mo64

When I heard this, I wondered whether Watson would have made it public if an Essendon player was involved. Watson understands how destabilising these sorts of comments are, and I sometimes wonder whether other clubs leak out info in order to create angst between the player involved and their club. We all know that clubs are now getting into players from other clubs during the season via their manager, and the leaks may be a deliberate ploy to fracture the player/club relationship.

One of our players got a free against for blocking a Richmond player going 3rd man up if that answers your question. Actually Bernie Vince has been our 3rd man up at the centre bounces in the past 2 weeks, with Jamar blocking the path of the opposing ruckman, though Jamar did get warned by the umps.

Not sure if serious or taking the pizz. What skill set are we talking about here? Grimes and Toumpas were both named as emergencies against Richmond, and whilst I didn't see the Casey game, both would appear to have done enough to justify a recall to the seniors. And those calling for Spencer to come in to combat Sandilands have no idea. The loss of Frost was actually a godsend because it meant that Jamar didn't have to rest up forward. And just look at the Dogs/Crows game. The Dogs dropped Minson against probably the no. 1 ruckman in the comp in Jacobs. They got smashed in the hit-outs yet won the game in a canter. Aside from the 2nd half against GWS, our clearance work has vastly improved. We need as many mids in the team as possible in order to implement Roos' gameplan of quick ball movement into the forward line. Spencer will never come in unless Jamar is out, because it basically leaves us with one less rotation of the bench.

And Josh Kennedy is the only one on the list that plays for the best 4 teams, namely Hawthorn, Sydney, Freo and Port, which just proves my point that winning clearances or contested possession is a far more important stat than tackles.

That's the point I was trying to make. All the other player's in the top 15 tacklers list are also high possession winners. Given his limited game time, Brayshaw's possession average is still pretty decent, so I'm not knocking him in any way. But there have been players who's primary instinct is to tackle rather than win the hard ball (Libba Snr and Scott Selwood), which is why it's not a list that I get overly excited about.

Watts stays in the team because he still offers more than those playing at Casey, despite his skill level being down this year. And he is still contributing to the team. After watching the replay for a 2nd time, there's no doubt that he works hard when it comes to running both ways, but he doesn't work hard in a contest, and never has. All his coaches have bent over backwards to accommodate him, by changing his roles to suit his play. But at the end of the day, it's up to him to show more heart for the contest.

I didn't say anything different. I just hate tackling stats being raised as a measurement of a player's performance or ability.

Don't get me wrong, I love the way Brayshaw goes about it, and his love for the contest, but leading the tackling stats could mean that you're 2nd to the ball.

When you look at our list, salary cap should not be a problem for player retention. How many players on the our list would be earning over $500k? Based on our top 26 players (Friday night's team plus Viney, Frost, Grimes, Trengove) the likes of Brayshaw, VDB, JKH, Kent, Newton, Michie, Frost, Viney, Salem and Jetta would be on relatively small money. Outside of the top 26, the rest of our list is made up of developing players or those whose position on the list is questionable. Apart from maybe Trengove, no existing contract is preventing us from retaining or pursuing players. I'd keep Howe rather than running the risk of him requesting a trade, and accepting something of lesser value (draft pick or an expendable player from another club). We were fortunate in the Clark deal that Lumumba wanted to come to us, otherwise Geelong could have played hardball, and we could have ended up with a 3rd round pick.

Agree. I think someone has gotten into his ear about using his ample frame to advantage at centre bounces by taking up space, hence denying the opposition ruckman room to jump. I noticed that the umpire warned him about doing just that and allowing the 3rd man up to contest the hit out. And as per last week, we used the 3rd man up to give Jamar a chop out. The injury to Frost was actually a godsend. For Roos' gameplan of attack on the break, we are far better off with just 2 talls in the forward line, with speed all around them. No need for Jamar to rest up forward. And for all of Watts' current issues, he still offers more than Pedo.

No doubt that his confidence is shot. His strengths which are clean hands and good foot skills have been poor this year, including the GC game. Usually if a player is down on confidence, the coach will tell them to concentrate on the defensive aspects of their game, and the rest will come. Unfortunately for Jack, he doesn't have the heart for the contest, and that's being magnified when 1st and 2nd year players in Brayshaw, Hogan, VDB and Salem are showing him up. The most infuriating thing about his game last night for mine was early in the 3rd quarter when he gave away a free kick close to goal for a high tackle. All night you could see the Melbourne players being focussed on tackling correctly and not over committing to the tackle. Watts just threw an arm out and collected Cotchin high. IMO, that sums up Watts' attitude to defense. He makes token efforts and thinks that that's ok. Robbo was similar in that respect.

