Neil Craig's departure has unleashed the team's potential. I remember Craig as a player and never thought he was much chop as a coach. Hasn't had any discernible impact for us. What does the guy actually do?

What sort of 'impact' were you expecting from our Director of Sports performance in the five months he's been in the job?

Improvement?

Who is responsible for our improvement though? Neeld? Craig? Misson? The players?

We just softened them up last week.

And gold coast is winning so we are still off the bottom. Has it really come to this.

Sanderson killing it. Great.

So essentially Ned, you are creating a thread under the auspices of a game between the Cats and Crows, but in actual fact it is designed to have a shot at another member of our football department. I always thought Essendon had a hold on the title of "ferals" (supporters) that turn on their own at the drop of a hat... but I think we may be fast overtaking them.

Maybe Craig built them to this point and Sanderson and co. are reaping the benefits whilst Craig and Neeld at Melbourne are suffering under the pathetic efforts of their forebears

West Sydney up by 3.

At the moment we're bottom.

And now GWS have hit the front in the last qtr against GC, so we may soon be stone cold last...

Edit... Just pipped me HG

Yep, we can now claim last spot... and we don't even need to tank at this point.

  On 12/05/2012 at 05:37, deejammin said:

Maybe Craig built them to this point and Sanderson and co. are reaping the benefits whilst Craig and Neeld at Melbourne are suffering under the pathetic efforts of their forebears

Oh really!? I don't think so - have a look at the Crows in the last few Craig years. Craig's appointment to MFC was just a case of following a new (and wrong IMO) trendy older mentor idea probably started by the Malthouse/Buckley original plan.

GWS win.

  On 12/05/2012 at 06:21, Hardnut said:

Oh really!? I don't think so - have a look at the Crows in the last few Craig years. Craig's appointment to MFC was just a case of following a new (and wrong IMO) trendy older mentor idea probably started by the Malthouse/Buckley original plan.

With his experience and background, Craig is effectively head of the FD and all that goes with it. Mentoring Neeld is a fairly small part of it I would have thought. The Matt Burgan interview gives good insight into his role and input.

Not to mention, the big difference with Malthouse/Buckley was that Buckley was assistant. At MFC, it's reversed, Neeld is the senior coach. Essendon aren't doing too badly with Thompson having a quiet word in Hird's ear, and as for GWS, you'd almost say Williams was the coach with Sheedy in the "mentor" role.

Just saying. As long as it can work, the more expertise the better I would have thought, especially these days.

  On 12/05/2012 at 06:21, Hardnut said:

Oh really!? I don't think so - have a look at the Crows in the last few Craig years. Craig's appointment to MFC was just a case of following a new (and wrong IMO) trendy older mentor idea probably started by the Malthouse/Buckley original plan.

Weren't the Crows reknowned as the fittest team in the league under Craig? I find it hard to believe that before the NAB cup, in the space of almost 2 months a bad team was miraculously changed into a good one by only the change of coach, they have a mature, fit list that was underperforming and with a bit of luck injury wise has turned the corner, I certainly don't think Craig was 'holding them back'..

  On 12/05/2012 at 05:37, deejammin said:

Maybe Craig built them to this point and Sanderson and co. are reaping the benefits whilst Craig and Neeld at Melbourne are suffering under the pathetic efforts of their forebears

....eeer ....that would be Bailey?

Neil Craig is an assett to the club. Make no mistake. He knew it was time to stop coaching, but he is still a very smart mind.

  On 12/05/2012 at 07:19, deejammin said:

Weren't the Crows reknowned as the fittest team in the league under Craig? I find it hard to believe that before the NAB cup, in the space of almost 2 months a bad team was miraculously changed into a good one by only the change of coach, they have a mature, fit list that was underperforming and with a bit of luck injury wise has turned the corner, I certainly don't think Craig was 'holding them back'..

deejammin', with respect, we have to agree to disagree on Craig holding the Crows back.

WYL, with respect, Craig is a very smart mind, but not an asset to MFC.

MFC needs football minds and footballers, not superfit athletes (eg the Trent Croad style experiment).

  On 12/05/2012 at 07:51, Hardnut said:

deejammin', with respect, we have to agree to disagree on Craig holding the Crows back.

WYL, with respect, Craig is a very smart mind, but not an asset to MFC.

MFC needs football minds and footballers, not superfit athletes (eg the Trent Croad style experiment).

Yes we will disagree on that point.

  On 12/05/2012 at 07:51, Hardnut said:

deejammin', with respect, we have to agree to disagree on Craig holding the Crows back.

WYL, with respect, Craig is a very smart mind, but not an asset to MFC.

MFC needs football minds and footballers, not superfit athletes (eg the Trent Croad style experiment).

Happy to agree to disagree, however, Adelaide were a bizarre team last year, they started the season flogging Hawthorn, had a few great wins and also some bad losses, the form of Tippett and Walker and injuries to key players held them back far more than Craig I would think

  On 12/05/2012 at 07:32, Wadda We Sing said:

....eeer ....that would be Bailey?

Weird huh? Maybe he is better as an assistant, maybe Adelaide has a better list, maybe he has no input in recruiting, greater sceme game plan and player psyche and that helps Adelaide? Or maybe our club just sucks the life out of everything it touches.