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I went yesterday (yes I recognise the madness in doing so). What an utterly miserable day at the football. When we are a good side and playing good footy regularly and the footy becomes enjoyable once again, I will cast my mind back to games such as these, which will help me realise just how much we should enjoy and appreciate the good times. The rain started teaming down from about halfway down the highway to Geelong and did not stop until Sunday. Even better I had a seat in the open and didn't take my poncho. The beauty of going down to Geelong is that if you're sitting in the open or standing and it starts raining you have absolutely nowhere to go. So it was just a case of sit in the open, put the hood on and suck it up while my jeans became so saturated with water that you could have filled a 2 litre bottle if you wrung them dry. Worst of all not only were we playing one of the best teams of all time at their fortress of all fortresses of a home ground, but probably the best wet weather team I've seen. The rain also meant that the only area we could possibly exploit them in (tall forwards) was completely neutralised. Now I know some will say that in dry weather they would have won by 100 points, but I disagree completely with this. We would have been more competitive on a dry day and the rain only served to exacerbate the skill and midfield differential between the sides. A wet game is all about your midfield and any deficiencies in this area are further exposed in such games. I thought we had a dip but we just could not compete with a far, far, far superior side at their home ground and on their favoured track. Perhaps in better conditions we could have moved the ball out of defence with some fluency and attacked off half back with more success, but Geelong basically smashed us out of the middle, drove the ball forward and in the conditions we just could not get it out and into our forward line. This was due to a combination of not being good enough, failing to adjust to the conditions and playing a side that just set up so well behind the ball that any pressured or bombed kicks forward (which is the norm on wet days) just get picked off at will. In general I thought the effort was there but the one thing that annoyed me was the number of times our players stood 5m behind their opponents which resulted in easy marks to Geelong. For those having a go at our tall forwards, I really question your understanding of football. I can't remember a game we've played with rain falling as steadily and as constantly as that (perhaps there have been but I've been under cover and not out in the elements!). 19 inside 50s on a wet day is a recipe for disaster for a tall forward - it gives them absolutely no hope. I get that four goals is unacceptable, but let's not forget these Cats had conceded only 4 goals against the best attacking side in the competition (Hawthorn) last week up until midway through the last term in pretty good conditions at the MCG. These were diabolical conditions at Kardinia Park against third rate opposition. This does not excuse the performance, which was far from good enough, but it does put some context around our opponent and just how damn good they are. It also does not take anything away from what was just a miserable, depressing day at the footy. You get a fair indication of the game when you see Geelong supporters leaving at half time just to get out of the unrelenting rain. The result was always inevitable, the game was a slog, we hardly went forward and I sat there getting wetter and colder by the minute. The only positive is that I didn't catch pneumonia.

Get real guys. At least he had the good grace not to slag off at the club or any of its personnel on departure. I wish him well and hope he can piece his career together at his new club.

I think it's just because he doesn't take up much room on the bench so it's extra comfy for the other players.

i am pretty sure this is all about Roos' family. If they say no, it's no.

Or work rate ha picked up in defence bit it lacks when we have ball in hand. We don't run hard enough to create an uncontested possession option ie lead for a chip kick.

Geelong won the centre clearances 16 to 2, so they get the ball out of the centre and get it to their forward line and then we have to get it out. They kick a goal it goes back to the centre where they win the centre clearance and it goes back in to the forward line. They kick a point we can't clear it properly so they get it back in to their forward line, and this continues for the whole of the game. We can't get the ball out of the middle because we have no midfielders and we can't get the ball out of our defensive area because we are too slow with our decision making. How can you possibly win a game under those circumstances? We need 3 or 4 midfielders that can win possession in the middle; as much as I love him Jonsey doesn't get enough of it in the middle of the ground, he's great around the stoppages but at centre clearances he's just not getting it enough.

I see Gillies has improved.

Just got back from the game. Unfortunately must have caught them on an off day because it was like watching Melbourne earlier in the season. Poor skills, poor decision making, poor work rate. Of the Melbourne listed players: Hogan - was isolated after Sellar and Davis were injured early. Seems to have a decent engine as he had to roam far and wide to get possessions. 3 goals was a good return for not his or the teams best game. Strauss - need not bother packing his sun screen or tropical kit. Terrible decision making - would like to have seen his kicking efficiency - doubt whether it was over 20 per cent - just coughed it up time and time again - no presence for a supposed a-lister. Rodan - looked lively until injured - should probably have played down south yesterday. Davis - looked as though he was forging a good relationship with Hogan - presented well early then rib injury - I was standing near the interchange and he couldnt breath without pain. Gillies - spud Couch - quiet then injured Tynan - still light framed - not sure if he will get a chance this year Magner - in the game all day but suffered from the team disease of poor disposal when it counted. Pederson - had to take over the ruck - took some good grabs but see Magner Barry - quiet early but after quarter time lifted his intensity and work rate - is quick and could be a good kick Sellar - head clash put him out of the game early - hard to assess Joel Mac - spud - bad disposal bad decisions gave away stupid free kicks Viney - fairly quiet - in and under - doesnt get much clear possession - always seems to be under pressure - will improve with a run Tapscott - again, quiet and struggling to impose himself on the game - not likely to get a call up on that showing Werribee's physical pressure told on a lot of the Casey players - this seemed to affect the decision making - became handball happy and, like the seniors, guys started to shirk the responsibility and handball to someone else without considering the position of the receiver who was more often than not in a worse position. That is what I mean by shirking responsibility, not physically shirking - it was a pretty physical game and all Casey players went in hard. The mental side of the game wasnt there today.

