Rhino Richards

He didn't. He sustained it in a meaningless friendly a week out from the Test. And as a contracted ACB player he has no choice but to play as required. I would have rather he got injured if at all actually in the preparation for something important. But not in mistimed, forgettable giggle game and on a green strip.

As expected they brought Khawaja in as an emergency. Fair enough. As for blooding young players I dont think they could have blooded Ferguson who was recovering from an ACL. They have already started blooding Khawaja by taking him to England when Australia played Pakistan. However what were Cricket Australia thinking when they decided to hold a Sunday night "jolly" 5 days before the 1st Test on a wet track. Reserve keepr Tim Paine is nursing a broken finger thanks to a fsst friendly from Dirk Nannes. Why was someone risked over a game so trivial? If Haddin were to tread on ball, pinch a muscle or buckle a finger, wehre would we be placed? Even worse Tim Paine loses valuable cricket time behind the stumps.

Your first sentence is wrong. Your last two sentences are your opinion. Thats a fact. Hope you deal with your anguish.

He sounds absolutely crushed by it. How could West Coast do such a terrible thing?

I am not defending them at all. In fact I dont like them anymore than other posters here. But I am not going on a torch lighting effort like you based on info. snippets in the media. But a number of posters like you have come out and boiled WCE for its handling when yours and others grasp of the all the facts is superficial at best and overplaying the anguish.

Good. It shows. You already made a judgement on his termination without the facts. Well done. Worsfold has said his body wont hold up to the demands WCE will place on him. The guy has played 24 games in 3 years. Less than half a dozen in 2 years. Damaging comments please. You take other Clubs for fools You could do with some precious. Do you actually know if he had been told some time ago that he was not part of the Weagles picture and if his manager had made enquiries elsewhere for a trade? Have the Eagles paid Hansen out? I dont think they can cut a contract without paying it out. Anyone taking him in the PSD will take on a new contract with Hansen. Hansen was a good contributor in 2006. Was being the operative word. Your conclusions are flawed.

No I think you're being naive about the situation. Read Maurie's post. Hansen had a choice but must have realised his chances of being picked were as high as Titan U being rookied (Sorry TU) Exactly

How do you know the Club had fully informed him and he made the choice? Posters are seeing what they want to see in this. He had ample opportunity to go into the draft. Why would he hang around a Club that he could not get a game at in the past 12 months? He is either naive or poorly advised...or has shopped around and realised its his last punt in the AFL??

So how are the selectors to blame for point 5 given that always been your argument (which is carp anyway)? As you have been asked often and avoided which selections should have been made that would have changed the outcomes in point 5?

Correct. The issue is also for MFC to build sustainable profitable business for the future.

Garbage. He's 27yo and is out of contract and not getting a game in the wooden spooners team..... Ummmm what would Ashley be thinking.."I'll be right for next year" FFS. Some people on here really need to harden up or get a dose of reality about life in the AFL. We should rookie him because he barracked for MFC as a child.

The Ashes tickets aren't selling as well as when or are we not selling them at all. If you actually do the research this Ashes tour is not a sell out like the last tour for a variety of reasons. 1. Ashes 2006-2007 had a magnificent build up following the fantastic 2005 Ashes tour. Australia finally had a challenger 2. At that time Australia was chock full of stars at their peak or about to leave the game at their highs.... Hayden, Langer, Warne, McGrath and Gilly. 3. Australia in four years has diminished as a Test playing nation as the unprecedented retirement of greats have left a talent void that is not easily replaced. The domestic competition has been threadbare with states like Qld, WA and SA barely competitive at times. 4. The emergence of 20/20 has turned the game for many stakeholders on its head. Its all bang and fizz but the game results are even more forgettable than ODI. For a nation that does like the enduring nature of Tests, the latest "innovation" has confused many people as to what the game is. 5. This Ashes series follows 12 months of meaningless cricket which has been racked by corruption, incompetence and instransigence at the global level. Out of the global game only Aust, England, South Africa and NZ have any integrity in their national structures. India now controls 75 to 80% of the global cricket game. The game's direction has splintered at the global level. Other nations are either chronically corrupt/ incompetent or both. Cricket Australia has floundered in some areas but the problems are often bigger than Australia. 6. The game is riddled with corruption at all levels internationally and it has damaged the cricket brand to the Australian consumer. 7. While there have been some close results, the quality of cricket has diminished globally. So there is an education for you to supplement the meagre 4 Corners insights that does you greater justice than the broad brush whinging you dress as opinion. You really need to move beyond the "things are bad so what I say must be right". Its the epitome of the self saucing ignorance that is a flagship of your paltry and uninformed contributions on this site.

