I thought he was much better this week, but that's just me.

Yes, he made skill errors, but god he is hardly alone.

Did some clever things, and took them on with a bit of confidence. I really liked seeing him and Sylvia combine through the middle.

If you want to talk about clangers-galore, how about Daniel Ward? Not only can he not kick, he has no idea where his opponent is either.

Bate does have an ability to get Lazy, I wrote about this last year before he got his opportunity. I gave him a blast last year @ Sandy from the sidelines (as he had spent 2 - 3 games playing 'outside' waiting to be fed the easy pill) & he lifted his attitude the next couple of matches & was promoted. The time has come for him to learn his lesson & go back for a couple of games min' & promote Pettard...

he is a great talent, who needs the right coaches to lead him and develop him

And God know we dont have them

Spot-on 'Yze_Magic'.

But this is what happens isn't it......

Balanced and perceptive view QueenC... Bate will reward us in time and those of us who have seen something in him that we like can look on with a knowing smirk. Keep up the good posts mate!

Yeh, no doubt at all Bater would be playing at Sandy at the moment if we had a list. Icdeally you send him back for a couple of weeks to work on some areas - particularly hardness and decision making. But he is young and definitely doesn't lack endeavour, so I think people should give him a bit more of a fair go.

The time has come for him to learn his lesson & go back for a couple of games min' & promote Pettard...

you're right, ordinarily this would take place. however this aint no ordinary situation.

bate will play next week, simply because there is no one else. He is a good kid and will be a good player, currently he is struggling, and we dont have the luxury of boosting his confidence at a lower level.

Petterd will play next week, that is a given, but so too will bate.

in an ideal world he would go back to sandy for a few weeks to gain some confidence and bounce back

but unfortunately we dont have that luxury

he will get better and will be a good player for us

Thats right condemned but the kid learns the wrong things (when he doesn't put the body on the line when it's his turn & gets away with it.) He must go back & fight for a spot again. It's just too hard to get out of this team & thats the reason the Dees are so soft.

But this is what happens isn't it......

A player has a form slump (which happens, as hard as it is for some of us to come to terms with), or loses his confidence (honestly, who wouldn't right now?), or simply has a bad day (being human, in a bad team right now, is not a crime) and he is suddenly a dud who should be shot in the street instead of supported and nurtured until he again shows the form we expect of and want to see from him.

This happens time and time again.

Bate will be a fine player for the Demons but what he needs is some time and experience to grow into the role.

This is unfortunately but obviously something way to many supporters aren't willing to give players these days. And there are plenty of examples over recent years. As others have said he is very young, and it is way to early to pass such extreme judgement on him and not auction off the future. But he has still showed a hell of a lot more in what we have seen than some of the much older seasoned vets out there.

Is there room for improvement? Of course, as it is with most players, but especially those of his age and experience, and just for what its worth, I don't think all players automatically fall into the "superstar" or "dud" catagory. Most are in between and have to work (some harder than others) at the skills we expect to see from them every week. The problem is, the minute we don't like exectly what we see we jump and look for the kill.

Could Bate do with a run at Sandy to regain some of what he has lost? Probably. But with the injuries we are carrying that is just not likely to happen

He has to.

And lastly does this mean I accept mediocrity, as is the war cry against those of us who don't automatically bay for peoples blood after a bad loss?

No, but I am also willing to support the players, and accept that they are still human and make mistakes and give them some time to come good.

He's really struggled for 3.5 matches, during which he's run @ opponents who had the ball & failed to takle, etc, etc.

Besides, I didn't think he was all that bad today anyway.

No wonder when he's named on the emergencies & then copps a rev up at half time.

Should be put down back and taught how to play accountable footy. 191cm handy size, learn the game from down back, accountable and running straight at it would of been a good match up for Tarrent when Bell went down. Sometimes with kids you have to take them out of their comfrt zone so they can be educated at this level. At the moment he doesn't no what a one on one contest is or accountability and hates the hard footy. Some time done back could be good for him give him a job.

Should be put down back and taught how to play accountable footy. 191cm handy size, learn the game from down back, accountable and running straight at it would of been a good match up for Tarrent when Bell went down. Sometimes with kids you have to take them out of their comfrt zone so they can be educated at this level. At the moment he doesn't no what a one on one contest is or accountability and hates the hard footy. Some time done back could be good for him give him a job.

Agreed Dr, but he should learn that @ sandy, remember last season with Jonesy playing in defence on numerous occaisions, worked well for him...

I know his loved by alot of members ans supporters, but im sorry to say his a shocker!! His decision making is terrible, he butches the ball everytime he gets a kick.. If if gets a game in our fittest 22 im be stuffed.. He looks lazy and slow and i dont think i`ve seen him play defensive on a player.. I know his a in and under type player and hasnt got the skill as some stars, but i couldnt see him improving our side or to be a premership player.. Still young and may get better but i doubt he could ever be a great player. Weve got enough players that could do his role and be damaging that bate.. Bit harsh and i hope he can improve, but i dont think his AFL standands..

he's a bloody kid, give him a break, he will be a good player

Thats right condemned but the kid learns the wrong things (when he doesn't put the body on the line when it's his turn & gets away with it.) He must go back & fight for a spot again. It's just too hard to get out of this team & thats the reason the Dees are so soft.

THere is nothing wrong with your philosophy, but i dont get why you cant understand that we are in dire circumstances at the moment, and we dont have the depth to cover for dropping him.

