In all the doom and gloom I've come up with some glass half full positives... can anyone think of more?

1) We're not sliding down a million positions on the ladder like St Kilda. I'd hate to be a St Kilda fan right now.

2) After a looong wait Jack Watts is finally consistently proving his potential

3) Our membership is at an all time high and debt has been wiped

4) Jack Viney

5) Improvements in players like Bail, Tapscott, Martin, Maric etc

6) Think how good we'll be when we get a decent coach (come on down Malthouse, Eade, Mark Williams, anyone etc)

7) We'll finally see the end of the mo and of Dunn when he gets shown the door at the end of the year (my prediction anyway)

8) The end of season cleanout of not quite good or hard enough players will be rather therapeutic

9) Who knows, scully might even stay. and worst case scenario, he wouldn't leave for nothing, we'd get a draft pick

10) Surely this makes it all the more positive when we reach the top 4 in 2013 rather than be handed success on a silver platter

One positive I would like to add is that we have played some awesome football this year in most games.

To list the best for each game.

Feisty comeback against Swans in 3rd qtr.

2nd quarter stunning charge from behind against Hawks.

Dominant all round game against GCS although patchy.

3rd quarter against Brisbane.

Break even 2nd quarter against WC way against the tide.

Awesome 4 quarter effort against Adelaide.

Awesome first quarter against NM.

The problem is the rest of our game has been mostly absolute junk of the lowest order. The talent is there. Upstairs and in the coaching box I'm not so sure.

My positive is the anger and sometimes crap that has filled these boards in recent times. (Hear me out)

In recent years during our bottoming out/rebuilding phase, it has just been expected that we will lose most games, and mostly, we did.

This year has given us a bigger expectancy from the club, and we enter most, if not all games with an expectancy to win, or at least be competetive.

Surely this means that we are improving.

The anger and rubbish that spills over into these threads is a direct result of passionate fans that are expecting more from our great club.

I think it is fantastic.

Would we all rather that no-one cared?

- Semmingly finding two great rookie stars in Evans and Nicholson

- The Tap

- Col Garland up until the injury

We have 3 and a half wins on the board.

Over the next 4-5 weeks we should see McKenzie, Scully, Trengove, Jamar, Rivers all come back into our team.

After they all should be back we will play Fremantle at the MCG, Richmond twice, Port Twice, Gold Coast, Western Bulldogs, West Coast at Etihad, Hawthorn Geelong and Carlton. I will back us to win 8 of those matches.

The next 4 weeks will be a struggle, hopefully we can supprise and pick up couple of wins but 1 would do, but our run home with the players coming back should be a positive.

- Semmingly finding two great rookie stars in Evans and Nicholson

Lol. You know you're struggling when you start calling as 'stars' two rookies who have not played a single game.

We have 3 and a half wins on the board.

Over the next 4-5 weeks we should see McKenzie, Scully, Trengove, Jamar, Rivers all come back into our team.

After they all should be back we will play Fremantle at the MCG, Richmond twice, Port Twice, Gold Coast, Western Bulldogs, West Coast at Etihad, Hawthorn Geelong and Carlton. I will back us to win 8 of those matches.

The next 4 weeks will be a struggle, hopefully we can supprise and pick up couple of wins but 1 would do, but our run home with the players coming back should be a positive.

Surely you jest? I can see 6 at best.

Jones

Garland

Bartram

Tapscott

Watts

Trenners

Moloney

Jamar

Sylvia

Jurrah

Martin

Stynes

Members

- Semmingly finding two great rookie stars in Evans and Nicholson

- The Tap

- Col Garland up until the injury

, I've just got myself up to watching the replay today after the disappointment of the loss, but most of all the negative talk and the scorn from most, made me thinkk it was horrendous. But I wen't through the game on replayslow mo-ing and replaying areas, & I found a lot to like in many things.

Firstly a couple of players were very good.

Sylvia had a great game working his butt off, going in hard crashing contests, hurt himself a couple of times and generally totally committed.

Davey worked hard inside & outside, tried his guts out to lead.

Green although out of form, you could see he's not far away.

Martin actually played very well in the Ruck, contested really hard and did some smart things. His work rate was good to see.

Newton played really well all game. He hit the scoreboard early, but in the ruck he contested really hard and was in No way disgraced. He banged bodies and did really well.

Maric had a relly good second half. He played with passion and composure, and deserved his 3 goals.

Warnock was excellent nullifying his opponent.

Frawley took another step, not only back towards his best form, But also in a leadership fashion.

Gysberts was at it all game, tackling and getting hurt a few times in his efforts, but didn't stop going in.

Garland showed both courage and committment to come back on injured for the team. A great effort of selflessness and courage.

Jones was a beauty all game.

Wattsy continues this years growth and his now committing to more contests and is showing his composure and intelligence. Is showing off his great potential and learning.

Some others were down on form and confidence, but all tried hard, especilly in the 2nd half. We ran out of rotations.

The issue of losses it appears to me, is mistakes made by inexperience, and the lacking coordination, lost by so many players not used to playing together, under AFL pressure.... A couple of bigger bodies and a bit of continuity surely will stand us in good stead.

I invite anyone to go sit down with the replay on and the sound down low, and screen the game with an anylytical eye, as if you were watching your apprentices collectively trying to achieve a big assignment.

It's not that far off, as many have been placating.

I was expecting the War of the Worlds,,, and I got a storm, with the sun shining through towards the End. Just a bit of Embarassment, and poor umpiring to our detriment.

- Semmingly finding two great rookie stars in Evans and Nicholson

... and perhaps Lawrence, and not to forget our pick 33, Howe. Sure, they haven't played a game, but are consistently amongst the best at Casey (cf., for example, Strauss), and are being touted as possible inclusions in the coming weeks. N

There has been some criticism around the place of Prendergast for not taking player X or player Y, but it's getting good picks lower down and in the rookies that is less obvious, and on the basis of the above, you'd have to say that the drafting has been very good.

If only Campbell hadn't done his archilles ...

Surely you jest? I can see 6 at best.

Oh I can see 8, maybe nine:

Fremantle at the G

Richmond x2

Port x 2 including an away game in Darwin

GC at the G

WC at Ethiad

Bulldogs at the G

Possibly Carlton at the G

as mentioned above

-the side has played brilliant periods in most games, like Davey said our problem is stringing four together

-supporter expectations have clearly skyrocketed to the point that our wins are classified as irrelevant and the fact we have had brilliant quarters like against the Hawks and North people say 'yeah but they just let us play like that', it signifies the bar has been raised

-right now, we are at a 50% win ratio which is roughly what we are aiming to be at the end of the year for a fourth consecutive ladder climb. No side is out of our reach if we can put together 4 quarters like the ones against Adelaide 4 qtrs, WC qtr2 Hawks qtr2, North qtr1 and of course the half against GC where we kicked 102 points

-we've been shafted with injuries

Jimmy and his minions, Cam and Chris