Rhino Richards

I think your reluctance to rush the decision is fine. Your position of reality is your own. There is no evidence that another appointment would be more divisive than the other. And if we are going to give the captaincy out to someone I want it to be to someone who would likely be captain the next year. Absolute waste giving it to a player in his last year and who is also struggling to maintain the standard. It would be reminiscent of the final years of leadership of communism in the USSR! I doubt the leadership group will be scrapped. I think it is a great way for a group voted by the players to lead and set standards for other players and themselves to achieve and be held accountable for. Just because the calibre of the current group is poor does not damn the idea. Its a good scheme to get the younger players focussed on some key elements of leadership. I would expect it to be more effective in future years.

Read Nasher post #14

Lets not worry if Bate is still pushing for full fitness. Nah lets not worry about that. And Maric must be AFL ready as he hardly got a sniff in 26 goals that were kicked and the side won by 95 points. More emotive crap that bypasses logic. What cost Port was they lacked the hardness and toughness in their list to take the final step. They judicially recruited Hardwick and Pickett who delivered when it counted in spades when it mattered. The game plan got them to the top of H& A but there lack of players capable of carrying out let them down two years in a row. In 2005, Williams then cleaned a number of older senior players off the list and sort to rejuvenate the team's performance. Must have worked well because he had them back in the grand final three years later. I wonder why? Different player but broadly the same game pl........ Well as for your explanation of Geelong it been far more that Sam Newman and bingo. Their direct footy comes from the same principles that Bailey has been working on. Geelong have the list with the commitment, belief, self discipline and the skills. Not that you would realise it.

I think Whelan has been struggling for the past 2 to 3 years. I would not be surprised if this year is his last.

Dont wait for Neitz. Love the bloke but he is not the one to galvanise. The best solution for MFC and MCC is for the MCC to take over the MFC and run it as their own. Its a bit left field but I reckon as a means of maintaining the MCC's pre eminence as sport and membership body that it headlines a number of Team Melbourne type sports. I think it has advantages for both bodies after you work through some hurdles but I think it would be a goer. Otherwise, MFC cannot continue in its current form and expect to be successful.

A gold watch to the man! It was a dumbass act by Whelan who should know alot better. Really poor form by him especially being a senior player.

When we are aching for a forward to stand up and perform, he goes and snots someone in the VFL. Its plain dumb and just another let down surrounding this blokes judgment and attitude which is to often akin to a boiled egg. You both to be a regular AFL player. There is the risk that we have seen the best of him given his displayed appetite for the succeeding at AFL level.

No more content than Y_M. And people actually read that crap paper!

Undoubtedly your best post to date. Although there is not much to put against it. Lets see if you can actually honour your big big statements not waste any more of any one else's time. Its ironic you highlight facts as it has been one of the many areas of your posts which have been overrun by hyperbole and stupid snipes.

And Trevor Barker was forgettable at both clubs wasn't he? Just makes your repeated comments about Sandy being better on its own without Melbourne so uninformed and silly

He has played two to three good rounds lets line up the consistency before we brag. If Brock is appointed Captain because he has earned the right well and good. It was clear coming back from a country based football match he was on ready for it. And the leadership group supported by the Coaching team dropped him from the leadership group. Its a fair statement from his peers. He has played two good, one alright and two poor games this year. The stupid incidents reflect a lack of judgment and a maturity which is fine when you are 21. It just means he waits a little longer for captaincy. Its a good time to get greater consistency into his play. He needs to know and understand what is required to be a high ranked AFL player. He has a little way to go.

Clearances are a misleading stat. What should be measured is effective clearances? Our numbers would be considerably low. Combine that with effective inside 50's and it might give you a more meaningful stat.

Sponsors, coaching staff, leadership group and supporters do What his off field antics show is his lack of maturity and judgment that make a leader. He has said he wants the leadership so let him show he is worth it. As for your examples: Jonathan Brown is great footballer but is only started out as a leader. He is not great and hardly a bonehead incident. Ben Cousins and his endeavours has almost single handly destroyed his career, destroyed his captaincy and left a gaping hole in his old club. Barry Hall is not a great leader. Could have been but wont. If the AFL tribunal had adjudged correctly, Hall should have a holiday after his jumper punch and the Swans lost the GF in 2005. And recently a dumb ass act. Flawed persona there. Also in another sport there's a good reason why Warne with a wonderful cricket brain and dazzling Australian spinner never captained Australia. Why??? I suggest rotate the captaincy amongst Green, Bruce, McLean and Miller. If McLean is that good he will earn it. Hell, it was only 3 weeks ago he was struggling for his spot. He has this season to show he is worth it.

Throwing a punch and getting reported and suspended is not evidence that a footballer is a hard player. It just means he is stupid. Another example of dimwitted attitude from a player who could be more. A big disappointment when so much opportunity is there to be had. Has not got the internal fortitude to make it in AFL.

