Rhino Richards

I think you have nailed it Snoopy. The focus should be on the season and not unnecessarily overweighting/underweighting one or two games.

In a side that plays like a D grade sidem, a C grade player will look good. There is no doubt that Jones gives his all and leaves little on the track. However as the youth in the side reaches its potential and hopefully MFC is an A grade outfit, how much more improvement is there in Jones to be more than a C grade player that he remains a (an important) part of that future? DO you wonder why MFC were so late to offer him a further contract in the negotiations last year?

Franklin is an exceptional AFL footballer who is a freak and he had a one out year in a very good side. Never let the exception be the rule. People try and reinvent football to be simple to suit their purposes when the game is alot more complicated. The issue is that its not just about full forwards. The game has changed where players no longer play unique typecast role. Franklin is a case in mind. Teams need good forwards (at least 3 to 4) that provide reliable and dangerous scoring options.

Yes MFC need to recruit divisive elements. Given we have so many medium level players that coast. Why do we need another one? And as Rogue pointed out he kicked 8 during a party game. No thanks on Fevola. Who does Collingwood and Geelong have that a kicking eight? I'd rather have a midfield that can get a side to the position that they would kick more than 8. Power forward alone dont win you flag. They are a nice to have not a critical element. Geelong won 2 flags and got pipped on the big day in 2008 without one. You dont do the Hawks justice if you put it down to just Buddy and Roughhead. It wasn't. And FWIW, Franklin is a freak of a footballer who is not your traditional power forward. In the modern game reliance on just one key forward is potentially good in the short term if the player is very good but the long term its a disaster but opposition teams would cut you forward plan down quickly. Being one player centric in the Forward line is not a recipe for longevity of success. And FWIW, if you have Jako in your forward line then it sucks the oxygen for everyone else. Loved him at his peak 20 years ago but I am not sure I would want him right now.

Some simple maths about the side. Last week we fielded 1319 games of total experience with 12 players with less than 50 games or less experience. Their average age was 23yrs 113 days. We had brought in 5 players (2 first game recruits) with a total 48 games. The five players who came out had 228 games Including the game tomorrow night we will field 1161 games of experience with 15 players with 50 games or less experience. We have 10 players with less than 30 days experience. The average age of the side will probably be around 21 years given we dropped 21 to 27 yos and picked 18 to 19 yos instead. Of the 1161 games, Green has played 230 games, Moloney, Rivers and Sylvia have played about 115 games and Jones and Joel Mac have just cracked the ton. This means the remaining 16 players share 400 games of experience. How much value are we getting from our most experienced six?? Gold Coast fielded a side that had 1100 games of experience last week against Geelong. Frightening stuff especially when we have two untried players on the emergency bench. Makes outright fools of those who claim our young list and lack of experience is no excuse.... Its a fact.

You have to be kidding..... LOL. You mean we were not a cellar dweller and we had earn respect. Unbelievable. This game is shaping as a mid year break for Collingwood.

Dont see the comparison at all between Dermie and Jenner. Jenner for all his foibles has always been involved post playing days in developing spinners. He only came to prominence in the public eye when he assisted Warne.

Try Matthew Bate. Newton is not good and probably wont be around after this year but it surprises me the wrath he cops in comparison the perennial disappointments like Bate,Dunn and to a slightly lesser extent Petterd. People forget that Newton was pick 43 in the 2004 draft and was taken as a young project player. He has proven inconsistent and tease of talent without properly delivering. For the last 2 years he has effectively been on the rookie list to be upgraded for injuries. Yet posters cant believe he has been on the list. I am more concerned that 1st round picks like Bate and Dunn are at the crossroads as fringe NQR AFL players after six years. And for all his potential talent, Petterd has little defensive or accountability instinct when he does not have the ball. Newton wont be around next year but the other three have been bigger disappointments to me to date given what MFC have invested and what they have delivered. No he doesn't. After six years on the MFC I know what I get from Dunn its not good enough. Gawn is a certainty IMO to play. I would play Howe before I play Dunn. Strauss must be close to call up. From reliable Casey reports, Blease and T McDonald are some way off AFL.

I am surprised no one has blamed the Bohdan B for all this. He normally cops a serve from suspicious posters. No. Because we also had a raft of injuries during the pre season. We have also had a terrible run of injuries over the past 3 seasons while we have been in your "development" phase. But as always never let the facts get in the way ADC.

