Rhino Richards

You mean the last day of school holidays and your kid has not done his homework. You are right. Enough is enough.

About the sharpest comment on this thread. I think the Board and ND could come to a decision prior to year end as I think the Board should be canvassing potential coaches prior to year end to allow a new incumbent time to stocktake the list, appoint a new coaching panel and actively participate in the draft and trade period. FWIW, Bizzell and PJ will be out of contract at year end. I cant see either getting a new contract. Its a pity we can only get rid of 6 or so.

Then it is not up to standard and that the rub.

Considered Yes. Selected...I doubt it. He is coming back from injury and needs to get his feet. If they are not china dolls then what is Pickett? Bartram did not need the physical development and he has a great engine and facility to be a run with player who was tenacious. In the 2006 pre season comp. , Bartram played every game and starred. He was played in the AFL from that. He clearly showed he was capable of the standard to follow and nullify his opponent. Surely the other younger players deserve fair time to show they are ready. (But hang on ND does not play youth and does not give them a go. How can that be?) None of the players have that clear attribute nor have had the game fitness. Newton has a lot of skill but the maturity to apply it is not there. Good. So what is the big problem? Lets give the kids their chance when they are good and ready. I have high hopes for each of them. But please let them get some match fitness and get some confidence and capability at a lower level first. The deserve that support and not the desparate cries from [censored] off supporters.

You have got to be joking!

Does a 205 cm ruckman have to be any good or just be tall?

I find choosing who come in from the just results in the paper akin to picking teams with a blind fold. CJ had to go down. He had given us nothing. Hopefully he will come back better for it. Did Dunn and Pickett play a full game?

Rivers coming back will make that issue redundant. PJ is not AFL material.

If they cant cut it in the easy life of the VFL and have yet to physically get through a full game there fitness wise then how can you send them out to "compete" at AFL level and as part of the depleted rabble that was out. Christ, they may as well be slabs of meat the way the armchair experts on this forum "judge" the readiness of the young.

To be used at specific times. Dont tell me "We lost today because we did not have enough players down in the forward line" again

Your approach is akin to sacrificing the season at Rd 3. What a disaster! You would get no idea of their capabilities because their teammates would not be there to assist. Hawkins is an AAA recruit who has the physical development and the ability to cut it at the top level. He would have challenge Gibbs for top draft pick. What a F-S pick up that is! Its not indicative. The Collingwood players at least had some form and were not be thrown in to such a critically undermanned side as MFC. Indeed their opponents Richmond were nearly as bad as us. Buckley and Pettard have both had injuries toward the end of pre season and have not even completed a full match at Sandy. You put your selfish desires to see these players ahead of their fair interests.

While I know his limitations, Godfrey was not disgraced last week and in this injury depleted team justified his selection? So which of Pettard, Buckley and Newton would replace Ward on the HBF. I think it grossly unfair to submit players who cannot master the standard at Sandy to be expected to stand tall when our senior season players are so so spineless and insipid. A case of supporters selfish curiousity and knee jerk reactions rather than the best interests of the young player.

We have not played "R&C" for two weeks. Indeed we did not even win the ball today to effect a game plan. A nice touch of humour from someone who would not recognise a game plan if he tripped over one.

I think that is right D. However you positives are shallow at this point... PJ is 200cm rover than cant mark. As good as a FF that cant kick. Jamar is not up to it. FCS, the bronx cheer man at Geelong Blake even towelled our rucks.

I'm as [censored] off as anyone. We were a rabble today and we are about rock bottom in every category. Jaded none of Buckley, Pettard or Newton have shown any form at Sandringham to justify for selection. How about they justify selection? indeed both Buckley and Pettard are coming back from injury. As poor as the others were it does not suddenly make these better. THere is no evidence that ND thinks that playing the kids is a sign of giving up. He has got a few out there that have a few more kudos that ones selected and they are struggling. Playing the kids because they are kids without having showing they can at least handle VFL is flying the white flag in round 3 and giving up the year. Honestly the side in total played so badly I doubt you would have any idea how any of the 3 young players would have gone. They would have been washed away in the flood. However the extent of injuries to key player and the pitiful performance of many players who are regular players will get us there soon enough. Ultimately if the performances dont turn around then the highest scapegoat will be the Coach prior to year end. It should be some of the players as well. The incoming coach should actively seek to "trade" some of alleged stars who are about as flaky and insipid as I have seen We are still 4 to 8 weeks aways from getting top players back. Its going to be hard hard rocky road for next couple of weeks. It will be interesting to see how the Board will handle this issue. I dont give a stuff about Press conferences. I am concerned what is happening behind closed doors where these issues should be responsibly played out.

Beyond a couple of cliches and uninformed assumptions, how would you know what reality is?

