Eighteen teams are going to make the 8 next year.

Eighteen teams are going to make the 8 next year.

or die trying!!

I think Carlton may become the new distraction. If I'm correct, Ratten will be the third-longest serving coach (meaning at their current club) with only Worsfold and Clarkson serving longer. And both of them have won a premiership as coach. If Carlton doesn't make top 4, there will be massive pressure on the club.

I think the spotlight will be on:

- Buckley in his first season without Malthouse to bail him out and without two of his highly qualified assistants

- Hird in his second year; if the Bummers stumble, it will start to hit the fan

- Ratten if it gets to a point where it is looking like the Blues won't make the top 4

- Freo will be feeling the heat from day one because of the way they went about recruiting Lyon

- Scully will be under serious scrutiny early in the season; moreso if he is given the captaincy

- like Scully, Clark will be under some scrutiny early on, simply because of the size of the offer to get him to the club

... Games will be earned on merit alone under Neeld, i dont think he is one for, games into the kids, see if he can play yadda yadda

Bate was seen as worth more than 39 in Neelds eyes, so was going nowhere for less than this, lets hope he can bring what he did in the VFL to the AFL.

With his big body he may be the one nobody expects to benefit ...

Agree totally. Admit I've changed the last sentence of this quote by missing the bit about Bate as a forward. I wanted to make the point that I don't see Neeld as just working out who are our 8 best mids and scattering them around the midfield slots. I expect him to develop a midfield TEAM, where players will have roles and will combine in the most effective way, so that "the whole is more than the sum of the parts".

It's this that brings guys like Bate, and maybe Tapscott & Jetta, into the frame, not because they're one of our 8 (or whatever number) "best mids", but because they might be seen to add essential qualities to the mix which would otherwise be missing, such as physical presence & grit & tackling pressure.

I reckon the spotlight will be on us next year cause we'll be awsome.

Its not just Clark we are getting from this 600k. Its the ability to free up watts, jurrah and even Martin - thats the real value of this trade i believe. Its almost like picking up 2 extra guns if this move can allow jurrah and watts to get the lesser defenders. The knock on effect of obtaining Clark could be very beneficial.

Correct , add in Howe, because of these points the money we are paying, is in some respects, irrelevant. We got what we were most lacking

Any club with uncontracted players who have not been bent over by GWS already, will endlessly discuss their immanent deflowering.

Richmond will have Malthouse lurking to take over if Hardwick stumbles ( or even if he doesn't)...

Collingwood may find the magic of the past two seasons deserts them...

West Coast back to the pack as the older players struggle.

Brissies woes takes Voss to the edge.

Blues to realise last year was as high as this group will take them and start to eat themselves.

Hope Harrington, Neeld and co know what they're doing with Bate - I can't see it, but defer to their greater knowledge. Other than that, a bloody outstanding trade week.

I don't think Bate knows what Bate is doing with Bate.

We've had our annus horribilus and now things are on the up.

I thought 2008 was that...

Then 186 happened.

Don' count your chickens.

Its not just Clark we are getting from this 600k. Its the ability to free up watts, jurrah and even Martin - thats the real value of this trade i believe. Its almost like picking up 2 extra guns if this move can allow jurrah and watts to get the lesser defenders. The knock on effect of obtaining Clark could be very beneficial.

Amen to that Munga.....

And we will all have our fingers and toes crossed that this is exactly what happens. Huge hope for great possibilities.

Time will tell on all of it of course, but the glass seems to be half full, at least at this time of year!!!

Its not just Clark we are getting from this 600k. Its the ability to free up watts, jurrah and even Martin - thats the real value of this trade i believe. Its almost like picking up 2 extra guns if this move can allow jurrah and watts to get the lesser defenders. The knock on effect of obtaining Clark could be very beneficial.

I think that has to be part of the plan, along with the structural change making it more difficult for us to be beaten up as we were by the bigger bodied sides last year. Changes the whole dynamic of the forward set up and I hope Clark has really sharp elbows in the packs. Doesn't however solve the problem of us being able to get the ball down to that area more often.

Maybe a belief in theory "What gets measured gets done" by the coach will see our onballers being made more accountable for greater output, inconjunction with the contribution to increase their engine size by our new fitness man. I also think/hope that being another year on, a number of the players will effect a body shape change like Frawley did and with the same results.

Maybe with Clark down there it gives our mids a getout kick. Geelong used this often, when they were under extreme pressure they just kicked long into the forward line and hoped. The getout kick ability gives the mids a bit more confidence as they can under pressure roost it instead of going round in ever decreasing handball circles.

With a big body in the forward line comes confidence and worries for the opposition defence.

Having Clark gives us a couple of extra bodies down there as all the forwards move down a defender.

If the Tigers aren't pushing for finals next year or in fact make it , the spotlight will go to them

With their reputation ( right or wrong ) for sacking coaches they could get themselves into a no-win situation .

And then there is the Malthouse factor ( though I doubt he'll coach again )

And we'll be happily chuggng along racking up those wins !!

Spoke too soon.. I think you might have done, Yoda.

Argh I suck at geek talk.

If the Tigers aren't pushing for finals next year or in fact make it , the spotlight will go to them

With their reputation ( right or wrong ) for sacking coaches they could get themselves into a no-win situation .

And then there is the Malthouse factor ( though I doubt he'll coach again )

And we'll be happily chuggng along racking up those wins !!

Malthouse: I think he'll coach again after next year. Here in Melboubrne, IMO.

Tiges to finish 13thmond. And may look to Mick.

Heres my guess >

AFL-2012 H&A Ladder

1Collingwood

2Hawthorn

3W_Coast

4Carlton

5Geelong

6W_Bulldogs

7Sydney

8Fremantle

---------------

9St_Kilda

10Melbourne

11Adelaide

12Essendon

13Richmond

14Kangaroos

15Gold_Coast

16Brisbane

17P_Adelaide

18GWS

Malthouse: I think he'll coach again after next year. Here in Melboubrne, IMO.

Tiges to finish 13thmond. And may look to Mick.

Heres my guess >

AFL-2012 H&A Ladder

1Collingwood

2Hawthorn

3W_Coast

4Carlton

5Geelong

6W_Bulldogs

7Sydney

8Fremantle

---------------

9St_Kilda

10Melbourne

11Adelaide

12Essendon

13Richmond

14Kangaroos

15Gold_Coast

16Brisbane

17P_Adelaide

18GWS

Yeah , money talks and it will take a fair bit of coin to get Mick but ya never know .

Anything to take the spotlight away from our team will do - we need to win games more regularly to shut people up ( oh , and steer clear of power poles )

Spoke too soon.. I think you might have done, Yoda.

Argh I suck at geek talk.

These are october headlines, i don't think anyone will bother to remember soon. Nobody is lying in a coma on life support. Storm in a Herald Sun Teacup.