10 mvps IMHO. Not to underplay his value as a forward, his defensive ability should not be forgotten as a potential bogey play later on down the track either.... He could end up becoming more of a swingman once the forward structure settles a little. Just so super strong above his head...

Jack Grimes; his hands are amazing, below his knees, in the wet, picking a pocket you name it, he can swoop in and one touch grab that ball no matter what the obstacle. Runs well, can be a confident user but has shown a few glimpses of inaccuracy and/or poor decision making of late. Nothing to panic about yet but certainly something to keep an eye on. For my personal taste, when the Russian was forcing it down his throat in the centre square against Essendon in the Challenge match along side Trenners and Rohan Bail.... that was where he belonged. Others could play the position he has been and his ability to kick a nice goal should not be forgotten. Offensive mid for me. Maybe even a rotation with Morton from wing to HBF.

Brad Green; is another enigma. So devastatingly talented but can go missing sometimes. I think we all prefer him forward, at the least HFF, but I can see the constant temptation from the coaches to use him to fix problems because he often does it well. Once we are more settled as a team the need to do this will drop. Should enjoy an extended career as a full time forward in a few years.

Addam Maric; just what is the kids problem? I have no doubt about his talent. Every time i've seen the kid play live i've seen something utterly breathtaking that reminds me how much I want him to come on. But when? Is he lazy? Is he not as intelligent as I give him credit for? Are there even further injury niggles to what I have heard about? Something is not right here and it is a real shame. Given our plethora of potential crumbers all clawing away at maximum two spots, his journey is only going to get tougher. So if he does end up making it, it should be something special. I not... well thats footy sometimes I guess.

Colin Garland; never been as a big a fan as most on here purely because he has never really stood out in a game to me. I have been paying really close attention and still don't see anything jaw dropping like I do in a Frawley or even a Morton. But having said that he is ultra flexible and a top user of the pill efficiency wise. Haven't seen the super intelligent use that everyone else seems to see but me, but there is also nothing to complain about with him. Learns well and suits our game plan perfectly with his ability to hold his own further down the field. Will definitely get better. I wouldn't mind just a touch more aggression....

Daniel Bell; anything out of Belly is purely a bonus at this stage unfortunately and could well have his head on the block come years end.

Brent Moloney; could have a life expectancy. I fear he will be overrun before we have a new shiny cup in our hands and I will among those genuinely bleeding for the guy. Tough as nails, strong and passionate just not overly skilled unfortunately. Even in his best games his inside 50's aren't good enough and lets face it, thats his pay cheque. Only one of he and Jones will survive the cut in around 2-3 years time and my money is on Jonesy purely because he has improved in the last few years. Moloney only got fitter. It is a real shame because I genuinely like the guy on and off the field (we had a pretty cool conversation at the airport when our flight was delayed once).

James McDonald; has earned the right to completely dictate his own career from here. Still playing like first 22, hell first 5 this year, when he feels the time is right to retire is ok by me. Has always been a meat and potatoes player but courage, determination and motivation can be the difference between an average player and a club legend. Is grooming young Jordie to be his long term replacement.

Liam Jurrah; oh get well soon big fella! I miss the heart palpitations when you are within 50 meters of the ball. Some were worried by his mental strength in the preseason but I think he is already a crowd junkie, which is not a bad thing. My side topic two cents; has more potential than Naitanui. We stole him with clever diplomacy in the preseason draft and scored Wattsy as well. But in my mind, Watts/Jurrah was always essentially one pick, which of course is ludicrously more tasty than any other. Two cents people...

Kyle Cheney; is a solid contributor to a very deep defensive list. Will have to keep fighting and clawing his way into the team but is doing everything right so far.

Jared Rivers; i think i covered some of my opinions on him in the aptly titled thread 'Jared Rivers' but let me just say that I don't see the glaring deficiencies in his game that some of you do. I would suggest if you asked Warnock and Frawley how much easier their jobs have become since his return they would in no way underplay it. Thanks to the incredible speed of Frawley and Garland for big fella's, we have the luxury of being able to play him as spare, floating tall. THIS IS A GOOD THING PEOPLE. But, time will tell on this subject as well I guess.

Joel Macdonald; can be a little hit and miss. Was a good PSD pickup, Jurrah aside, as good as one can normally hope for. Bless the footy gods for their injury tolerance to our defense so far but otherwise we would be all cheering as one, the clever recruitment of an equal to our back 4. Not a depth player, just the omitted one at the moment. Clever player management will see these 5 rotate for valuable refreshing rests and injury/form drop coverage. Its just perhaps JMac is the least....uh obvious of the 5. (I was about to go with flashy then thought of Warnock and reconsidered)

Michael Newton; done. Talented list clogger. See Daniel Bell with less emotion.

Tom McNamara; is being well groomed. Plenty of time on our side with this kid, he is developing well and all seem pleased with his progress. Perfect build for us, hasn't put a foot wrong i don't think. I'm always a little happier with kids who get thrown in the deep end way too early out of need like last year and still manage to tread water as well as he did. Didn't star, no one expected him to, but held his own, which no one expected him to. Love that stuff. Given our defense depth though, might be a good candidate for some experimentation around the ground by Goschy. Just for funsies.