+1 Nasher and Bub

Agreed your not a medico so it could not patently obvious of the reasons for change. So why the emphasis on "professional" if you were just asking a question? What years the sav blanc and what region?

Glad you're so easily impressed.

It was hardly funny the last time you did that routine in rgard the comments on the MFC website. Well, whatever rocks your boat I guess. Yeah that'll show'em.

Agree...but fearless??? Really??? I would have thought that with the assessment of injuries, their extent and treatment that there can be a considerable issue of uncertainty in the diagnosis. But its not necessarily an issue of professionalism thats at stake. By all means ask the brave questions but spare us the longbows in speculation.

Please be fearless in providing the answers too.

Fair summation. You have not seen that many MFC performances over the years. And particularly 2008-09 in recent memory. As far as our development is going, we have Scully, Trengove, Tapscott, Grimes and a number of other out of the side. We have had Frawley, Morton, Gawn with interrupted pre seasons. WCE have all their stars back and firing in Cox, Kerr, Embley, Glass and Priddis. Most were out with injury for much of last year. They are the talented senior core supported by the Le Cras, Lynch etc to which talented juniors get supported and assisted. There is 600 more games of AFL experience there than what MFC. How does their senior group stack up against Green, Moloney, Davey, Jamar, Sylvia and Rivers??? When you look at the facts, injuries are part of the story. Not the only part but an important one. And your solution at the time was??

You mean the Club has not been doing this?? We already had two rookies in playing their first and second games respectively. We had 12 players playing who had less than 50 games experience. Once again we fielded the 2nd youngest team in the AFL. How many new kids can you play at one time? The downside to that is the Club would get smashed far worse than what happened against Carlton. It would be a more unreasonable learning curve for the younger players than what going on now. And if we going to play the kids we should play Todd Viney's son now in the guts for 4 quarters. He can show us what he is made of and will certainly shock the pants off Watson, Swan and Pendlebury.

Are you a Doctor?? When you do find out please tell us all. Thanks.

no. Your wish has come true....

How would you know?? In his 3rd year at MFC and Mark Jamar has gone from fringe to AA ruckman and arguably the tap ruckman around. His development in the past 3 years has been phenomenal. This year we have had Jake Spencer coming on and dominating VFL before getting injured. Max Gawn is already showing great promise after a year off with an ACL. Stefan Martin has made hugh strides and has stepped up greatly. He is on the way to securing the 2nd ruck position in the modern game. If any assist coach has got the creds up its Loats. Now I dont know if he is a good coach or not and I am stuffed the average football fan can unless there are involved in the inner workings of the Club. But from a distance Loats could argue some pretty strong points. Its great Gawn has come on and shows promise. Who has been his coach? I cant believe the rubbish written on Cox's early career by other posters to merely embellish their own point of view.

You have come on and made cheap and puerile "piece of poo" comment at my statement on Brereton. A great player who has been 16 years out of the game and in the one mentoring/coaching role he had at the Hawks he was ushered out at time when the team needed development. I did not use the SEN as criteria but used as an indicative to suggest that his time out of the serious of the game is good for radio but not for football clubs. He has built a successful media career and that is where his specialities lay. And Mono there might be some weight in that thought.....

We have a truckload of injuries and we got badly rolled against North with a threadbare team and we then play St Kilda and Carlton. I would have thought the money was chasing the bleeding logic. Hardly evidence of an internal meltdown. If you have had enough will you come clean on the GWS offer? Agree certainly on the last sentence. The dangers of speculation without the facts or the expertise.

Well done. I did go on to give reason behind my comment in a latter post. FWIW, I dont see any of the persons you mentioned put their hand up on radio to coach. And to be fair Lyon is doing enough down the Club so many posters tell me. And I certainly wouldnt have any of the Geelong trio. Riccuito was a great player but have no idea of how revered he is around the Club or what his attitude is to coaching. Well that's the first sign of hubris. B) Its funny when Buddy and Roughy were in development years that Brereton was not a forward coach there. Like I said HFC worked out that some times great ex players dont make great coaches.

Absolutely Queen C. Ins: Gawn, Trengove, Scully, Strauss, Bartram. Outs: Newton, Evans, Maric, Warnock, Bennell. Scully to sub.

.....and the world is doomed....