Gator

Because he's not a forward's A-hole.

I know why he was played forward. It was diabolically stupid.

The fact the club took so long to settle Frost in defence is one of life's great mysteries.

He'll be ok ? Brayshaw will be a frigging super duper star.

I like Bernie, but I've rarely seen an experienced senior player make the mistakes he does. And he does it every single week.

It's called "fielding the youngest and least experienced team in the competition more often than any other side in 2016". Even more often than Brisbane, who are sitting on the grand total of one win. As for "smackings" ? We've had two losses over 40 points for the year and not one 10 goal loss. Our worst being 55 points. When is the last time we haven't had a loss by over 60 points ?

Colin Garland epitomises what you're highlighting as much as or more than anyone.

Why are you such a shameless self-promoter ? It usually stems from an inferiority complex.

Never in doubt.

They're wrong more often than right. You must have been slitting your wrist when Langdon said recently that his mail was that Hogan was definitely returning to WA. Mark Robinson said Dayne Beams was staying at Collingwood and that you could "take it to the bank". Naturally enough he left. I take no notice of them until late in the year when genuine talk is starting to come out. Please yourself, of course.

So it's bad news when they talk about him leaving ? There's never been any strong evidence he'd go.

No, we don't. Imo, which is obviously shared by most, players don't usually start impacting games until they've played about 60 themselves. Here's our top ten players with less than 60 games to their name: Hogan, Gawn, Petracca, Oliver, Brayshaw, Salem, Hunt, Stretch, Kent, and Harmes All of these players would be expected to play 100+ games and outside of the Giants I doubt any other club has the same concentration of talent emerging. Gawn is 24, but still under 60, while Tyson and Viney, who haven't been included, are yet to reach their peak and have only just reached 60. There's also Frost, who I like in defence, Oscar and Weideman / Hulett. I know we've had false dawns, but for me there's more meat on the bones and compelling evidence that this young group has demonstrated what others haven't. And it's reflected in results. We've fielded the youngest and least experienced team more often than any other team in the competition this year. While I understand the lack of patience, I'm very comfortable with the list that's being developed and look forward to the bulk of them coming through at the same time, which is important also.

Hawthorn joined the VFL in 1925 and were the competition's easy beats for the next 30 years. They didn't win a game in 1950 and even in 1953 won the spoon. They didn't play their first final until 1957 - 32 years without making the finals. They gradually improved from playing finals to a first flag in 1961. My point ? Every culture can change no matter how bad the past with the right people in charge. I happen to believe we now have the right people at the club and a very talented young list.

If only you knew what he was actually thinking...

If I thought the list was building towards a flag yes.

Absolutely. Good players always stay for less. McDonald will be paid well either way and should take heed of the bigger picture.

Yes, and I also didn't mention Peter Jackson, who has been equally important.

As mug supporters we really don't know, but in my view he doesn't deserve the coin that Rance and Talia of Adelaide are on, or other All-Australian key defenders. Anyone know what they're earning ? What are the Hawks paying Frawley ? $550K ? I know he's different in that he went for success and not coin, but on the surface $700K seems well over the odds for Tom McDonald. Well it does to me.

One win like that won't make a great deal of difference either way. Give me a slow(ish) burn any day of the week over a rapid rise if the fast rise doesn't result in a flag, but gradual ascension paves the way to real success. Port had a fast rise under Hinkley and lost a prelim in 2014 by a goal, but it's meaningless if it doesn't eventuate in a flag. And has Footscray's "rapid rise" really been that fast ? Imo, their rebuild started with Brendan McCartney in 2012 and is being carried through by Beveridge. They drafted Wallis and Liberatore in 2010, Stringer, Macrae and Hunter in 2012, and Bontempelli in 2013. These players along with Murphy, Matthew Boyd, Morris, Wood and Picken form the nucleus of their core group. So from 2013 they've had 90% of the building blocks in place. I doubt they'll win a flag in 2016, so it's likely to stretch into 5 years +. I really like what they're doing, but it's not an overnight success and real improvement has been gradual. Have people forgotten what Paul Roos took over ? In October 2013 we were a 2 win/54% team. The same year the Dogs were an 8 win/85% team. See how far ahead they were ? There's a chance Essendon will have a better year with half a team. Beat the Lions and they'll be a 2 win/60+% team. The Lions are in disarray and by year's end will be in similar circumstances to the Melbourne of 2013. And let's not forget that one of our wins was against a fledgling expansion club in the Giants, who won one for the year, so under normal circumstances we were a one win team in 2013. Who here expects the Lions to be playing finals in 2019 ? Anyone ? Because that would be the equivalent of Melbourne playing finals in 2016 based on the side and club Roos took over. In 2013 we won 20 quarters at a success rate of 23%. We're on track to win 43 quarters this year and are presently tracking at 49%. Our increase in scoring in 2016 is one of the best in VFL/AFL history. Roos inherited a team whose best player was a B grader in Nathan Jones (improved him to B+). Looking over the young talent now and the general improvement/upward curve I reckon Roos has been worth every cent. The foundations for real success are in place. Who'll forget the story of an almost broken group of senior players who had an honesty session with Roos in late 2013 as they laid bare where the club was really at in an effort to convince him to steer them out of its seemingly never ending abyss. I expect to finish on 9 or 10 wins, but whether we do or not, the club is far advanced from the competition's laughing stock that Roos inherited and I believe we'll look back at his tenure as one of the most compelling periods in our history. Outside of GWS and the Dogs I have no doubt we have the most talented core of young players in the game and are close to becoming a destination club.

In the 50's you were allowed to be called a girl or lady if you went to a girls' school. How archaic.

Yes, thank God for Robbie. We've recently had a worse condensed time with incredible turmoil, but the longevity of mediocrity places the 70's and 80's period firmly on the dais with this past decade. What's worse ? 23 years in jail on a low security prison farm or 10 years in jika jika or H division Pentridge ?

I'm not that old, but was fanatical as a 5 year old. It was as bad, but for longer. No finals in 23 years in a 12 team comp. I'm a 70's onwards supporter and it was pretty miserable. How does 1 win in 1981 (with Flower kicking a goal after the siren at Footscray) sound ?

Who could blame you. Not many teams win flags. That said, I reckon you need a core 15 players to win one. Do we have that 15 (or even 12) presently on the list ? Much depends on the development of our youth. Will Weideman become a 50+ goal tall forward ? I don't know. But with Hogan, Gawn, Viney, Oliver, Petracca, Brayshaw, Salem, McDonald, Hunt, Stretch, Tyson, Jetta, Jones and maybe Hibberd I'm hoping we have the foundations. If Watts, Harnes, Kent, Melksham, Garlett, Weideman, vandenBerg, et al can step up even better. None of those players are perfect, but it's a talented young group that will come through together. Even Hawthorn's premiership players have faults. They win their flags on the back of some champions and interchangeable types. Plus a great coach and culture. I love in hope.

Yes, I had a perfect view.

A couple of quality seasoned players will top it off, but I think the talent is on the list now. It just needs developing and experience. Youngest and least experienced on average throughout the year. When Hawthorn were rubbish (second last with 5 wins) in 2005 they still had Hodge, Crawford, Michell, Lewis, Roughead and Franklin on the last. The tallest was there, but not developed. Three years later they had a flag.