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Jeez, you lot. What a pathetic effort at discussing a possibly serious issue with one of OUR players. Nothing like a bit of support eh? Let's try again when more facts come to light.

Geez that's a fl0g of a post.

I went to a number of preseason training sessions and watched Hunt closely during match sims. He looked fit and much stronger than previously. I repeatedly heard the coaches yelling at him to "take 'em on!", "don't wait" and "go, go, go!". It was clear he had amazing speed and could break zones. I had a quick chat with Jason Taylor who had no doubt Hunt would be a beauty if he remained injury free. His kicking and awareness of opponents continues to be a work in progress, but this will no doubt continue to improve.

Good news it seems! Latest injury report says he is 2 weeks away from playing. Great to see he is getting healthy again. Hope he gets a few games in, in the last month of the season.

That would be an unmitigated disaster.

Loved his desperation in Q2 of the game on Sunday when he tried to smother the ball in the goal square as the Adelaide player received the handball, turned and kicked the goal. Hunt was 10-15m away, showed terrific desperation to dash, dive and smother and only just missed it. I'm not sure anyone else would have got close or even tried. Great stuff.

For those of you who may not know this, but there is a MASSIVE difference in terms of speed with and without the ball. A player can be blistering face by running in a straight line over 20metres. You put that same player, ball in hand trying to break a line going as fast as he can it's a completely different story. You look at Hunt.. he actually doesn't even break stride when he bounces the ball. He bounces it so far in front of him the speed allows him to run onto it perfectly. He is great at this.

No I don't. Really you are being petulant with that comment. I looked for everyone's mistakes and their good plays. Its pretty easy with Tom. And many of TMacs errors are under no pressure. he takes the wrong option or fluffs his kicks. On Sunday he kicked twice into the man on the mark. You learn not to do that in the U12s. Do you love TMac so much you ignore his obvious flaws? As for Jones he has 3 B&Fs. I think his record speaks for itself. And nearly all of his possessions are under extreme pressure. If you really believe the comparisons between Jones and TMac are relevant you probably need to study the game more and learn about the different roles.

I'll admit, I was one of the nay-sayers who was sceptical of Hunt at the end of last season. He was injured, couldn't piece together a solid block of football and just seemed like he wasn't going anywhere. Today, I couldn't be happier to be proven wrong. He has completely changed the look of the team with his blistering pace and decision making. Never before have I seen one player turn an average one paced team into one that all of a sudden has a bit of pace and flair. Absolutely no words...

That goal was sensational.

I'm not ashamed to say that I'd cheer them. Their careers may not have worked out how we hoped, but they still gave their all for the jumper, and I'll cheer that regardless. Its a shame you couldn't do the same.

He might have, but because his news is positive on Hogan, I'm happy to say that Ralph is always spot on with his sources. Last week? He was always wrong and hadn't got any rumour right in 5 years.

Another great find by the recruiting team with this guy (57th overall). Was a very left field selection but has been getting better every game he's played this season. It's not the run that he provides that has been impressing me lately (although I do love it and it's what our backline has been sorely lacking for quite sometime), but his willingness to defend as been really impressive as I hadn't seen this from him before. Can also take a decent mark and as some others have pointed out I think his kicking can still improve. Considering this was his first real full pre-season, excited to see what he can achieve with another couple under his belt.

Do the same analysis with Nathan Jones. I bet you can find at least that many moments he stuffed up during the game. Do you hate T-Mac so much that you'll sit through an entire replay watching out for his mistakes?

In the last minute (or couple of minutes) on Sunday's game, when the game was over, he had a brilliant bit of play where it was him vs two Crows, he tackled one then smothered the ball that the free crow collected and it just went to show that he brings desperation for the whole game. He has an incredible attitude to go along with that pace. Going to be a fan favourite young Hunto!

father used to say donkeys never break down Champions do quite often

Replace Vardy with Weideman and get even more excited

I was at the game on Sunday and I have now watched the whole replay... Tom McDonald was very good for most of the game. Even in the final quarter (we were closer to Adelaide than I had thought watching the game live) McDonald was resolute and turned their forward thrusts on a number of occasions. Bloody sure that he is a level above any other tall defenders we have, and he will be a hot-property around the comp if he doesn't sign with us.

They're getting very frustrated at the Dees chasing a couple of players who are currently missing a year because they injected them with illegal supplements and tried to cover the whole thing from them, i am shocked any of those 12 players signed on. I don't think we could get a trade done for both, we'd have to get them as DFA's and the AFL will imo seriously discourage them from taking that course of action.

