Rhino Richards

Rivers did little today to suggest he has bedded down a defensive role for the future. If he indeed is back to his best then this new contract may be his last. Today was a relatively easy role for defender given a struggling team had so many KP players out that they had no marking targets up forward. Yet Rivers still made some clangers. The defense was not made accountable for its errors today.

Wrong. The only players paid out early have been Carroll and Nicho. Carroll was a special case for the wrong reasons. Nicho basically hung up the boots. You just dont simply pay contracts out when you feel like it. Fristly there are player/player manager relationships and secondly we are paying 100% of the salary cap. I'd move Maric to the rookie list for his last year while he is on contracted rates. Agree. Delists... 5 of Bell, Miller, PJ, TMac, Wonna and Cheney Dunn, Bartram will be recontracted. McDonald will go on and Bruce will do another stint (here or GC). If one Junior/Bruce go then Green get elevated to the veterans list Elevations off rookie list will be McKenzie and Spencer (maybe) All other rookies (possible exception of Newton and Spencer (if not elevated) will be cut.

Once the words "player hater" or player basher" are used in threads, it really has all the intellectual grunt and sophistication of branding an opposing view as "racist" when discussing immigration. Bruce was good today against ordinary opposition. He is neither as great or as bad as so many analysts here believe.

He should take up bunyip sighting. Agree Lets think....which teams in those years were playing careless undisciplined football.... MFC in 2008 and 2009. Essendon yesterday. The only thing Essendon didn't get pinged for was breaching the interchange.

As usual, no one had him for delisting. Just another Freak fantasy. His disposal and decision making are too often questionable and at 192 cm he is neither tall nor small. He is not a strong marking and not overtly phyisical at the contest. He wont be delisted at year end. He is likely to be offered a 2 yr contract at a middling contractual amount. It was another Dunn brain fade. Dunn should have kicked the goal. Its telling that Bennell need 2 buckets to pick the ball up such was the sloppy pass. BTW, Watson also kicked a goal too. At best Dunn nullified Watsons influence. However Dunn just does not hurt oppositions when he has the ball. And in his sixth year still has not nailed a spot in the team as his own. With the number of talented young players coming through in MFC's side in the coming years, Dunn will continue to plug gaps.

Any slight chance Maric might actually show a bit of desire at VFL level. He had done zilch in the VFL so far and demonstrates little appetite for the contest or the pill. Good choice for a stopping defender. Imaginative creativity???

There you go. When you are cornered, you introduce an irrelevant point. The topic of the thread is the "Run Home". Your earlier about accepting medicority was about on field performance. As much forward motion as a scampering crab. What's not cool is telling pork pies. Not only can you not maintain a point of view without introducing irrelevancies but you desire to re write your actions is embarrassing. And your comment back then also makes your rant of accepting mediocrity even sillier. Ugh. Its statements like these that only highlight that you can fathom issues beyond the cliche. Blah blah blah. So how is this all an acceptance of mediocrity?

You're either a player manager or a gifted lawyer than makes a packet in sports law. Very much so. Laidley is not seen as a Port option. He is a WC chance.

By you and which other even minded poster here? It helps to soften the pain... B)

Your overriding fallacy is that there is an "acceptance" of the mediocre performances. Its self serving for your own flag waving efforts. By hanging onto to such a cliched notion its no wonder you have difficculty in articulating the detail when challenged.You carry on as if MFC has to wake up one morning and shout " No more mediocrity" and march stoutly into a brilliantly bright future. If only it were that easy. It isn't and its a lot more complicated than that. Although your posts imply otherwise. The mediocre performances particularly this year have occurred due to a multitude of reasons. Many of which will take some time to resolve. In many cases there are no quick fixes. But I have never heard any MFC player or official publicly or privately for a moment accept or being satisfied with mediocre performances. In recent years some of the mediocre performances are actually reflective of a lowly skilled side busting a gut without scoreboard results. Its amazing that you accept the roller coaster issue but find it hard to be happy with performances post Round 5. Isnt that the ultimate each way bet?? Even more so from a bloke who happliy clapped the side off the ground after Rd 1. Our form this year is very much in line with what could be expected. Our best players are still so young and green (in their first 3 years) and our senior players (few in numbers and leadership, limited in ability and inconsistent in output) dont give enough. They have been like that for most of the their playing careers No one likes to lose and we all wish we were winning. But dont hide behind the "accepting mediocrity" claptrap. Actually do the research as to why we are where we are rather than ranting overflogged cliches which seem to be an ever present springboard for further inanities. I am still hoping for the 7 goal win on Sunday.

Agree. Although he has a contract until 2011 or 12, West Coast could afford to pay him out from petty cash. 2011 will be interesting for Neil Craig as well. Vossy would not want another year like this year. He bet big at the start of the year and may suffer particularly as Brown, Black and Power diminish in influence. Matthew Knights would want to have something positive in 2011. And then there is Mr Bailey....

Wholeheartedly agree. Your assessment of Liam and Nick is spot on. While every would like and be e4xcited about Jurrah turning it on the reality is that he is still returning after missing alot of footy.

Agree. Aside from Choco, I think Harvey is the only AFL coach to come out of contract this year.

