dee-luded

IMO our first picks in the U-18 draft should be the ones who can offer us senior help inside a 2 yr turn around. The U-18 ruck may not do that for us? We need Key Posi players, both ends, & we need hard skilled running players, capable of playing back or forward, or mid. King will be one season in, this year. we could rookie another ruck, & grab a useful aging Ruck as backup to Spencer/Gawn.

I just had a thought, about the salary cap, that it might work better, if all clubs had the same amount of $$$$ to spend in an annual salary cap, but maker the list numbers less at the top of the table, & growing list numbers for the teams each 2 rungs lower, until the bottom team has 8 more on the list, churning more players. Make the cap tighter, squeezing the salaries. This will cause some players to move clubs for more opportunity. Make the list too tight at the top end, causing the top teams to trade out some players as they climb. Allow the rookie list to be seperate from the senior list numbers, and outside the senior salary cap, but still evenly regulated.

Ditto, but for me the thing is his honesty & hard work he has so obviously done with his hurt. this isn't easy, & takes guts & special qualities to face. He sounds mostly free to a large degree of the things that haunted him, & I think he sounds like, now those issues can only drive him on, instead of hindering him. he sounds like he really wants to prove himself, & earn a good reputation & name in lights. he has guts. for sure.

you want bennell back?

I wonder if the 'chat' to watts, was more than being dropped to Casey, if contracts are being organised atmo.

shifting axis, poles apart yet. maybe this year we'll do our draft strategy now, then get excited for the run home in July ? the way the weather is, winter won't start til august.

I liked Dunstan as well for between 8 - 16 I'm fine with Salem as I reckon he'll develop nicely in our timeframe.

chop chop !

lets get some hardass player who is a gun. no, not the Dustman. actually, a wino would do.

Might be that the other clubs want better numbers thru the gate to aid their coffers, that could get us another pick. last year they thought we would be too good for them, so they froze us out like big Arny.

If so, some will be traded for a gun wanting back home.

I say the best Find of 2014, will be the Roos's...

i already new you did macca I respected that niceness but now your just hitting out like a little kiddie macca itsa your idolotry thats childish, & especially wehn it makes you so preciuos about your skipper. childhood fantasy taking reality proportions in your mind its not me who needs help old boy. the truth is out there for You to seek. I already been way along that path. I not particularly seeking forum friends as it were, I don't need to speak one on one with forum postors. I'm here just to read & put forth ideas & thoughts, like most here. and I don't fell lonely. I feel sad for the way things are changing, & values are diminishing, such as your friend clark, who is about the same talent as kim hughes. just in a different Era... stats are only relative to the current environment. by the way I felt sorry for kim hughes to. so I take it we're getting a divorce macca, I here daisy is available.

yes without taking many barrages like the true aussie cricketing hero's. Punter withstood much more at the front-line than this bloke. I have Full respect for what he's done in this test, & its about time he stood on the frontline, instead of back in the command post like the poms at gallipoli. all he has to do to be a hero is stand up-front, against the onslaught. as a leader he shouldn't hide from intimidation. he should Lead from the very front.

I went to the club lat night to watch it after they were 4 out. harris was fantastic, a huge change from his effort last test. and the variation of watto was very handy.

maca, its all truth. face it. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/idolatry

No. they're your words. and your logic. he's partway to a good skipper. he runs the onfield like good oil. especially now in the past 10 - 12 months since boof came onboard. but his history speaks for itself with trouble with other past players in the sheds, and after the days play. thats is a part of his record. imo he now is leaning from boof, but he'll never be a really relaxed character from what I see. However, he is now getting on better with the players, & the team is functioning again, & Winning. he's gettin better at the skipper areas he was weak at. this is KEY to the redevelopment of this team. & I go so far as to say that if he didn't improve his ability to get along with the other players, then he would shortly have retired from injury. Now we are a force in world test cricket again. And look at the timing of Warne'y coming onboard this week.... for the next short version game, whilst still playing this last test match of this series. before we take on the Africaans in one day. I wonder if Warney has already had some mojo rub off on the team so far.

He's finally showed up under full provocation, to stand up & be counted; its about time after all these years. this was a gutsy knock, even if sometimes he turned his head sside on instead of watching the pill. but congratulations on a fine captains knock, one that should, after Warners fine lead, set us up for a win from here. now its up to mitch & patto.

Ii agree with you re selection. I have no qualms art all about what i said about clark. I haven't liked the way he has represented the Aussies, in his role as captain. he skippers well re positional changes. and so many of us have felt embarrassed by him as skipper along the way. he's starting to get a bit better, with a long way still to go. this innings he's faced a barrage at the body, its about time he had to face the chin music, instead of batting amongst the spinners down the order. so, with clark its embarrassment all round.... thats why he's just so popular I guess. that he needs media help to ramp up his popularity. almost as popular as Hird. just sayin

I don't hate clark at all. I want him to do well. but I want him to stop looking down on traditional Aussie ways. he's too good for those ways. because of his upbringing & driven by his insecurities. from his youth. its his elitist thinking that makes people feel uneasy about his ways. thats why he's unpopular. I have no personal feelings about him. I don't like the way the Australian captain represents the Australian test team... & I have no personal issue with you Macca, except you do seem to idolise national leaders, & defend them to the hilt. they are nothing more than Just people. like all of us.

kiss his feet macca your devotion to some sort of 'leader worship' is frightening. he's a soft whimpish sort, leave your adualtion for a better model mate. or when clark comes out of his own fear.

I'll barrack for PuP, when his transformation is more complete. he's still got a wayz to go in my eyes. he's caused a lot of conflict in the past & needs to continue to work on himself. tubby is still my fav' skip. & tugga.

actually it wasn't clark coming off winning 6 tests. It was the test team, On, & Off field, that won 6 tests. If it was clark, we would have won all tests in Ye Old` England. but alas, not so.

thats easy to say but as the skipper its about how he effects the rest of the side. if him falling off the order, puts the heat on less experienced batsmen, & they get less runs at the top of the order, & in particular in the first innings of our test matches; then maybe he should look at himself.

it may be how the site is communicating with your browser? or i don't know cookies or something. its happened to me a few times, but only seems to last a few minutes. as if a glitch happens & corrects. I use firefox