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Mitch Clark & Jack Trengove back in full training today. Great to see & look to be moving well.

What does being a power player off the field entail? I haven't read the article but it sounds like newspaper filler to me.

The game we see today has almost been entirely designed by the coaches . The defensive flood - coaches The forward press - coaches 36 players in one quarter of the ground - coaches Extra numbers in and around the ball (ugly packs) - coaches 160 rotations - coaches Key position forwards in the last line of defence - coaches Fitness levels of players to be able to do all this (with the aid of rotations) - coaches 80 rotations may not entirely eliminate the ugly packs and flooding. It's a good first step though. The game was a much better spectacle before the advent of the large number of rotations that we now see. What's wrong with wanting the following? ......... Forwards in the forward line, backmen in the backline and the best players remaining on the ground (predominantly)

Should be a good comedy duo.

I might be by my lonesome, but I disagree with the coaches and their whining. I'm happy to have less rotations, more fatigue and the game opening up. Six or 7 years ago 40 rotations was the norm. I'll also get to see the better players on the ground for longer. It works for me.

"Deal with three regional independents" logic. The government committed to delivering the upgraded service to regional and remote locations which were at the time worst serviced by existing infrastructure. Also part of why the NBN is so heavily behind it's roll-out targets - hardest places first. Like the 'trunk cable' between Queensland Coast and Mt Isa, basically the length of Bob Katter's electorate. Sigh, I should clarify before someone calls me a 'biased crony of the witch Ju-Liar', I have stated a fact. That's all. But go on, get your blowtorch out before you even stop to think about whether I actually approve of massive pork-barrel deals to buy off a majority in the House of Reps. Political discussion in Australia is about as pointed and issue-based as a typical Demonland thread is by about page 17. Anyway, Liam quit the club rather ignominiously and it seems his life continued to spiral down since then. Meanwhile, the people most responsible for managing his welfare (and other player's welfare) while with the club were unceremoniously shown the door a year ago. Apparently in bad blood. Our then coach and football manager no longer have any direct role with the players. Our entire leadership group has changed. Our recruiting philosophy has changed from 'leaping for the speccie' to 'following the percentage play'. Perhaps the most important thing to note is that however things were back then, there's very little in common with it now. The only constant is that this year, like last year and the five before that, will be Colin Sylvia's breakout year.

Stephen Tingay...dynamite...All Australian 1994.

1400 pokie money takers owned by Victorian AFL clubs. What a marvellous contribution to society. Not. Geez we go low for a buck. Congratulations to Norf for being bold enough to not have any.

What a sad, sad situation.

I reckon all this negative supposition has gone far enough. I have it on good authority that one embittered former employee really stirred up the stove. No doubt other people formerly associated with the club made a few negative comments about the events of 2009, 2011 and 2012 .This doesn't mean that dozens of former staff or directors are lurking around the next corner ready to drag us even further down as some seem to be suggesting.Let's face it, Its fairly hard to avoid negative observations when you asked about Melbourne in those years!! Today's club - current board and staff - has done well to maintain a united front through this investigation. We need to take comfort in that - and back the FD to lead us onward and upward. Forward march!!

The coaches aren't always truthful. If you want to believe them, fine - I don't. The coaches will have to reign things back. Without adequate rest players will not be able to race up and down the ground for 2 hours. Teams will get run over in the last quarter if they are worked too hard in the 1st half. It stands to reason. Of course I don't want to get rid of coaches. It's about the aesthetics of the game isn't it? Or am I missing something? I'm simply saying that the reason the game is sometimes difficult to watch is because of the coaches. I'm specifically talking about the flood, press, stoppages, packs, rolling mauls and 36 players in one quarter of the ground. Now, if people enjoy watching that sort of stuff, fine. I don't find it particularly engaging. The coaches need to be reigned in and good on the AFL for doing so. In a lot of other ways I do not like the AFL.

