Rhino Richards

But he wasnt the worst kick in the AFL.........

The 1989 was a far more experienced team. If your saying their young players then another 2.5 years is a hell of alot of experience and players like M Taylor, M Waugh, Hughes were all better players in 1989 than when they were 1986/87. You could argue thoese players alone were not inexperienced at all . So the 1989 team does not support your argument at all. Depends how forward looking you are being. Hussey Ponting, Haddin should not be in the team by the end of the Australian summer. Hughes is an easy drop but he too is relatively inexperienced and young. Johnson has burnt his tickets up in Sri Lanka and South Africa but had credits to continue after the Ashes in the absence of better options. And the better options for strike bowlers Hazelwood, Starc and Cummins are very young. My forward team (out six months) wont be much different to yours give or take. Its just many of those players have not been ready (or fit) in the period from the Ashes to now. FWIW, i am not sure there could be lost of options for Johnson, Siddle or Hughes unless they really change their stripes. Performances to date are not encouraging.

I think Neeld would really want to have a strong impact on the top 6 to 10 players on our list. Get them moving toward being "stars" or well above average footballers. Its only then will MFC improve. And as these players improve they will make others around them better than what they are. Too many what Neeld to have phoenix like impacts on fringe players. And he may well but some of those mentioned even if they play at their best will still find them as mid range NQRs. Must have been in another life. Johnson could always kick 60 mertres on the run hardly a candidate for worst kick in the AFL.

Bob raises good points Nuggets. You are also trying to argue the 1986/87 side against the 1989 side. I think you are looking at two different team with different experience levels. The team that went to England was indeed very capable. I dont know why you would use the English press hoopla to support just playing the kids.

I think you have to look at what has happened during and since the campaign. Hughes did not play much during the Ashes and IMO is a flawed batsman. Against Sri Lanka Khawaja was there with Marsh, Copeland and Lyons. For this Test, we had three relative newbies with little experience. Its a line ball with Copeland getting a guernsey and with Tim Paine out, Haddin has been breathing longer. I think Copeland, Khawaja and Warner are all set to come in. The debacle that has occurred has blotted a few line ball players futures. Johnson, Hussey,Haddin will go over the summer.Hughes is gone for mine. I think Siddle is warming a spot for a better bowler. Ponting has been a great and needs to be managed professionally out of the team. One of his saving grace is that there have not been better batting performances at home. I dont we have the calibre and depth of player atm that you refer to 86/87. Ignore the other "learn from it" its been deleted.

Yes not good at all with mystery surrounding the lead up to his death. Its going to be a different ABC Radio this summer with Roebuck no longer with us and Glenn Mitchell having resigned from the ABC in June 2011 suffering terrible depression. According to his wife Karen Tighe (also ABC announcer), Glenn wont be coming back. We might get more of Mr Cricket Dan Lonegan this summer.

Nice work. I cant delete a PM after its reaches the recipient.Maybe its just you.... Talk about missing the point.....and an absence of the facts Good summnation Bob. Agree about the batting and spinning options And Nuggets by your own hand, the selectors are actually doing what you have suggest. Not doing mass changes but certainly changing the scenery. Lyon, Khawaja, S Marsh and Copeland have all been blooded since the Ashes were lost. That's over 40% of your sideI would expect that Haddin, Johnson, Ponting and Hughes will be on rice paper. Paine, Cummins, Hazelwood and Starc should debut this summer.

Talking about missing the point... Debacles like that sit squarely in the hands of the players first and foremost. Agree about the selection issue. And I agree the next 3 debutants do look like coming from NSW.

http://www.theage.com.au/sport/cricket-writer-peter-roebuck-dies-20111113-1ndg0.html Absolutely stunned. Condolences to his family. Cricket loses an incisive commentator.

Well, I cant belileve it. I fell into bed last night at 1/46 and dreamt that Australia bowled SA out for 140. I check the scores this morning Australia was also bowled out where both sides made 140. Wow. 9/21...... Clarke could be man of the match for his 150 but we still lose handsomely. His innings was outstanding...head and shoulders above other batsman. Hughes, Ponting and Haddin must starting to feel some heat. Something to note in the bowling...Harris and Watson taking wickets.....Johnson, Siddle no wickets... Since debut.. Lyon has no done much. We rely on too few with the ball. SA in the box seat but I am too scared to call the result after what has happened! SA shouldn't win either because they won the toss and sent Australia into bat. Shame on them.

SA 1 for 46 off 11.. not good but Harris once again the pick of the Australian bowlers.

Or we know where they stand for the future in their last years of their contracts. Aside from Bennell and a pre 2011 Davey I am not sure you going to see anything different from the others. And allowing for Col being well Col. You will see the signs in 2012 but it will take them 12 months to learn the Neeld game plan sufficiently. Neeld should benefit from the growing maturity in the quality players on our list.

With due respect to Trapper there was no one standing goal side of Swallow when the throw in happened. I think that was Trappers error. He made a reasonable decision to go neutral to the boundary because there were no available targets for the kick out. Its a minor point when we were literally flogged everywhere on the ground that day. Carp kicking style. He had his good days and he had days where you would scream.

There is a fabulous photo of Northey glaring at a crestfallen Stynes in the rooms after the PF. Picture tells a 1000 words.

Great knock by Clarke. Listening to the commentary that 284 is not a bad position given the toss. Johnson 2 overs for 14......tick tick bomb! Early days but I hope he finds his mojo in his next spell.

Its Simon Eishold and Tony Elshaug. I dont think we would have got close to Carlton in 1987 after the PF punch out with Hawthorn. Northey would have fumed over an Irishman crossing over the mark.

PM Nasher DN9. He is the wiz with this sort of biz!

I havent been back. Never wanted to go back. As I speed past it on the Monash, I still curse it. Was a inaugural member when it first opened. Grew to really hate the place even before that dreaded day. I was going to mention it but as Bush Demon says it was one arm waving but "hollywood" went for glory. Shocking kick. You could see the whole disaster start to unravel like a ball of rubber string. Its starts off slowly then unwinds faster and faster. The last quarter was a disaster waiting to happen. Its the same feeling Blues supporters would have had when MFC ran over the top of them in the 2000 SF. You could see the momentum change ahead of the scoreboard.

Yeats, Campbell and Eishold made monumental blunders in the last quarter. WJ is right. The Bucky kick was the worst. I still cant watch any of that game.

He had an outstanding series last time in South Africa with some truly brutal spells of bowling that were the equal of Steyn on occassions. Also hit a century on the tour. Has largely disappointed since.

Not as funny as to fantasise what the issue is/was even when it has been clearly explained a number of times.

Agree. i have only heard the days wrap on a couple of radio stations. The pitch seemed lively early. Great knock by Pup. I also thought of the Hughes knock against the Windies. If the planets line then Mitch Johnson could bowl hand grenades but we do know that he could easily bomb. Fascinating

So you let the media determine that you wont do the right thing by a loyal servant of the Club?? Interesting. There was nothing to stop the VP or a Board member from having the basic decency of meeting with Bailey. The media issue is a crock. And sacking someone by phone...sensitive.....FMD. I think the disaster got momentum in the week commencing 23 July 2011.

IIRC Meesen was pick #37. We traded pick 29 for PJ and he was a disappointment. So was Pickett for a mix of late picks plus pick 28. Chris Heffernan plus pick 17 for pick 12. We downgraded 5 places and got nothing in return. Try this for starters. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AFL_Draft#External_links Click on each year down the bottom of the page

I should have added that piece....rats