Rivers was drafted at the end of 2002 for pick 26. He played his first game in 2003. We finished 14th.

I reckon it would not be going anywhere if you played them and they did not justify selection. Barring significant injury to the list I would doubt their would be justification for playing a has been like Yze and Holland again. In the second half of the season, those players who are likely to retire should be slowly eased out if they are not competitive. But I agree with your general view its not a simple push out and a shove in process.

So why do you always do it Choko? Both CC and DB have made comments about what they expect from the players and what they are trying to do. They also said they will not any clear judgements on players until after round 6. And it would be presumptuous to think they would disclose such information broadly. However selection/non selection of certain players should give indicative judgements. There is no doubt that the questionable player list that was inherited by DB needs significant work on it. DB would have know that when he started. But he also needs time to understand who will make and who wont. Its a tough time and supporters need to give him the opportunity to make long over changes to the list and the culture. I would be more concerned at this point if DB were to make public too many hard and fast judgements on list, players etc.

He played his early years up forward and he struggled in a FP and will be cut to pieces as KPF given the questionable supply down forward. He can pinch hit as 3rd/4th up forward from time to time. But where this side is at present and will be this year a "soft" footballer like Green will struggle. In all honesty from a pressure perspective it wont come much easier this year than Carlton. I would be hesitant to benchmark any performance just on that game

Mate, I see alot of junior football and there alots of natural instincts. Just no Chris Judd. Measuring other players to Judd is like measuring all leg spinners against Warne.....you gonna come with a gulf of difference and efforts to falsely reduce it just look silly. Judds preference is for great disposal by foot or hand based on pace, unrivalled balance and rapid decision making. We have no one with those attitudes. Think hard what were Carlton like without Judd and Fevola last year. We played them twice last year. Judd does what Bailey would want any player to do...pick the right option and execute. Judd is still too quick for most of the tripe at Carlton. Bailey only needs to explain to the Board who appointed him. Its a bit of a dream that supporters will understand the game plan. On the whole they rarely do.

So what game plan suits underskilled lazy players with poor leadership and a poor work ethic? Might I ask which senior players do you think will be around in 12 months time?

Brad Green is 184 cm and is not a small or crumbing forward and lacks the pace and nous to play that role. We have Davey, Maric and Wonaemirri as those players. Its a pity that your assessment of Green is not backed up by his performances. Green does not have the wits and skills to be a permanent forward.

Oh dear. How little you do know about Carroll? McLean a 22yo bogan that can play footballer. Carroll is a 26yo ongoing concern who can arrange a bad haircut and growl at the opposing FF but little else. Neaves stiff you say and others blind! Now I know what the ?? are for in your nom de plume.

Incisive. I would have thought Robert Walls comment is more a damning assessment of TJ's playing attitude at MFC over 10 years than a go at the MFC team. Thanks for the early warning on Carroll. I would not blame Carroll as I know he is not good enough for a player with the smarts of Bradshaw and your estimate of 10 is spot on. Its no wonder that when Carroll's name was put on the trade table last year by the Club, it was met with laughter and derision by the other Clubs. Hmmmm. <_<

Swampy, The centre rule change in 2004 effectively changed the emphasis on the importance of the first hit at the centre bounce by eliminate the ability to run and leap and palm/ punch the ball any considerable distance. Simon Maddern would have to learn a new skill because he advantage would have neutered by the rule All taps now fall within a smaller central area than potentially 5 years ago. The traditional jump ruckman is a dodo now. Unless a big man is mobile and doubles as an additional midfielder then that players use is indeed limited. There is greater importance on the competence of the first and second 4 players rotating through the midfield to win possession and effective clearances while at the same time nullifying the opposition clearances. Why is Cox is best ruckman in the AFL and winning the lion share of hit outs yet WCE this year (and last year too when Cousins and Judd wer out) are getting carved up? Further illustrates the dwindling importance of the centre bounce ruckman as against having a dominating and competitive midfield. In MFC's case our midfield is underclassed and has been so for some time. So no matter how many hit outs White does get on a good day its too often sharked by better more competitive opposition midfielders who read the play better than MFC and have better first dib ball getters who start the play rolling

Carrol was touted on this site as All Australian just like David Schwartz was as good as Wayne Carey and David Neitz is better than G Jakovich as CHB. Its a myth Travis!!! Fevola made him look stupid yesterday. Carroll is a decision making vaccum whose disposal is a toss of a coin proposition. His efforts to upset the opposition fly back in his face when he is persistently caught off guard or out of position. And to top it off he is culture sink for a Club that can least afford. I know you would not want to see anymore of Frawley. You have written him off in one year. In a few moves Frawley showed why Carroll should look at lower leagues in future. I look forward to Cheney and McNamara stepping up when they are ready. BTW, Travis the discussion on who has been held too long has been flogged like a dead horse here. I am not surprised you have missed it.