The attitude than "unknown" would be better than Jordie is laughable. He'll be replaced with superior skilled players in time, but as others have already said it won't be this year. When he goes it will be because he's squeezed out, not because the coaches (who love him) decide on a whim that his kicking isn't good enough.

how many Port Adelaide players made the Power Players list?

Jordies real worth will only unfold when our midfield improves - I dont think he will ever be our number one go to midfielder but as your 3rd midfielder getting clearances he could prove his worth. He needs to be 1st in the chain which is his strength not last. He needs to be giving it off to a finisher.And what is required is instant spread the minute we get the ball - even if his next option is only half a metre clear he needs that option. Its a bit like criticising our kick outs from full back - the kicker is not the problem - it is the complete lack of movement and clear options that is the undoing of us. Jordies kicking is not up to it but it is not too hard to imagine him progressing to sitting in a Carlton midfield setup with Judd and Murphy - getting the first clearance and handing it off to those two who make extraction look easy. He actually reminds me of an early Cameron Ling (not just the hair) who was definitely behind your Abletts and Bartels but he came to the fore by becoming more damaging because of him getting some loose ball due to the concentration on the more credentialled midfielders. Lings disposal improved as Geelongs midfield did. It is amazing what a little less pressure and a few more options can do for your disposal.

A needed first move to turn the juiced up robots that currently play the game back into human footballers. Coaches will now have to consider in managing their players to last out the game rather than flogging them into the ground in ever increasing whirlwind cameos.

I don't think it will stop players running hard. They will run as hard as they can. It will limit the number of times they can run hard or to try and continually run the whole field. I expect it may influence the coaches to rethink their zones and more specifically how much territory a player is asked to cover, effectively reducing it this in turn could limit the continuous maul tactics and open up a bit more space for offensive play and the more skilled players the coaches will [censored] and resist it but eventually they will adapt and move on

6. BROCK McLEAN (Carlton) Kick-started a tanking inquiry single-handedly with his honesty. Pushing for more awareness of gay rights through the AFL. LOL any mention of the half-a-dozen indiscretions that have exposed him as nothing but a complete scumbag?

Who is to say they are separate?? We do know that at least two f the former board [censored] have tipped a bucket publicly on the club. Not good enough and you can F off as far as I am concerned. Particularly Gardner.

In the article I read Jim said his comments were misinterpreted and he offered to meet with Coglin (who abused him in public) to sort it out. Coglin went to the media. That to me is a prima donna. You play these games in the media. Jim denied ever criticising the past board and said his comments were broad in the context of saying 'we all have work to do'. And even if he did criticise them so what? Why would you go to the media?? Self aggrandising crap is what I call it.

Easy one here.....a fit David Schwartz.

I thought Jetta was fantastic, shoe in for round one.

Location, location, location

Gloves banned

The biggest problem with Jordy opposed to other players is that he cannot go on the offense. Big rule of thumb is that when opponent has the ball, you tag, chase and tackle. - Jordie gets a tick here Other half is that when we have the ball that you run, create space, get free, do sharp kicks and push the ball forward - Jordie doesn't get a tick here. He is only playing half a game at the moment, we need players who can play both ways in our midfield otherwise we are always going to be a man down when we go on the attack/

Pretty sure Rodan used to be a Power player... And I believe Jurrah was nearly one

Again, no extra weighting. Maths weighs it in favour of the poorest teams. Any other 'addendums' makes it more complex than it needs to be. As illustrated above - if a poor team loses 5 games by 5 goals they will get a higher pick than if a middling team wins two games by 5 goals.