They are talented with potential. But there best years are 5 years away at least. Some of the senior players are NQR and the experience is spread too thin. They show pluck but they will be hammered often and get dealt some lessons about what AFL is. Bottom quartile but no disgrace as they will all be better for the run. In 4 to 5 years, they could be very very good.

I'm not the one making the grandiose claims about it heroboy. There are a number of reasons behind the fall in numbers from the past Ashes series in 2006-7. However that series was subject to special conditions leading up to its commencement. Last years cricket was also poorly attend. There will be a number of attributing factors including Australian team performance. Rather jump on a self indulgent soapbox putting some plausible and thoughtful ideas on how we can change things. You have not done that so far. Too busy bleating like a cut lamb.

If we lose the first test and he is not amongst the runs, I reckon he's out. The selectors have sent a definite shot across the bow to him. The century does not alter the shaking ground he is on.

Pity you shoot blanks. You dont know what attitude is behind the poor ticket sales this year. Your opinion is a perpetual whinge because when you aksed to substantiate you rely on generalisations, the views of family members ( ), continually avoiding questions and diverting the topic to somehow create a veneer of credibility. More like self saucing ignorance.

I dont care so long as he and other batsman makes runs when it counts. Its easy runs on a flat deck on a good day with no Siddle, McKay etc when you are 200 runs ahead. But if it bats him into form I dont mind. I wonder if the selectors had ruled him out of the final XI.

Greg Chappell??

Hussey will need the salt tablets if he gets to 50! For Australia A, given the England tail have rallied, there is no excuse for the top six to bat out the next day and half and put there names forward. There is no doubt there will stacks of opportunity this summer for those that make runs and take wickets when it counts the most...

On a more high brow note.... England tops 500, their tails wags, Bell nearly get a double ton......Not a good show at all by Australia A aspirants. (But its the selectors fault...no Cricket Australia's ) For a hit out with Test players and aspirants, the NSW v Tasmania game was a waste and a farce (400 runs and 40 wickets in under 3 days. Hardly good preparation there. WA belts Victoria....Mitchell Johnson on fire 121 not out and 5 for against the best in the Shield Comp....At least some good news!!!

Over the past twelve months, which spinner and which batsman should replace? No grey matter required to swing the axe. A bit of thought who the replacement is. And BTW, the wasted 12 months is certainly not being proven in Tasmania. hardly any Australia A player knocking the door down It would be wasted money. You have already said you wont be watching so why clog the discussion with your mindless whinging? And you repeatedly shown to lightweight in both substance and knowledge and on that basis your accusation at others of being "soft" should be really be turned on you.

For all your windbagging, you have not put up one plausible change to the Test squad in the past 12 months. No one is arguing things are not good. But your persistent sheep bleating without any thoughtful or sensible alternative makes your posts have all grunt of a talkback crank. And while you are at lets blame the Government as well. Lets get some big fish.

Pace cant be taught. You either have it and use it properly or you dont.

Its not a fact but your misperception. Your point does not indicate we went for needs over best available.

Dont tell them that. Some of them have even been to Sydney...No truly they have. B) If AFL is going to expand and survive they need to be a truly national sport. GW Sydney is last demographic frontier with the GC. Its not without its risks. However, if the AFL dont commit to LT expansion then it will calcify and wither. It cant grow much further in the Southern Australian States and NT. It already dominates the landscape by a large margin.