hemingway

Like others, media talk is a big yawn. Just talk only talk. Of course, Lewis has to say something and this is sending the right message to fans but I suspect most fans turned off long ago. Actions speak louder than words and I am afraid we have heard it all before time and time again. Like a broken record. We all hear the words and rock up to the next game to see that nothing has changed. The only difference is that this time, Simon has been Un-Goodwin like and reacted angrily. Now it may be what we think should happen but it is not typical. So I think this is a positive thing as sometimes you need to react emotionally for players to get the message. Have we got the cattle on the park to heed the coaches message and turn it around? We need every individual player to lift and for some magic to happen. Time will tell. The Dees season is at the crossroads.

Fair comment Wise. The biggest hole in our defence was Petty. He was not able to do even the basic negating role, let alone provide any support for others. OM was generally not to bad but at times he looks completely exposed both in the air and on the ground. When the ball comes directly to him one on one, he's generally not too bad and at least gives a 50/50 chance of stopping his opponent marking. However, he still lacks intensity and ferocity at the ball and his opponent. Lever had that in spades. He also had great speed getting to a contest and great intercept ability. We miss that so much. As soon as the opposition move the ball into their forward half quickly our defence inspires no confidence and looks completely exposed as if they have their feet in sand (excluding Jetta). So what to do ? There appears no solution other than to try make the most of a bad situation. Frost must be tried and given some continuity of games. He has height, pace and ability to rebound. He has deficiencies as we all know but so do the other defenders currently in the side. He brings something that we lack. We need to move or drop Lewis who is slow and a complete liability with ball in hand. Reluctantly, I think we need to consider moving TMac back to CHB. I know, I know but we need to do something, as the shambles of our backline allows our opponent to salivate with unbridled relish and indulge in the most hedonistic picnic imaginable. I know nothing about Keilty but unless he has some toe and can do the basic things well, I would not pick him.

I hope you are right. You would hope and expect that Goodwin would have an open door policy and that communication is two way. At the same time, the coach /Goodwin has the responsibility and should have the initiative to regularly engage with every player on the list to ensure that there is clarity on expectations and footy behaviours and to listen to any questions or concerns from the player. Players need to know where they stand.

And scary to think not only what would have happened against the Saints without Max but what would happen for the rest of the season if he went down. On Sunday, it was as close to a one man team as you could get.

Agree, we are a slow side but gee, Harry was incredibly slow both in movement and decision making. Perhaps, this could be partly due to nerves and struggling with the faster pace and intensity of the game, but even so, he appeared to be moving in quick sand. Like Oscar, he seemed to lack energy and intensity, a bit of a relaxed walk in the paddock as if playing school or park footy. He is miles off playing senior footy.

The problem I have is that there so many "special days"" that the cause loses its significance and its marketing value. Just as retail sales lose there impact because every day or week there is another sale. There are some great causes but the concept is being swamped and overdone. Another day, another new idea, another gimmick.

Agree, with some obvious exceptions, but with Harry it was like a soccer or rugby match being one down.

Understand your thinking but Petty was completely lost and looks a long way off playing senior footy. Was really looking forward to seeing this kid but it was one of the most embarrassing debuts I have ever witnessed. I am all for giving kids a proper go but we just cant afford to leak goals like we did on Sunday as each time the ball was directed in the Petty direction he did not know what to do or got stage fright and fumbled, partly due to his slow decision making. He was beaten virtually every time whether in the air or on the ground. It got to the stage where I sensed that his own team mates did not want to hand pass or kick to him. We simply cannot afford to carry him in another match this season. Particularly, alongside OMcD. Having said that, one does feel that whatever the selection, its a bit like plugging holes in the Titanic.

Petty looks like a nice young kid but gee that was embarrassing today. Completely lost. Beaten in virtually every contest, outpositioned and no idea where to go. But he had little support. Thrown to the wolves. OMD not much better.

Agree. Also from personal experience, reference checking is not done or poorly done in all organisations whether it be the corner store or large sophisticated organisations.

Spot on.

I call it creative writing or perhaps footy fiction. No doubt Caro is contracted to write a certain number of articles each season. She also has to maintain her profile and distinctive writing style.

Agree, I don’t think he is VFL material. There are lots of players particularly lightly built guys who struggle on the slower grounds and poorer VFL skill level. He needs to be playing AFL but you need a minimum standard to be elevated. Unfortunately, you can’t get back to AFL without some good VFL form. And unfortunately his AFL form was not good enough for him to retain his place. He is in a difficult position that only he can extricate himself from.

Classic Caro, entirely predictable. Did not take long for her to get her angle, contact a few people and write her critique. The stiletto was sharpened and poison pen got to work. She will never praise a decision or action but alway “damn with faint praise”. Her style of writing always suggests he has gleaned information and insights that are credible and accurate. Importantly, this same style means that she is never entirely wrong.