So a genuinely poor team, with genuine injuries goes backwards, finishes last and still misses out on the top pick? The biggest problem I foresee is that the fixture isn't a level playing field, making it easier for some teams to improve their percentage based solely on who they play in the last 5 or 10 rounds (or whatever is happens to be) I really don't think that there's a real answer to the tanking situation. Even the NBA's lottery system encourages tanking to a certain degree as the lower finishing teams still get a greater chance of landing the top pick.

stmj, we have nothing but limited footballers. Jordie is the most dedicated of the limited footballers. I am just as flummoxed with your attitude as you are with mine - we are not in a position to just throw these mature age players or kids ahead of Jordie on absolutley no formline. There are reasons he has won the Coaches Award three years running. Sometimes, placing an importance on application, toughness, and attitude will outweigh deficiencies in skill and decision making. We are not good enough to just waive away the qualities of Jordie McKenzie in favour of the next unknown quantity. I am not saying we don't have to move past him, or that he doesn't have to improve, I am saying that if his qualities are replicated in other players because we place them in high regard then that will help our young players become what we require them to be.

MMM?

I think the key is we need two midfielders to step up to elite. That wont be Jordie or the likes of Magner but what will happen is they will improve and be better contributors on the coat tails of the "stars". The closest we have to elite is Jones and he has a waaay to go. I am not "married" to Jordie being in the team but the good teams have the likes of Swan and Pendles and they bring their second stringers into the game. I see Jordies limitations but at this stage I see limitations with all the midfielders.

Never ever leave the game in the hands of coaches. Not one coaching contract would list an item called " how the game looks" They have to win at all costs that is their chief responsibilty. There has never been a coached sacked because he produced a game plan that made the game look like crap. They get sacked for not winning games pure and simple. That is what drives them. I pay no heed to Malthouse, Neeld and company when they complain about these changes. In this area they have no credability.

Not sure why we worry there has never been team found guilty!

I hate most rule chanes that have made the game a mess with free kicks getting paid willy nilly where nobody has any idea which way thy are going. But this actually makes sense to me. Although it doesn't excuse KB and Demetriou's behaviour.

how one of the dumbest fluff pieces you'll ever read in the sports pages gets a thread of its own is just staggering

FIRE UP YOU BUGGERS. CARN THE DEMONS. See you at Casey on Saturday.

Too much red wine can cause balance problems...:

can we please, please, please please leave the bloody rules alone?

Just looked at the replay (by the way I thought who ever was responsible for it at Port they did an excellent job in difficult circumstance - the commentator even bothered to memorize both sides' players!). Some observations: 1. Sellar surprised me. I always thought him to be pretty average, but on Sunday he was almost neitz--like. He even looks like the great man at times - similar gate, even kicking style and his contested marking I thought was great. If he can add a Neitz-like fast lead then we might really have some thing. I would play him next week at full forward and Gawes at CHF. when Clark comes back if he (Sellar) maintains the form, I would leave him at FF, and have Clark play in the pocket. I don't see any point playing his down back unless you swapped him occasionally for Watts, but a hefty presence up front with a commission to throw his weight around a la David Neitz I think would give those around him a lot of confidence. Great signs and I'm sure an unexpected, but very welcome bonus. Without putting too much of a dampener on it though I understand he kicked 5 in a practice match for the Crows in Dubai a couple of years ago, and never got near to that form again, so I will reserve my judgement for a few more weeks but encouraging nevertheless. 2. The Flash is back! Aaron Davey looked at home for the first time in about three years. Gone was the running around (slowly) like a headless chook, and being easily pushed off the ball, and intimidated by opponents, and back was the hard fast running, the heavy tackling, and the pin point accurate kicking, including ( hooray hooray) goal kicking. This alone, if it get his confidence back, would make Renmark worthwhile for the MFC. 3. The tackling in general was very good - something that has been missing from sides coached by Neeld, and the fact that it was done by the youngsters was a great sign. I hope their seniors take note, but I fear they won't. 4. Also the run and carry, the spread, and the willingness to use the corridor was great. This obsession with the Collingwood like hugging of the boundary line was there but not nearly to the same extent as most Neeld sides of the past I have seem. With it came intelligent use of handball and running in numbers which was not only good to see, but also effective delivering scoreboard pressure. All in all it was an encouraging performance. I assume this week's side will look more like round one. I will be much more convinced when I see the same traits from the senior players, but in the meantime well done the young guns.

