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I apologize for not posting till now, but busy evening after the game. An odd game. Casey seemed to have the majority of the play in the first 1/4, yet were very wateful going forward with their slow ball movement and Footscray seemed to be able to bring their superior speed to the fore on the counter attack to have an early lead. Casey made an effort to move the ball quicker in the 2nd term and that resulted in greater scoring opportunities that they were able to take advantage of. The dogs though to their credit were able to keep Casey in check and still score on the counter and stay within 8 points at the half. At that stage it felt as though it would be a tight contest for the duration. Third term saw Casey's midfield really assert their dominance and control the play in their forward half. The weed gave us a glimpse of the future with some strong marking and conversion and open up a 5 goal 3/4 time lead. Final term was looking tight over the first 7 minutes. After Oliver was cleaned up at the first center contest, the Dogs did all the early attacking and got to within 22 points. And after earlier in the season Casey gave up a 5 goal 3/4 time lead against the Dogs, I was feeling a little nervous. However Oliver came back on and Casey kicked the next 8 goals of the game to do it in a canter and book a prelim finals birth against one of Williamstown, Port Melbourne or Sandringham (watch out Myke Cook!). Here's how I saw the Melbourne listed players. Jack Trengove: So, so game. Was solid without dominating. Did his work in close and what he did, he did well. Didn't notice any bad mistakes. Was clean with ball in hand. Clayton Oliver: I thought he was very good. We all know his hands are great, and he seems to kick it a bit more at VFL level which is good. I just loved his aggression at the contest and man. Lynden Dunn: Slow start, but i thought Dunny was one of the main catalysts for Casey taking control of the game in the 2nd term. Took countless intercept marks and directed traffic in defence. It was Dunny who started cutting off a lot of the Dogs forward entries in the 2nd quarter and was able to allow us to mount repeat entries ourselves. It hasn't been a great year for Dunn, but with the way he played today he'll give himself every opportunity to win his spot in the 22 back next year. Ben Newton: Seemed to play off half back which was a different role for him. Played it well and did a few nice things. Colin Garland: Thought he really struggled early. One stage in the 2nd term i thought he pulled out of a marking contest against Minson, however that could have been my depth perseption. To be fair though, he really lifted in the 2nd half to provide some run & rebound. Viv Michie: I thought he was our best. Won plenty of ball on the inside & the outside. He used the ball well and hit the score board which is something only 12 months ago he rarely did. I don't expect Michie to be on our list next year, but will be shocked if someone else doesn't pick him up. Sam Weideman: His third term put a smile to my face. Took some really strong marks and kicked some telling goals to put us clear of the opposition. He flew for his marks all day and gets his hands to a lot of contests. He still needs to work on his tank and build some strength. But gee that 3rd term was the best of Sammy Weideman. Liam Hulett: Quiet game, but again he worked and competed hard at the contest. Kicked 2 final term goals for effort. Alex Neal-Bullen: He had a mare of a first 1/4, turning it ovet and fumbling it repeatedly. I assume that was just finals nerves and pressure. From the 2nd term onwards it was the Nibbler we normally see at this level. Tough around the contest, running to the right places and being smart around goal kicking 2. Was good to see him come back. Jack Grimes: After Michie, i thought Grimey was our best. Was strong in the air and provided plenty of run as well as winning plenty of inside ball. A game for his potential suitors today. Jake Spencer: Battled hard in the ruck against Minson. I'd of said broke even from a ruck perspective, but he didn't have much of an impact around the ground. Ben Kennedy: I thought in the first quarter when we were struggling Kennedy was probably our best. Was the main one in our midfield trying to get some run and quick ball movement going. Had less of an impact after quarter time, but as the team lifted, he wasn't required to. Mitchell White: For those calling for White to be delisted, today was a good match to watch. His ball use was very good and his ability to peel off his man to affect a contest (Alex Rance style) was fantastic. I think he's earnt a 3rd year on the rookie list, but we'll wait and see. Matt Jones: Ran hard all day and was our most consistent player at breaking the lines & gaining meters. Burned about 3 team mates late in the game when he had a long range shot for goal that thankfully went through. But when your 10 goals up you can probably afford to do that. Dean Terlich: In the first half was our most dangerous forward. Was so wasteful though kicking 2.3 and one out of bounds on the full. He's certainly re-invented himself as a forward. But end of the day, i don't think it will change anything. NOT SIGHTED Christian Salem: I heard reports he injured himself at training during the week. Hopefully he returns for the prelim as his disposal could be the difference between a premiership and heartbreak. Joel Smith: I never saw him. D-League? Max King: I know he was D-League. Really happy with the win on a few fronts. Obviously the week off for the players and the belief it gives them. But also allows the Melbourne players to enjoy their B&F on Tuesday night without backing up that weekend. They're certainly a real shot to go all the way, and after all the recent finals failures over the years since the alignment. It's good to see the club finally taking it seriously.