Tom Scully; 'nuff said really. A few shaky kicks here and there but way less than most <10 gamers. Long term will have it all and be an extremely important part of our structure, our dynamic and our success.

Cameron Bruce; also gets a regular canning here. He is not the player he was 5 years ago (amazingly) and I will say doesn't ALWAYS have his heart in the game. But is more than a solid contributor and still has the talent to turn a game. Gets given some of the crappiest jobs week in week out and does it solidly. Could become a fringe player soon and will retire when Morton/Cheney is mature enough to demand his spot. I really thought his Brownlow was in the bag that year....

Austin Wonaeamirri; has some proving to do after such a long omission. That is just a reality. To himself, to his fans and to the selectors/coaches. I'm pretty confident, but prepared for the worst. On realistically only potential and just a few glimpses (in a poor year overall with almost a completely different team around him) he showed quite a bit. But essentially he is back at square one. So go Aussie, lets see what you got. A Wona/Jurrah double act dominating a game at some stage is still my dream.

Stefan Martin; i'm a long time fan who is just ever so slightly losing the faith. It is always hit and miss with football converts and we still have to wait and see. I think the best thing for all concerned is to eliminate him from your long term planning and only see his progress as a cherry on top. IF, if it all turns rosy and he clicks at some stage this year or the next he would be such a fantastic addition to this team of the future. He is just what we need in many ways long term. But if it doesn't work out that way, we keep looking and developing and looking and developing.

Luke Tapscott; obviously I can't say much without him at least completing training let alone playing. But the choice based on what the FD hopes to groom him into is inspiring. Geelong play just fine without Chapman even in the team. But when he is on fire by dinky they are close to unstoppable. Tappy really looks like that kind of player to me. But lets start with training first shall we?

Aaron Davey; only needs to keep on keeping on. I agree that some kind of niggle has limited his game time somewhat this year but I also think that is a tactic to keep him as fresh as possible. It may take him some time to get used to that but I agree with the notion of having him be a burst player who always has enough in the tank to take on everyone as he enjoys to do. These short passes are just a phase, he will snap out of it. I think many of us always wanted but perhaps didn't realistically think he could get as far as he has, so I have faith in him to continue learning about his game his whole career. He's a bright lad with a lot of determination but maybe just a smidgen too much pressure on himself.

Max Gawn; another very long term prospect but IMHO a bargain in the draft. Just hope such an extended period of time out of the game doesn't put him too far behind the 8 ball. Lot to like though. Did I hear goal kicking 208cm ruckman that can take a nice grab? If only half (which I know is actually a lot) of our long term prospects pan out, it really is giddy stuff.

Neville Jetta; which poster on here last year said roughly "the reason he suits our team so well is he is instantly looking to play on when he gets the ball"? I started noticing it more and more after reading that and its so true. He is an intelligent user, knows where the goals are, tackles extremely well (TIIIIIMBER, down goes Sandilands, a jumping up and down on the sofa giggling like a 12 yr old schoolgirl moment for me) and can play multiple roles. But by gum where does he fit into the team? Like so many is going to have to really fight and claw for a spot, but he has steely determination in his eyes and I rate his chances above some others. Little street fighter kind of player.

Mark Jamar; patience paying off is not something we are used to at the MFC, so its nice to have one go our way for a change. I always had a soft spot for him as a person (we have the same beard) but rarely as a player. Another who always had that look of determination but I just never thought he had the skills. I'm glad to say how wrong I was. Might I suggest he can get better? What was once seemingly unco-ordinated leaps that never seemed to be timed right are now somewhat revolutionizing gorilla tap work. He is deft with his hands and seems to have more a few different plays in his arsenal and due to his rather unorthodox, often rather horizontal body work, he demands first use. His only obstacle maybe the umpires, who have been heard to discuss him leaping into to other ruckmen too much. Everything he has been doing is within the rules as long as his eyes are on the footy which they have been. But that never stopped Gieschen or anyone else constantly fiddling with the rule set.

Jamie Bennell; cops a pretty rough dose on this site. Has shown great diversity and talent under pressure. With the right mentoring will develop down the Davey path I think. Makes some mistakes which is understandable and perhaps needs to work on his awareness a little but i thought the same way about Aaron at his stage. Could float through the wing more as his engine increases. One day it will all gel for him and everyone will be talking about that game. But hopefully he can give us more than just that.

Rohan Bail; the surprise packet of 2010. The more of these later 'gamble' kind of picks that come good, the longer and stronger our dominance in the next few years will be. He is a smart and quick mover of the ball with a solid frame. Could be the one putting the most pressure on Bartram long term as I see him being a quality rebounding tagger in the future. Jones will also eventually be in this category I think.

Sam Blease; is an unknown for me. Sure I've seen the clips but like all of us can't really form any kind of opinion. See his style of play suiting us but isn't it nice to be in a position at the moment where if worst comes to worst and he never really gets there, we aren't lacking. Wish him all the luck in the world but not needed just yet.

