How long before Mark Neeld absolutely loses his [censored] in a press conference....

His presser after this will be the most interesting yet....

Round about now he must be wishing he was still at the Pies

Poor Neeldy now he will have no idea on his round 1 team. He may just have to draw names out of a hat.

We know we cant win in adelaide. Its not a great result but im not to worried. In 2 weeks we will be a different team and pumped for round 1. Well I hope so anyway.Geez I hope so.

Just 1 question. Were we to Mitch conscious and just kept bombing it in the foward line to him. I suspect oppposition teams will just double team him and again we will struggle to find a target. But I guess that a job for Leigh Brown and Mitch to work that out.

I don't know if it's the wrong mindset or the fact they're just not good enough. Our recruiting over the past 6 or 7 years appears to have been a total failure. Dunn, Bate, Morton, Maric, Strauss, Blease, Bennell, Jetta - Maric has already gone (and was a bust) and the rest of them will likely play out their careers at Melbourne in the VFL before being delisted, traded at the age of 25-26. This is 25% of our list and is only off the top of my head.

Others like Grimes and Gawn are perputually injured so anything out of them is a bonus.

Then you have guys like Davey & Sylvia who have what it takes but don't have the desire to become elite and will just plod along for the rest of their careers showing brilliane three or four games a year and making supporters pull out their hair for the other 18 games.

The Club Allows Guys like Sylvia & Davey to continue this...Would other clubs do it...it Could be a massive clean out come years end.

We reward average performances too much.

Sounds like Clark is pulling in everything this quarter. Pity he's kicking them out on the full now.

Mitch Clark is marking everything!!! Can't kick yet, but at least a POSITIVE!!!

Frawley, Jamar, Jones, Clark...that's actually it.

This year is starting to worry me a bit, I'll admit.

In every NAB Cup game we've been slaughtered in the possession count - Brisbane by over 50, Collingwood by over 50, Hawthorn by as many as you like and the same tonight!! Even Gold Coast beat us....

Our guys simply can't get the ball - not willing to put themselves at risk.... Our VFL side would show more...

I hope you are right mate. But we shouldnt be stressed out in a practice game vs Port dont you think?

I'm not as I know it will make a huge difference when we put our a team on the park. I'm Not saying we'll take all & sundry, but I expect us to start to play as you guys are hoping for in the Pre season.

When in reality Nelld wanr=ts us to Focus, not so much at this stage on the points but rather the Defensive structure we want to adhere to.

Remember when we take out the new players we have just put in, & building our New defence around, how that will unbalance everything. Sellar etc,,,

When we get our 1st choice side in, it will help enormously, as our depth of experience & srtrength is paper thin. so today we'll struggle until we put the A team out there.

* we have to be ready primed to start well in 2 weeks so we can get off the a reasonable start in the first 5 Rnds. >

The 2012 Draw

RD DATE OPPONENT VENUE H/A LOCAL TIME

1 Saturday, March 31 Brisbane Lions MCG Home 1:40pm

2 Saturday, April 7 West Coast Eagles Patersons Stadium Away 2:40pm

3 Saturday, April 14 Richmond MCG Away 1:45pm

4 Sunday, April 22 Western Bulldogs MCG Home 4:40pm

5 Saturday, April 28 St. Kilda MCG Home 7:40pm

We need to cherry ripe fitness wise & with belief for Rnd1.

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

After that it steps Up further. >

6 Saturday, May 5 Geelong Cats Simonds Stadium Away 1:45pm

7 Friday, May 11 Hawthorn MCG Home 7:50pm

8 Saturday, May 19 Sydney Swans SCG Away 4:40pm

9 Sunday, May 27 Carlton MCG Away 3:15pm

10 Saturday, June 2 Essendon MCG Away 7:40pm

11 Monday, June 11 Collingwood MCG Home 3:15pm

12 Bye

I heart Mitch Clark

I don't know if it's the wrong mindset or the fact they're just not good enough. Our recruiting over the past 6 or 7 years appears to have been a total failure. Dunn, Bate, Morton, Maric, Strauss, Blease, Bennell, Jetta - Maric has already gone (and was a bust) and the rest of them will likely play out their careers at Melbourne in the VFL before being delisted, traded at the age of 25-26. This is 25% of our list and is only off the top of my head.