Spot on. The money is not an issue. He's 24 and yet to reach his prime. Unless we trade him for a midfielder who we'd consider to be in the top dozen players at Melbourne, I'd rather keep him. I'm sick of our constant rebuilding, so a low 1st round pick is of no interest, and based on our trading strategy under Roos, I'm confident the club will feel the same.

Hang on. So you're saying that the coaching/selection panel take a Saty view on games, and only care about the positive acts? A players' performance should be based on the sum total of their postive acts less mistakes. If that's too deep for you then your opinions on players are pointless.

1. After taking a mark, he tries a 25 metre pass over the man on the mark, to a stationary teammate. The ball was easily intercepted because Fitzpatrick's kick was like a lob wedge into the wind, and took an eternity to get to his teammate. It was a stupid option rather than a poor kick. 2. Twice he badly misread the flight of the ball, once allowing his opponent to mark, and the other time he should have taken an uncontested mark. Saty, we know that like training, you only watch games with rose coloured glasses, so give it a rest.

Speaking of ruckwork, it's good to see that our coaching panel have been reading Demonland. I said before the GWS game that we needed players going 3rd man up against Mumford, but we only had 1 hitout by a non recognized ruckman, and got smashed in clearances. Against the Crows we had 12 hitouts by midfielders, and were far more competitive.

I would have highlighted all 3.

Spencer is just a dumb footballer full stop. Even watching the Scorpions game, he's got no football brain. I'll give you an example: 1st qtr and Casey are kicking into a howling gale. Casey player has the ball 55m out on the boundary line. Spencer runs to the goal line as if he's going to shepherd the ball through. The ball predictably ends up 25m out, and Spencer is caught out of position. Gawn has some more attributes and upside. I'd perservere with him playing at Casey for the next 2 years until Jamar retires.

This. We are crying out for a 2nd ruckman who can pinch hit as a forward/back, and Fitzpatrick is not even training with the rucks. We are also crying out for someone who can offer more than Dawes as a key forward, and Fitzpatrick is being played as a backman. I watched the 1st quarter against Frankston where Fitzpatrick was heavily involved due to the wind going Frankston's way. Some are lauding him with praise, and whilst he did 1 or 2 good things, he committed 3 errors that won't see him being considered for senior selection in the near future. And that's against opposition that is sub VFL standard.

It does when those errors are so blatent and change the momentum of the game.

It's a reflection of our lack of depth. As he showed against GC, Watts can have an influence on a game that those who played at Casey today cannot. Watts' strikes me as the type who thinks he can switch on and off during a game. At training he comes across as Mr Nice Guy, happy to have a chat with supporters during breaks, great with the kids and has a laugh with his teammates on the ground. You'd never see the likes of T. Mac, Cross, Viney or Jones doing that. Even Bernie Vince, who comes across as a knockabout bloke, was focussed when running laps during rehab and not distracted by fans over the fence. Watts needs to start training the way he's meant to play, and have some steel and presence about him. I know that Geelong and Sydney had sessions conducted by Leading Teams, where the players could make brutal analysis of their teammates. Wondering if we've had the same.

Unfortunately we don't have replacements. Apart from a couple of untried kids, today's Casey team is made of players who have been tried and failed over recent years. Our depth is non existent.

I'd be happier if the side was full of young MFC players with upside. From that team, Gawn, Toumpas and possibly Michie have upside, whilst Stretch, Harmes and White are unknown quantities. With the exception or Grimes, I've seen enough of the rest to suggest that they'll have limited AFL careers.

I think you're out of touch with the modern game if you believe that the old style defenders are still relevant. Modern key position forwards are really mobile with the odd exception (Hawkins, Boyd), hence Dawes as a defender will struggle to find a match up. I pose this question having been to training a few times this year. It was noticeable that Dawes not only struggled with holding his marks, but with the timing of his leap. And yet I never saw him given any specialised drills to improve this aspect of his game. The other issue I have with him in the team is that his leading patterns tend to be towards the flanks. This role could easily be played by a mobile midsized player or a small. Dawes' primary role should be to crash packs if and when the need arises, and keep out of the way of Hogan.

My favourite song at the moment. Just can't get the bass riff at the start out of my head.

Whilst I agree with that, sometimes you need a spark to change the trend of the game. Unfortunately, gone are the days of starting an all-in brawl. I mentioned in the pre-game that if Mumford was dominant, we needed a 3rd man up at the stoppages, which is something that Hawthorn do with Lewis and Hodge. Howe could have been worth a shot, given that he was a non factor in the backline.