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The fact that Sylvia was involved in a crash at breakfast time makes him a cereal offender. Boom. Tish. Thank you. I'll be here all week. Try the veal.

Like everyone involved, I too have yet to recover but I'd like to thank the players, Sam our drinks person and the indefatigable Rollo for fulfilling the main aim as stated in what passed for my pre match address and that was to honour our trainer Jo who passed away tragically from cancer at a very young age a few months ago. As a result, this was a very important day for all of us given that that our club chairman Jim Stynes is fighting a magnificent battle against the disease and that we lost a director in Peter Szental last year and a former champion in Sean Wight this year. On top of that, today is Pink Ribbon Day so even though we feel the pain of the bumps, bruises and the heat these are put in perspective against what those who suffer from cancer feel. Anyhow, the team overcame slow starts to every game to take home the trophy again. When I think of some of the very good players from the past who couldn't make it yesterday, I'm even more impressed with their efforts and it was even better knowing that my input as coach was minimal. As I said to the players I snuck into Dean Bailey's office on the day of his farewell press conference in the hope of finding his game plan book but all I got was an exercise book full of blank pages. In the end, we settled for the Neale Daniher "run and carry" tactics which was enough to get us over Bomber Blitz (using the Matthew Knights playbook), Saintsational (Grant Thomas) and Nick's Collingwood Bulletin Board (Phonse Kyne). The games were played in great spirit and the umpires were phenomenal working their butts of for the best part of five hours and making less bloopers than their AFL counterparts. The teams were generally good in co-operating on players and other measures to allow us to cope with the heat. One umpiring decision I'll never quite be able to work out is the championship defining decision to award a free to Supermercado in front of the big sticks. Up to that point I think Super was going to emulate his hero Emo Maric and seek a clearance elsewhere but he somehow managed to sink the kick and win the day for the Dees. Thanks to all players - it was a great even team performance and a pleasure to coach. Thanks to Wise for his great captaincy. No thanks to my assistant coaches who went AWOL but fortunately, my 6 year old grandson Maor was on hand to competently fill the void. To the injured players, I wish you a speedy recovery. One of our lads Jack (who I suspect might be Colin Sylvia's chauffeur) turned up hung over, spilled his guts out in the first game, recovered to kick a goal in the second and did his knee late in the third. Hope you and the rest of the boys are OK today. Thanks to all - you've done Jo proud! Tomorrow, I'll try to have my iPhone video of the Grand Old Flag sung with gusto at the end of proceedings loaded onto the site.

Great logic - we gave Newton unlimited years to show his wares, therefore we should offer the same thing to every other bloke who struggles for whatever reason. How about learning from our Newton mistakes and cutting blokes at the right time rather than several years too late? Compassion and understanding of the cultural and spiritual needs is the reason why we retain him as a rookie. It balances that need against our need as a professional football club to have the strongest possible playing list. If we were ignoring those sensitive issues completely as you're suggesting, then there'd be a strong case for delisting him and saying good bye full stop.

None of us know the full story. If they hadn't crashed the car, maybe he would have turned up at training and there would be no story. I don't really care as long as he puts in a solid performance in 2012.

I think you need to delve beyond the simple drug abuse and look at the cause for it. The kid was clinically depressed and wasn't getting much help from the club on it, because they didn't even know. I think he's now in a much better position for a club to give him a support network and the understanding to help him succeed. There's no doubting he is talented, and for a rookie pick he's worth the punt.

Jakovich Jakovich Jakovich Jakovich Jakovich Jakovich

Tough love going on here... Absolutely no sensitivity to the cultural and spiritual needs of this boy. Newton has been on the list for SEVEN years for 20+ games and there's no 'footy's a tough environment, blah, blah, blah' Usually I keep my cool, but I nearly lost it with some of these offerings.

They must be costing a lot of desks.

I like how the club in their small release has put a full stop, stating "the club will not be making any further comment." This says, we will deal with this in house and it is no ones business how we deal with this.

He actually didn't [censored] on any bar. That wasn't true. I have a problem with Colin not because of this minor incident but because of his lack of professionalism for the IR team for which he was keen to play for apparently. His lack of professionalism is what holds him back and that is most definitely our problem.

Beamer pi**ed on a bar and then put in a string of excellent performances. I don't mind if these guys slip up from time to time, unless it has a negative impact on the team, or on their performances. Boys will be boys, no matter how much they are being paid to behave themselves.

typo, should have read "Drink and Drive" Lets be honest, Colin Sylvia is a reformed girlfriend bashing party boy. BUT he kicks the footy alright, so i'll cheer him on the field. Off the field, he can do what he likes. These guys play footy for the club we love. I mark them against their on field performances. What they do off the field in the off season doesnt worry me in the slightest.I think some of us here need to stop living in a fairy tale world where they expect AFL players, especially those who playe for us, to be choir boys. I'd guess people drink drive into poles on a daily basis, yet when someone does it with a AFL player in the passenger seat it somehow becomes newsworthy.