No its accurate. My explanation highlights execution of the plan and the commitment of players to the task under pressure. North like every other team has known what we were seeking to do for 3 years. Brad Scott has known what MFC were wanting to do from his days at Collingwood. They just knew from previous experience we never had the cattle nor the skill sets. And the cattle and the skills are mainly housed in player 22 yrs and younger who are still learning the caper and will be inconsistent in performances. And I thought my new avatar would spur the Demons to a 7 goal win against Essendon.

Why should it? I watched Rivers over a number of years. I think his game has been consistent over that time and reasonable observations can be made. What do you expect to change with Rivers? Become faster or stronger?? It is intersting seeing those comments from back then. In early 2007, I had not seen enough of PJs play. 2005 was in his 1st year and he spent much of 2006 injured. If you were care to look at my comments on PJ and Jamar from 2008 onwards, I had recognised that Jamar had the basics of ruckwork but did not get alot of the pill. PJ was a sucker punch. I was initially fooled by his mobility and little man skills without appreciating how average he was at ruckwork. For a big unit he has so little physical impact in ruck contests and at contested situations. He is also an ordinary mark above his shoulders.

I've seen him pinch hit on swingman basis some years ago. But only for short periods. Nothing startling The limitations that plagued him up back will be accentuated up forward....lack of pace, poor one on one. And beaides, Garland is the one to go forward because he played there in his youth.

After the North game, one MFC player said to me the the reason they lost to North was: 1. Relentness opposition pressure.... that lead to 2. uncertainty and hesitation in decision making...coupled with 3. poor execution by hand and foot

Come now Redleg! GC wont take Bruce because he is not a Queenslander.

No. He is out of contract this year and is 26 years old. He could easily go into the PSD and get a 2 yr contract elsewhere. Hell Chris Johnson did!! I dont think he has much trade value as I believe his skills are limited. If MFC were to offer him a 1 year contract then they should not bother offering him one at all. They dont have to be Stawell gift winners but they are fast enough over short distances to cover leading forwards and to also run and break the lines when in possession. And Enright and Mackie do alot of that. They also use the ball very well. Rivers lacks pace, does not run the lines and his disposal is ordinary. Add to that his lack of one on one capability he really is a tweener. Too small for talls and too slow for the small. As Hannibal said, Rivers has not kicked on since his RS days. A combination of player limitations, injuries and the rapidly changing game has curtailed his importance. There was a time 3 to 4 years ago when in the absence of quality defenders, Rivers was critical to the defence. How times have changed? I think Frawley streets him in every facet an Frawley is only 21 on an upward curve. Garland is quicker reads the game well, runs the lines, plays body and body and is a better kick. Being a 3rd defender whose strength is to flost off your man aint that hard nor is it as critical a role particular if one on one and pace is a weakness. Two years was about right. He would not be on big $$$ and I dont think his skill set is of signifciant trade value. IMO he is a fringe player around the best 22 and not a given to be selected and each game he needs to work hard to overcome his limitations.

Struggling one on one is a critical flaw in a defender and is not an issue with Mackie, Milburn and Enright. All these player can play one on one, they are not slow and their disposal is good. Reading the play is of little value if it does not result in your side gaining possesion of and using the ball well. Unless MFC were prepared to let him go to the PSD for nothing (they wouldn't), they would had to offer and agree 2 years. Its hardly a vindication of his performance which has been middling at best. Its ironic that even his most ardent supporters see him as a 3rd best defender who does his best work floating off his man. Hardly critical given he is subordinate in defensive roles to Frawley and Warnock. Hannibal summed him up well.

You have to be dreaming if you believe that Clubs were unaware of how we seek to play football. Given all the coaches, scouts and preparation that Clubs do for a season dont you think they seek to understand how other teams play. A further hint. When you are watching the football on TV and the camera pans on members of another football club buried in the stands seeminlgly watching the game impartially do you think they go there just for the pies and chips? And the North and Blues were not simply a matter of being outcoached. If you actually spoke to some of the players they would tell you why we lost. It would be illuminating for some. I agree about the WCE effort by the players. A poor team performance all around.

Who are these hating scoundrels?? B) Do I detect some heresy?

Too sharp Deez but dont steal the poor man's thunder. B) I think we are definitely capable of that. I think we are a good chance against Essendon, Richmond and Brisbane (ex Brown, Fev and one or two others they are putrid atm). We are definitely a chance against the Swans, North and Port. Garbage. Bailey has been seeking the side to play like the Bears game for the whole time he has been there. I know an opposition assistant coach who clearly outlined what MFC's strategy was two years ago. The issue is how effectively you implement it. Its bone naive to think that one good win and all other Clubs cry "Get the tape what are they doing?". Its clear that the WB, Port and Collingwood had not watched the tape.

Cheney did not even make an impression against Goddard. Very little to crow about from the Saints game. He will need to lift for the next game. There aint the big names in the Bombers team.

Great news on the signings particularly with Petterd and Garland. He is playing each week but I agree that its debatable whether he is LT best 22. However that should not dictate whether he gets more than onw year. His position is completely different to Newton and Meesen. I take it you're not Tim Harrington.