joeboy

I was at training this morning for about an hour , until it got too hot .

My observations , in no particular astounding order :

Bate looks like a completely different player - his tank-like thighs have disappeared, along with his barrel chest .

Jones was the pick of the trainers.

Morton has lost weight.

Gysberts still appears malnourished.

Watts was enthusiastic and involved , contrary to what I'd read here previously.

Martin had a body to die for ( purely from an aesthetic perspective).

Trengove and Moloney want the captaincy and both stood out as leaders.

No Davey, Jetta, Jurrah, Sylvia, Grimes, Strauss, Jamar, Cook.

Green - had minimal involvement

Jones - good and ugly

Bartram - great tagging performance

Watts - slid into mediocrity

Bate - increased trading value

Bennell - disappeared when pressured

Frawley - owned his opponents

Trengove - was great early

Morton - see Bate's analysis

Mckenzie - terrific all game

Garland - occasional brain fades

Moloney - heart and soul

Rivers - dynamic and confident

Martin - continued game improvement

Tapscott - one dimensional game

Howe - exciting and talented

Jetta - little to enthuse

Jamar - never stopped trying

McDonald - had little involvement

Bail - enjoyed his dash

Blease - polar opposite weekends

Fitzpatrick - debut to forget

I wouldn't write off Casey from the finals race as long as Melbourne plays ball with its players as a number who missed today and are playing with the Demons tomorrow are eligible to play in next week's semi final against Werribbee.

I agree.

I was at the game and it was obvious that Casey was short of class whilst Port was probably playing close to its best list.

Add Maric, Nicholson, Bate, Fitzpatrick, McDonald and others who I may have forgotten and you'll have a fairer contest.

BTW Gawn was outstanding and totally dominated the centre contests, but was alone in there. His work around the ground, and even on the ground in totally inappropriate conditions for someone of his height was so impressive.

He's come a long way and will be going further!

6 - Garland

5 - Blease

4 - Moloney

3 - Jamar

2 - Jones

1 - Bennell

Green - game's best forward

Jones - consistent all day

Bartram - tight and effective

Watts - hardly got going

Bennell - exciting in bursts

Frawley - owned the backline

Trengove - not as prolific

Morton - had little impact

McKenzie - was rarely noticed

Garland - outstanding all day

Moloney - better second half

Jurrah - dangerous before injury

Rivers - was always safe

Scully - rarely found targets

Martin - some important involvements

Tapscott - rarely found ball

Howe - excellent when subbed

Jetta - five thrilling minutes

Jamar - owned the circle

McDonald - safe and impressive

Blease - thrilling and confident

McNamara - just a game

6 - Sylvia

5 - Garland

4 - Jones

3 - Trengove

2 - Frawley

1 - Jamar

Green - not the answer

Jones - dynamic and impressive

Bartram - understood his role

Watts - needed more involvement

Bennell - pleasingly backed himself

Frawley - owned his opponent

Trengove - just kept performing

Morton - surprisingly effective game

Sylvia - the complete game

McKenzie - determined but limited

Petterd - had little involvement

Garland - brave and inspiring

Moloney - great at clearances

Jurrah - only 1 quarter

Rivers - quiet but safe

Macdonald - hard but careless

Scully - why the hype ?

Martin - a tiring year

Davey - milestone to forget

Howe - probably wasn't playing

Jamar - owned the centre

Blease - great early on

6 - Howe

5 - Petterd

4 - Frawley

3 - Garland

2 - Rivers

1 - Blease

Jones - same old same

Bartram - abysmal skill execution

Watts - not enough involvement

Frawley - arrogant and prolific

Trengove - couldn't shake tag

Morton - junk time stats

Sylvia - rarely looked interested

Mckenzie - what we expected

Dunn - five minute game

Petterd - impressive 4 quarters

Garland - sharp and impressive

Moloney - great third quarter

Rivers - was rarely outpointed

Macdonald - gave excellent drive

Scully - little to enthuse

Martin - outpointed resting ruckman

Tapscott - was frustratingly loose

Davey - lost the magic

Howe - continues to impress

Jamar - regularly outpalmed Cox

Blease - played with confidence

Nicholson - impressed when subbed

Spat the dummy.