The less time Watts spends in the ruck the better.

Another idea might be for you to simply ignore this thread and not try to shut down discussion that obviously is of interest to others.

I spoke with Ben Kennedy today. He said he would be willing to have a crack in the ruck as he had a go there in the U/11s when everyone was the same size. Thought it was strange but then players don't have any reason to bend the truth with me. I've got a good relationship with them. I'll mention it in every thread. The discussion on Spencer is a moot point, really. He has another year and the author of that article clearly didn't know that. A forward/ruckman would be handy, but they don't just grow on trees. Well, not good ones anyway. Watts, however, is not the long term answer.

Brent Harvey, possible destination retirement, likelihood 50%. Who writes this garbage, seriously?

My lonk is broken too.

Trenners didn't play a top rated game, as has been reported earlier. But I have to say that I saw him make a couple of absolutely crunching tackles, one of them after a turnover of his own doing, when he was super motivated to make amends. Just be aware from what I saw that you don't want to be on JT's bad side in a dark alley when he's angry. On the 2 occasions I recall yesterday, he literally ran and launched himself horizontally at the oncoming ball carrier, who wasn't always looking in the JT direction, hit the surprised opponent with his shoulder in the oppos midriff, wrapped him up with arms around him and with his flying momentum, brought the oppo to earth - all in one bone-jarring motion. I just love his intensity and hope he can bring the rest of his game along at the same level to reach AFL level.

We are in the fortunate position of having an able back up if Max were to suffer some misfortune. If Spencer went we would be horribly exposed.

dee luded's posts make more sense than that!

Agree. Only a forward/ruck would come if they were promised every opportunity to get game-time. A genuine ruckman with aspirations would have grave misgivings about coming to a team loaded with the reigning AA.

I think the Lions might have a good case for draft assistance but the AFL needs to be consistent when handing benefits out to its clubs. Having refused Melbourne on two occasions at times when its playing record was far worse than Brisbane's, the AFL set a benchmark as to what was required and in fact, the Lions supported and endorsed that position. If they languish for another 2 or 3 years then they can come back and apply again.