THis week we could conceivably lose whelan, brown, jones. Say bell and wheatley with his one arm get up, and that TJ with his hammy and moloney with his OP dont get up, who do you replace those 3 with? Rivers may play. Petterd will play. CJ will play. Who else? Ferguson? Not up to it. Warnock? not up to it. Newton? He'll get eaten by the swans. Buckley? I'd rather Bate play than debut 2 guys at once against one of the best 2 teams in the last 2 years.

We dont have the numbers at the moment to be dropping people. If we get 25 fit men to play this week it will be a minor miracle.

Balanced and perceptive view QueenC... Bate will reward us in time and those of us who have seen something in him that we like can look on with a knowing smirk. Keep up the good posts mate!

Thanks Wayne !!!

Could Bate do with a run at Sandy to regain some of what he has lost? Probably. But with the injuries we are carrying that is just not likely to happen

He has to.

He's really struggled for 3.5 matches, during which he's run @ opponents who had the ball & failed to takle, etc, etc.

I said that he should have a run at Sandy dee'viator, but I also said that I am not sure that he will be afforded that luxury with the current injury toll we have.

We are dealing with a very imperfect situation where the logical choice may not be quite that easy to make.

That said I hope he does get the chance to find some confidence soon as I also believe that in time he will be valuable.

Stats irrelevant.

I dont think we can afford to drop him, at least he works hard. Give it 6 weeks and i highly doubt he will be playing.

19 touches seems pretty relevant to me. He tried VERY hard. And is slowly improving on some BAD form. Stay with him. When he's actually given something to KICK to, he might look better. What kind of future do we have when our better youth aren't even getting a game? In six weeks he'll have the quality around him to improve sharply.

He keeps at it, and doesn't turn it up. Where are the senior players who should be showing him how it's done? Either injured or stuffing it up themselves. Give him time and he will come good - especially when he's got good leaders around him. Unfortunately, there are far too few of them - even with a full list available. And a mediocre, unidimensional coach in charge.

He needs to go back to Sandy for a few weeks.

Agreed. No doubt he'd be there if we didn't have 1/3 of our best team out injured.

Matty Bate still has the same future he had 4 weeks ago.

Well said.

Matty Bate will be a sensational player.

I'm not sure about that, but it's certainly tough to write him off already.

19 touches seems pretty relevant to me. He tried VERY hard. And is slowly improving on some BAD form. Stay with him. When he's actually given something to KICK to, he might look better. What kind of future do we have when our better youth aren't even getting a game? In six weeks he'll have the quality around him to improve sharply.

19 touches to Adem yze in round 1 wasnt relevant, when u were gettin stuck into him.....

he has plenty to kick too... but the fact is he cant kick... and he has to work on in....

i dont think we are writing him off.... but just sayin he is basically crap at the moment.... his clanger and critical error count is as high as anyone on the team.... maybe he needa melb to win to be abit more confident...

give him a few more....

no improvment ... and i will write him off for this year. not for the future

I know his loved by alot of members ans supporters, but im sorry to say his a shocker!! His decision making is terrible, he butches the ball everytime he gets a kick.. If if gets a game in our fittest 22 im be stuffed.. He looks lazy and slow and i dont think i`ve seen him play defensive on a player.. I know his a in and under type player and hasnt got the skill as some stars, but i couldnt see him improving our side or to be a premership player.. Still young and may get better but i doubt he could ever be a great player. Weve got enough players that could do his role and be damaging that bate.. Bit harsh and i hope he can improve, but i dont think his AFL standands..

And today he showed why he plays AFL and you don't know jack.

Humble pie! BOG for me.

Fair go giving Bate a serve!

With the rest of the team, he is down on form. Anyone saying he isn't up to it is kidding themselves!

Bate will be a ripping player for the club.

Get out and cheer the bloke instead of giving him a hard time on here!

As I stated earlier......Bate will be a ripping player......today he showed what he can do!

Go Bater!

And today he showed why he plays AFL and you don't know jack.

Spot on!

Sometimes, all young players need is some faith from the coaching staff and a bit of confidence that they belong.

He was made to battle through his form slump, and it payed off.

I hope CJ is offered the same treatment soon enough.

I hope CJ is offered the same treatment soon enough.

Agreed........I think CJ deserves more time in the seniors to develop.

He was v.good but he still drops his head in marking contests, which is an unconditional don't do...another thing to consider is that his dominance was when he was playing on Thomas and Surjan, both of whom were giving away plenty of height. A good sign, but one swallow does not a summer make.

today ND played Bate the way he should be like Ryan OKeefe from Sydney. Not a midfielder but a tallish forward that can cover ground and kick goals

Bate does have an ability to get Lazy, I wrote about this last year before he got his opportunity. I gave him a blast last year @ Sandy from the sidelines (as he had spent 2 - 3 games playing 'outside' waiting to be fed the easy pill) & he lifted his attitude the next couple of matches & was promoted. The time has come for him to learn his lesson & go back for a couple of games min' & promote Pettard...

Welcome back to improved form Bata', good to see...

Now get even better! B)

but one swallow does not a summer make.

correct, but you cannot deny the kid has serious potential...he can kick it 60m with accuracy, he can mark. he can wion his own footy. he can run- both fast and all day. he has the hair to catch the umpires eyes...

he is out of form. he isnt kicking well. he is looking up instead of picking the ball up cleanly.

today with a bit of confidence he started grabbing everything and kicked a couple...he will be a player. a star? im not sure, but he will play a few games no worries.

Spot on Deanox, but he needs to string a few together to cancel out the question marks that a pretty horrid first month placed upon him