Jeez I loved his fury - Was so angry!!! Loved his work rate rate in the centre square before the ball was bounced - Alas, it was all to often downhill after the opening bounce.

"You still have a clean slate, but you better have your arse up and your head down because I am looking to make an example of someone."

The facts are he couldn't drive his own car home because he was drinking the night before, and got kicked off the IR team for poor professionalism. And I agree that these are minor indiscretions. What I have a problem with are those that are simply excusing his behaviour entirely. He's on his break. The IR means nothing. He wasn't driving home - he did the right thing. Why should he stick around for the police? Call him an idiot and move on (that's all he is), but don't give him excuses.

Sorry but how can Bartel not be classified as a star? Courageous, wins the hard ball, excellent overhead, uses it well, regularly kicks clutch goals, consistently performs in big matches and lifts at key moments in games. He isn't as flashy as other stars but there aren't too many midfielders you'd have above him if you were picking blokes to play in a Grand Final side. Judd and Ablett are the next level - superstars of the game. There's not many in that category. I understand such classification is a definition issue, but if we are talking about trying to bring in another star midfielder then you'd be pretty happy if you got a young Jimmy Bartel on your list.

Doing what???? FWIW, I am glad he is out of the hybrid circus. Alot of hand wringing over very little.

And I am a fan of all of the above except the judgemental behaviour of others. I would hope that each of the footballers judge themselves against the highest of high standards so it is not necessary for them to be judged poorly by others. You hear of the single minded obsessive approach it takes to win a premiership. We could do with a bit more of that. I have no problem with any footballers getting on the turps and being "party boys" . But if that is what they want then go and play in a district league and not take $400K a year to play at the highest level. You are paid the big bucks to be in the "elite" competition, then act like the "elite". I dont see it as role model problem. I see it as the behavioural price you have to pay for salary you receive to play football. Acting professionally both from a physical and behavioral standpoint is part of the job spec.

and I heard Greg Denham, desperate for a new story, cut the brake cable on Col's car.......CSI investigating

Has anyone thought Col did the right thing and not drive under the influence. No one will know how much Colin had to drink, maybe he had his last beer at 1 or 2 am, had a bit of a sleep and to be safe he got a mate to drive home who unfortunately had an accident. OK he should of hung around but no one was hurt, he wasn't driving and like what most people do is pannick, he wouldn't of thought he just wanted to hide and hopefully no one finds out. That was stupid but as mentioned it would have been a lot worse if he was driving and blew over 0.05 or worse still someone got hurt. It is the last weekend before Pre-season starts I'm sure most of his team mates had a big night. IR who cares I would rather Col be ready to start Pre-season with us next Monday.

Totally off the mark. Geelong have several star players in their midfield. Bartel and Selwood are both in the best 10-20 players in the AFL, James Kelly is a star in his own right, with All Australian this year. Plus Chapman who played a lot of midfield this year. To win a premiership you need AT LEAST 2 midfielders who are considered in the best 10-15 players in the entire AFL. Look at every premiership team in the past 15 years and they have at least 2 midfielders who in that year were in the best dozen or so players in the league Without a great midfield, we will not win a premiership.

Yep..you got that right. Buddy Franklin is definately not an AFL footballler on 2 strikes for cocaine use! shhhhh...its a secret...nobody is allowed to know! Col is a goose, but not new news. He was not driving, it was a weekend in the offseason and personally i don't give a stuff if he has a massive one in the offseason ON A WEEKEND!!. Get off the blokes case. If he was the driver, i would have a different view. Ask yourself if you have ever done it. Glass houses folks! edit: spelling

A warm inner glow every time I saw this kid play. Fantastic season given he missed most of the preseason. Spots for talls will be very interesting with Davis and McDonald pushing good players for spots. One of the real interests for 2012 for me.

I think it's purely a matter of working out which is the "best" option and then working down. First, target the player(s) you'd want and see if any are prepared to move (Pendlebury). A Victorian source midfielder is extremely unlikely, who was the last one that moved within Victoria? Second, target an interstate mid that might want to come home. Very rare circumstance. Third work out who is in the MD. If that offers a better option than your ND picks, go hard. Forth, use your ND picks. You'd have to think the first two options won't happen because they very rarely do. Elite talent usually loves the current club and the club looks after them really well. For MFC the best result would be to get someone of appropriate age. The MD is the most likely option because we are well placed but pushes the arrival of that player right out. WJ's comments, while accurate, will happen anyway and are independent of the options above. I see midfield class as our most glaring need regardless of any improvement in our current midfield. Our other structural weaknesses (small forward) are one's we can cover without reference to comp picks.