Others like Grimes and Gawn are perputually injured so anything out of them is a bonus.

Then you have guys like Davey & Sylvia who have what it takes but don't have the desire to become elite and will just plod along for the rest of their careers showing brilliane three or four games a year and making supporters pull out their hair for the other 18 games.

Absolute fail. I said this 6 months ago and everyone went off their chops.

And giving away consecutive 50s as well now. They've just advanced 100m to get another goal. Surely this could send Neeldy nutso

Is anyone getting a weird sense of deja vu...

Blown away in the first quarter and then keeping a relative par for the rest of the match...

Only me?

In every NAB Cup game we've been slaughtered in the possession count - Brisbane by over 50, Collingwood by over 50, Hawthorn by as many as you like and the same tonight!! Even Gold Coast beat us....

Our guys simply can't get the ball - not willing to put themselves at risk.... Our VFL side would show more...

I don't think it is a matter of not getting the ball. It seems while the opposition are stringing possessions together, hitting up players etc, we are either being forced or by design just banging it long to a contest far too often.

The Club Allows Guys like Sylvia & Davey to continue this...Would other clubs do it...it Could be a massive clean out come years end.

We reward average performances too much.

At least Bennell and Jetta weren't high picks, anything we get out of them is a bonus. Our drafting higher up the order on the other hand......

Well at least no one can blame JW.

He may well have pulled a stomach muscle from too much laughter

Mitch Clark is marking everything!!! Can't kick yet, but at least a POSITIVE!!!

Unfortunately he has never been able to kick. First thing I thought of when we drafted him. Will fit in well with the other spuds that cant kick and havent improved.

Commentator quote - "we say that Melbourne have no depth, but they aren't competitive either."

That's what you like to hear.

Missing from Port :

Alipate Carlile

Mitch Banner

Brett Ebert

Hamish Hartlett

Cam Hitchcock

Andrew Moore

David Rodan

Steven Salopek

oh.... and their Captain.... Dom Cassisi

PLAYERS OUT MAKES NO EXCUSE FOR POOR EFFORT!!

No your wrong. It's not which players they have out because they're playing well, so they're inclusions won't make as much of a difference. (small further improvement)

But when we are closer to full strength team we'll improve quite a bit. (we have a lot of improvement to come from the selection table alone, let alone the confidance).

I don't think it is a matter of not getting the ball. It seems while the opposition are stringing possessions together, hitting up players etc, we are either being forced or by design just banging it long to a contest far too often.

Do I smell a dislike for our new game plan already!

FIGHT!

Butcher has downed Sylvia (not Davis) They're thinking Butcher is in trouble. Sylvia being stretchered off. Should be fine (they say).

The boys went in and let Butcher have it and Boak hit a couple. The commentators want the game to end now so there is no more fights....

Edited March 16, 201213 yr by Dee-licious

No your wrong. It's not which players they have out because they're playing well, so they're inclusions won't make as much of a difference. (small further improvement)

But when we are closer to full strength team we'll improve quite a bit. (we have a lot of improvement to come from the selection table alone, let alone the confidance).

Mate I would tell you to take off the rose coloured glass but it is 10.09 at night

Butcher's just taken out Davis. The boys are into it. Sylvia may as well have a go, he's not playing Round 1 anyway.

Worst thing about them is the way they've simply surrendered at the end of the game.

I predict some of the club's former big names won't be lining up against Brisbane in Round 1.

No your wrong. It's not which players they have out because they're playing well, so they're inclusions won't make as much of a difference. (small further improvement)

But when we are closer to full strength team we'll improve quite a bit. (we have a lot of improvement to come from the selection table alone, let alone the confidance).

So basically what you are saying is that the side we have out on the park tonight are basically just a rabble that would not a get a gig in any other side... And all our good players are in the stands....

Interesting....

I am just of the opinion that we are many years off being any good, and a fair bit of list management is required before we get to that stage....