PERSISTENCE PAYS OFF FOR CASEY by KC from Casey Persistence has finally paid off for Justin Plapp's Casey Scorpions with a 70 point demolition of the Footscray Bulldogs in the VFL First Qualifying Final after 11 consecutive finals defeats since the commencement of the club's alignment with the Melbourne Demons. In front of a big crowd at Casey Fields the home side opened up the game in a manner that was not dissimilar to last week's final round match up with Box Hill. The team conceded the first three goals while squandering their own opportunities with Dean Terlich being the main offender in the early going. Despite a winning midfield of Matt Jones, Viv Michie, Alex Neal-Bullen and Ben Kennedy, it took until the 25 minute mark before the Scorpions managed their first major to big man Oscar McInerney and when Angus Scott slammed one through on the siren, the Bulldogs' lead had been pegged back to three points. The second quarter was something of an arm wrestle with the Scorps wresting the lead and the Doggies fighting back until late in the term when Terlich finally managed to find the big sticks for his first, following it up soon after with a pass to Sam Weideman who goaled to give the side a handy 8 point lead going into the main break. The second half began badly for the Scorpions with Terlich on report but the tide was turning in their favour on the scoreboard with Weideman and Scott both on fire up forward and benefitting from some damaging inside work from Clayton Oliver and Neal-Bullen. By three quarter time, the team had kicked away to a comfortable five goal lead which was the same margin Casey held over Footscray in Round 15 at Whitten Oval when the Bulldogs came home in a barnstorming finish to win by a point. However, the difference was that back in July they came home with a raging gale at their backs whilst this time it was barely more than a zephyr. Still, there was plenty of fight left in the Doggies and for the first seven or eight minutes of the final quarter they gave it their all and narrowed the margin to 22 points after wasting a few chances to further narrow the gap. The Casey defence with skipper Jack Hutchins and veterans Lynden Dunn and Colin Garland to the fore was just too strong and with the weight of sheer numbers led by Jack Grimes who was once again superb around the ground and the hard work of Mitch White, the Footscray resistance cracked. The goals flowed from every source. Weideman and Scott combined well up forward. Liam Hulett chimed in for a couple and there was some impressive work from small men Ed Morris and the slick Aloysio Ferreira who was 23rd player for the day. Before you knew it, Casey had kicked eight goals for the final term and the mission to win a final was complete. The result, which gives the team a well-earned week's break before playing off for a grand final spot in a preliminary final in a fortnight's time, was a triumph for Plapp who took over a team that two years ago that finished second last, ahead only of the now defunct Bendigo Gold. Peter Jackson VFL 2016 First Elimination Final Casey Scorpions 2.3.15 7.6.48 12.6.78 20.8.128 Footscray Bulldogs 3.0.18 6.4.40 7.6.48 8.10.58 Goals Casey Scorpions Scott 4 Weideman 3 Grimes Hulett Neal-Bullen Terlich 2 M Jones McInerney Michie Oliver White Footscray Bulldogs Hamilton 3 Adcock Greenwood Hannan Jamieson Webb Best Casey Scorpions Grimes White Neal-Bullen Scott Weideman Michie Footscray Bulldogs Hamilton Smith Russell Barry Jamieson Honeychurch Statistics Lynden Dunn 24 disposals 20 kicks 4 handballs 7 marks 1 tackles 90 dream team points Colin Garland 18 disposals 15 kicks 3 handballs 8 marks 1 tackles 76 dream team points Jack Grimes 2 goals 27 disposals 16 kicks 11 handballs 7 marks 3 tackles 116 dream team points Liam Hulett 2 goals 1 behind 11 disposals 7 kicks 4 handballs 4 marks 1 tackles 60 dream team points Matt Jones 1 goal 34 disposals 18 kicks 16 handballs 10 marks 122 dream team points Ben Kennedy 21 disposals 13 kicks 8 handballs 7 marks 4 tackles 86 dream team points Viv Michie 1 goal 31 disposals 19 kicks 12 handballs 6 marks 4 tackles 119 dream team points Alex Neal-Bullen 2 goals 1 behind disposals 17 kicks 13 handballs 7 marks 2 tackles 119 dream team points Ben Newton 19 disposals 12 kicks 7 handballs 8 marks 6 tackles 96 dream team points Clayton Oliver 1 goal 1 behind 28 disposals 12 kicks 16 handballs 2 marks 3 tackles 4 hit outs 98 dream team points Jake Spencer 9 disposals 3 kicks 6 handballs 2 marks 7 tackles 24 hit outs 78 dream team points Dean Terlich 2 goals 3 behinds 24 disposals 19 kicks 5 handballs 15 marks 4 tackles 140 dream team points Jack Trengove 14 disposals 6 kicks 8 handballs 1 mark 7 tackles 62 dream team points Sam Weideman 3 goals disposals 9 kicks 5 handballs 5 marks 62 dream team points Mitch White 1 goal 19 disposals 9 kicks 10 handballs 6 marks 68 dream team points AFL Victoria Development League - Second Semi Final In the curtain raiser at Casey Fields, the Scorpions opened the day in truly disappointing fashion. Having worked hard to make the finals and win the double chance after a slow start to the season, they were comprehensively beaten by 92 points and barely raised a sweat until junk time. They have a week to regroup before next week's Preliminary Final. Casey Scorpions 1.0.6 2.1.13 2.3.15 7.4.46 Box Hill Hawks 6.2.38 11.6.72 16.10.106 21.12.138 Goals Casey Scorpions Freeman 3 Vander Haar 2 Baker Jaffer-Williams Box Hill Hawks Summers 5 Cox Langford Spangher Traynor 2 Brolic Dimasi Gordon Kidd McIntyre Murphy Soccio Switkowski Best Casey Scorpions Gains Jaffer-Williams D Collis Moncrieff Max King Freeman Box Hill Hawks Brolic Fisher Langford O'Sullivan Evans Switkowski

I believe Saty tries to do that at training, and the players pull the same face as the one Nibbler has. Nice prank, Liam.

Vickery rarely rucks and when he does he's no better at it than Colin Sylvia. If he had shown anything then I'd agree with you. Would prefer Daw but in the light of recent delistings it would appear North are persevering with him. For our current situation, Spencil is perfect. Perfect. He's no Max Gawn or Goldstein but he is good enough at AFL level to provide a genuine contest, ensuring we don't get smashed should Gawn get injured and need a week or two out. He seems to understand where he's at and while he won't stop trying to get into the ones, will continue to ply his trade at VFL level. He's not so good that other clubs will try to cherry pick him as was the case with previous #2 ruckmen Troy Simmonds or Darren Jolly. I reckon he's ours as long as we want him and he's bloody great insurance Reckon Spencil would be quietly chuffed if he'd read his name as a potential trade target !