Top bloke is Mick. Jimmy's comments that the club hadn't been inclusive to women obviously hit a raw nerve when one considers the club's Pink Lady initiative and the fact that they'd had 3 women on the Board - no other club has matched this. To sit and listen to a recently elected President cast aspersions on the club's previous attitude towards women when he knew the situation to be the opposite and was in fact proud of the club's efforts would have rightly riled him.

SO they spend 10 years trying to speed the game up. Ignoring fans who complain we are becoming like basketball now they are trying to put the genie back in the bottle. They are idiots. And unfortunately when you run a monopoly you can get away with what you like, Until people start switching off because they are sick of the duplicitous behaviour, constant rule changes, uneven playing field, rigged fixture, poor revenue sharing from stadium deals, ridiculous and inconsistent tribunal decisions, poor drug policies, lousy telecasts and corporate buffoonery.

It would be good if they gave the reasoning behind the number. Or has it just been pulled from a hat? Transparency would do Vlad the world of good ATM. It's what he lacks badly.

I get where your coming from.. chose to stay in adelaide to be close to family that would help and support him and well look how that has turned out, it seems he has spiral out of control and in a worse state. i believe the footy club had no other choice but to let him go and i support the decision. We are trying to build a strong profesional culture and liam was just a distraction. We busted our ass in giving liam the help he needed but he chose to go the other direction which i thought would have been better for him but its turned out worse. Liam didn't even thank the club when he left after the chance we gave him which i was really upset about. though he did thank aknowledge it on his facebook when he missed out getting picked up by port.

Could work well for us . We will have a pretty tall ,mobile team that should be able to take marks ,and you would expect more long kicks as teams fatigue . I think I agree with Ben Hur which can happen on rare occasions. It will stop the rolling ruck ,the maul ,the flooding etc that has made the game a bit too congested for my liking. Hate Vlads attitude and the way he has dictated rather than consulted but ultimately i think it will be a better spectacle for the change .

It works for me as well.I was all for 2 subs and 2 interchange but this effectively does the same thing. Now to get rid of the runner, my other pet hate.

Just bite the bullet and remove the interchange altogether. 7 subs, no interchange. Bam! Problem solved.

I find it difficult to vote The options IMO only allow for two positives and one outright negative. I would have voted for "Unfortunately still the better of an ordinary lot of mid fielders "

Me and my brother drove up from Melbourne to see the game. I thought the crowd was great and the atmosphere was really lovely, food stalls all along the fence and the Port supporters weren't too bad. The sun was quite unbearable (my shoulder got badly burnt) so it must've been hard for the players, in fact they used an ice truck to keep cool during the breaks. Magner was a stand out (and was played on the ball where he belongs), and as a whole our team's tackling pressure and work rate were good. Just a few defensive problems, especially in the last quarter. Sellar was fantastic and Hogan was good early. Davis looked good in defence. Davey kicked 3 and laid a fantastic tackle in the first half, as well as some nice disposal. Kent, Terlich and Taggert were also very pleasing. I was a bit sceptical about us resting so many players but it was great to watch in the end, I was very glad we got over the line. Our midfield looked very strong, we were probably just undersized in defence. Good to see a lot of other Dees supporters there too. It felt like a great playing surface that I enjoyed kicking with my brother on during the weekend. It's a great place and the trip was definitely worth it

Reading her article today..."Demetriou did concede that the AFL contributed unwittingly to the club's off field behavior with the introduction of the priority pick for clubs failing to win more than 4 games in a season." That makes me sick. The AFL should take 100% responsibility towards the tanking that went on since 1999. 7 clubs. And some people on here think we got off lightly. The other 6 sure did.

I wish LJ, his community and mentors all the best. Too many people trying to sit in judgement when they don't know the facts.