Davey lost an edge in acceleration after the hammy in 2006.

But he has not been the same since a knee v Collingwood on Queens Birthday last year.

Quite simple really...he was playing in the mid-field. He was stuffed running around in the engine room, so don't expect his "run from behind" tackles and speed like we have been accustomed to when he was sitting in the forward line.

Personally, I would prefer him back forward (is that English?), as we were sorely missing the pressure that he provides on the opposition defenders, the turnovers he creates and the goals he snares from crumbing.

That's no reason for him not to tackle though - he makes the contest but goes for the strip instead of the tackle. I love Flash, but he's gotta be better than that.

I agree though, I'd like to see him go back to the forward line. It's not that he's not capable of being reasonable up the ground, but he's more use to use if he's providing that defensive pressure. And not just the chases he makes but the ones that the opposition think he might make, the perceived pressure.

Davey has never really displayed the attributes that are required to win finals footy.

Davey has never really displayed the attributes that are required to win finals footy.

thats a bit unfair...on a good day, davey rips up the opposition. i would have put davey in geelongs best 22 last year and he would have been the only melbourne player to make the team, possibly jones, as i prefer him to selwood, but that is all

You used up Demonland's quota of dots.

i do what i can!! dots is my thing.........

honestly, with the bulking up thing, i think we need to be smarter. if your asset is speed and agility then you bulk up slowly over time whilst still doing your sprint and agility work to keep your advantage. in other words you must keep improving where you are a bit weak whilst still keeping/refining what works...........

its been spoken about on another forum, but i haven't liked our conditioning for a long time........i dont know whether its a resources thing or too much of the conditioning program is left up the players to decide/do on their own and be self motivated or what, but over the course of the years too many players have not taken this slowly slowly approach to improving their bodies......i mean there is no reason why Bruce couldn't continue to become an elite endurance player and have developed his strength a bit more........don't fool yourselves into thinking that it is all or nothing for certain body types, these are professiional athletes who have to plan ahead for their body developement from a teenager, have to continue extending their natural physical abilities (be it strength or speed or endurance or leap etc) and work on other atributes they are not strong at over a 4/5 year period SLOWLY so as not at the expense of your strengths.......

you dont have to be super skinny to be fast, or super thick to be strong........but to change you body type dramatically and single mindedly, the rub will be you lose some of your strength that got you there in the first place........i'm sure Judd in his third year was stronger than in his first, but his body was developed over time and thus he was still f'ing quick!!!! of course injury can interupt things too, as he has shown!!

Davey has never really displayed the attributes that are required to win finals footy.

same can be said by many of our team for a number of years.............the whole football world has said it for years that we are soft, we were "perceived" to be soft even when we led the league in tackles.........ask the average victorian footy fanatic and they will often nominate us as a soft team, even in 2000 with Schwatta et el............why?? because as Daniher said we needed to be ruthless, cause we didn't have enough killer instinct/aggression etc over the years..........courage and "HARD" tackling have always stood out in our group bcause only a few have been any convincing at it at any one time almost like its a specialty role in the team........gut running is a none event almost (apart from Macca and a few others over the years and not since Viney have we had anyone seriously good at it!!).........you need eeryone, from the slight-build fast players to the heavy tough ones to have the HEART to impose their WILL on a contest!!!! thats what wins finals!!! even a less than talented collingwood showed that by making back to back finals, brisbane showed us that, the eagles and swans showed us that, the cats showed us that and port (another "perceived soft" team) showed us that but in reverse by not making the most of several years at the top of the ladder and then only slaying a giant in decline!!!!!!! (mind u, i'd take a premiership anyway we could get one.........)