Rhino Richards

It takes about 2 wins in a row for supporters to claim about the riches that are in our list and what depth we have. It takes two losses in a row for posters to come out and complain that our list is cr@p and we have no depth.

Careful Maurie. I remember watching Kerrie Ann...er I mean Tim Webster on Sports Tonight some years ago announce that Nathan Buckley resigns from Collingwood. I was surprised at the time when I saw that. It was a red faced Webster who announced half an hour later that Buckley had re - signed with Collingwood! Caveat Emptor.

Well I 've learned alot. WCE dont have big marking forwards and Quinten Lynch and Ashley Hansen must be crumbing the packs. And its also surprising that the Kangaroos game was involved crud football but dare I mention that word we played "tempo" football in the third and last quarter where we actually exhibited the skills to control the football and squeezed North out. In Adelaide last year we were inept at executing run and carry. However with our powerful go direct style of football that obviously suits our team so well we have been flogged there and in WA for the past four years. Hmmm, lets not try anything different and keep our heads in the sand. And its exactly the case that when you have your key breakaway players out of a team like Mclean, Pickett, Moloney and others from time to time that you cannot execute any game plan effectively. Until we have our best side in (hard when Rivers is out for the season) we will struggle playing any sort of football game consistently.

Doggo, PJ has not really repaid the faith. Jamar has just cashed his in. PJ and Jamar are not there yet. If anyone is going to make it in today's footy I think it is PJ. Note I did not say will. PJ still has a lot to prove IMO.

We playing a crud style based on being smashed in the clearances not having our best team on the park and players not having the confidence to back themselves in pressured situations. The impact of one loss feeds on another and we are not playing any style. We could have played any style you wanted Jaded in the past six weeks but we still would not have won because of the same skills errors, lack of leadership, acceptance of half hearted contests and the persistence of players lacking confidence to give the ball off to players in worse positions than themselves. At 0 and 9, we aere evidence of team that cant muster the capacity to implement any constructive game plan. The player hate losing. They hate going into a game without their better players and losing 1 or 2 more before the game and carrying 1 or 2 others (like Neitz, Sylvia and Moloney) who clearly arent fit. All this belts their confidence and the ability to back themselves to perform at AFL level in any game plan. And good point Nasher.

Pants, is Jamar out of contract this year?

There is a fatal connection between run and carry and the crud we served up for the first three quarters. I cant believe there is a perception that Daniher is ordering them to overuse handball, to frivolously handball to players who are under under pressure or stagnant and to just chip across ground continuously. Its as likely that he telling them to pass the ball to leading player two feet over their head or to make it bounce a meter in fron of them. What's been rolled out by the players is a poor implementation of good football strategy. And believe it or not run and carry has not always been implemented in games this year. For example against Hawthorn, we definitely went longer trying to strtech the Hawks defence. The problem we implemented that badly as well. At year end ND will wear the responsbility for the year as coaches do. But some of the explanation of what going on just goes beyond belief.

Either way it is unlikely we will retain both at year end. So one has to go. For my money its Jamar. Jamar is neglible at the centre bounce and does not hurt other teams around the ground. He just does not get his hands on the ball. PJ has his faults and weaknesses but gets a bit more of the ball and is more mobile with better ball skills than Jamar. Given where the AFL game is going, I prefer PJ. Either I suspect that we will have White, PJ or Jamar and either take Neaves of the rookie list or recruit a young capable ruckman.

Neither will be in the AFL next year so the difference aint great.

Its like most of your posts YM. Devoid of facts, loaded with misguided allegations and way off the mark as usual.

Chris Johnson Daniel Ward (Supp list only) John Barker retired last year so he is out

How about we actually determine what really caused the injuries rather than fly off on uninformed innuendo and rumour and chop heads through a witch hunt? Many of the injuries have come through on field player contact and there is high degree of bad luck with that. Lets stick to the facts.

Yze is contracted until next year. And is of little trade value too. What would you get for Jamar and he is out of contract? He's not good enough.

Is it that you always look smaller when you are a beaten side playing crap football? Firstly none of Rivers, McLean and Neitz have been on the ground much. Whats changed with Miller? He's continued to be ordinary, Carroll has been good under pressure and looks the same. Jones has dropped weight to improve endurance and what do you know?? He was outstanding in the last. Bruce continues to rack up 30 possessions a week in a losing side although his kicking remains flaky at best. I think there are bigger problems in the team than that.

How much weight has been lost from players, from whom and how has it affected us? From information I have seen there has been collectively about 12 kgs shed across the team list. Hardly puny players! You may want to focus for starters why we are getting smashed continually in the centre clearances. McLean and Pickett missing???? Now there's something. Next thing you know we will be blaming the push in the back rule for all our ills.

While he would have had an inkling that there was not much time left did Nathan Jones know he had only 15 to 20 seconds left? What wonderful guidance did our on field leadership give a second year player under the pump? Probably nothing. I am still dwelling the acts of bone stupidity from the TJ kick out to the Swallow goal. Just pathetic.

I'm with Maurie and Bobby on this. Y_M - Never let a fact disturb your perpetual state of fantasy. I thought even you would have been above this red herring type of post.

Who are you talking about? Bub was speaking about Yze.

What a dumb arse decision that was. He held us over a contractual barrel in 2002 and 2005 and though paid as a marquee player performed like a self indulgent inconsistent front runner. The greatest symbol of his leadership was him tossing the coin in the 2005 EF and running straight to the bench.

I thought so too. But he did not deliver. He got his opporunity from being in the right place at the right time when circumstance fell his way. He has made the most of it. Does not make him a better player even if he is a good bloke.

How can we trade a player whose contract is up? Yze 's manager already screamed that this team player would go to the PSD if we did not bend to Yze's position.

Scoop I totally agree. I just could not believe the progress of play from the kick in to the Swallow goal. We had TJ, Bizz, Holland, Ward and White with 10 years AFL experience each in the back line at that time. Surely but surely they cant all have a monumental brain fade at the one time. I dont recall any player marshalling players to make a lead at the kick in or flood the throw in. I just could not see that happening last year. In the corresponding game last year we did the opposite and played smart focussed football. Not this year.

I think you are close. Miller was part of the deal of those two separate arrangements that got Bizzell and Miller to MFC and Kelly and Grgic to Geelong. Separate arrangements that would not have proceed without each deal happening. So they were informally linked. I think it was to do with GFC's salary cap.

43 games in 4 years does not make a great player. If Sylvia only fills his role then he has failed as a draft pick. Its an amazing when an ordinary player plays in a very good team how he looks better than he is. Its quite deceiving you know. Essendon had a number of them in 2000 carried by the likes of Hird Lloyd and Fletcher at their peak.

I recall his great acts way way back in 2002. Much has changed since then. Opposition coaches have worked him out and exploited his lack of pace and his poor accountability. For much of 2004/2005 he was a Houdini in the backline and disappeared all too often under pressure. Even more reprehensible for a member of the apparent leadership group. I have never called him unskilled. As far as understanding and insight goes.....saying that "unaccountable in this context is the language of yesteryear's 1 on 1 philosophy. The game has moved on. " really is at the low end of the knowledge meter