Knees always make me nervous and when I think of what I have seen on the footy field, a little sick at the bottom of my stomach. There on both occasions when David Schwartz broke down. Now that's something you never forget. I just hope Jake had the best surgeon who did the best repair job. Much depends on the skill of the surgeon. He cannot afford to have another reco. Like The Ox, you wonder about the riskiness of his playing style as he jumps and intercepts off balance both on take off and landing. That makes me nervous. The Ox had to reinvent himself and change his playing style. He had to use his increased weight and strength and forget about jumping into or over packs. I suspect that Jake and his recovery team will need to consider the way he plays and whether he modifies his playing style. Whether it's 12 months or less for Jake, lets hope he has a full recovery and successful return to the big time. He is one hell of a talent that we want to see much more of.

Even as a young kid, I loved seeing new kids make their debut for the Dees. Nothing has changed. Its exciting to get that first glimpse of talent, when you think "gee this kid can play." So often a false dawn, merely tantalizing. Occasionally though, we get to see the "real deal" for the first time. Robbie Flower, Garry Lyon, Bayley Fritsch to name a few. Still one of the great things about AFL. So it will be exciting to watch Harry Petty run onto the ground and get his first touch. Let's hope he falls into the successful ""he's got what it takes" South Australian camp and not the "well he had talent, but we never got to see it" camp.

I agree, I doubt his heart is in it.

The season disappointment both for the player himself and the team. Brings so much when hes on, but is a liability when hes not. The pity is that we really need Jeff right now with the switch turned on. It would make a huge difference to team balance and goal scoring opportunities. The problem for Jeff is that he not only needs to get back into the team (will only happen on Goodwin's terms-play well at Casey) and then play consistently every week, both offensively and defensively. That's the problem. Can't see him at the Demons next year. It's the Watt's problem, Jeff has the ability but not the winning behaviours that Goodwin is clearly trying to develop.

Perspective.

Despite our improvement, watching the Tigers and Swans last night was depressing, We have a long way to go to match their intensity, tackling, contested ball, aerial strength, leg speed, relentless running, confidence and mental toughness. Both sides just constantly will themselves into the contest to win and carry the pill. They both have a handful of out and out stars supported by a whole plethora of swarming willing worker bees who run through brick walls and attack with frenetic speed of movement and decision making so quick that you wonder how it's done. They may have a great coach but more importantly they have a bunch of players who have the perfect combination of skill, fitness and win at all costs mentality. Coaches and players may learn by watching but you need to have 22 players who can go out on the paddock and replicate that same action. Not easy but we must aspire to it. .

No need for your first sentence. We like information not one upmanship. Indeed, thanks are in order, as Kevin's reports have been fantastic. All those reporting on training should be valued for their contribution.

Yep, a top bloke and a top coach.

Agreed, even an Olympic 400 metre runner would run out of puff after a full effort. The most testing of distances.

The unanimous comments of support from posters regarding this news is a great tribute to the footballer and the man. Universally liked and admired.

Having state of the art training facilities is very important.. It may not translate directly into wins on the field but it is another component of building and maintaining a successful club. It shows that the club is ambitious and has a plan to become a successful club. It is about securing your future. Most successful organisations outgrow their original or existing facilities. Outdated facilities eventually have an adverse impact on an organisation. Although we may have good facilities at AAMI, sharing it with a range of other clubs is not ideal. Suggestions are that it has become overcrowded and that we can't get things done without the consent of the other stakeholders. It may be a huge improvement on the Junction Oval, but the AAMI and Gosch's Paddock facility is a poor cousin to Collingwood's Holden Centre and Olympic Oval. Is it practical or sensible to think that we could continue to use the AAMi facilities for another 10 years? Most likely not. The longer we leave it to create our own facility, the harder it will be in 10-20 years time. Having your own facilities, sends a powerful marketing message. It tells all and sundry that it is a professional club. It is a competition between clubs for recruits, players, coaches, sponsors etc. Successful people want to be associated with successful organisations. You need to do everything possible to have the edge on other clubs or at least to be on equal footing. In the 1950s and 60s, players were attracted to play for Melbourne because we trained and played at the MCG. Sure we won premierships but we also had the best training facilities in the League. To get the best out of people you need to have a work environment conducive to high performance. Players and coaches are going to be more motivated and productive if they train and work in the best environment. Location, access, architecture, space, equipment, technology, work areas for coaches and staff, meeting rooms are all components of creating a productive work place. One in which players and staff enjoy using every day. If the Club does not plan to develop and grow in all of its activities, it will eventually whither. We cannot afford to stand still and have all the other clubs with a competitive edge.