Did you watch Dunn's kickouts last week? First time we had a bloke kicking directly to a team mate and gaining between 40-60 metres each time, instead of the chip to the back pocket and then back to the goal square and then a turnover like we have seen for years.

It allowed us to get out of danger quickly and turn defence into attack.

He also can play back, forward and on the ball. He is very versatile.

No IMO Dunn is in the team.

Yes and I thought he was good, but my faith in Dunn is still next to zero. There is a reason I have referred to him as Lynden Dumm for a long time, yet again I hope he proves me wrong and flourishes under Roos, but excuse me for being extremely sceptical.

If anybody thinks Dunn will not be one of the first players picked in round 1 they are kidding themselves. So integral to Roos' plans...

If anybody thinks Dunn will not be one of the first players picked in round 1 they are kidding themselves. So integral to Roos' plans...

He's got the fitness and form to be straight in to round 1 but what bit about Dunn is integral?

He's proven time after time he's a dumb footballer. He's a good athlete with a nice mix of size, speed and skills. He can play on B grade forwards either tall or small which makes him handy. And he's a technically proficient kick who can kick short or very long. But as I said, very silly footballer. Mental mistakes with the ball, silly mistakes off the ball and soft moments attacking the ball.

If he plays to his best and minimises mistakes he will be a guy who gets picked every week. If not then Georgiou looks equally adept defensively and a much smarter player even if his kicking is limited. Once Garland comes back there will be competition between the mid size defenders.

So far Dunn's career can be summarized as being a guy who got picked in bad teams to fill gaping holes. Post Neitz no FF - ok Dunn can do it. No defensive forwards - ok Dunn can do it. No tagger - let's try Dunn. No medium back flankers besides Garland - oh let's give Dunn a try there. I'd really love to see him play some consistent good footy to justify the years of develop and opportunity that he's had.

Edited February 22, 201411 yr by the master

He's got the fitness and form to be straight in to round 1 but what bit about Dunn is integral?

He's proven time after time he's a dumb footballer. He's a good athlete with a nice mix of size, speed and skills. He can play on B grade forwards either tall or small which makes him handy. And he's a technically proficient kick who can kick short or very long. But as I said, very silly footballer. Mental mistakes with the ball, silly mistakes off the ball and soft moments attacking the ball.

If he plays to his best and minimises mistakes he will be a guy who gets picked every week. If not then Georgiou looks equally adept defensively and a much smarter player even if his kicking is limited. Once Garland comes back there will be competition between the mid size defenders.

So far Dunn's career can be summarized as being a guy who got picked in bad teams to fill gaping holes. Post Neitz no FF - ok Dunn can do it. No defensive forwards - ok Dunn can do it. No tagger - let's try Dunn. No medium back flankers besides Garland - oh let's give Dunn a try there. I'd really love to see him play some consistent good footy to justify the years of develop and opportunity that he's had.

I've always been a Dunn critic, but he may well thrive under Roos, a better midfield and clear structures.

Incorrect. He was training indoors yesterday at AAMI as part of his rehab and it's expected that he will be back in full training next week. Hopefully, he'll be available for the practice match v Hawthorn at Casey two weeks before the start of the season and if not, the Scorpions have a practice match the following week in which he would be eligible to play by virtue of his limited game time in the NAB Challenge and practice match period.

Ok thanks for the clarification.

Did you watch Dunn's kickouts last week? First time we had a bloke kicking directly to a team mate and gaining between 40-60 metres each time, instead of the chip to the back pocket and then back to the goal square and then a turnover like we have seen for years.

It allowed us to get out of danger quickly and turn defence into attack.

He also can play back, forward and on the ball. He is very versatile.

No IMO Dunn is in the team.

I agree. he's in the team.

& Roos if anyone, can help him to to become a better player.

Yes and I thought he was good, but my faith in Dunn is still next to zero. There is a reason I have referred to him as Lynden Dumm for a long time, yet again I hope he proves me wrong and flourishes under Roos, but excuse me for being extremely sceptical.

imo he has improved with the supporters putting the heat under his Rrrse. I think its helped to keep him sharp, & working hard.

he is also getting older & maturing, I guess..

I still don''t want to see him in a Demon September. I couldn't cope with the worry.

imo he has improved with the supporters putting the heat under his Rrrse. I think its helped to keep him sharp, & working hard.

he is also getting older & maturing, I guess..

I still don''t want to see him in a Demon September. I couldn't cope with the worry.

Getting fussy mate

Most of us would be happy to see anyone in a Demon September

Strauss was good with his disposal if he was in the clear, but was beaten for the ball in contests most of the time. That really worries me.

Terlich is hard, fast, but capable of the odd very bad clanger. Then again last week he wasn't alone.

Agree with this, the concept of Strauss in a hard close encounter or dare i say, final is a worry.

Agree with this, the concept of Strauss in a hard close encounter or dare i say, final is a worry.

But just as worrying is relying on Terlich, Grimes and Dunn to be the distributors from half back in a final.