How any poster can valid judgement about who is a good forward/ruck/defense coach without being actively involved in the Club is likely pulling a needle from a haystack. FWIW, our rucks have been ordinary for some time with it becoming more critical as White fades. Not all ruckman improve with age. Jamar and PJ have not come on and in fact stalled. Just how much value was a narcissist media bully, footy show clown and botox tragic who has not played the game for 300 years. One hour week and you can discern the value? Number of games is only one factor but not a golden motza that an ex player will add value. I dont see many teams chasing Wayne Carey or Doug Hawkins to coach. And its amazing how after two games we have gone dramatically backwards. We slightly off the mediocre position we were in last year. A good ruck coach is a good thing to have. How you can simply judge purely on the number of games he has played without being involved in the Club is a mystery.

Too much supposed analysis on the site is done based on "what is on paper". They have shown that they have the capacity to compete at an AFL level. We dont have many options. And I agree there are risks. But if this game gets down to a open play shoot out we stuffed. You need experience to close a game down. MFC needs to do what we can to get a win on the tally now to get this season back on track. I dont see what Buckley and Pettard would provide to that strategy at this point.

The WCE will swoop on that. Sure you are not giving too much away now?

For the record, I have made rare and general comments about the Board in passing. I have never spoken specifically about any Board members on this forum. Its hardly interesting to you as you have shown a repeated failure to read my comments on matter even when they are specifically answering your questions and you replied to the post. Phoenix is absolutely spot on about your motives. A complete lack of substance and credibility.

"But we still have more quality mid-fielders than when we just had Chell, A MacDonald, and then ?? in the early naughties. The Umpies have it right when voting for the Brownlow; it is all about strong mid-fielders. You can make do with Rucks, defenders and Forwards who play (eg. lead) in the way expected and put in (therefore, Newton not Jamar at FF)." Its more than just midfielders but not having McLean and a fit Pickett in the mix are just big irreplaceable holes. The umpires dont necessarily. Why is TJ our biggest vote getter?. Actually you cant do without your best rucks,forwards or defence. MFC evidence this. My top 10 above are big losses even if only one or two are down. We have seven of them out and two more are miserably out of touch. I dont understand the Newton for Jamar conclusion. It is not supported by your comments. "But a few months ago, you spent a number of posts canning my idea that depth was over-rated." My post above supports that notion by substantiate where the Club list succeeds or fails. Depth has a role in the team to fill holes temporarily that appear. You may be able to cover 1 or 2 keys players out at a stretch for a match or two but not long term and not with the numbr of top players we have out. So I am mystified why you focus on the importance of mass clearing out depth as the solution. You can only replace them with draft picks dependent on ladder position and more depth if you can trade them. My constant argument is when we have a couple of wins, many misguided posters naively brag how much depth we have and how good it is. When the truth is it takes two losses in a row to prove it's a mirage. All Clubs are struck the same way with the lists where they all contain varying strengths and weaknesses. No Club list is complete. The salary cap and draft effectively create a modicum of evenness amongst the teams in the disbursement of available talent. "My opinion as a professional project manager is that there are a number of areas of incompetence. I.E. other people plan stuf and it happens. E.g. Pickett's gut should been identified as an obvious risk and contingency plans (ha! ha! as if it were not going to happen) been implemented in Feb 06 and Feb 07. The players for years, do not implement on the field a plan that they can manage and serves the purpose (if any) of the coach." He has training and fitness commitments like any other player. You cannot make a player commit fully to them. Pickett has had a variable off field record at three clubs. We took him knowing that but also what he can do. He was a revelation in 2006 for us make no mistake. However, his failure to fulfil his commitment is a warning that at 30 yo with a poor training regime why would you give him another year. Its hardly an incompetency when its the player. And if it is an incompetency of the Club it has to be the football department that should take responsibility for that. Surely as a professional project manager you would clearly define who your stake holders were and what their responsibilities are before citing incompetency. Wouldn't you? "I want him to play another year about 6 - 8 kgs lighter than he turned up last year. If he were contracted to me, he would. Or he would go. Either way works for me. I would [censored] in his pocket and try and find out why, but bottom line; ta-ta gut with or without Byron attached. Ditto, Motlop last year. and 3 kgs worth for Robbo. " You cant make a player do that. So great he does not and so you sack him. That creates a hole in your list and PR disaster in the press. You lose out both ways. You give away a place on your list to player with a high risk of making the contractual conditions then you sack him. If MFC Board did that I would put the heat on them for incompetence. Motlop had a two year contract out of desperation when Broadridge died. He was a punt and he did not work out. No issue there. Robbo carried a knee injury last year and could not train as often between games. For a professional project manager you focus too much on the small stuff which in the end is not significant to the fortunes of the Club

It was rather inept as he had mentioned a couple of MFC players playing in two positions at the one time. Nothing more than your usual Footy Show gristle.

If you have not identified the vast improvements this Board has made then you never will. By your previous "unMelbourne" post you have well and truly cast where you stand.

At the start of the year if a number of things went right for us to reflect improvement we were a chance. Given what has transpired especially with the injury list and the patchy pre season of some key players, that opportunity has dimmed. But FCS, unlike some fair weather whingers I am not in anyway tossing in the towel. We need to make improvements in on field performance. If it starts with scrap up and possibly a victory against Geelong. Bring it on.

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