I said that

After being censored and censured by Rhino Richards for the reprehensible act of referring to The Cats as inbreds after last week's game , I've spat the dummy and taken an extended break

Green - seemingly without passion

Jones - has gone quiet

Watts - certainly showed endeavour

Gysberts - playing junior football

Bate - had little impact

Frawley - was totally overwhelmed

Trengove - is looking lost

Sylvia - made no impression

McKenzie - most consistent contributer

Dunn - a headless chook

Petterd -a front runner

Maric - played without conviction

Garland - should be dropped

Moloney - didn't bother scorers

Jurrah - heart's not here

Rivers - our only winner

Martin - went missing today

Tapscott - many costly turnovers

Howe - some nice passages

Jamar - was badly outplayed

Strauss - continues to disappoint

Nicholson - many glaring errors

I often see Sylvia on Chapel Street Prahran , South Yarra , and Toorak (in daylight hours )

6 - Martin

5 - Rivers

4 - Green

3 - Sylvia

2 - Howe

1 - Petterd

Green - opportunistic forward's game

Jones - his normal game

Watts - had little involvement

Gysberts - time for demotion

Bate - deserves another game

Bennell - limited game time

Frawley - had little assistance

Trengove- game to forget

Sylvia - sublime and embarrassing

McKenzie - tackling's not enough

Dunn - not the worst

Petterd - showed some class

Maric - was the worst

Garland - never looked comfortable

Moloney - tried as always

Rivers - reliable all day

Martin - confidently attacked game

Tapscott - little to commend

Howe - some brief involvement

Jamar - lost his momentum

Strauss - the invisible defender

Nicholson - looked completely overawed

Were you there or from the limited TV screen? Did you know what the conditions were really like? Did you know what the game plan was? Did you know the instructions from the coaching panel to each player? Your effort is commendable as a knee jerk TV reaction, but meaningless in the modern game.

I didn't need to be at the ground to see ' what the conditions were like ' , and I doubt ' the game plan ' constituted Morton constantly fumbling the ball or Gysberts regularly turning it over , whilst the 'coaching panel 'probably didn't instruct Watts to fail to handle the conditions well, or , for that matter , Martin ,Sylvia and Frawley to have crackers of a game.

I just write them as I see them !

6 - Frawley

5 - Martin

4 - Petterd

3 - Sylvia

2 - Trengove

1 - Moloney

Green - always looked dangerous

Jones - shut down role

Watts - couldn't handle conditions

Gysberts - some glaring turnovers

Frawley - the perfect defender

Trengove - creative and reliable

Morton - tentative and fumbled

Sylvia - classy all night

McKenzie - just a game

Petterd - our best forward

Maric - opportunistic but limited

Garland - safe all night

Moloney - a creative playmaker

Jurrah - took his chances

Rivers - some trademark defense

Scully - had limited impact

Martin - showed his versality

Tapscott - will be better

Howe - had limited opportunity

Jamar - had little impact

Strauss - didn't evoke confidence

Nicholson - backed himself detrimentally

6 - Watts

5 - McKenzie

4 - Trengove

3 - Rivers

2 - Petterd

1 - Frawley

Green - failed to inspire

Jones - couldn't get going

Watts - our only winner

Gysberts - disappointing and lethargic

Bennell - embarrassing and timid

Frawley - great second half

Trengove - tried so hard

Morton - played without passion

Sylvia - career worst game

McKenzie - performed as expected

Petterd - one great mark

Garland - loose and careless

Moloney - no armchair ride

Jurrah - a huge disappointment

Rivers - was always reliable

Scully - had no influence

Martin - not as effective

Howe - some brief involvement

Jamar - was untypically ineffective

Blease - made no impact

Strauss - not the worst

Nicholson - tried but failed

John Ralph stated this morning on SEN that Cale Morton rejected an offer from Gold Coast last year to move for more money.

A Tom Scully thread was created specifically for discussion of ALL matters Tom Scully related... why start another topic????

Because this was the most significant comment made by a significant person in the negotiations - it was more than just rumour and innuendo.

Petterd, 14 tackles

I'm sure I'll be abused for the Petterd comment , but I don't look at the statistics or replays before making my assessments

6 - Martin

5 - Watts

4 - Jones

3 - Moloney

2 - Rivers

1 - Frawley

Green - good first half

Jones - great all day

Watts - showed magic again

Gysberts - quiet but important

Bennell - mopped up well

Frawley - loved his arrogance

Trengove - there when needed

Morton - didn't stand up

Sylvia - some breathtaking passages

McKenzie - the underpack master

Petterd - had few involvements

Garland - safe and secure

Moloney - loved Jamar's return

Jurrah - finally some magic

Rivers - quality all day

Macdonald - quiet before subbed

Scully - prolific but wasteful

Martin - was great again

Howe - was rarely noticed

Jamar - loved his palming

Strauss - a little clumsy

Nicholson - poised and effective