And why couldn't our boys give Johnson a bit back? Why didn't Jonsey get up and remonstrate? Another facet of our game that needs to improve. Get pumped all over the ground and still take cheap shots from fig jams like Stevie J.

That is it as far as I am concerned. Yesterday 2 of the cats first 3 goals, came from ridiculous short passes in the wet, in our backline. How hard did the Cats work for those 2 goals. Two players were out of position and we kicked it straight to them in front of goal. that was absolutely pathetic. One of them came from our captain. My under 9's were told never to do that and generally they didn't. Another couple of goals came from long kicks bouncing through, while a few of ours went the other way to the points. A couple of others came from simply playing in front on a wet day when the ball falls short. I thought we selected a dumb team and played dumb football. Craig didn't impress me yesterday at all. Our effort has improved for an obvious reason, but our failure continues to be a lack of ability to keep the ball until we score. We just give it away and the other teams score.

Tapscott with a big hit on gysbetts, gave away a free. Could anyone confirm the quality of this hit?

I don't know if it's unchangeable, but there is a perfect word in the English language that captures the tone, mindset and culture of this club......MEEK. Yesterday, the players were meek against the Cats. I normally like watching Geelong, but Kelly and Johnson had no respect for their opponents yesterday. That, I found, was disappointing.

People get excited over him laying a decent bump once in a blue moon and state he is tough. Tough in todays game is running until you leave your lunch at the interchange gate and then going again. That is the bit I am not sure he has. Tapscott needs to build an engine that allows him stints to use his body in the midfield or as a hard working high half forward that wants to consistently work that hard for the ball. He is a typical flanker that represents our errors in drafting over the last 10 years. You need to be able to play midfield or be a true tall or a true small. He appears to be none of these.

What the hell is going on? I can usually rely on the Casey Scorpions vs (opponent) thread to cheer me up a little after a dees spanking.

It doesn't matter either way as the AFL will be footing the bill.

He actually ate 4 kilos of mussels, thinking they were like oysters and help him gain some testosterone. Easily confused with muscles

Does he say why? Have a link by any chance, can't find it online so far. Always knew he'd wait a bit so he could get some form behind him, but that seems a strange thing to say. Would be VERY surprised if he didn't re-sign given his standing around the club and how much patience we've given him with injuries.

We play em at the G and lose about $70k. They play us at the Cattery and make $500k. That in a nutshell is why the AFL has stuffed this comp.

He was subbed out of the game with an injury. Get over it.

The obsession is with the fans not the players. It's not what is wrong with the club.

This obsession with the priority pick is exactly what's wrong with our club.

Neither of them. Nobody knows but Roos. Everyone else is just guessing.

Jimmy is " DEVELOPING" . We will see a much better player after another injury free pre season.

Yesterday did us no harm in the quest for AFL draft assistance. Added to a 7 year period of failure and this year's pre Craig period of absolute catastrophic results, we can now add a record low of 19 inside 50's in a game. This stat goes back to 1999. So that means in the last 14 years, we yesterday recorded the lowest amount of forward entries by a team. The AFL said they will still give PP's or help according to the results of a couple of years at their discretion. Our position is far worse and much longer. No one can mount a stronger case than us for help. To not give that help to us, means effectively no club can ever get that help. I don't think the AFL wants to leave itself in that position in the future. As to the help, a PP will give us a young kid. Look at yesterdays game, another young kid wouldn't have helped against the Cats big bodies. Does that mean the AFL looks at different help? Maybe. We have mentioned a mini draft situation before and a couple of mini draft selections are different, as they don't affect this draft and don't add extra picks to next year's. They also remove most of the other club's complaints about compromising the draft. They also allow for trading for experienced players, plus draft position improvement. That can produce quicker results. That is clearly what the AFL would want, an immediate impact. I can see us getting a couple of mini draft selections from the AFL at season's end.

Good to see Col Sylvia stepped up for his 150th. Big song and dance all week and them....(drum roll).....nada.

If you can't run then you'll struggle.

Sack him. Sorry, wrong thread.

Told by a club official Clark to train with the main group this week and could play at Casey in two weeks. Game after is GWS so who knows.

I have a thousand dollars for you as a present. Oh you don't want it because you are too proud. No worries I will give it to someone else. How is getting a top player as a bonus, not a sustainable way to success? I am just staggered at people who wouldn't accept a bonus top player. Obviously they are not recruiting people.