Saw him at Sydney Airport sitting by himself with his burger. He seems to be a quiet kind of guy. Even when he brilliantly created those two goals against the Crows, barely anyone went to him. Get around him, boys! He's gonna be a ripper. I love his surprising ability to spoil. He judges the ball really well in the air.

It's pure confirmation bias. Nobody notices the absolutely brilliant things he does, or his reasonably frequent excellent kicks that get a player out on the run, or his consistently excellent marking and spoiling. But as soon as he makes an error, every peanut in the crowd sees only that.

Break out game - one of the best 14 touch games I have seen Great to see him tackle and be defensive whilst using his pace/skill well - the result of good strong development by the coaches if he keeps this up, the opposition will have to tag him - imagine someone if OUR backline needing to be tagged? could be a massive player for us

invoke the father-nephew clause

My favourite thing about him is that he uses his pace defensively. He made up probably 20 metres to take that intercept mark which let to Kennedy's goal. So many quick players only use their pace offensively, so it is great to see someone that will use it going both ways.

Thats awesome. Would be a travesty if he didnt end up at the Dees

I went to the game on Sunday (in poor company it must be said) but have haven't felt like posting until now. I'm "Bitter and disappointed" . Talk about snatching defeat from the jaws of victory! I actually feel worse about this loss than the Essendrug fiasco. Why?? Here was the moment to show we were a fair dinkum improver and a threat to anyone! The moment was lost because we stayed in the sheds for an extra 10 minutes at half time. I would have thrown myself in front of a herd of stomping alpacas were it not for a couple of highlights. ie Jeffy's return and the absolute excitement of Josh Hunt bravely taking the game on. Unfortunately though I'm over being titillated by moments of joy and the promise of improvement - I want [censored] success!!

Lot of complete idiots on this thread.

I'd quit footy if that happened. Selling the soul of the club for improvement that is incremental at best, and arguably not an improvement at all. Thankfully it's a moronic idea that the club would never consider.

Pretty much answers the "How low can you go?" question. This thread so far deserves an early lock.

We could just about supplant Frawley's name in here...similar things were being said. Poor kick, poor decision maker etc... Now he's a solid defender and premiership player, his kicking and decision making have magically improved, will never be A grade let alone elite (kicking & decision making) but more than acceptable. We need to keep Tommy Mac and get him some help.

Tom Browne just said that Essendon are getting very frustrated with the demons who are aggressively chasing both Hibberd and Hurley... Giddy up Dee supporters!

I was very excited about Hunt after seeing him live on the Gold Coast. What impressed me most was how combative he was and how he used his speed to impact the game defensively. You could see him growing in confidence even back then in terms of taking the game on and breaking lines. He could be a very dangerous half back flanker for years to come but like most, I'm projecting forward. Many see him as the answer to our outside needs. And whilst I agree he could certainly fulfil that role, I'm a little more bullish. I think he has the potential to really develop an inside/outside game and be the midfielder we've craved for decades. I hate outlandish comparisons particularly in the lead up to the draft but I can see a little bit of Fyfe in his game. He looks to have a frame (much like Fyfe) that will continue to develop. Like Fyfe, he has the ability to explode from contested positions. And whilst his kicking needs work, this is a role that doesn't necessarily require elite kicking skills. Whilst wins are important, I'm very impressed with what I'm seeing right now. It's been a good year. The progress of Gawn, and the advancement of Viney (when injury free) and the belated arrival of Watts have been huge. By the end of the season I'm hoping Hunt will join that trio in the good news stories of the year. To think we have Brayshaw, Oliver, Salem and Weideman to come into this team, with Melksham on the sidelines and talk of Hibberd and Prestia. We're developing a top 4 list and I'm baffled most of Demonland can't see that. Yes, we have holes but one of them (speed and flair) looks a significantly smaller concern after the past 4 - 6 weeks from Hunt.

Would make a great goal umpire because his marking action is same as a 9 pointer super goal

Tempered with proviso that nearly everyone saw Watts as a potential gun . Keep backing Dawes Stuie but the supporters are over him and wish him well in the legal profession. He achieved the ultimate in football and nobody can remove that from him but he is too slow, can't mark and fairly useless at ground level as well as the ruck. I'll be surprised if he goes around next season.

We have a 6 day break and we'll be playing in 28 degree heat. Everytime we come off a 6 day break and get pumped, Roos always says they got it wrong at selection by not making changes. I'm expecting at least 3 changes.

Looks like Jane, plays like Tarzan.