One big issue I think you will find come out of this is that he will have placed more doubt in the minds of those who matter at the MFC as to his ability to keep himself under control. You can be certain that the likes of Neeld and his assistants won't be thinking "ah, no problem, he was only up half the night getting [censored] in preparation for an International Rules game... good on the kid!". Regardless of what anyone here thinks of the IR series, the MFC will be viewing Colin as someone who has just let down his team by showing them little or no respect. He may as well kiss goodbye to any chance of being promoted to the leadership group... ever.

Ah yes ... and of course, the Hawthorn players all behaved like choir boys during Kennett's time at the club.

Lol at 3 pages for this, Colin Sylvia cleared by police, His punishment on Demonland is yet to be confirmed, But it is looking like life haha

Really? Cos from what I've experienced they all did in Ireland. Don't know if it would be any different with the spotlight here. The epitome of a storm in a teacup.

And if he had been a player from Collingwood or Carlton or wherever, you would have been all over this. Just because he was one of our players, that does not excuse his stupidity. It was HIS car and it was HIS responsibility as he let his mate drive it an obviously reckless manner - you don't lose control and break one of those poles when you are out for a lazy Sunday drive. The guy may be not guilty of causing the accident, but he most definitely is guilty of rank stupidity.

That's a bit over the top no? Massive call to make when you actually have no knowledge of this current incident. Fairly ignorant.

Call me old-fashioned, but... Thank God he wasn't hurt, and thank God nobody else was. Can't believe the amount of muppets on this thread who are trying to make this a big issue.

Colin needs to have a good look at himself. Getting in touble for kicking his girlfriend, thrown out of a club when he fell asleep while was drinking with Didak and Didak went on to accompany a thug on a shooting spree and now this. How many hints do you need?

13cabs !

Is it an offense for a passenger to leave the scene of a car accident?

Let's recruit Fevola just for that game.

I wonder about a journo who finds it necessary to raise the old furphy about the MFC not standing for anything these days. It was a throw away line that Andrew Demetriou used to bully the previous administration when the club was in debt and performing poorly. There's an outside chance that it might have meant something back then but I disagree that it has any relevance today. If Denham brought it up in the context of the club today then he was either showing his ignorance, being churlish or both.

I cottoned on when he was at the Tigers and was always so available to the cameras at the breaks - he said all the footy jargon and it was meaningless. He's all hat, no head.

With you there, O55. I thought King was a bit sharp, but the more I listen to him, the more I think he tries too hard to make clever points, but instead says the bleedin' obvious or make big statements that flop.

I used to rate King, he sounded authoritative and knowledgeable and speaks about interesting topics - until I actually started to listen closely to what he said. He's full of it.

I have no expectations of him - so I'm confident he'll meet them.

Heard Gerard, David King and Caro on AW Sports Tonight last night questioning the Mitch Clark trade and how much we're paying him. FFS what a bunch of idiots. King was saying for that amount of money we need a 70+ goal a year contribution - no what we need is 120 goals from Clark, Watts and Jurrah. He's a structural recruitment - Chris Tarrant or Harry Taylor aren't playing on Jack Watts with Scarlett or Maxwell 3rd up - they're on Clark now. Reid or Lonergan are on Watts and Scarlett or Maxwell are leaving Jurrah to go 3rd man up. It's a totally different story. Caro said that other players would resent what we are paying Clark - Gerard and King said - no players want to play with good players who will help the team improve. Gerard was banging on about how Kelvin Templeton brought great leadership to MFC despite no contribution on-field and doubted whether Clark would bring that - gee sorry Gerard, a 23 year old Jonathan Brown wasn't available for trade this year so we had to settle for Mitch. How often does a accomplished 23 year old KPF come up for trade? Never - that's how often. In my recollection, Kennedy in the Judd trade and maybe Henderson in the Fev trade are the only examples I can think of and they were compensation for the main trade target. So you have to pay for this type of player. Would we have been better off keeping Brad Miller or recruiting Setanta, Gerard? Caro was saying pick 12 is a steep trade price - how dumb can you get? At least King disagreed with her on that. Apparently the night before King was pressing Clark about what he said to Vossy when he didn't actually end up choosing to go home to Freo. It's pretty easy to understand David - he was set to go to Freo and settled on leaving Brisbane - he found out that he was going to end up at GWS instead if he insisted on going to Freo so he chose the Melbourne offer. The Clark recruitment is a great coup for MFC.

Nothing says irrelevant more than being a Footy writer for The Australian

But what I want to know is what Denham stands for? Actually I couldn't give a stuff, he's about as useless as a hair on a goat's chin

What does that mean: "we don't stand for anything/much". What do Carlton stand for? What do Brisbane stand for? It is meaningless sequence of words. Demetriou used the expression in a fit of anger, to express displeasure. But beyond the pejorative, it has no meaning.

I still think Wonaeamirri has a lot to offer, it obviously depends on his personal situation, but he has so much to give still.