James Strauss; was a great choice based on his reputation and potential. Haven't seen it yet but again that's not a major worry. He has plenty of time to find his feet and work on some form. But IF, if he can be as accurate a kick as his reputation says in the big time, and IF, if he can match the pace of AFL and find composure and time then and only then would he be perfect to take Grimes' position at HBF pushing old Frank into the midfield where as I previously said he would be best suited.

Jack Fitzpatrick; a complete unknown but potentially his speed and athleticism will suit our plan so his best chance is to focus on his gut running to be able to lead and lead and lead all day then still be able to push hard up the ground and cut back faster than his opponent when its kicked over there heads into an open forward line. Does seem a bit unco to me, but i'll cut the kid plenty of slack and evaluate him at a more appropriate stage.

Jordie McKenzie; potentially has a very bright future but will have to remember that like his skipper, he is going to have to be the courageous, determined, self motivating kind of player most of the time to keep his spot. Personally i think he can do it and Jnr is going to help him as much as possible but talent wise he is a little behind the 8 ball. Apart from tackles, his true stats aren't going to be on Champion Data. But we'll notice them.

Jake Spencer; had a blinder at the intraclub match. Really impressed me. Gave me hope for him. Can't say a whole heap more than that coz he's young and mostly untested. But seems to be a ruckman, no more no less.

WOW, that was exhausting. I'm thick skinned so don't be afraid to tear the whole thing to shreds if you see fit. Intelligent debate would be preferred of course.

I was going to finish with my best 22 but is just too hard and determinate on too many things. Our strength is our flexibility as a group of 30 odd players, not 22.

And that is cause for celebration. Enjoy the ride. Carn the Dee's!!

[Adzman 2,154]

Great effort on the post. Honest account of each player so far.

I had almost forgotten that Belly was on our list. The forgotten man at the moment.

I also have some questions regarding Addam Maric. Was drafted with so much promise, and apparently was lethal by foot. I see the promise, but that strong kick that held him slightly higher than many other draftees seem to have all but faded in and out of his games.

He will maybe get a reprieve this year and play on next. But surely after 2011 he will have had to have made it or will be shown the door.

[Tony Tea 2,809]

Nice work.

Even with the rose-tinted beer goggles.

[MrReims 322]

Nice work.

Even with the rose-tinted beer goggles.

I'ts hard to hide the love sometimes

[Red Sox 2]

Good and honest summary all round.....agree with Miller, deserves another shot during the year (a last shot)...puts his heart and soul into it but may not be up to it? Too good for VFL level and would be interesting on a nice sunny day to see him and Jack Watts alternating between the hit up forward and full forward.

Think you undersold Jordie just slightly....yes he will build his reputation as a Junior Mac type (yes, Junior writes his own ticket for retirement - THE MOST UNDER RATED PLAYER/SKIPPER/MIDFIELDER in the game) but IMO I think Jordie's straight ahead approach and long kicking (this has been evident many times) will see his skills be possibly rated higher than Junior's.

[Guest Thomo]

Great work, except for the use of the word "funsies".

[Vagg 2,439]

Mr Reims, you obviously put a lot of thought and work into that. I, personally, can't find too much in it to argue about.

Well done!

And, Go Dees...!!

[dee-luded 2,959]

Where did you come up with all this crap, Reims? ... LOL.

No seriously, I think the same as you almost to the full stops, But I couldn't word it as well as you can. I love it.

Isn't it exciting, but we still need to keep building & refreshing the list, year by year.

Great read Mr Reims, thanks for your hard work, & I hope you ease those stomach issues.

[Daryl Keith 39]

Well done.

[Eth 4]

Great post.

[joeboy 3,166]

Great job , pretty much nailed everyone IMO

[Steamin Demon 392]

I'ts hard to hide the love sometimes

We all feel the love, Great post

[angryfijian 25]

Kudos to you. It was a great read.

[4jacks 0]

top stuff, well done.

[Great_little_footy_team 8]

Felt I had to congratulate you on the post. Would have taken a lot of effort and wanted to let you know I appreciate it, a great read.

I also found myself agreeing with everything you wrote. A really level headed post which is the opposite of a lot of stuff which is put in here (really good to see). Agreed mostly on the Bartram and Miller points.

I've never been a fan of Barts but all year I've been shocked with the contribution he has given us, what you said pretty much sums up my point.

And yeah, Miller deserves a last crack and with the form he's showing it has to be this week. If not now, when? He is one of the worrying players who has shown something in the past and would just love to see him come through.

Great post mate, keep it up.

[Johnny Karate 559]

Great job and a good read. Without wanting to be a smartarse though - Did you deliberately not write assessments of John Meesen and Daniel Hughes?

[H_T 3,049]

- done. Talented list clogger. See Daniel Bell with less emotion.

Stretching the truth Mr Reims. Didn't quote the player's name, don't have to.

Regardless, good state of affairs.

[MrReims 322]

Great job and a good read. Without wanting to be a smartarse though - Did you deliberately not write assessments of John Meesen and Daniel Hughes?

Meesen yes, didn't feel there was anything to say, Hughes I just forgot. I'll edit later....