The development of Hunt makes me really excited to see what we are going to get out of Hulett (bare with me....). Hunt's body at 16 really didnt work for him and that stopped a player who at 15 matched it with teammates Josh Kelly and Christian Salem. He has had 5 years of injury plagued seasons where he has shown glimpses of that underage form. What we are seeing now is that 187cm, hard-hitting mid who can break away from packs with blistering speed. Now while he doesnt have the disposal of a Danger or a Parker, what he does have over them is pace, and a similar work ethic to Parker, Danger etc. He gets from contest to contest and seems to have a tank which is rare for someone of that speed. He wants to be at the contest and while I'd like him to have more possessions, the smothers, the tackles, the pressure acts are good enough for me at the moment. Does he have it in him to be a Kelly or a Salem - talent wise I dont know, his passing needs work but as we all know, he has a cannon of a boot. What is not under question is his drive to become as good as Kelly and Salem, or for that matter Danger and Parker. I dont think he will become a bonefied centre clearance mid (due to our glutton of great CC mids), but contests around the ground, I love having him there. Heath Shaw is what I'd love him to become (player, not person). But what we are seeing now is faith in a young man who had all the tools early on and the desire to be great, but his body let him down So how does this link to Hulett, Same story as Hunt but he is a key forward. I've spoken to a heap of under age coaches about Hulett and they have all been unanimous in, if he gets his body right, you have a top talent. Someone who at 15-16 looked like he was going to be a start before injuries got the better of him. What we are seeing at Casey with Hulett at the moment is what we saw with Hunt. A desire to contest, work hard, and ensure that he makes it in the AFL.

Has work to do on his delivery of ball by foot. Exciting prospect though - his pace is blistering and he looks to use it as much as possible, and he plays a tougher brand of game than I expected. His progress is very pleasing.

Tom McDonald currently sits 18th on the list of Marks this season (ahead of Rance and Tahlia - the only key defenders I can see that head him are Boyd and Josh Gibson by 1). He is currently 10th on the list of rebound 50's (that is 2 behind Boyd and 3 behind Hurn). He is going at 81% disposal efficiency (ahead of Tahlia, Boyd, Hurn - and Robert Murphy for that matter!). Anyone out there want to reconsider their appraisal of his worth?

Our players stand too close together through the middle. Not enough space to move. Poor positioning may also explain why we struggle to hit targets by hand, which leads to being tackled

These threads are always a great check as to whether I was at a different game, whether it looked different on tv, whether I have good or bad bias against certain players or whether I know nothing about the game. Aside from the general call for Dawes out the calls for M Jones and Billy Stretch when they run all day and made good decisions is funny. Calls for Frost when he played on arguably the in form power forward in the comp and kept him to 5 marks and 2 goals is funny. I would play one less tall forward (due to Dawes form) and one less tall back against Freo (as not needed) and take in more run. Out: Dawes, O-Mac In: Grimes, Oliver

No I haven't.

Picket, do us all a favour and buy yourself a dictionary and look up "fact" and "opinion". You're welcome to give us your opinions, but please don't confuse them with facts.

We will see Mr. Shadow but I am bullish about 10.

Seriously anyone who doesn't think McDonald is an incredibly valuable commodity to this team, is kidding themselves. He is the only serious quality key position defender we have left on our list. Lose him, and our defence will turn into an even bigger goal-enabling machine!

The Alistair Nicholson of the forward line.

Can't mark. csnt kick goals. if your highest paid key forward can't do those two things then what's the point?

Dawes posts are the new Watts posts...

We had 34 more disposals, 15 more contested possessions, 24 more uncontested possessions and were basically even in clearances. They were cleaner with ball delivery into the forward-line, but I don't think the margin flattered us. In many respects, I reckon we should have won that game.

This gets thrown around here a fair bit but I'd be interested in having a look at who is being referenced? Aside from the Bulldogs making a considerable jump the only other side to move strongly since 2014 is GWS - and I think we can all agree that the draft concessions offered them are extraordinary (and we should all be VERY grateful GCS stuffed up their recruiting). It's also a very different playing field now with Free Agency. In any other era Geelong and Hawthorn would be paying for their recent success, but now they top up and go again. To move up the ladder other teams have to move down too. I often hear the phrase 'It took me a decade of hard work to become an overnight sensation' in reference to success. It's a slow build and for a very young list that's great. The last thing we need is a team that thinks it'll come easy to them. And if you ask smart footy people about how Bevo ended up with such a strong team at the Bulldogs they'll tell you that Brendan McCartney did some great work with their developing players. He backed them in at the expense of some senior players and the senior players sooked (which cost him his job). I think McCartney's been proven right. Their rise has been built on their younger players.