For some reason I could never imagine reading this from you if Jamar was in a Melbourne jumper...

I hope we keep him, he is underrated. Of course if he wants to l;eave and another team promises him more opportunity, we should probably grant his wish. The games he has played he hasnt once disgraced himself. His second efforts for a ruckman are elite.

Because she has had to spend so much time away from America where she is from.

Was at the game and it is definitely a lot better than the last few years. Once they become a side that can actually train together and learn how to play as a team it'll just get even better. With being friends with most of the girls and Moana being my boss I know that now there is something to work for they're putting 100% into diets and training. Meaning the standard will hopefully only get better

A quick shout out to the three girls who took Football Victoria to court and forced them to start a Girls' league. It's barely over a decade later and we're about to see national league start up.

The reason Spencer didn't play this year is because Max Gawn played all 22 games. Spencer is not a list clogger, he's insurance in case the unthinkable happens.

Apologize if there is already a thread for this, but couldn't see it. Anyone else notice the article on the AFL website stating despite him being contract, Freo and trying to lure Jake the snake? Given he's contracted and our lack of ruck depth i can't see it happening, but if the offer were to good to refuse i guess we'd have to consider it. Article is big men set for big moves. Sorry i couldn't get a link working.

I see a question mark in there but I don't see a question. Surely that's not an actual question?

Doesn't our situation prove that we didn't actually need a priority pick but rather to get ourselves right off field? The best the AFL could do would be to help the Lions with their new facility, get some off field stability and help with debt reduction/off field marketing. A priority pick probably won't do much for them, not in the short term at least.

I had to search the interweb to find out what FOMO meant. For anyone else who's wondering, I found this to be the most informative.

So are boring gifs, I have a very good relationship with the players, i usually get good feedback from them, some I share on here, if you have a problem with that, it's your problem

Crikey, it would be a bit rough to ditch Spencer! As a 2016 FA he could have gone to a club of his choice but re-signed for 2017. Great loyalty without much chance of AFL game time. A good article on ruckmen: http://www.afl.com.au/news/2016-07-15/rival-clubs-circling-big-swan-toby-nankervis Nankervis seems to be at the top of everyone's wish list. Longmire's comments are interesting: "I don't think you can have too many ruckmen on your list. It's such a tough job to do throughout the course of the season and you need to have a few...It's proven year after year that you need to have a number of ruckmen that can play senior footy and a couple developing in your reserves..." That suggests 4 ruckman on the list. We are a long, long way short of that. We have Gawn, Spencer, Mitch King (a 19yo with ACL injury and no bulk), and Max King (who can't make it into the Casey team). So we really only have 2 ruckman for the next 2 or 3 years at least. And Spencer may go next year as an FA. Leaving us with 1 AFL ruckman and 1 Reserves ruckman going into 2018. So, I do not think it is Spencer or another recruit. I think it is Spencer and another.

I think he'll initially try to distance himself from the club, purely to give Simon Goodwin the clear air required to take control without having the distraction of another key figure to confuse or dilute the message. Roos in time may come back, but I see him being more involved in development or even the growth of the women's game.

They do take a while to develop but we would be on the look out for young ruckmen to develop in the shadow of Max who is going to be around for a while. Perhaps Jake who will be 27 by the start of next year, is not quite right for our needs going forward in comparison to a 22/3 year old ruck? That might allow us to get involved in trading for another midfielder to bolster our stocks which, despite our promising young brigade, were exposed in the last couple of rounds.

Thread is 13 posts lighter. It'd be nice if the occasional thread could continue without becoming a stacks on. Protip: if you're not interested in participating in 'list management' discussions, don't open the threads.

Looks like it has been changed. Probably a typical article consisting of rumours fabricated by the author, and they didn't know at first that Jake was contracted, so tweaked things once realised. Standard rubbish not worth the Internet paper it's not printed on.

Rubbish Neither is a true reflection of what happened.

I think I am in love with Kaitlyn Ashmore. I ended spending half the game googling her and missed most of the last 2 quarters. No wonder women love watching the AFL. A whole new slant on the game.