Luckily I have a solution! Persist with those guys as well as Strauss depending on form whilst we improve as a side. Designate Bernie Vince and Watts in particular as midfielders who's job it is to float across half back to get involved in chains of disposal. Develop more midfield depth and then move one of the midfielders with top skills to half back like Sydney have done with Jarrad McVeigh. I actually think this is in Roos' plan for Vince. If he gives us a couple of years of his best tough in close midfield footy he can then be transitioned to the half back flank to play on a lesser forward and be the distributor.

This year is his year to learn about AFL and training etc but another option I'd be fully supportive off would be to move Salem to half back from next year. Beautiful kick, left footed which we desperately need at half back and likes the hard physical stuff so wouldn't be out of place in the backline.

like dunny , always have , loose cannon sometimes but he is a goer and great kick tough and takes no [censored] , a lot of moaning on here about an elbow to a tiger phhht suck it up we need that don't we girls ?

like dunny , always have , loose cannon sometimes but he is a goer and great kick tough and takes no [censored] , a lot of moaning on here about an elbow to a tiger phhht suck it up we need that don't we girls ?

Tough? Cheap shots don't make a player tough. Dunn has shown a tendency not to go when required in the past. Cheap shots like the elbow were his forte, such acts are only considered tough by the clueless

Getting fussy mate

Most of us would be happy to see anyone in a Demon September

... yes.... but I want us to Win, & Dom Iinate.

like dunny , always have , loose cannon sometimes but he is a goer and great kick tough and takes no [censored] , a lot of moaning on here about an elbow to a tiger phhht suck it up we need that don't we girls ?

tough?

dropping the head going for marks? losing composure with the ball under pressure at the boundary? soft efforts under the pump? won't put the head over the hard ball?

lets see if he'll change his spots for scales.

But just as worrying is relying on Terlich, Grimes and Dunn to be the distributors from half back in a final.

Luckily I have a solution! Persist with those guys as well as Strauss depending on form whilst we improve as a side. Designate Bernie Vince and Watts in particular as midfielders who's job it is to float across half back to get involved in chains of disposal. Develop more midfield depth and then move one of the midfielders with top skills to half back like Sydney have done with Jarrad McVeigh. I actually think this is in Roos' plan for Vince. If he gives us a couple of years of his best tough in close midfield footy he can then be transitioned to the half back flank to play on a lesser forward and be the distributor.

This year is his year to learn about AFL and training etc but another option I'd be fully supportive off would be to move Salem to half back from next year. Beautiful kick, left footed which we desperately need at half back and likes the hard physical stuff so wouldn't be out of place in the backline.

show us the pecking order of class in our defenders, re use of the ball.

that'll show which should disappear first, as we grow.

show us the pecking order of class in our defenders, re use of the ball.

that'll show which should disappear first, as we grow.

Ok you are on:

1. Garland

2 Grimes

3 Frawley

4 McDonald

5. Dunn

6 Georgiou

7 Pederson

8 Terlich

9. Clisby

I admit I have not seen enough of Georgiou to rate him, but the South Australians who have seem to say although his style is not pretty he rarely misses targets and seems to have plenty of space and time.

Edited February 22, 201411 yr by Dees2014

McDonald can be a terrible kick, certainly worse than Dunn.

The premise is wrong - McDonald importance has nothing to do with his terrible foot skills, it is in spite of it. That is how good his one on one work is and that is how good his endurance running is - you can't just line up and pick players based on their foot skills.

Generalisations are easy to poke holes in.

I agree the effectiveness of defenders is far greater than simply disposal eg spoiling and have others do the crumbling, but if we are to develop an elite defensive unit it is still important. For example, Strauss is said to have great kicking skills, and his style is great , but he so often misses targets and is beaten in one on one contests more often than not. Georgiou has an ungamely kicking style but seems to be rarely beaten one on one, or caught in general play. I know who I would prefer " in the trenches"

Leaving war analogies to one side - we have seen Georgiou once against AFL competition.

We are discussing some very limited footballers here.

Garland, Frawley, McDonald, and Grimes are the solid foundation.

Dunn is there on form and competence.

Strauss, Terlich, Clisby, Georgiou, and Nicholson are fighting one or possibly two spots depending on match ups, injury, and midfield rotation.

There are question marks on all 5 at the moment, good luck to them in the couple of weeks.

Leaving war analogies to one side -

His innocuous war analogy perfectly summed up his position. It was apt and appropriate.

Georgiou is hardly a limited footballer

I'm staring to get the feeling that the Russian May retire this year. Clearly his body is failing him in terms of playing AFL.

Biind freddy could see he was struggling probably was cooked and having little impact yet we gave him 4 year contract

tough?

dropping the head going for marks? losing composure with the ball under pressure at the boundary? soft efforts under the pump? won't put the head over the hard ball?

lets see if he'll change his spots for scales.

Deluded! he has been better than most in the team over the horror stretch he will have agreat year!

Biind freddy could see he was struggling probably was cooked and having little impact yet we gave him 4 year contract

3 year contract

His innocuous war analogy perfectly summed up his position. It was apt and appropriate.

That's fine.

My aside was innocuous too, I am not about to judge people on their use of well trodden cliche.