Max Gawn is absolutely essential to our future. An effective ruckman who can take a mark up forward and also works hard to offer leads in the midfield, and can even play ok and lay tackles in the wet! With all respect, Jamar is not performing at the same level and it would be a disaster if retaining him cost us Gawn's signature. I'd basically roll the hypothetical 'what Jamar would have been offered next year' into Gawn's contract offer. Not to mention, he's also a charismatic and visible player with marketing value. The guy is needed at every level. Fitzpatrick and Clarke are back-ups, and recruit a speculative/mature-age ruckman or two in the draft, or retain Spencer if you have belief in him.

we are not a mentally strong side. Many will argue this as a furphy but more often than not , as a result of the attitudes of some of our side, the game is lost before the first bounce. Some have the right spirit, but are dragged through the mire because of the anchoring effect of the rest of the team. You see this in who chases, who applies the second efforts, who do the 1%'s . There are not a lot of members to that select group. Teams who are "up" can smell 'resignation" and feed off of it.

As others have said, was subbed off early. Scully is the reason we have Hogan on our list. For that reason, Demonland should dedicate a shrine to the West Sydney Wanderer.

for anyone needing a smile, scum dog millionaire has 3 touches at half time.

Re signing Watts, Sylvia and extending Frawley, would make a significant impact on us going forward. Besides getting the right Coach, this is a task that we need to achieve. Sylvia is not perfect, but at 27 with 150 games experience and a new Coach, who might get 3-4 years of his best football from him, he is a keeper. On top of that to lose him for nothing would be a disaster.

i think our work rate has picked up immensely, we just have some gaping holes in our list and many players who just aren't AFL standard. We try hard but if you ain't got the cattle, you ain't got the cattle. Bring on the trade/draft period this year!

Col had a pretty poor season last year....In 2011 he was 5th in kicks for the club 5th in Handballs 5th in handball received 2nd in tackles 2nd in inside 50's 2nd in hardball gets I don't have the stats for this year but it has been an improvement on last year....He has played a lot of good games in the year from hell I know everybody wants him to be Gary Ablett or Chris Judd.....but he's not And it's very hard to fly with eagles when you play for a side that has been smashed as we have earlier this year.... Just get off his back.

Omeara and hogan would have clubs softening to selecting these players we could do very well

The problem is he is one our most senior players. He should be leading by example - and he doesn't. 150 games on potential and the odd cameo. When we have failed to develop players in the past what effect do you think players like Sylvia have? When a senior player doesn't run and spread, give 2nd or 3rd efforts, tackles weakly or commit 100% what do you think a young player does?? When a senior player doesn't doesn't do those things it is quite probable a young player says 'why should I bother?' The young player would have come to the club full of enthusiasm and effort but after making 20 chases probably thinks 'why am I the only one doing this?' Players like Col do terrible things to our list. Ditto Davey and Jamar. These are the guys that have escaped the proper scrutiny at our club because they are the supposed leaders. When we are being pole-axed week in week out in stats like uncontested possession (we were over 100 in deficit on average - almost twice the next worst) do you know what that actually means?? It means that players aren't running. They aren't spreading from a contest and they aren't giving the kicker an option. And guess what happens after that? We turn the ball over because the opposition pressure is too great. Its a vicious circle and it starts because we have players like Sylvia and Jamar and Davey that are content to be on an AFL list and turn up every week. And we as a club should demand more of our senior players. And posters on these boards should stop waiting for Col to have a breakout year. FFS its his 10th year. It ain't gonna happen. He should be turfed from this club and replaced with someone that can lead. Col offers no hope just frustration. Give me 22 players that try their guts out every week.

By now we all know what we get with Col. I want him to stay however we should not be paying over the odds for that privilege.

surely Brian Royal is gone at the end of the year

Yeah damn Neeld and his stress fractures!

i think Neeld was horrible for Trengove.. but it can be brought to good use. especially when he starts attacking again

You don't seem to even understand what the topic is. Please read it again

How about the challenge? Growing his legacy? The prestige of resurrecting a club that has been in the wilderness for half a century? Being a head coach again in a situation where he will be given whatever he says he needs to succeed? Coaching in Melbourne where he grew up? It's not that hard to think of some plausible reasons.

I've got a feeling the time is fast approaching to move Howe full time into the mids, & Watts to take Howes role, wing/half-forward flank.... with Fitz in the pocket & I'd play Dawes at CHF... this year.... Sylvia on the flank, changing onball.

Howe was a forward in a team that scored the least ever inside 50s, a bit hard to critique a player like him especially when everyone's been screaming when he's played in the midfield/defense. Frankly this was just a tough week to judge full stop, they went in as hard as we've ever asked of them and competed in clearances but just didn't have the poise or polish the cats do. And to make matters worse defense was something the cats were focusing on. The goals were always going to come, but they really wanted to restrict us and they are a team that usually gets what they want. Melbourne Team - Went in hard

That was our submission for Draft Assistance from the AFL. 30 points scored and a 50 inside 50 differential, together with the lowest inside 50 count ever recorded. Up to you other clubs, argue against that.

Any player would be at least 15% better once out of the clutches of Mark Nerd.

I think we would show him the same loyalty as he showed us NONE