To paraphrase Praha, he dumped us when a better offer came along. He went doctor shopping for a GP or Psych who could, with a straight face, say that he could sit in clubrooms that were white and blue rather than red and blue. User.

Agree with most of this. I'm surprised Terlich only had 24 because for mine he was terrific and finding the ball but he clearly wants a job in the meat trade when he leaves football. It's not that he makes mistakes under pressure, he just misses players 20 to 30 metres away under little pressure. It's a shame because he was terrific other than that. Weideman was good today. Slow start but ended up taking about 3 contested marks, never looked like missing and got around the ground well and made good decisions. His pass to Scott on his left in the third was all class and whilst I reckon he'll need a lot of time to play AFL footy he'll be great when he gets there because he makes the most of his opportunities. He also needs a couple more preseasons to get a tank. I hope he just dedicates himself to getting fit this preseason. Most promising game I've seen from him today, not that he dominated but that he showed exciting glimpses. Garlo was awful early but played very well towards the end and Kennedy was busy. I feel so much for Grimes. He did some fantastic stuff today and looked a class above but the writing is clearly on the wall. I won't argue with the FD because they will have their reasons but I don't understand his treatment which was detailed in an earlier post. Hardly a mistake today. You can play semantics all you like but we don't want him and whether he gets a gig elsewhere I don't know but it would be hard to believe that Brisbane wouldn't be just crying out for someone like him to go there, teach culture, be a role model and help bring that club together. Reality is I just suppose we just don't need him. Sad.

Just a class act. Of all the current coaches and folks involved in AFL footy, I can't think of anyone that comes close. We were fortunate that he spent 3 years of his life at the Demons. His gave us everything that we did not have. And I have no doubt sustained success is to come. Thanks Paul for everything.

Tracc is a better basketball er than Watts. Following you logic he should be our 2nd ruck. Watts is a highly valuable forward hitting his peak who should not be used in the ruck where big guys crash their bodies at each other. The ruck position isn't about "a bit of a challenge" chap.

I don't care if Watts enjoys playing in the ruck, because he's not a long term solution. I brought up the names of Nankervis and Smith as being examples of players who have come off rookie lists in their early 20's. Naismith is another. Not necessarily saying that they would want to come to us, but there are young ruckmen out there with more upside than Spencer. Mitch King is probably another example.

I watch the women's league quite a bit. The Darebin Falcons are a seriously good side and dominate the other teams. I think that the league will be a better spectacle because the talent is going to be spread around. I am hoping that they are given a few years to build the competition and that they get the support they will need, like GWS and the Suns. My biggest concern is that they are not medically insured by the clubs which is disgraceful. The match late last year saw two players do ACLs and one end up with bruised kidneys.

For the sake of Queensland football the AFL should pull one out of left field - give the Lions a PP before the commencement of the pre season. This will prevent shad dealings to get O'Meara through to the Dons via the pre season draft or force the GC to take an inferior value pick. At the same time the Lions may be able to pick up an ok player.

Other articles state we are looking at acquiring another young developing ruckman, so get rid of one and bring in another who will take a couple of years?

Straight drive right down the ground to the ropes.

Who do you propose then? Criteria: Must have a developed body, capable of competing as a first ruck at AFL level Must be willing to sit in the twos all year if Gawn doesn't get injured It's an extremely limited field I think. Nobody springs to mind for me. I get why people don't love Spencer, but there's more to it than how highly you rate the individual player. It wouldn't take much development from Mitch King next year to render Spencer redundant - King just needs to get to a level where he's fit and we think we could scrape by if he had to fill in in the seniors - but we're not there yet. This is why Spencer is still on the list.

Hope for it to take off and will definitely give it time but expectations should certainly be tempered. 6000 for an "all star" game with free entry should be kept in mind. Those saying that that's the best talent in the land, however, are forgetting how many potential stars there are out there that haven't entered the fray for whatever reason. Many more skilled girls will pop up soon.

Settle down ginger, it's not like you haven't encouraged posters to jump off the West Gate Bridge whilst still portraying as a wholesome SJW. No one here is an angel.

"..... more about me than you"? I haven't posted any rumours. Doesn't matter what the topic of the day is, there you are sprouting your sanctimonious sheet. And like any zealot, you can't help yourself.

Technique, technique, technique.

Brilliant, I am a convert. Exceptional skills, players playing to position. This is not girls footy it is women's footy and it is fantastic to watch. Best thing that has happened to football for a long time. Transformational.

Mitch proves you can have mental issues but also be a self - centred [censored].